Why didn’t she mention this to me? I would have been interested to hear her story about wanting to become an architect too; another thing to have me all the more intrigued by her. I don’t like this surprise, and I definitely don’t like the fact she works for them. If she was interested in an architect traineeship, I would have…what? What would I have done? It would be a conflict of interest to have her working under me.
Does she plan to stay in New York? Or is it only a twelve-month contract? Why wouldn’t she tell me this is where she was moving during one of our many text exchanges?
I take a glance at her any opportunity I can. Sometimes our eyes catch, and we hold them before one of us looks away. She has notes out, but Mason is the talker and surprisingly, I normally like the guy. But right now, I’m jealous of him working with her. Or, hell, is he teaching her? This bubbling in my veins is the green-eyed monster, and I can’t believe it’s happening here. I’ve never struggled to concentrate like this at work, but I’ve never slept with anyone in this field either.
“Are we ready to start?” the client asks, his eyes drifting to me and Mason.
“Yes,” I answer, and Mason does too.
“Right, well, let’s start at the top and work through the design options you both have for me. Talk me through them and their prices.”
“Marco, you first.”
I glance over and see her mouth parted and her eyes as wide as saucers. Fuck, she found out my real name, and now she will probably search for me without giving me a chance to explain.
“Marco?” the client asks again.
Get your head in the game.
I need to snap out of this obsession with the woman who is staring at me.
Standing, I move to the screen, clicking the remote to move slides. I feel her eyes on me, watching me present. I wonder what she thinks of me at work. It’s heating me up, the thought of impressing her because I love my job, even if it’s caused me pain in the past.
I manage to talk through my ideas. All the reasons why this is the best option. This pitch is for the client, so I always bring my gaze to them, even though I want to just hold hers.
When I finish, I hear the start of a clap, and I peer up and see it’s Gracie, but she quickly stops and keeps her chin down. The way she is nibbling her lip tells me she’s embarrassed, and God, I just want to hug her and tell her she can clap for me any day. I wear a grin but focus on collecting my papers before taking a seat so Mason can now present.
My eyes wander to her again, and we hold gazes before she looks away once more. I watch him present their idea designs. Now and then, I flick my gaze to her and catch her writing notes, and it makes my heart swell. She really is trying, and I’m proud. Not only is she beautiful, but she has the brains, and the fact she wants to work in a similar field to me is alluring. She couldn’t be more tempting if she tried.
After we’ve both presented, the client thanks us both for coming, but says they want time to think everything over before discussing their decision in next week’s meeting. My heart thuds.
I will see her again.
But I need her before then.
Fuck, I need to talk to her right now.
As I put my papers in my briefcase, I walk over to her side, but she is almost at the elevators. As if she is avoiding me? She hasn’t acted like she wants to talk to me at all.
What’s going on?
Have I missed something?
I watch the elevator doors close, and as our gazes lock, my chest heaves with increased breaths. I’m rattled and unnerved that she doesn’t want to talk to me. This hasn’t happened to me before. And after our connection…our texts.
What the fuck is going on?
It doesn’t seem like embarrassment for oversharing how we feel, instead, it’s like she’s avoiding me. And I need to find out why.
“Marco?”
I turn to the voice, and it’s pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?” I say, raising my brow.
“Is everything okay? You seem a little…distracted.” The client, Jason, narrows his eyes, as if trying to read me, but my stony expression is on. Work is work, and I appreciate the concern, but I won’t indulge.
“I’m fine. Just thinking about the design meeting today, and wondering where your head is at,” I lie.