Dreams

Chapter Six-Part 7

The next morning, Stevie's plan of being organized and prepared flew out the window. She hurried into the building where she was meeting Mark Burning—extra late. The building held offices for MB Enterprises along with other corporations. It was the same building she had met Mark in, a few weeks earlier.

She knew where she was going, she avoided the main desk and headed for the elevators. Once inside the elevator she checked her make-up in the mirror and brushed her hair down. She was running late, of course she was running late, she was Stevie Long, she always ran late, but damn had she tried to be more prepared and ready for this.

She had woken late, and couldn't find the skirt to her suit that she had planned to wear. Instead of going with the flow, like normal, and picking out a new outfit of the many she brought, she panicked. She went nuts trying to find the charcoal gray pencil skirt that she pictured herself wearing.

When she found it, she about shot herself. It had been in the first few things she had gone through, she had just over looked it. Stevie could actually hear her sister's voice saying "If you had just unpacked the night before that wouldn't have happened."

As the elevator doors opened on the eleventh floor, she brushed down her skirt and walked up to the receptions desk.

"Good morning. I'm here to see Mr. Burning. We have a meeting."

"You must be Ms. Long?"

"Yes."

"They are expecting you. I will walk to the conference room."

"I hope I haven't kept them waiting."

"Not at all Ms. Long."

Stevie thought bullshit but just followed the receptionist down the hall and tried to talk her nerves down. She already had the job. She reminded herself. As the receptionist opened the door, Stevie's first thoughts were oh boy. Twelve people sat at a rectangular conference table, one man sat at the head. His chair was turned away from the door. She assumed it was Mark.

As she stepped in further and started to make her apologies for keeping them waiting, her voice got stuck in her throat as she saw that it wasn't Mark Burning sitting at the head of the table after all.

It was the man that had kept her up late last night with restless dreams and desires, the reason she had woken late. Mick Brown stood up and smiled at her. "Ms. Long it is a pleasure to meet you." He stretched out his hand to her and she stared a beat then two before she shook it. He gestured for her to have a seat on his left, and then they sat. Gone, was the goofy grin and the stubble that had grown in their few days together. Replacing the worn jeans and faded t-shirt was a suit and tie. His hair was still just a little too long, and his eyes, his eyes hadn't changed. They were hard, intense, and focused on her.

All eyes turned to her and she couldn't find her voice. She looked around but none of the faces were Mark Burning. She cleared her throat before saying, "I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused, I thought my meeting was with the owner of MB Enterprises."

There were a few chuckles around the table that stopped immediately with a look from Mick. "It so happens that it is."

Stevie looked around again before saying, "But I don't see Mark Burning." This time Mick's laughter was the only one that filled the quite. "Mark Burning is not the owner of MB Enterprises." He looked into her eyes and thought ah there where those caramel eyes stunned and on him. He hadn't known he would ever see them again, but found he was pleasantly surprised to be staring into them, even if it was in this very complex situation.