Love You As It Hurts

3. Dirty Business Tactics(Ian)

This girl's eye eating me, for what it seems like hours, but I'm not complaining, I'm getting a good time to dive into her eyes, which is to die for.

"Excuse me?" she finally speaks.

"Who gets drunk to an extent to where you can't even recognise your friend?" I raise an eyebrow and drink the remaining scotch of my glass. She frows, she seems like she's not sure how to even answer the question.

"If you knew her before you wouldn't even recognise her when you're sober" the bartender, whose name I think is Joe chuckles and she takes a sip of her drink to hide her flushed cheeks. I didn't recognize her either, she was different in the pictures. It was all subtle makeup, simple hair, and simple clothing, not she didn't look hot before, she knows how to dress her size which flaunts her curves perfectly, but she rarely wears anything extravagant. But today, she looks flaming hot in that black dress, it hugs the curves of her hips, making it more visible than I saw in the pictures.

"This is your first time coming here?" I ask even though I already know this is the only bar she comes to, but I need a way to start a conversation with this woman, which she's not making it easy.

"No" she smiles and turns to sit facing me.

"You like saying no a lot, don't you?" I smirk.

"No..." she giggles when she realizes she used the word "no" again. "I've been here before, but you seem new."

"Needed a drink, saw a bar, came in, had one and now gonna leave," I say as I pay for my drink. "I'm Ian, by the way," I extend a hand, hoping she will return it.

"Elizabeth" she puts her hand in mine, for a split second I'm confused about whether to kiss or shake her hand, but I decided to go with the second option. Elizabeth... she used her middle name as I expected, she's not like other rich kids who flaunt their daddy's name and spends all his money in designer bags and shoes, she's hard-working and compassionate, and ambitious to make her name. I only know this girl in front of me on paper, where she goes, what she does, how she dresses, for a moment I feel guilty I'm about to use this lovely girl, but I'm damned with the family business. As I'm lost in my thoughts, I realize she stands up and says something to Joe which I can't make out.

"I better be going; my friends are waiting for me" she smiles and leaves. Her hair's quite long; it crosses her shoulders and stops at the middle of her back, the ends of her hair are somewhere between blonde and orange, I don't know what colour it's called but it complements her brown hair. Since when do I care about hair so much? But my job's done here for today, need to come back in a few days again.

*Make sure you drop by the HQ tomorrow morning. Surprise meeting for the sale*

A text from dad interrupts me as I'm about to go to sleep. God knows who's coming over tomorrow to fuck themselves up by making a deal with my fucked-up family, I'm already guilty enough for planning to use Elizabeth, as she calls herself where people don't know her, but the topic of this sale of the publishing company hits me with a flood of guilt once again guess that's what you get for being a Whittemore. Fuck it! I'm going to sleep; I'll deal with the rest tomorrow.

"I thought you were coming here in the afternoon?" My dear scandalous baby brother, Derek hands me a cup of coffee.

"What do you need?" I roll my eyes, as we enter the elevator. He doesn't give coffee to anyone, let alone me.

"What? I don't need anything..."

"Cut the chase Derek, I know you well"

"Your Porsche Cayman" he spills, he's gone nuts or what?