Kane leaned back on the bench, throwing his arm on the back of it. With his legs crossed, and him looking right at her with his other arm folded in his lap, he looked delectably relaxed. Camila sighed as she took several shots, even as her heart skipped a few beats.
“Okay, now if you could please…” she continued to direct, asking him to shift in different poses so she could get several angle shots, each one practically stabbing her in the chest because it was so perfect.
Anyway, what was I expecting? That someone like that would be anything but disinterested in me?
Camila knew she was somewhat attractive. She didn’t turn many heads, but she’d been told plenty of times by men that she cleaned up pretty well when she paid attention to her looks. Still, it was probably too fantastical to expect Samuel Kane to look twice at her with anything resembling attraction, or even the slightest interest.
“Thank you, Mr. Kane, I think I have enough,” she said after a few minutes. She looked at the camera’s screen, scrolling through some of the photos. They all looked pretty much perfect, and she couldn’t wait to get back to her computer so she could look at them all properly. “I’d like to thank you for cooperating with me on this interview. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you with the time, or make you uncomfortable with any of the questions.”
“It’s all completely fine,” he said reassuringly. “I have no prior engagements for today, and as for the questions, I can only hope I gave you something useful?”
“Very useful, thank you.”
She shot him a smile, then let go of her camera, as she moved closer to the bench once more to pick up her coat and her purse.
“Well, I guess this is it. I need to go back and write the article. Someone will be in contact with you before it’s published so you and your people can take a look at the content, and nothing will be going up on the blog without your express approval.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Kane said, standing up. “Though, I would really appreciate it if you would call me Samuel, Miss Blake. I’m afraid, even after all this time, hearing Mr. Kane reminds me too much of my late father.”
“Oh,” she breathed out. “I’m sorry. Samuel.”
“No worries. The loss of my parents is something I can't escape, after all.”
Camila stood with her things in her arms, feeling a little awkward as she thought of how to back out of this. Just say goodbye and leave? Or would that be rude? This wasn’t the first interview she’d ever done, and usually she knew what she was doing, but she didn’t get to meet men this attractive so easily, either.
“U-uh,” she floundered for something to say, only to pause when Kane…uh, Samuel held his hand out to her. Guessing he wanted a handshake, she slid her hand into his. His larger, warm palm enveloping hers made her breath catch in her throat for a sec, and that was when she knew she just had to leave before she gave herself away.
Before she could say anything, though, Samuel did, and it left her surprised.
“Would you like to have coffee with me?”
Camila blinked up at him. “… What?”
It wasn’t the most eloquent, but it was the best she could manage.
Samuel cleared his throat as he dropped her hand, then put both of his into his pants pocket. His expression was still flat as he watched her, but she thought he’d softened a bit from when she first saw him a little over an hour ago.
“You don’t need to say anything right now,” Samuel said. “Would you give me your phone number? I’ll text you so you have mine, and you can let me know later. I have a good memory, so just read it to me?”
Camila found herself nodding, and she read her number out to him. Samuel looked serious, and when she said the last number, he nodded his head once. She assumed he’d gotten it. He said goodbye, then turned around and walked away.
For the longest time, Camila could only watch his back until he disappeared. And when he was out of her sight, she sat back down on the bench, feeling dazed.
Did… that really just happen?