Chapter 2: Gareth
I wasn't happy. I’d been waiting for the new assistant for about thirty minutes, and I was getting a little tired and irritated. The jet had been on the tarmac, waiting. We should have taken off by now, but she was the one delaying things.
"Would you like anything else, sir?" the flight attendant asked politely as she topped up my cup of coffee.
"Nothing, thank you." I smiled politely. I went back to the document I was perusing but I couldn't concentrate. Who keeps a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company waiting for Christ's sake? It was extremely unprofessional. I looked at my watch. Half past eight, and she was supposed to be here at eight o'clock sharp. Okay, I'll give her ten more minutes. If she's not here by then I'll leave without her.
I went back to the document but still couldn't concentrate. I stared blankly out the window watching what was happening outside. A couple was fighting. I couldn't hear them, but it looked pretty serious. I looked at my watch again. 8:36.
I raised my arms in frustration, looking around me. Who could I rant to about this?
"Evelyn, what is the meaning of this?" I asked immediately when she picked up the call.
"I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean."
"The new assistant. She's not here yet."
"What?"
"Yes. This is extremely unprofessional. Are you sure you picked the right person for this job?"
"I'm sure I did sir. Something must be wrong. Maybe something came up or she's stuck in traffic. I'll call her now and see what's going on."
Just then, a beautiful blonde with startling emerald-green eyes rushed into the plane holding a file that looked very familiar. She was wearing a navy-blue pantsuit And her blouse was emerald green just like her eyes She looked lost and out of place till she spotted me and started walking towards me.
"Hold that thought," I said, staring at the woman. "She just got here." I cut the call and continued to stare.
"Hi. Good morning. I'm Becca, your new assistant. It's such an honor to meet you. I've heard so many good things…"
"You're late," I said, interrupting her rambling.
She looked flustered. You could see from her reddened face that she was embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, there was an accident, so cars had trouble moving."
I said nothing, just stared at her. After some seconds I texted the pilot that it was time to take off. She was still standing in front of me looking down at her feet.
"You should take a seat. The plane is about to take off."
She stood there for some seconds before the flight attendant helped lead her to the seat beside me. There was a long silence until the flight attendant came by and asked what she wanted. The plane had taken off a while ago and everything had settled.
"I'm Becca, "she said after a while.
"Gareth." We shook hands.
"Again, I'm so sorry I was late."
I turned to look at her. "It's okay." The first thing I noticed about her was her fresh floral scent. It was a light scent that made me want to get even closer to her. I shifted uncomfortably at the rising heat in my lower belly. From her scent to the shape of her, everything about her seemed to draw me in.
"What do you think of the ideas I listed out in the dossier?"
She looked shocked; like she wasn't expecting me to ask my assistant that kind of question.
"Well," she finally said, looking a bit unsure, "I think the ideas are great but if you don't mind me asking have you ever tested their products."
It was a music production company, one of the biggest in London. The owner was retiring and wanted to sell.
"Well, no."
"I think you should. It's better to have first-hand experience of what you're going to be purchasing."
"Uh," I said, rubbing my chin contemplatively. "When we get to London, the first thing we should do is check out one of their branches."
She nodded. "No problem. I'll take notes. " She raised her hand like she was in a classroom, it made me laugh a little. She realized why I was laughing and put her hands down.
We spent the next hour talking. I found out that we had a lot in common and was surprised we hadn't met earlier. She talked a lot, but I didn't mind because I liked listening to her speak. I loved the sound of her voice, the way she gestured when she was talking, and the way she moved her lips. There was something intriguing and seductive about it. I had to pinch myself to distract myself from some very inappropriate thoughts.
Becca was beautiful, funny, and smart. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy my trip to London.