PERMITTED (#2)

Chapter 2

I was definitely an early bird because waking up at 4 a.m. to be at work for 5:30 a.m. took dedication and I felt great despite it being so dark outside I had turn on my lights to see anything at all. Granted, I would rather not have to wake up this early, but I was taking on my assistant's responsibilities as well as my own, plus doing extra work to make sure I didn't have to rush to lunch later in the day. My stomach turned at the thought of lunch and I had to take my mind off of it by thinking about all of the work I had to do today. The ride to work was a shorter one than normal because of the early time, and it honestly felt great walking into an almost empty building. No one to bother me for the first few hours of my morning, and that was exactly how it went.

            I was so caught up with my work that I didn't realize when the sun came up until there was a knock on the door.

            "Come in!"

            The door opened and Tim walked in, a stack of papers in his hands.

            "Here are the plans you asked for yesterday. About Drakos Conglomerate and their current assets and holdings?" he phrased it as a question, which made me smile. I knew he would be confused at the strange request, especially because I didn't provide him with the details as why I would be asking for such important information on such a powerful company.

            "Thank you so much, Tim. You can leave them on my desk here, I'll check them out a little later." I gave him a little smile to ease his nerves and he smiled back nervously, placing the papers on my desk as I asked. He nodded at me when he was done and hurried out of my office. He seemed to be nervous around everyone in the office, yet he got along with everyone just fine. Maybe he was slowly getting out of his shell and being around people was slowly helping him. I shook my head as I grabbed the papers he dropped off. I was always creating stories about people in my head when I didn't know all of the facts. It seemed better than being nosy when I didn't have to be. Placing the stack by my computer, I began to highlight the assets that would be a little challenging than the others to acquire so that I could start brainstorming ways to slowly chip away at its value.

            Time passed and the two meetings I had flew by and soon, it was time for the lunch meeting. Date. Lunch date. Calling it a meeting made it easier to digest for me, but admitting it was a date was being realistic about the situation I was about to walk into. I blew out a breath as I touched up my clear gloss in the bathroom mirror of my office. There was nothing to be nervous about. Pretend he was just a friend you're getting to know better, and it could possibly turn into something more. Just be yourself. The pep talk didn't do much to ease my nerves. I just had to do it. Throw myself into the situation and either sink or swim. Here goes nothing.

            Leaving the office, I didn't even try to think about the fact that I wasn't even wearing anything worth looking at. I was in my work clothes, which today was a navy-blue suit. Slim pants with a slight flare at the bottom with a matching jacket. I had a white blouse on underneath that showed just a little and that was it. This was just a lunch anyway, a way to just feel each other out, get the introductions out of the way. Gosh, I hated introductions. At twenty-six, I was tired of this game. The back and forth of getting to know someone new, vetting them, making sure they weren't playing you. It was all so tiring sometimes, but I guess that was what happened when you wanted a partner for life. I knew I was still young and shouldn't be tired of it already, but I honestly believed I would be married by now, which added to how I felt about not having a partner at the moment.

            The drive to the small diner was close enough to my office that it only took around ten minutes to get there including traffic. When I arrived, the parking lot was pretty full, even though it was a small one so that didn't say much about how busy it was. I was able to squeeze my car in the back of the lot and only when I exited the car did I look at the time. I was five minutes early, which gave me enough time to look over some emails while I waited. My purse was big enough to fit my laptop and I always liked to take advantage of any extra time I had because I was always busy now. I kept myself busy.

            The diner was a cute one and I hadn't been to it before. Tina suggested it, saying it was perfect for a first date, especially for lunch. A bell chimed on my way in, and the heavy aroma of salt and grilled food hit my nose instantly. I inhaled on instinct as I looked around for the spot reserved for the date. Food actually sounded good right now despite me telling myself earlier that I would only get a coffee.

            I spotted the empty seating area I was told to meet at which was in a nice, secluded booth area in the back of the diner. As I walked toward the seats, I nodded at the cashier whose eyes widened at the acknowledgement and immediately pulled out my laptop when I sat down. I did curse myself for coming early though because I was told whoever was first had to sit with their back toward the entrance so that we couldn't see who we were meeting until we were face to face. I always liked knowing who was coming in and out of any place. I was a little paranoid; I do admit that.

            Relaxing into the booth, I opened my email and began scrolling through the fifty that I had let accumulate that day. I had answered just as many this morning, but the emails were never ending, perks of my high position in the company. Someone always needed me.

            "You have got to be shitting me."

            I was so deep into answering an email, I didn't even hear when someone approached the table. But it wasn't what was said that made me freeze in place. It was that voice. That silky smooth voice of a snake, one that made my blood run cold and my teeth grind together. I looked up slowly, locking eyes with forest green ones that narrowed when my nose scrunched up with distaste.

            "Please tell me you are not the mystery person I'm supposed to be meeting." I crossed my toes, hoping this was just a coincidence. His mouth pressed together in a thin line, and he unbuttoned his suit jacket before sliding into the other side of the booth, facing me.

            "Looks like it, sweetheart. Now tell me, how does it feel to see an ex-lover after all this time, hm?" he drawled, eyes twinkling, the corner of his mouth turning up a little at my reaction to his words.

            "Fuck you, Colton."