Awaken (7 page)

He took a step forward and stared down at me, his green eyes on fire. I saw his chest expand. “Did you just call me a jerk?”

I swallowed as I looked up at him, “Yep. I called you a jerk because you're acting like one.” I guess people didn't call him that to his face, because he just looked at me, speechless. I walked toward my front door and opened it. I motioned for him to leave.

“Mr. West, I'm sorry you don't like my pictures. Maybe you should just find yourself another photographer. I'll gladly refund you all the money for the shoot. I just never want to see you again. Now could you please leave my studio?”

He stood there - shock, anger and annoyance swept over his face. “This is completely unprofessional,” he muttered

“I agree,” I said with a shrug. “You shouldn't treat people the way you've treated me. I suggest you get going so you don't miss your flight.”

He walked toward me. As he was about to step through the door, he stopped. He looked at me. He was breathing heavily. I sensed he was about to say something but then thought the better of it. He walked out.

When he was finally gone, I closed the door and leaned against it. I might have just blown a great opportunity for future work, but life's too short to deal with a jerk like Cooper West.

I can't believe it. Cooper West called me to apologize – and that's not all.

“I owe you an apology, Ms. Winters,” he said on the phone. “You were right. I was acting like a jerk. I should never have been so rude to you. Not that it's any excuse, but I've been under a terrible amount of stress…anyway, that's no excuse for my behavior. I hope you can accept my apology. I looked at the pictures, and you were right. There was nothing wrong with them. The problem was my attitude.”

I couldn't believe it. “Well, I appreciate you calling to apologize, Mr. West.”
 

“Please, call me Cooper,” he said. “I have to admit, Ms. Winters, I'm not used to someone being that honest with me. I needed to hear it.”

“Really?” I said, somewhat surprised.

“Yes,” he responded. After a brief pause, he asked, “And I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner.”

Wait, did Cooper West just ask me out on a date? I wasn’t expecting that.

“I have a reservation tomorrow night at the best sushi place in the city,” he continued. “Would you like to join me?”

I didn't know what to say. Maybe Penelope was right after all. Maybe he was attracted to me.

“Well, I do love sushi…” I muttered.

“Great,” he said in a hurry. “I have to take this call, Ms. Winters. I'll pick you up at seven.”

“Ok. My name's Lacey, by the way,” I blurted, as he was about to hang up.

“Great. I'll see you at seven, Lacey.”

I can't believe it. I'm going on a date with Cooper West. What am I going to wear?

No matter how hard I try, I still can’t remember parts of last night.
 
Luckily, I’ll never forget how it ended.

Cooper West's town car picked me up at seven sharp. The driver informed me that Mr. West was running late, and he assured me that Cooper would be at the restaurant by the time I arrived. After navigating through Manhattan’s traffic, we pulled up to a sleek new hotel in the Meatpacking district. The hotel doorman greeted me and directed me toward the elevator. The restaurant was on the rooftop of the hotel. When I stepped out of the elevator, I was enthralled by the spectacular views of the Hudson River and Chelsea. The rooftop was decorated with overgrown potted plants and trellises woven with vines and flowers. With all the greenery, I almost forgot I was in the city - it was like being transported to a calming tropical environment.

Cooper was sitting at a table in the corner when I arrived. He had already ordered a bottle of wine for the two of us. He stood up to greet me and looked sexy as usual in his tailored dark suit. As the waiter slid out my chair, I noticed the impeccably dressed men and women surrounding us. The black, sleeveless, v-neck dress I bought on sale at Bloomingdales helped me fit right in.

“I feel like I'm surrounded by millionaires,” I said as I scanned the room. This was a part of Manhattan life I had never witnessed, primarily because I could never afford to.

“Not just millionaires,” said Cooper, leaning across the table. “Over your left shoulder is the owner of Mimi Industries – his estimated worth is 4.5 billion.”

I didn't bother to look. Money might impress somebody like Emma, but after everything I had gone through, it didn’t matter much to me.

Cooper noticed my disinterest. “Not impressed?” he asked.

“Not by somebody’s net worth. No,” I said.

He smirked. “Most of the people I know are obsessed with money. They never have enough.”

I shrugged. “Not me. Don’t get me wrong, we all need money to survive. But I’ve learned there are more important things.”

Cooper’s gorgeous green eyes smiled back at me. “I have to admit, Lacey. You’re a breath of fresh air.”

“Why? Because I’m not impressed by someone’s net worth?”

Cooper nodded. “That. And you’re not afraid to speak your mind.” He lifted his glass and took a sip. “You look beautiful in that dress, by the way.”

I blushed.

When the waiter arrived, Cooper ordered several pieces of sushi for us to sample. Over dinner we got to know each other better. Cooper has a sister who lives in Seattle, and his parents split their time between Manhattan and Florida. He went to Harvard and started West Group straight out of college. I didn’t interrupt to tell him that I used to work for West Group, because I noticed how passionate he became as he discussed his company.

“I want to help people improve their lives,” he said. “With the right amount of training, someone from an impoverished background can have an opportunity to do great things. That's why I started the company, and it's been successful beyond my wildest dreams. We're number one in the healthcare, finance, and tech industry for job placement. But with all the insane growth, come headaches. These last three months have been particularly stressful. Again, I can't apologize enough for how I treated you the other day.”

I nodded. “All is forgiven.” I helped myself to another piece of sushi. Cooper was right. The sushi was phenomenal. Then I looked into his captivating green eyes. “I think I should tell you something,” I confessed.

He leaned back, intrigued. “What's that?”

“I used to work for West Group.”

A look of disbelief crossed his face. “You're joking.”

“Nope. I was one of your top recruiters in the New York office, over three years ago.”

He still looked surprised. “I had no idea.”

I grinned as I took a sip of my drink. “We actually met once at the annual holiday party.”

Cooper still looked shocked by the revelation.

“Don't worry. I didn't expect you to remember me. It was a long time ago, and I'm different now.”

“How do you mean?” he asked.

I placed my drink on the table. “I got diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago,” I revealed. “When I got the news, I left West Group and went back home to Cleveland so I could be with my father during treatment. I've only been back in New York for two months.”

Cooper had a sympathetic look in his eyes. “I'm glad you are doing well,” he said. “I take it you don't want to return to recruiting?”

I shook my head. “I don't want my life to get lost in all the details anymore.”

He shot me a curious look. “That's an interesting way to put it.”

“It's true,” I said with a shrug. “I think West Group is a great company, don't get me wrong. It does a lot of good. But when I worked there, my life was consumed with meetings, deadlines, to do lists, and conference calls that just went on and on. After facing the possibility of death, what really mattered to me came into sharp focus.”

“And that's photography?” he asked.

I nodded. “I always dreamed of being a photographer. After my battle with cancer, I realized I couldn't put it off any longer.”

He looked at me. His dark pupils lured me in. He was thinking something, but I couldn't tell what.

“I admire you, Ms. Winters,” he finally said. “I appreciate your perspective.”

I shrugged as I took a sip of wine. “Thanks, and call me Lacey.” I looked across the rooftop at the buildings surrounding us. The sky overhead was turning a dark blue. “This view is breathtaking,” I exclaimed. When I glanced back at the table, Cooper was staring at me with a curious expression on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

He reached for his glass of wine and took a sip before he spoke. I noticed a slight smirk. “I'm just glad our paths crossed again.”

Later that evening, as we were leaving the restaurant, Cooper turned to me and asked, “Would you like to get a drink at this place around the corner?”

“Sure.”

Cooper told his driver to wait for us. We turned the corner and dropped into a cozy lounge. We found a spot at the far end of the bar, and Cooper ordered two martinis.

“Don't you have to be in the office early?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Lacey, I believe in working hard and playing hard.”

After having a sip of his martini, Cooper looked at me and asked, “Who’s you're favorite photographer?”

“My favorite photographer? Johanna Hunt,” I replied without hesitation.

Cooper leaned back. “What makes her so special?”

“It’s hard to put into words,” I said. “But if you ever get a chance to see her photographs, you'd get it. She does a lot of portrait work and plays with different vantage points to alter your perspective. So someone you might otherwise consider ordinary becomes larger than life. She also experiments with lighting in a very intense, atmospheric way.”

I noticed Cooper staring at me, like he was trying to figure something out. I sensed he was about to say something but changed his mind. He finished his martini and ordered two more. I sighed as he handed me the second martini. I hadn’t drank this much in a long time.

“Are you trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?” I jokingly asked after we clinked glasses.

He looked at me somewhat seriously. “I don't do that. I don't mix sex and alcohol.”

I tried to make light of the situation. “Well, at least I know we're not having sex tonight,” I said laughing.

I took a sip of my martini…and don't remember anything after that.

The next morning I woke up not knowing where I was. I was in someone’s bed. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized I was still wearing my dress from last night…and my underwear. My head was pounding. It felt like a bulldozer had hit it. I dragged myself out of bed. As I struggled to get my bearings, I noticed the smell of bacon and eggs. Following the scent, I stumbled into a modern white kitchen. Cooper was standing by the stovetop. He glanced at me as I walked in.

“I thought for sure you were going to be knocked out all day,” he said, moving the contents of the pan with a spatula. He stepped away, poured a cup of coffee and handed it to me. “Here, I think you need this.”

I took the warm cup in my hands. After taking a sip, my body begged for more. “What happened?” I asked as my brain slowly began to operate again.

Cooper chuckled and returned to the stovetop. “Where do I begin? After the second martini, we left the lounge and passed a karaoke bar on the way to my car. You insisted we go inside and wouldn’t take no for an answer. After your spectacular rendition of Katy Perry's ‘Roar,’
you did a shot, and then asked the crowd if they wanted to hear more. They cheered, so then you sang Adele's ‘Rolling in the Deep’.
When that was done, you ordered more shots and refused to leave the stage until you and I did a duet. So, we sang Pink's ‘Just Give Me A Reason’.”

“Oh my god. That really happened?” I asked, embarrassed.

“It did,” said Cooper, looking at me with a wide grin. “Anyway, after our duet, we finally left. I was going to drop you off at home, but that's when you got sick.”

“Oh no!” I said covering my mouth. “Did I get sick in your car?”

Cooper nodded. “And then you passed out. So, I thought I should bring you here instead to make sure you were all right.”