Chapter Six
Eros' POV
My eyes scanned her face and focused on the freckles on her cheeks and nose. She had a very beautiful face, so fresh and natural, without any makeup on.
I looked at her left eye, and then to her right, a shade of emerald and jade combined, drawing me deeper into it, like poles of a magnet, compelling me. My eyes traveled down to her luscious pink lips. Holy sh*t! A sudden painful feeling stirred in my gut that I immediately moved backward.
I knew her. I really knew her. Her eyes... her lips... her face...
No! She can't be her, that's very impossible. They have different personalities, like fire and ice or oil and water. Jade looks so demure, conservative and very wholesome, someone a man can be proud to take home to his mother... and the other girl was so... wild.
"Everything, OK?" My father, Markos Petrakis interrupted my thoughts. He was staring down at us, on the floor, like he used to do, when I was a kid playing with my younger sister, Chloe.
I straightened up and stretched my body. "Yes, sure. This is Jade, ah..." I saw Jade, at the corner of my eye, scrambled up and picked her big worn-out leather bag from the floor.
"Collins," Dad finished for me. "She came here to see you. I don't know what happened, why she ended up seeing me."
She came to see me?
Actually, I knew she would.
A big notice was posted outside the coffee shop that it was closed for two weeks, due to a change of management. A security guard of the building also informed us that the lady owner died of a drug overdose.
I was impressed by Jade's loyalty to her employer. It was not common nowadays, for anyone to refuse a job opportunity because of loyalty. But now that her employer was dead, she would definitely take my offer.
I was expecting her to show up in the office. I even left an instruction to my new personal assistant, to squeeze in, into my very hectic schedule, an appointment if a certain girl named Jade would ask for one.
I missed her coffee. I even felt deprived of the simple pleasure of sipping and tasting it. I didn't know what came over me, but I started to crave her coffee every morning... very addictive. It released my adrenaline, keeping me energized and alert the whole day.
Dad went back to his wood executive desk and produced a manila envelope from one of its side drawers. I raised my hand to Jade, a gesture for her to wait. She just nodded her head and stood there paralyzed, with her hands clasped together, like a kindergarten kid about to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in front of the class.
I strode towards my Dad, who was sitting behind his desk. I stood across him and shoved my hands into my pants' pocket. "Don't hesitate to fire those reckless employees. They're liabilities in our company. I can't imagine losing a major transaction for that reason."
"I don't think there's any miscommunication, Jade here admitted that it was her fault."
I shook my head disapprovingly and then looked briefly at her over my shoulder. She looked so funny, standing there and looking around the office, clearly, amazed by her surroundings.
I rubbed my neck, feeling so exhausted. My eyes burned dryly from sleeplessness. Lately, I was so engrossed in making strategic plans and organizational set up for our newly acquired shipyard in New Zealand. Aside from that, I was thinking of ways to get hold of that abandoned shipyard in Japan, which my father and I wanted to acquire. The problem was the majority of the board of directors was very hesitant to bid on it. I presented my business plan and did several revisions on it, but still, they were very hesitant and scared of losing our investments.
I sighed, feeling weary of the argument I had with some of the board members in the conference room, located beside my dad's office. I was there since one o'clock in the afternoon. I was the one who presided the board meeting.
Dad left the meeting ahead of me. He gave me our secret hand signal to see him in his office afterward. I knew he wanted to discuss a very confidential matter.
"Here's our last contingency plan for the Japan shipyard." He handed me the manila envelope. Inside it were obviously very confidential documents. "You present it: see if the majority of the board still disagrees with our proposal. We don't have any choice since we're running out of time. That is our last resort. We can't take the risk of losing this major project. The company needs this, so badly. I want you to study this thoroughly, son. I'm relying on you on this project. A contract should be executed as soon as possible. Signed, sealed and delivered in five days."
"Of course. I won't fail you. I also made a contingency plan. I'll check if this coincides with my own." I clasped the manila envelope tightly with my both hands.
"OK. So, I'll see you tonight."
I nodded and turned to go.
"Your mom said that you'll bring your new girlfriend with you." My dad's statement made me stop and faced him again.
"Yeah, Mom wanted to meet Kendra." I wanted to explain to him that Kendra was not my girlfriend, but my FB, f**k buddy, but I was sure, he wouldn't understand that.
Dad frowned, his lips twisted with distaste. "Isn't she that girl in the Times Square electronic screen, wearing only a red negligee?"
I exhaled heavily and looked away. I was anxious to escape from his questionings. "Yes. I have to go. See you later." I knew Dad didn't like the idea of me dating Kendra Packer. She was a famous model and had a reputation of dating different men. Not just ordinary men, but extremely rich men. Her last relationship was with a fifty-year-old Italian billionaire.
Kendra was so hard to resist. She knew what she wanted and really aimed at getting it, by hook or by crook. And now, she wanted me, so badly. Three times this week she slept in my apartment. She just arrived unexpectedly in the middle of the night. I didn't have a choice but to let her in, she was pretty insistent.
"Come with me," I said without looking at Jade and picked her broken eyeglasses on the floor. I strode out of my father's office and went directly to his secretary.
"Faye, ask a messenger to send this to the Optometrist Clinic downstairs. I want this replaced, exactly as it is, in an hour. Have it sent to my office."
"Yes, sir."
I went directly to the elevator. I knew Jade was following me, I could sense that she was. My mind was in turmoil, thinking about our latest project. I have to find a way, to gain approval from the board. Think. Think. Think.
I was about to close the elevator door when I realized that Jade was not following me anymore. Bloody hell! Where the hell is she?