I don’t feel the joy, I don’t feel the pain
You were just a toy, I am just insane
So alone in love, so alone in love
I am going to haunt you every day
Haunt you every day
I am gonna kill when I need a thrill
Eating at the heart until I’ve had my fill
When will stupid learn?
Fire’s gonna burn
Think of consequences, then you move when it’s your turn
Weezer – Haunt You Every Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the look of wilting pity from Christina that sealed the deal.
Geviana had seen that face on so many people that it made her absolutely sick to her stomach. People didn’t seem to realize that every time they gave her that look, she was forcibly reminded of everything she was trying to forget all over again.
Thank you, Christina, for reminding me that I am a failure at love! Geviana wanted to scream.
Instead, Geviana opted for a less hostile and bitter route, “I’ll be leaving now to set up the appointment, then.”
Christina sputtered, nearly choking on her coffee. Geviana’s expression had not changed a bit when Christina had said the last name of her ex-fiancée. There was something really wrong with this girl.
“Are you sure? I mean…with your history…”
“My history,” Geviana began firmly, “has absolutely nothing to do with my profession. I will remodel the Ridgel Towers and update the look as we have been asked to do.”
Wordlessly, Christina handed over the business card of the man who had hired them in the first place. Geviana took the card but didn’t dare look at it. That was something she would have to do on her own.
The tension in the room still crackled with silence and unease until finally, Geviana gave a weak but reassuring smile to Christina.
“I’ll be perfectly fine.” It was a lie. Inside, Geviana could feel herself beginning to panic, but outwardly, no one noticed a thing.
Leaving Christina’s office, Geviana trudged her way back to her office, mind blank. It wasn’t until she reached her office and firmly locked the door that she let out the breath she was holding. Pulling her hair free of the elastic band that kept her messy bun in place, her locks of hair fell in ebony waves down her back. With a frustrated cry, Geviana ran her hands through her hair, giving herself a quick scalp massage to calm the hurricane of emotions going through her.
What am I going to do?
The business card lay face down on her desk. Geviana already knew who it was before she flipped it over.
Christopher Ethan Ridgel
C.E.O of Ridgel Finance
Didn’t he know she worked here?
“How would he? For the first few minutes that I actually talked to him, all we did was have a pity party for me,” Geviana groaned, raking her hands through her hair once more.
“Oh. Pity party? Why was I not invited?” Ashley’s pretty head bobbed in through a crack in the door.
“Because you aren’t ever pitied,” Geviana groaned again, flipping the business card over in her hands.
“What’d Mrs. C want?”
Robotically, Geviana explained everything that went down in Mrs. C’s office, leaving out all the parts that included her personal relationship with the Ridgels.
Ashley let out a low whistle when she heard about the sum, and her already large eyes widened to the size of saucers.
“Holy crap. Boss, this is amazing! You…I…ah…” The young girl seemed to be at a loss for words like her boss.
“Should I schedule the appointment for you?” Ashley offered, her eyes still wide with awe and amazement.
It was times like this that made Geviana grateful that she had Ashley. Mutely, Geviana handed Ashley the business card, and Ashley was blissfully unaware of the immense looks of gratitude and relief that Geviana was sending her way. With Ashley’s easy chattering in the background, Geviana gathered all her materials needed for this meeting. She was a professional, and she was not going to let anything get in her way.
And that was how, twenty minutes later, Geviana was standing frozen like a statue in front of the steel and glass building that was Ridgel Towers.
Holy crap. What on earth possessed me to come here?
Panic was flooding through her again. The frighteningly calm façade she had back in the taxi ride on the way over was rapidly falling apart. She was seriously considering bolting and thinking that it wouldn’t be such a terrible experience to be fired.
Not a chance in hell. Fuck it. I am going to get this ten million dollar contract, and when I’m done, this place will look so damn good they won’t know what hit them. Screw Kyle and Christopher!
Breathing heavily, and holding her head up high, she exuded confidence as she walked through the revolving doors. Only those that looked a big closer would see the nervousness in her eyes, and the embarrassment that was tearing her apart at the seams.
Her black peep toe heels clicked against the ugly blue tile of the lobby, and Geviana mentally noted that those would definitely have to be changed. The lobby of any building had to make a statement. Currently, the statement of Ridgel Tower’s lobby was: we are from the 1800’s and we occasionally have bingo tournaments for the elderly. The structure of the building itself was beautifully constructed. The center of the roof of the lobby opened up into a gorgeous sky light in the roof, with beautiful pointed arches at the top. The structure was very Gothic in architecture and held a 1920’s kind of energy that Geviana liked.
The sound of her heels clicking drew the attention of everyone in the lobby, and heads turned to stare curiously at the beautiful woman as she walked confidently through the lobby. However, she didn’t even notice it, as she was too busy eyeing the lobby critically with her designer’s eye. Finally reaching the circular front desk, Geviana warily eyed the young mane there who was looking at her like she was his own personal savior.
“M-may I help you ma’am?” he stammered. It wasn’t every day that a woman who looked like her walked into Ridgel Towers. It was mostly grump, old investors.
“I’m from Chrysanthemum Designs. I have an appointment with Mr. Christopher Ridgel.” Geviana flashed the poor boy a sweet smile, slightly amused as he flushed. Hurriedly, he dialed a number into the phone, murmured a few words while staring at Geviana, and nodded his head.
“You’ll be meeting with the PR rep and Vice President of Ridgel Towers, Mr. Alexander Reed. He’s the one that hired you. He’s on the very top floor, same as Mr. Christopher and Kyle Ridgel.”
Geviana felt her heart sink. Oh Gods, was she going to have to meet the both of them?
She didn’t even hear the guy at the front desk eagerly offering to show her the way as she made her way toward the elevators in the rear of the building. The elevators were made of glass all around, and as well as being able to see the interior of the building, the elevators had a fantastic view of the outside, as well. This place was gorgeous, but it most definitely needed an updated look.
Her mouth turned to dust as the world fell away, the elevator going up higher and higher. She closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to be that strong woman she knew was in there.
It wasn’t so hard when her eyes were closed, it was when they were open that she felt powerless.
Breathing deeply, she felt her inner strength flowing through her. They weren’t going to break her down today. It was strictly professional. She didn’t give a damn what either of them thought of her, she was going to do her job.
Keeping this mindset in place, she ignored the stab of nervousness as the elevator doors opened, and instead concentrated on her newly regained sense of confidence. She held her head up high and walked through the corridors, stopping as the corridor led into a wide expanse of a room where a few desks were set up for what she presumed was their secretaries. Currently, there were two elderly women manning their stations. One of them looked up expectantly as Geviana entered.
“Oh! You must be the interior decorator from Chrysanthemum!”
“Yes, I’m Geviana Clarke, I’m here to see –“ Before Geviana could even interject Christopher’s name, however, the old woman had cut her off.
“Alexander, of course!”
Grabbing Geviana’s arms with a strength that threw Geviana off guard, the woman practically dragged Geviana toward in of the mahogany doors.
Rapping her knuckles rapidly across the door, Geviana firmly kept her mouth shut so as not to gape. This woman had to be in her sixties, at least, yet her energy rivaled that of Ashley’s.
“Alexander! You open this door immediately! You’d better not have some harlot in there with you!” she shrilled, and Geviana couldn’t help but laugh. She let the laughter flow through her and soother her nerves. It felt great to finally laugh. Instantly, Geviana felt affection for the older woman.
“Nell? Please, I’m busy right now!” a deep voice rumbled through the other side of the door.
“You’ve been locked in your office since Lila and I went on our lunch break. Who did you bring in there this time? Your interior decorator is here, and I guarantee you that she is by far more stunning that any soiled dove you’ve brought into your office!” Geviana clasped her hands tightly over her lips to keep from laughing harder than she already was. Soiled dove?
Audible curses could be heard from the other side of the door, and the ruffling clothes could distinctly be heard. Nell shook her head furiously, a few wisps of gray hair falling from her bun. Automatically, Geviana swept the errant strands from the elderly woman’s face, tucking it behind her ears.
Surprise registered faintly on Nell’s face, and she gave Geviana a warm and embarrassed smile. “Thank you, dear. I’m afraid I haven’t introduced myself, I’m Eleanor Bany, but please call me Nell. My associate over there is Delilah Morgan. You can call her Lila.” The other elderly woman in the room grinned and waved at Geviana. Geviana returned the wave.
“I am so sorry you have to see this. Alexander is still young, and he can’t seem to control himself when it comes to the opposite gender. Please don’t think that his behavior is reflective of the rest of the company.”
Flagrant and obvious sex was not a new thing to her, but before Geviana could say she didn’t mind, the heave door opened a sliver.
“Nell, Nell. Always ruining my fun and making me feel like I’m ten years old all over again.” Geviana turned and her light brown eyes came into contact with brilliant emerald eyes.
He was also currently staring at Geviana and openly raking his eyes over her body. He was trying to intimidate her, and she wasn’t about to let him. Planning her arms firmly on her hips, and straightening her back, she smirked up at him through her lashes in a completely confident and striking pose. Her eyes communicated their message all too clearly.
Like what you see?
In return, she openly raked her eyes over his appearance. The door opened wider, and Geviana could see that he was a slim but definitely muscular man. He stood at about 6’1”, towering over Geviana’s 5’7” frame. His hair was an ash brown that went well with his forest green eyes. He was wearing a black Armani suit, but it was currently in disarray. The top buttons of the crisp white shirt underneath were unbuttoned, showing off his golden tanned skin. His collar was unintentionally propped and sticking in the wrong directions and a silky black and blue striped tie hung haphazardly around his neck. In short, he looked like an office sex god.
Suddenly he threw his head back and laughed. “I like you,” he stated bluntly, sticking his hand out. “I’m Alexander Reed. Call me Alex.”
Taking his hand firmly in her own, Geviana gave him a firm handshake that made his grin even broader. She had learned long ago the importance of a good handshake. It said so much about one’s personality. Hers definitely gave off the vibe of being strong and independent.
“I’m Geviana Clarke, an interior decorator at Chrysanthemum Designs. I’ll be setting up the contract with you today.”
There was some shuffling heard behind the door, and for a second, a faint blush appeared on his golden cheeks. The door opened wider, and a girl that looked to be a little older than Ashley shuffled out, her clothes rumpled in the same fashion as Alex’s. Her face was flushed, and she kept her blonde head low as she scooted out of their way as fast as possible.
Geviana lifted an eyebrow, and Nell clucked disapprovingly like a mother hen.
“Associate of yours?” Geviana asked innocently
“You could say that.” Alex stepped out of the way, leading Geviana into his office. Shutting the door behind as she shimmied through, he couldn’t help but admire her fine assets. So Nell wasn’t just blowing steam when she said this one was stunning.
“Do you often lock your associates with you in your office for prolonged periods of time?” Geviana teased, taking a seat on one of the leather chairs in his office. Leaning back, she teased Alex with a flash of thigh as she crossed her legs.
“Depends on the associate. I think you and I will be spending lots of time together in here.” Alex smirks and gives Geviana a quick wink.
“Don’t count on it,” she replied with a cheeky grin. She liked this guy, he was a big flirt, but at least he wasn’t Christopher or Kyle. And in her book, that was a plus.
She gave a quick glance around his office. One entire wall of his office was taken up by a large bay window that offered a fantastic view of the New York skyline. He had a heavy mahogany desk that matched his door, and the shelves behind him were the same. But looking at the floor, Geviana grimaced to see the same ugly blue tile, and the walls were a boring shade of gray.
“Don’t like my office?” he asked, shuffling a few papers around on his desk.
“It could use a bit of brightening, and what is with this ugly tile that seems to be everywhere?”
“Kyle and Christopher’s mom, they’re the President and C.E.O of Ridgel Finance, picked it out. She practically begged them, and she’s their mother, they couldn’t say no. She loves decorating.” Geviana inwardly winced. Josephine, Kyle and Christopher’s mother, had always loved the fact that Geviana was an interior decorator. It was one of the reasons she had taken immediately to Geviana, and she was absolutely thrilled when Kyle had popped the question.
Pushing that horrid thought out of her head, she turned her attention back to the gorgeous man in front of her. Why couldn’t she have slept with him at the wedding instead of stupid Christopher?
“When was that, back in the 80’s?” Geviana asked as she watched him sign a few papers on his desk.
“Sadly enough, yeah. Seeing as how three men are essentially running this company, we hadn’t really noticed how bad the whole building was looking until we realized that it was deterring quite a few of our favorite clients. Christopher and Kyle put it into my hands to find a decorator,” Alex stopped to grin at Geviana. She was definitely hot, and he definitely wanted her in his bed. “I heard Chrysanthemum was the best.”
“We are, and I’m the best at Chrysanthemum,” Geviana assured him. He was so easy to talk to, and so easy to flirt with. Geviana had no doubt that he easily seduced women like a modern day Casanova. Unlike Christopher, he was so open and free about his choices. What must it feel like to not care about the consequences of your actions?
“I don’t doubt it.” Alex gave her a dashing smile that would have any other girl melting and opening her legs on the spot. Instead, she was still focused on the damn tiles. It was really bugging her! Frowning, he tried again to get her attention, but before he could open his mouth, she beat him to it.
“Let’s get down to business, shall we? You can flirt with me later.” Geviana was a natural born tease, and even though it was wrong, it always boosted her confidence to be able to make men want her. Hell, didn’t it boost egos of women everywhere to know that someone wanted them?
Sulkily, Alex handed her a sheaf of papers. “This is the contract. You may want to get your lawyer to go over them with you. We have a few conditions, and ten million is a large sum of money. We’ll be providing you with a budget of twice that much to do what you want with the place. Of course, if you have any conditions or worries, feel free to voice them.”
Endless worries were going through her head, but of course, asking that Kyle and Christopher leave the building and never come back while she was decorating was a bit of a stretch. She didn’t think they’d appreciate that condition.
Her eyes quickly scanned the contract in a matter of minutes. Conditions were reasonable, the budget was out of this world, a designer’s dream, and everything seemed very fair.
“Don’t you want a lawyer to go over that with you?” Alex smirked, watching her.
“Don’t need one. I’ve done this too many times,” Geviana replied, not looking up. Lawyers always tended to slow down the process. They were constantly trying to pick out something wrong, and Geviana found it was easier to just look through the contract herself.
“I don’t have a problem with the contract.”
“Good, so we’ll just go over to the C.E.O’s and sign it then,” Alex said with a smile. He was liking her more and more by the minute. Smart and powerful women are so sexy.
“W-what?” Geviana couldn’t stop from sputtering. She had been so relieved when she met Alex. Even with his too long stares and non-stop flirting, she would rather stay here with Alex than go see him.
“You’ll get to meet the C.E.O of this whole place. We have to go over the contract with him.” It was only a second, but he caught the look of shock and reluctance that was in her eyes before being replaced by her usual poise.
“Not scared, are you?” Alex playfully teased.
“Please. What’s to be afraid of?” Geviana scoffed. He gave her a wolfish grin, throwing an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him than she would have liked. He steered her out his door and into the area where Nell and Lila were.
“Maybe you should be. Christopher’s kind of intense. He’s got this weird way with the ladies, but don’t worry, I’ll be sure to protect you.” Alex nuzzled her hair, and in annoyance, she gently disentangled herself from his arms, but not before the door directly in front of them opened and an extremely disgruntled Christopher stood in the doorway.
“Where the hell is Alex and this Chrysanthe – whatever decorating company he’s –“ Christopher stopped talking, seeing the last person that he had ever expected to see again entangled in the arms of his associate. His eyes narrowed at the both of them, and despite herself, Geviana felt herself shudder beneath his icy glare. Nervously, she removed Alex’s arm from her shoulders.
Sticking out her hand, she said softly, “I’m Geviana Clarke. I’m the interior decorator from Chrysanthemum Designs.”
Christopher raised his eyebrows, but otherwise, no signs of shock showed on his face. Woodenly, he took her hand, shaking it with his own. “Christopher Ridgel. C.E.O of Ridgel Finances.”
An awkward silence ensued, and even Nell and Lila could sense the palpable tension in the room.
“Maybe I should speak to Ms. Clark in my office. Alone.” Christopher finally broke the silence, still glaring at Alex and Geviana.
Alex quirked his eyebrows in confusion, but didn’t protest. Nervously, Geviana walked in through the door, and she nearly jumped at the touch of Christopher’s hand on the small of her back, as he guided her through. Frowning at her jumpiness, Christopher closed the door behind her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, the initial shock wearing off.
Geviana lifted her chin the air, “Alex hired my company because we’re the best interior decorating company in the city, and I’m the best designer we have. Believe me, I’m not here because I want to be.”
“Well, good. Because you won’t be working here.” Christopher found himself growing slightly irritated at the way she tossed Alex’s name around so casually. How close had they gotten for him to be throwing his hands around her?
“Why the hell not?” Geviana demanded. Surprisingly, now that she was in his presence, it wasn’t as bad as she thought. It was a lot easier for her to yell and speak her mind since they had moved beyond that stage of distant politeness.
Christopher glared at her like she was the dumbest person in the world. “Isn’t it obvious? My brother works right next door to me.” His scowl deepened as she blanched at the mention of his brother.
“No need to faint, he’s still on his honeymoon,” Christopher assured her coldly, and Geviana could feel her blood run cold. It was like a double edged sword. She didn’t have to see him, but only because he was on his honeymoon with Lariza. She didn’t want to let Christopher see how much that hurt her, so she closed her eyes.
Christopher felt his anger dissolve slightly at the sight of her closed eyes and her mouth shut for once. Involuntarily, their night of passion resurfaced in his mind. Her hair then looked exactly like it did right now; wavy and in beautiful disarray around her angelic face. He knew she was anything but.
“I don’t really care what happened in the past. As far as I know, it has nothing to do with us professionally. I am the best damn designer in this entire city, and I was hired for a reason.” Her eyes were open now, and shining with an intensity Christopher had never seen before.
“So don’t you dare try to tell me I won’t be working here on account of what happened between me and you, or me and Kyle.” She didn’t realize she was now on her feet and nearly on the verge of tears.
It was too much. Everywhere, it was either a reminder of Kyle or a reminder of Christopher. She was like an Amazon warrior; she took everything that came her way and battled it down, but even Amazons broke down sometimes. With horror and frustration, Geviana willed the tears away, but it didn’t happen.
With shaking fingers, she wiped the tears that were collecting on the edge of her pretty eyes. She wasn’t sobbing or crying, but the sight of her watery eyes was enough to send Christopher over the edge.
“Christ,” he muttered, trying hard not to look at her. Why did she have to be so vulnerable? She was so assertive and strong, had he done this to her? It was common knowledge that no man could bear the sight of a woman’s tears, and as hardened to life as Christopher was, he was no exception.
Guiltily, Christopher got up from his desk, and awkwardly took her in his arms to comfort her. That familiar black orchid perfume of hers wafted into his nostrils, driving him crazy. Despite the shit she had pulled, she was a desirable woman, and once again, she was in his arms.
His cologne overwhelmed her, reminding her of that night they shared nearly two weeks ago. It was probably one of the most passionate nights of her life…if he had gone through with it, that is. She let herself lean into his hard chest for a mere second, allowing herself that elusive dream of safety and comfort before pulling away. She didn’t need his protection. She could do this all on her own.
“So will you sign this contract with me or not?” Geviana demanded, feeling stupid for letting her emotions get the best of her.
Christopher hesitated. If he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed that she had actually been in his arms a second ago. There was no sign of her watery eyes anymore. She had pulled herself together effortlessly.
“Why are you doing this to yourself?” he asked quietly. She would be torn apart every time she saw Kyle.
“Because I have no other choice. I can’t let the two of you haunt me forever,” she said, the last part was supposed to be a joke, but they both knew that there was a certain amount of truth in it. She had no idea that the thought of her haunted Christopher and Kyle just as much.
Wordlessly, Christopher took the contract from her small hands, signing the bottom of the contract where his signature was required, and handing it to her, watching her do the same with shaky hands.