"Mr. Blake, the board is pleased with this quarter's earnings. We're also anticipating further growth next quarter for Blake Industries, considering the new Armstrong account you've acquired."
Gavin stroked his fingers rhythmically across the sleek mahogany conference table. "That's wonderful news, Barry. Have we heard anything on the Kinsman account?"
Ten pairs of eyes swung to the man as he nervously rifled through some files.
Another executive chimed in all too eagerly before he could answer. "Yes, Mr. Blake. They've accepted the offer and should be ready to move forward by the end of July, sir." The man cleared his throat. "I gave all of the necessary paperwork to your brother."
Gavin rose from his chair, gave a satisfactory nod, and called the meeting to an end.
As the last of the board members exited, Gavin sauntered over to a floor-to-ceiling window in his office. Peering down to the streets of Manhattan, he watched the chaotic lives of others rumble on below him. At the age of twenty-eight, he knew he had the world by the balls. Blake Industries was one of New York's largest advertising agencies. Nevertheless, he lacked the most vital necessity ever - love. He inwardly knew it; hell, he knew it better than he knew his own facial features. Though he played the dating game after a long-term relationship ended, few - if any contestants - evoked feelings within him.
Finding someone who truly wanted him for who he was had become...interesting since the breakup.
Watching the tiny figures below scurry along the sidewalks, he found his thoughts racing back to Emily. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he was hit with the fact of whom she really belonged to. Gavin seethed at the fact that Dillon used him as a pawn with Monica. Yet, even though he had an attraction to Emily, Gavin knew he had to cover for his friend.
Still, his emotions volleyed back and forth between the lie he had been forced to tell and the upsurge of want for her snaking its way through his mind. Sure, some of it was a sexual attraction. Emily was beyond beautiful, and he couldn't deny that fact. However, that wasn't what fueled his desire for her. He couldn't quite define exactly what it was, but he knew it was unlike any other attraction he'd ever had. He felt a connection to her - a deep pull within his gut that she was supposed to be with him.
Attracting, compelling, colliding, their chemistry - to say the least - was explosive. He felt it the first time he laid eyes on her, the drawing energy that radiated from her eyes as she stared into his. Standing among the empire he had built while the sun cast its rays against the steel giants lining the streets, he fought back the overwhelming urge to pay her another unexpected visit. Shaking his head at the insane thought, Gavin moved across his office. He sat down at his desk, went through some quarterly reports, and tried to rid the woman that could never be his from his mind.
It was then that Gavin's older brother, Colton, walked into the office.
Crossing his arms in annoyance, Gavin glared at his brother with a displeased look on his face. "Where were you? Did you not receive the message I left with Natalie regarding the meeting?"
Colton gave Gavin a wry smile. "I must say you play the roll very well, little man," he answered evenly, striding across the office as a muffled laugh left his lips.
"Stop being a wiseass. Really, what the fuck happened?"
"Jesus, Gavin, I got hung up on the home front with Melanie and the kids. Theresa and Timothy had a preschool musical."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He frowned, rocking back in his black leather chair. He had a soft spot for his niece and nephew. "I would've gone to see it."
Colton waved a dismissive hand, his green eyes shimmering. "Don't worry about it; they did just fine without Uncle Gavin." He laughed and patted Gavin on his shoulder. "And I'm sure you did just fine without me during the meeting."
Gavin snorted through his nose and muttered, "They're fucking sharks if the numbers aren't appealing to them."
"That's the business." Colton shrugged and took a seat on the black leather couch. "We have people who invest in our company, and we need to produce the revenue they're looking for in return."
Standing up from his chair, Gavin effectively ignored his brother's words and walked back over to the window.
"So are you ever going to secure an evening out with Alicia?" Colton probed.
Without turning around, Gavin crossed his arms and let out a chuckle. "I can't deny that I don't admire the way you're able to seemingly transition from one topic to the next, Colton."
"There's a true compliment somewhere in that statement. But seriously, man, Melanie's been bothering me about hooking you two up for a while. Just come out with us one night and decide if she'd be someone who would interest you."
"I see you two are on the finding-Gavin-a-secure-relationship mission again."
"Mission - not quite. But I think it's about time you get over her."
Snapping his head in Colton's direction, Gavin's eyes lit up with raw amusement. "Do you think I'm honestly not over her?" He almost laughed. "It's been two years."
"Well, she definitely caused you to draw back from forming other attachments - long-term attachments, that is." Colton rose from the couch. "They're not all the same, little man. She was just in it for all the wrong reasons."
Gavin's jaw tensed almost imperceptibly. "I really have no desire at all to talk about this," he said, his voice holding a warning.
"Fair enough. Are you coming to dinner tonight at Mom and Dad's?"
Shrugging into his suit jacket, the barest suggestion of a smile played on his lips. "Yes, I'll be there - with the exception that you and my wonderful sister-in-law are not hiding a secret date for me under the table."
Colton dug his keys from his pocket, gave an impish smirk, and walked out of the office.
By the time Gavin left, it was gridlock in Manhattan. Sighing, he rubbed a palm over his face as he gripped the steering wheel of his black BMW. While waiting for a herd of pedestrians to cross the street, he realized he was at the corner beside the restaurant where Emily worked. The blood drained from his face at the sight of her opening the door to leave. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he contemplated pulling over to say hello, but as soon as the idea entered his mind, a horn cut through his thoughts. Flipping the bird to the impatient driver, Gavin slid into first gear and navigated his way through traffic. He averted his eyes to the rearview mirror, trying to catch one last glimpse of her. It was then that his father's far-fetched story about love at first sight slammed into his mind.
"She's out there, son, and when you find her, you'll know it the very second you see her. She'll pull at your every instinct. Without any regard to the natural order of things, she'll just...appear."
"This is utterly fucking hilarious," he laughed, tapping his finger on the steering wheel. "I've got to be out of my mind thinking about this girl."
With so many conflicting emotions, over the next hour, Gavin thought about his beliefs carefully. As Manhattan's skyline disappeared from view and the sprawling trees that layered upstate replaced it, he swore to himself that he would try to rid Emily from his mind - though he wasn't quite sure if that was possible.
Applying the last bit of mascara to her lashes, Emily tore her attention away from the mirror. The slamming door signaled Olivia's arrival home from work.
She hurried into the living room. "I've been calling and texting you all day," Emily let out breathlessly, slipping on a pair of red heels. "Why didn't you call me back?"
Olivia tossed her purse on the couch. "I left the damn thing here." She walked into the kitchen and yanked it from the counter. Looking over to Emily, she beamed a smile. "You're looking hot. What's the special occasion?"
"Mine and Dillon's nine-month anniversary. He'll be here soon," Emily hastily replied, walking over to her. "You were sleeping when I got home last night. You have no idea who I met."
"Yeah, I was wondering why you were gone when I returned." Olivia stabbed her passcode into her phone. "Okay, let me guess. Uh, Brad Pitt?"
"I'm being serious, Liv. You'll never guess, so don't even try."
"No! I want one more shot." Olivia paused. "Hmm, President Obama?"
"This is going nowhere real fast." Emily laughed and sank into a seat at the table. "I met the one and only...wait for it...wait for it...Gavin Blake."
"Totally hot, right?" Olivia asked, bringing her phone up to her ear.
Emily smiled. "Yes, completely."
"Now admit my description of the walking god was on point, since, if I recall correctly," Olivia tapped her finger on her chin, "when I gave you the prior mentioned walking-gods description, you begged to differ that any man could be that delicious looking."
"Yes, you pretty much hit the nail on the head," Emily laughed. "But I'm more than sure you want to hear the details of our prior meetings."
Olivia quickly slid her phone shut. "Prior?" She crossed the room in two strides and lounged into a seat. "You have my attention. Spill it!"
Leaning her elbows on the table, Emily tented her fingers under her chin. "Let me see...oh, yes...he's the man I had the encounter with at the Chrysler Building while delivering the food that one day."
Olivia's brown eyes widened, but she remained silent, unwavering shock oozing from her face.
Emily dropped her tone huskily. "Yes, and he's the little stalker who came to my job, leaving me his name and number - oh, and a pretty decent tip, too."
"Shut the front door, woman! Mr. Tall, Dark, and Fuckable Handsome is Gavin?" Olivia squealed.
Emily nodded and laughed.
"Are you messing with me, Em? Cause if so, that's seriously fucked up."
Leaning back in her chair, Emily crossed her arms, a smirk tipping her lips. "I swear."
"You should just go out with him," Olivia shrugged. "Obviously, he's made an impression on you, and you've made one on him."
Her words, so seemingly casual, threw Emily off. "What do you mean?"
"You have this dopey, dreamy look on your face. I know you're imagining jumping his bones."
"You're joking, right?"
Olivia rose to her feet and made her way to her bedroom. "Are you asking if I'm joking about the dopey look on your face, going out with him, or jumping his bones?"
"Olivia, you know what I'm talking about."
"You're acting surprised that I would say any of those things, Em."
Shocked, Emily swiftly followed behind her. She leaned against Olivia's door and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you really serious about what you just said?"
Olivia peeled off her clothes, strolled to the bathroom, and stepped into the shower. "It's no secret how I feel about Douchebag."
"Ah, that's right. Because how you feel about my boyfriend is what matters here," Emily interposed sardonically as she walked into the bathroom.
"Why not give Gavin a try?" Olivia asked coolly.
Emily ticked the reasons off on her fingers. "One, I love Dillon. Two, I love Dillon. And three, guess what? I love Dillon."
Olivia mocked Tina Turner in her finest sultry singing voice. "What's love got to do with it?" She laughed.
"You've completely lost it, Liv. And, even if I weren't with Dillon, you've killed the ever-wanting-to-entertain-Gavin-Blake opinion from my mind."
Olivia poked her head out from behind the shower curtain. "How did I kill your opinion of him?"
"Let me see...he's a ladies' man is the first thing that enters my memory." Drawing in a deep breath, Emily paused in thought. "Oh, and you don't think he's capable of staying with any woman longer than a week is another. Shall I go on?"
Olivia shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. Emily handed her a towel. "Right, that was after his fiancee, Gina, broke up with him when he started acting like that. Before the infamous split, he was a total package." Olivia wrapped the towel around her body.
"He was engaged?"
"Yeppers," Olivia piped back, sliding into a pair of black shorts and a white tank top. "They dated for almost five years, then one day he came home, and she was gone. Packed her shit and moved out of his apartment while he was at work."
Confusion creased Emily's brows. "Why?"
"To tell you the truth, he never told my brother exactly what happened. And when I've asked him about it, he doesn't want to discuss it, so I have no idea," she replied, pulling her makeup bag out of the drawer. "But you saw him. That man's been blessed by the proverbial fucking-hot-as-sin gene. He's worth millions and - really, I'm not kidding - he's a decent guy."
"So why have you never dated him then?"
"Oh, Lord, I've known him way too long. Let's just say it would be like me banging my brother." Olivia crinkled her nose in distaste. "Even though I have the utmost respect for the glorious gene pool that fine piece of fuckable ass has been bathed in, I sort of look at him like an older brother. It'd be way too weird."
"How long has he been friends with Trevor?"
"You sure have a ton of questions for a girl who's not considering playing naughty," Olivia quipped.
Emily dismissively waved her hand as she turned to the mirror to study her reflection. "I'm trying to get in the loop here. Dillon tells me nothing about his friends or coworkers."
"Well, if the answer you're really seeking is if Dillon and Gavin have been friends as long as my brother and Gavin have been, the answer is no."