Chapter One
It was bright and early in the morning. The air was warm, filled with the sounds of cars and people moving around the streets. Camila was stuck in a bit of traffic on her way to Central Park. She sat in the back of the taxi with the window down, looking outside at the passing life. Internally, she was trying to calm herself down.
You’ve done this plenty of times before, Camila,she told herself. This is your job.
She was going to meet a man for an interview. And not just any man, but one of the most rich, influential, and handsome men in New York. Camila knew it was for her job, but just seeing a picture of the man had her heart pumping, and hearing she’d get to meet him in real life had left her dazed for weeks.
Good thing she took her work seriously, or she wouldn’t be prepared for this at all.
Camila wasn’t actually a reporter, she was a photographer. She worked for a blog, a “Humans of New York” style photoblog, that didn’t have a great many resources that they could afford to hire both photographers and reporters separately. But it still earned her quite a bit, and the blog was pretty popular, or they couldn’t have managed to get ahold of a man like Samuel Kane for an interview, one of the billionaires that lived in New York City.
“Ma’am, we’re here.”
The cab driver speaking brought her out of her reverie, and she focused her eyes outside. Sure enough, he’d let her out just at the edge of the park, and she riffled through her purse to pull out some bills. She checked the meter, then gave the man his money.
“Thank you,” she said, holding her jacket, purse and camera in her arms as she stepped out of the cab and onto the sidewalk. She looked around and took in a deep breath, then let it out in a heavy sigh. “Now, to find the man I need.”
Central Park was a pretty large area. Camila had been surprised when she heard it was where she’d be having the interview, instead of one of his many offices, or even his main office. Then she was told it was his idea to have the interview somewhere outside, and it made her curious of this man. She had stared at pictures of him long enough she was pretty sure she could find him easily in the crowd, and there was an agreed spot for them to meet. She’d been to Central Park before, so she knew exactly where to go.
Because this was for work, Camila had made an effort to dress up. Usually, she was in t-shirts or flannel shirts, and thick, khaki shorts or pants with boots, pretty much anything she could go on a hike in, but today, she was wearing a short, peach dress that fit her small but curvy frame well. The dress had short sleeves and a modest neckline, falling to her knees, and she carried a long, beige trench coat in case she felt cold. Her blonde hair, which she usually wore up in a ponytail or a bun, was left down today, and it floated around in the breeze, tickling her face and neck.
Camila was aiming to make a good impression. All for the sake of her job, of course.
The only concession she didn’t make, was her camera. It was pretty big and bulky, with a huge lens to go with it, but of all the things she owned, it was her prized possession. She’d had the camera for three years already and she’d gone with it to all sorts of important adventures and job tasks, it took the best pictures, not to mention it had cost quite a pretty penny so she took its maintenance seriously.
As she walked around, to get rid of some of her nervous energy, she brought the camera’s strap around her neck, then framed the camera with her hands. This was where she was most comfortable, looking at the world behind her camera, and she snapped a few shots of random things as she went to the appointed meeting place. She couldn’t use them for work, but she did have her own portfolio where she kept her own private pictures. When she was really tight for money, she’d look for sites to sell the photos, and it had been a surprise how well they sold. Then again, she’d come a long way from being a rookie photographer.
As she got closer to the meeting point, she lowered her camera and looked around for Kane. They were meeting close to a big fountain, in an area covered in grass and trees. It was fall so the ground was littered with leaves in burnt fall colors. There were several benches spaced around so they would have plenty of privacy. The place was pretty quiet and tranquil, and even though it was a weekend, there weren’t so many people moving around that it would be disruptive to their interview. Which was good, because Camila liked to use a tape recorder instead of writing things down like some people still did. Then, she would listen to the recording afterwards and add her own comments before typing out an article.
Where is he? Or am I early?
Camila checked her wristwatch to confirm that she was pretty much on time. She was actually a minute early, but she didn’t know if the man she was meeting would be punctual or not.
Then, she saw him. And, she was surprised.
Wow.
Kane hadn't seen her yet, but he was walking toward a bench just in front of her. She slowed her steps as her mind blanked out a little bit.
For one, he was dressed casually in a long-sleeved t-shirt, dark slacks and casual shoes, and a scarf wrapped around his neck. The t-shirt was the perfect fit for his muscular frame, the straight slacks emphasizing just how long his legs were. Camila was pretty short herself, and she was sure if she stood right next to him, she’d probably come up to his shoulder or chest. Because of her height, she’d met plenty of tall people so she wasn’t conscious of her height, but this was different. New York was fairly vast, but she’d never seen someone so tall this close to her before.
Her hands rose instinctively, and she took a picture of him without thinking twice about it. The sound of the camera’s click caught his attention. He blinked, and shifted his focus to her, their eyes meeting. Camila felt her breath catch in her throat.
Hot…damn.
Samuel Kane had trimmed, jet black hair, tanned skin and green eyes, but just stating his characteristics that way made him sound like a lot of other people in the country. She had known all of this from his picture already, but he was really attractive, and the intensity in those green eyes had her heart pounding and her insides tightening. She felt like she could just swoon from him looking at her, but of course she didn’t, because she was a professional.
“Um,” she started, trying to get her cool back. “Sorry for taking your picture so suddenly. I’m Camila Blake, you’re Samuel Kane? I came here to meet you for the interview.”
His eyes widened a little and she thought she saw some recognition in them. Then, his eyes darkened as he pressed his lips flat together and looked away. Camila bit down on her lip, worried for a moment. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said he looked embarrassed, but this was Samuel Kane. He was probably annoyed with her, and that didn’t bode well for the interview if she’d already pissed him off.
“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have sprung that on you, but I do need some photos.”
He arched an eyebrow, eyes meeting hers once more. “I am aware you would need photos for your photoblog, Camila Blake, but at the very least, I like to think I deserve a warning?”
“You do. And I promise I’ll warn you before taking any more pictures.” She even let go of her camera and let it dangle around her neck. She gestured at the bench with a hand and did her best to give a natural smile. “May we sit so we can go ahead with the interview? Unless you’d prefer to do this standing?”
He didn’t say another word, but he did move to the bench and sat down at one end of it. He crossed one leg over the other and looked forward. Camila didn’t know if she was being ignored, but she took it as her cue to stare at his face all she wanted.