Grey's POV:
She shuts the door and walks out of her office. I turn and look out of the glass walls of the office and spot Cruz.
"Hey. Pssst!" I whispershout to Cruz, so I could get his attention.
I finally get his attention and he comes to the office.
He opens the door and comes in.
"Im hungry." Is the first thing he says as he closes the door behind him.
"Mojo is as good as ours," I tell him, looking out to see if Ms. Fireball isn't on her way back yet.
Cruz walks closer to me and raises an eyebrow. "Of course." He looks around the office. "What are you doing here?" he asks.
"I've just been out in a position that will guarantee the end of Mojo," I tell him, as I take off my tie. "Give me your tie," I say to him as I throw my tie over his shoulder.
"Why?" he looks at me suspiciously, his curiosity piqued.
Mia's POV:
Me and Carla walk down the hall on the way to my office.
"His name is Grey and he's exactly what I need," I tell Carla.
"If Denise finds out, she'll fire us both. What if they ask how you met and all that?" Carla asks, stressing.
"I'll think of something," I reassure her. I take a deep breath, mentally preparing myself. "As long as he keeps his mouth shut and smiles."
Carla stops in the middle of the hall. I turn around and look at her questioningly. Carla's eyes are wide and she has a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Oh man, you know what they say about models?" she asks.
"No, what?" I ask, slightly stressing.
"Their IQ starts with a decimal point." She says with her hands on her hips.
I can't help but laugh at Carla, feeling a mix of amusement and embarrassment from the absudity of this situation.
Grey's POV:
I already fixed my tie, now I have to fix Cruz's. I step forward , expertly straightening his tie with a firm tug, a rare moment of gentleness for me.
"You, a model?" he laughs.
I roll my eyes and push him away.
"And you have to pretend you're in love with her?" he asks, giggling as he sits down on the couch. "You can't even spell love." He says as he straightens his tie.
The door opens and Cruz jumps up, coming to stand next to me.
Mia walks in with another girl following behind her. She comes to stand right infront of me.
"Carla, this is IQ, IQ this is..." she starts to introduce us.
"IQ?" I question cutting her off, as the other girl, Carla, starts to laugh.
Mia stands there with wide eyes and winces. "Sorry..." She snaps her fingers, "Grey. This is Grey, the model." She quickly corrects herself.
"Just for the record, I only respond to Grey," I tell her, looking between both girls with an unamused smile. "Just Grey."
Mia nods her head. "Carla is one of my colleagues."
"Hi," Carla waves as I hold out to shake her hands. As she was about to shake my hand, I wave at her. Then she shows me 'peace', so I just fist bumped her.
"And you are?" Mia asked Cruz, looking very confused.
"This is Cruz. Cruz is my ... stylist," I introduce Cruz to the two girls.
Cruz stands there with an awkward smile looking at me, while the two girls look at each other.
"A stylist?" Mia asked uncertain.
"Yeah, what's a model without one?" I ask nonchalantely with a wave of my hand. I am going to take advantage of this as much as I fucking can.
Cruz laughs awkwardly.
"Actually more like a babysitter," Cruz corrects me. "Poor Grey has very low ..." he slaps me on my back, "self-esteem."
Does he want me to push him in a pool? Does he want my to light his hair on fire?
"Did I mention that ... he's gay?" I ask, as I slap Cruz on the ass. I smile, looking between the two girls.
They stand there with wide eyes and open mouths, unsure of what to say, while Cruz stands there smiling awkwardly.
"Alright, then," they both say at the exact same time.
"Come, let's go," Mia says, immediately back in charge.
I smirk smugly at Cruz and walk out of the office behind the two girls.
Mia walks in front as we make our way to the restaurant. For such a little person she sure can move. She strides out of the sleek glass doors, her fucking extremely high heels clicking on the pavement with each step.
I wonder how tall she would be without those ankle breakers.
"Your gay stylist? You have an MBA and that's all you could come up with?" Cruz questions me as we follow the two girls.
I quietly laugh.
Carla suddenly turns around. "Oh! You need a ring!" She exclaims.
She takes a golden ring off her finger and puts it on Mia's tiny finger.
Carla laughs, her eyes sparkled with joy as she embraced Mia tightly.
"Congrats! You guys are so engaged!" She laughs as she turns to me.
Me and Mia just laugh awkwardly, before continue walking.
Mia's POV:
"All you have to do is smile and nod," I instruct Grey as we walk into the restaurant.
"I'm sure he understands by now," Carla says to me, probably thinking that I'm overdoing it.
"I'm just checking. Just because he looks the part doesn't mean he can act it too," I try to make up an excuse. This can't fail.
Suddenly I stop in my tracks. My heart sinks like a stone as I watch the scene before me. My hands tremble slightly, my stomach churns with dread.
I blink my eyes, hoping that the scene will somehow change, but they remain stubbornly unchanged.
I turn around with wide eyes to Carla.
I can't believe my bad luck. Of all the presentations for my ex-fiancé and his new girlfriend to be at, it had to be today.
"It's Carter, and his super hot, new girlfriend." I tell her, my mind racing with thoughts.
"Okay, just relax. Buzz and I will sit close by," Carla tries to calm me.
Cruz's expression immediately darkened, his brows furrowing in confusion and mild offense. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out.
"It's...Cruz," Cruz corrects her. "Not Buzz."
"Okay..." Carla turns to me, undeterred, as if nothing is amiss.
Cruz, now visibly irritated, crosses his arms over his chest, his annoyance palpable. He pouts as he stands, sulking.
I take a deep breath and turn around.
Carter notices me. He stares at me with a smug expression that sends a surge of irritation coursing through my veins, but I refuse to let him bring me down.
With a mischievous glint in my eyes, I turn to Grey. With a sly smile, I stand on my tiptoes and grab Grey's neck. With a playful glint in my eyes, I press my lips against his in a deep kiss.
"And that?" He asks as I pull away, raising an eyebrow.
"Remember, you're in love with me," I remind him. With a firm grip on his hand, I lead him through the sea of tables and chairs, my heels clicking on the floor.
"I'll try. It won't be easy," he replies while following me with ease. His demeanour exudes confidence as he walks behind me.
As I walk, Grey not so subtly extends his arm and slaps my booty.
He continues walking on with a feigned innocence, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"And here's the star of Mojo," Denise says as we come into view. "Mia Laurent."
"Mia, our Synergy opponents. You know Carter, of course," Denise informs me.
I give him a slight awkward smile and nod my head.
3rd person POV:
Back at Carla and Cruz's table, Cruz is very unsettled that Carla couldn't get his name right.
"Cruz is a family name," he informed her. "From my grandpa, Cruz."
"Look, it would be a crime not to mock your name," Carla tells him, as she blinks at him, recovering with a laugh.
Cruz's jaw tightens, but he forces a strained smile, unsure whether he should be annoyed or amused by Carla's obliviousness.
As Carla looks back toward Mia and Grey, Cruz's smile drops and he shakes his head in disbelief, wondering how someone can be so presistently oblivious.
Mia's POV:
"And lastly, but most importantly, Mr. Andrew Buys, from Wine and Lust," Denise introduces him.
As we are about to settle into our seats, I feel a surge of confidence wash over me.
As I move to pull out my chair, Grey's hand shoots out, a determined expression on his face as he insists on pulling out the chair himself.
We both tug on the chair with equal determination. We engage in some sort of tug-of-war, our movements synchronised in a struggle for control.
For a moment my grip on the chair relents, allowing Grey to pull it out for me. I settle into my seat with a sigh.
"Wine and Lust stands for passion...vision, hard work..." Mr. Andrew's voice is smooth and confident as he begins to outline his company.
"And that's exactly why you make exceptional wines. Now, Synergy and I..." Carter interrupts him, leaning forward with a serious note to his voice.
"Thank you, Mr. Ross, but I'd appreciate it if you'd let me finish," Mr. Andrew's smile falters slightly, his brows furrowed.
I look from mr. Andrew, to Carter.
"I place enormous value on family so I'd like it if your partners would say a little something about themselves," Mr. Andrew continues with a calm and measured response.
I look up at Mr. Andrews. Grey takes my hand, entangling it in his, and brings it up to his lips.
"We'll start with the ladies," Mr. Andrew says. "Miss Sanchez."
"Hi. I am Clarissa. I go spinning in my free time. Which is always, because my free time is like, all the time," the blonde bombshell starts talking.
"You mean the time before and after your work as a fitness instructor," Carter chimes in.
"Sometimes, I put my naughty shoes on, eat an ice cream and shop for an extra two hours," Clarissa continues.
"But just on Saturdays, right my dove?" Carter asks sweetly.
Clarissa just laughs awkwardly, looking around the table.
3rd person POV:
Back at Cruz and Carla's table, Carla is very interested in Cruz. There's something about him that draws her in - an air of mystery mixed with a hint of playfulness.
"How long have you been gay?" she asks him, boldly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Cruz scratches his head awkwardly.
"Uhh, since I was a little baby," Cruz grins mischievously, not enjoying that she really thought he was gay.
"No, really?" Carla gasps and touches his arm.
Cruz looks down at her hand and back to her. "Well, a couple of minutes ago," he laughs.
"No, come on," Carla rolls her eyes, shaking her head in mock disbelief.
"Okay, a couple of months. That's why I'm not really ... that camp yet," Cruz answers her with a wave of his hand.
Carla laughs. "I think you're camp enough," she says and touches his cheek.
As Carla looks away, he puffs out his cheeksand pouts, once again clearly unhappy about his current situation.