Whatever It Takes

Chapter 22

After eating our lunch, Carlisle and I was driven by a town car to the 88th Street. Carlisle said he would be having a business meeting here and I could start taking down notes for him.

As soon as we entered a tall building, a voluptuous woman in a black suit welcomed and assisted us to a conference room. She had been smiling non- stop to Carlisle as she flipped her wavy blonde hair or slightly touched his torso while she told him how his boss got excited in meeting with him. I felt invisible but opted not to make a deal about it.

"Do you want coffee or tea, Mr. Hughes?" She asked Carlisle as soon as we reached the conference room. I decided to sit far from Carlisle.

"Give us two coffee, one black, one with cream and two sugar cubes on it." Carlisle answered looking at me. He remembers how I like my coffee. I instantly smiled at him.

"Oh, I see." The woman said sourly giving me a side eye. She went out of the conference room.

"She is pretty and I think she likes you." I told Carlisle.

"Yes, I know. But she's nothing compared to your beauty. I don't like her, I like you." He answered. It instantly made me blush. I could almost melt by the way he looked at me.

I decided to take the notepad and pen from my bag and kept quiet. The woman with the blond hair came back with our coffee.

"Is there anything you want from me, Mr. Hughes?" She asked in a flirty voice?

"Nothing from you. Tell your boss I'm in a hurry." Carlisle answered coldly. The woman walked out in dismay.

"You broke her heart." I commented trying not to laugh.

"She knew it was coming. I thought it's nice to go for women who throw themselves at me until-" he said staring a me.

"Until what?" I was curious at what he would tell. He simple smiled devilishly at me. I grunted and rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hughes for keeping you waiting." A man with a beard interrupted  as he entered the conference room. He looked at me and rubbed his eyes.

"Oh, I thought you were Margaret." He said apologetically.

"Mr. Bianci, lets go straight to business. I don't want to keep you all day. It's Christmas." Carlisle loudly spoke. I was still sitting quietly.

"Okay, regarding with the property acquisition in Majorca and Sicily, your grandmother has told us to simply let the police handle them." Mr. Bianci said in his thick Italian accent.

"I'm the one heading the project right now, Salvatore. Stop asking for my grandmother's insight already if you want to keep your position." Carlisle said authoritatively.

"But the tenants in Isola de Crimisi are very hard to negotiate with." Mr. Bianci added.

"Where is the proposal I told you to prepare yesterday?" Carlisle asked.

"Wait, I will ask Shannon to get it." Mr. Bianci said while he stepped outside the room.

"Salvatore, stop fucking your blond secretary so you wouldn't forget more important things like business. I told you yesterday that I'll be back today. Just email me that damn proposal and I will take it from here." Carlisle said. I had never seen this side of his. I was getting afraid of his temper. Mr. Bianci ran outside the conference room.

Carlisle turned on his laptop and waited for the email. I was nervous and couldn't speak.

"Are you all right, Adriana?" He asked me. I did not know what to do.

"Come, sit here beside me." Carlisle told me. I nervously stood up and sat beside him. He leaned his forehead on my shoulder and he took deep breaths. I was not moving nor talking.

"Did I scare you, Princess?" Carlisle asked in a calmer tone.

"A- a little." I truthfully stammered. Carlisle cupped my face.

"I'm sorry." He sincerely said as he seemed to study my face.

"It's okay, Carlisle." I answered caressing his face. He took my hand and kissed my palm.

"I'm glad you're here." He said. He opened his email and downloaded a file.

"Why are you even working on Christmas? You could have spent this day with your grandmother in England." I softly said. His expression darkened with what I said.

"I'd rather work than to spend this day with her." He replied sourly.

"I'm sorry." I simply said. Carlisle sighed.

"What do you think about this?" He asked me as he shared his laptop with me. I decided to read the file he was pertaining to.

"I think it would be better if you include your tenants in the project development. I know how it feels to have nothing, so I think it's a win- win solution if you'd give them something." I said.

"I thought so, too. I only have to figure out what to offer them. Our accountants haven't sent me a copy of our finances yet." He said massaging his temple. I reached for the coffee and hand a cup to him.

"No, I wouldn't want to drink that." Carlisle was lowly laughing. He put his laptop to sleep and put it inside his briefcase.

"Let's go. I do not want to waste our time here." He stood up and gave me his hand.

"Is your meeting even finished?" I asked him.

"Salvatore is preoccupied. Never mind him." He said. I got my things and followed Carlisle calling the driver of the town car to pick us up.

"Where are we going now?" I asked Carlisle.

"I would give you a personal tour in New York." He said. I laughed out loud.

"An English man touring an American in New York. This I must see." I blurted laughing.

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rockefeller Center. We climbed the Art Deco Scraper that gave us a spectacular view of Manhattan. Gladly, the weather cooperated and it did not rain when we were there.

"Do you want to grab a bite?" I asked Carlisle as we were sitting down in front of the big Christmas tree. I was rubbing my hands with the sudden weather. It was already six o'clock and the wind was getting a lot colder.

"You're always cold. Where is your coat? I put it out for you before I went out of our room."  Carlisle asked.

"I forgot to bring it because I was in a hurry running after you." I explained. Carlisle suddenly took off his coat and put it on me. I felt warm both by his coat and gesture.

"I want burger and fries. I saw a burger bar at the 51st Street." I added.

"Burger? Are you sure?" Carlisle was surprised.

"Yes. I know that you are the type of person who doesn't seem to eat fast food." I teased him.

"I have tried fast food. I'm still a regular guy." He defended himself.

"Tell it to the butler and to your pilot." I was  giggling.

We ended up ordering and eating at Bill's Bar and Burger and went back to the hotel laughing.