Consume Me (A Burning Desire Novel) (9 page)

"I
can understand." I responded smugly and laughed.

She
nudged me in the shoulder.

"You're
still having dinner though right?"

"Yes,
he's picking me up from work."

"Jude
is going to go ballistic."

"I
know." I said wryly

"Oh
he'll get over it once he sees that you're happy. You know he can't help it.
It's a guardian angel's job; you should blame Danny for that."

"Ryan
will also go overboard if he doesn't get to dress you for that. I think he's a
little in love with Mr. Davis."

She
announced chuckling.

"Oh
please, Ryan would fall for anything in Armani."

We both
burst into fits of giggles.

"Seriously
though, the way he looked at you." She sighed

"My
god
Clea
, I've had men looking at me with
envy and desire, but the guy was just lusting over you, as if he was marveled
by some kind of light wrapped around you. He was devouring you with every
glimpse and every breath."

Jenna
was never the romantic type; she thought that the notion was more of a social
currency invented for people who didn't deal well with their emotions. Her
longest relationship lasted for three weeks and once the guy had suggested any
kind of feelings, she'd dumped his ass in the middle of his sister's engagement
party.

So
hearing her say that made me all the more unfocused.

"He's
just so overwhelming and it's a whole new level of scary for me." I
admitted.

"Don't!"
She warned pointing a finger.

"Don't
what?"

"Don't
start that inner battle of yours about playing it safe and all the bullshit. You
were betrayed and hurt. So what? You got over it. Not all men are some cheating
violent assholes slash criminals"

I
shrugged.

"I
know but I'm afraid. He's going to break my heart Jenna. I know it, I'm not cut
out for that kind of men. I've been around him only three times, and at each
encounter I felt like I'm going to get lost without any possibility to find my
way back."

I
explained truthfully hoping she'd get where I was coming from.

"Haven't
you heard what I said? He is totally into you; I saw it, Ryan saw it, and even
if he wouldn't admit it, Jude noticed it too. He was more focused on him than
any of us earlier."

"So
what?"

"So
nothing, you go to dinner with him tomorrow and see where it leads. If you fall
in love, great. If you end up hurt, then we'll all be there to tell you what a
gigantic bastard he is."

Her
words and smile both comforted and encouraged me.

I woke
up to a vicious red-wine-migraine and damned myself for the half of red
Chardonnay Jenna and I had ingurgitated before heading to bed. I pressed the
mute button on my radio alarm and turned under my duvet. It was barely seven
and my first day at work didn't start until ten. I shuffled through my bed
looking for my phone. Landon had managed to get my number, which worried me a
little. He'd managed to know where I lived; my phone number and he insinuated
that he'd known when I'd left Paris.

I
scrambled to open the text and read it again. It wasn't something exceptional.
Well, it actually was for me.

Sweet dreams Miss Dane. I'm looking
forward to our dinner.

L. Davis

I'd
found it when I got out of the shower last night. I couldn't believe it, and
thought it was a hallucination due to one too many glasses of wine. I'd stared
at it for ten good minutes before I'd turned off the light and drifted off to
his wishes.

I'd
tried not to obsess about the dinner, but failed. Jenna and I stayed up till
midnight deciding on something that would suit both my first day as an active
woman and my first date with Mr. Consuming.

We'd
settled on one of Ryan's designs, although I was disappointed for my pencil
Michael Kors skirt and tipped boy-shirt. We'd chosen an ivory A-line dress with
a low back zip that fell above the knee. It had a bodice seamed to marry every
inch of my upper body and keep the shape of the wool fabric. It was both
flattering and professional.

I was
looking forward to meet my team at work and spend some time learning about the
basics of the job. I specialized in public relations and project management,
but according to my contract I could still have the possibility to pitch ideas
to the creative and marketing team.

The
dynamic in the firm was to create small teams to form several big ones. So
basically; I was one of two project management team-members and there would be two
or three individuals working under the supervision of the creative department
along with two or three more who'd take care of marketing and production.

That
composed a full crew, and there were several others organized in the same way.
The firm would assign a product to each crew to work on. Eloise had mentioned a
new client for the new team I was going to be part of and I was eager to start.

After a
long, hot shower, I walked back to my bedroom and started getting ready. My
curls made my morning easy and I decided that a boost of hair product wouldn’t
do them any harm because I didn't want to work on a bun or chignon. I slipped
my dress on and nodded my approval. My friend was extremely talented; he made a
piece of art from the simplest things. I decided to wear my pearl studs. They
were my father's last present to me. Even though he'd been too mad at me to
give them himself, I still cherished the thought.

I
grabbed my Cartier watch, my purse and walked to the kitchen. The smell of coffee
was a merciful one to my senses. Jenna left me a good luck note and a red
velvet cupcake on the counter. I heard her rush out while I was in the shower.
I finished my dose of caffeine and sugar boost and head out.

I
didn't have time to check on my mail. I pushed through my building doors and
found Carl. It was rather Carla, and she was my favorite noisy drag queen
waiting around for Maria to come out and give her a cigarette before she'd head
inside her building and sleep her hangover off. I just buzzed Maria for her and
ran to the street for a cab.

"Miss
Dane?" I jumped and turned to find a weirdly familiar face that I couldn't
quite place.

He was
dressed in a very well groomed suit and had bright brown eyes. His smile was
friendly and respectful.

"Yes.
Can I help you?"

He
smiled.

"I'm
Calvin, Mr. Davis’ driver. He sent me to get you to work."

He
gestured for a town car behind me and I frowned.

"How
did you know when I was getting to work?"

It was
getting creepy.

"I
didn't, I've been waiting for you."

"For
how long?"

He just
beamed to reassure my horrified expression.

"Not
too long Miss Dane. It's my job."

I was a
little pissed, I didn't want to get inside the car. I was a grown woman and
perfectly able to get myself wherever the hell I wanted.

But the
guy had clearly been waiting for at least an hour, so I wasn't going to turn
down his patience. I'd talk with his boss over some boundaries during dinner. I
got inside the car and allowed him to drive me to work.

"Good
morning Clea."

Eloise
welcomed me in front of the reception and handed me a badge and key. She looked
professional and neat in a black pencil skirt and a cranberry colored blouse
with black pumps. She wore her hair in a French twist with a little makeup.

I followed
her feeling comfortable with my choice of clothing. I belonged there. We strode
through the already animated office floor. The space was energetic and
welcoming; the walls painted in bright colors in the art department and sober
in the others. Several campaign ads appeared on an all screen wall, there were,
at least thirty television screens, gathered like in a retail store, but more
elegant, transmitting advertisement.

We
walked inside a conference room filled with loud talks and laughs. They didn't
seem to notice our presence until Eloise grabbed their attention.

"Hello
everyone. Let me introduce the final member of the team Miss
Clea
Dane." She put her hand on my
shoulder and gave it a squeeze with a reassuring smile.

I was
surprised at the burst of cheers and greetings. I felt both awe and a dash of
self-consciousness.

The
team's first meeting went smoothly, as did the rest of the day. We were
presented with a challenging client but a fun product. It was a chain of themed
restaurants. The concept was new and certainly brave for the owner. It wasn't
your usual themed restaurant. The owner worked with more than five chefs, each
had two or three specialty up their sleeves and they wanted to theme the place
differently every night.

The
ideas had started flowing instantly for the creative team and we were offered
four meals of our choice to test the product. The people I worked with were fun
to be around, also very passionate about their work. Overall, we were seven
members all under Eloise Jones and David Sweets supervision.

Brooke,
Jason, and Silver were the creative team; they were all about graphics, colors,
and sceneries. They had a collective mind on their own, completely synched in a
world of linear expression. Liam and I were the project management and public
relations. He was hotheaded and funny. He was also very attractive, if you like
the blondish, alluring womanizer.

Otis
and Christy were the marketing team. Otis was very nice, he'd spent two hours
selecting the marketing strategies we'd studied which were actually applicable
in the job. He was in his late thirties and had worked for several agencies on
the west coast before moving to the jungle.

Christy
was a little too intense for me. She barely spoke and seemed to be studying
each one of us by turn, trying to assess us.

I had
my first lunch date with Brooke and Liam. It was so fun that we'd decided to
make a habit of it as often as possible. They were actually best friends, Liam
had actually been working at BMA for almost a year, and when the agency decided
it was time to compose an additional team, he'd suggested Brooke. They kept
talking about how much fun it was going to be working together and we talked
about our college experiences and our respective lives.

Before
the end of lunch-break, Liam convinced me to accompany him on a shopping trip
to a retail store to buy some things with which we'd decorate or shared office
space. They encouraged personalizing and each one of us had a key to close it
after work.

We
bought a plant to each other and made a deal to take care of it as it
symbolized our partnership and we invested in a beautiful canvas that would fit
perfectly on our wall. I got two photo frames from a small decorator and some
other knick knacks.

We were
standing outside the decorator when I felt my phone buzzing. I shuffled through
my purse while Liam ran back inside to grab an extra gift for Brooke.

The
caller ID was private. I answered it thinking it might've been an international
call from my mom.

"I
hope you're having a better day than mine Miss Dane."

His
voice jolted some extra beats in my heart.

"Hello
Mr. Davis." I said cheerily

"Might
I be of assistance in making it a little better?"

I could
hear a light chuckle.

"You
just did. Thank you."

"Glad
I could help."

I
smiled.

"Why
isn't your day going well?"

I asked
curious and a little disturbed for him.

"That's
the reason I'm calling. I'm actually in the plane heading back to
Chicago."

I felt
a stab of disappointment hit through my heart.

"Chicago?"

My voice
came out small through the phone.

"Yes.
Didn't you read my Wikipedia page? I’m a windy city native and trust that
you'll find me as mercurial as my birthplace."

He was
amused by my Internet venture.

"I
wasn't aware no. When are you coming back?"

"Not
before Saturday I'm afraid."

I
cringed. Two days sounded like an eternity. I was reassured that he sounded as
disappointed as I was.

"Are
you still there Miss Dane?"

"Yes.
Yes, I'm just a little disappointed."

"How
you wound me Miss Dane, only a little?"

He made
me smile instantly but I didn't give him any reassurance.

"I
wish I could see that smile of yours right now."

I felt
my knees weaken.

"I
wish you could too."

"It
is only delayed gratification."

"So
no driver to wait for endless hours for me tomorrow morning?" I teased.

"Actually
I'm leaving Calvin; he needs to take care of some arrangement in New
York."

He
explained and I scowled.

"I
don't need a driver Mr. Davis. But thank you."

"Why
not? He's as good of ride as any."

That
was an understatement, it was the most fully equipped and luxurious car, and I
rode many over the years.

"Just
let him take care of your business and I'll get back to good old yellow
cab."

I said
smiling.

He kept
silent.

"Please
Miss Dane, do it for me, just two days. He can be very accommodating to you and
your friends. He's my most beloved companion; he's been with me for eight
years."

Well,
how could I say no to such a nicely presented offer, and with that tone?

"Two
days. That's all I’m agreeing to"

I
announced firmly.

"What
are you doing?"

"I'm
shopping with my colleague."

"Your
colleague?"

"Yes
Liam. Since we're sharing an office space we thought we'd go shop to make it
personal."

"That
sounds like a great idea."

Landon's
voice was suddenly stern. He sounded annoyed by something.

"Why
are you going back to Chicago this early?"

"Work
emergency, I need to be there early. Actually, I need to hang up. I'll call you
when I land."