street.
“You, too.” They stopped on the other sidewalk, a small island in a stream of morning commuters.
He took off his glasses and rubbed them against his jacket. No wonder they were such a mess. His eyelashes were remarkably long. Her gaze was drawn to them as they misted up with rain. No guy should have lashes like that...it just wasn’t fair.
He put the glasses back on and they immediately slid down his nose. He pushed them back up with an unconscious motion. “Have a good day,” he said, gesturing down the street toward her building.
She’d been looking at the gold glints in his eyes and it took a moment for his words to catch up with her. “Yeah, right,” she said, embarrassed that she’d been caught staring. “You too.” She turned and walked down the street, wondering what had just happened.
Chapter Two
“Morning, boss.” The receptionist looked up from her ultra modern desk as he entered. “You look drenched. “Can I get you a coffee?”
“Thanks, Chloe, that would be great.” Freddie turned into the open space that housed the staff. Irregular work pods dotted the space; many of them were unoccupied. He didn’t pay much attention to hours worked. Productivity came second to creativity in this business, and the teams competed fiercely to come up with the hottest new games. He made his way to his office in the corner. It was his one luxury. Other execs in hi-tech businesses loved to be photographed in among the staff, pretending to be just like everyone else, but when it came right down to it, he wasn’t like everyone else. He’d built this empire, and the employees were his responsibility. And that was a responsibility he took seriously.
Chloe placed the coffee on his favourite coaster and put a small stack of messages in the middle of his desk.
“Anything pressing?” He looked at the stack with distaste.
A fleeting frown passed over the receptionist’s face. What was the matter with the boss? He usually pounced on the messages like a cat on catnip. Maybe he was getting a cold.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” He forced himself to smile.
“Okay then. There was another call from Mr. Zhou in Taiwan, and a writer from Gamer Nation called to ask about an interview. The rest are fairly straightforward.”
“Thanks Chloe.” He picked up the top message and scanned it; a hint for her to go back to her desk. She left, then looked back after a few steps. He was staring at the piece of paper.
He didn’t see the words. He saw Samantha’s face, framed by that impossibly curly hair. He wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through it. He shifted in his seat, aroused at the thought.
Was it only last week that he’d noticed her having coffee a few blocks from his new condo? It had seemed like a lifetime, waiting to talk to her. Within a few days he’d discovered that she went there for her morning coffee. So far she’d met Lauren there every morning...that was a bit of a problem, but if he hung around he could probably engage her in conversation. Okay, okay, he’d like to engage her in more than just conversation, but he could be patient. After all, wasn’t that how he’d built his company?
He was still holding the message. He dropped it on the desk and looked out the windows. His accountant had cautioned him against buying this old building, but fortunately he hadn’t listened. Its value was now four or five times what he’d paid for it, and from his office on the top floor he could look out over Vancouver Harbour. He didn’t think less of his accountant–how could the man have known the vision that had been building for years–ever since he was eleven years old and discovered computer games? The clear vision that combined the hundreds of characters he’d sketched over the years with the latest technology in the gaming field. It had been a heady ascent, and he’d ridden it to the top.
But hadn’t got there by
“You, too.” They stopped on the other sidewalk, a small island in a stream of morning commuters.
He took off his glasses and rubbed them against his jacket. No wonder they were such a mess. His eyelashes were remarkably long. Her gaze was drawn to them as they misted up with rain. No guy should have lashes like that...it just wasn’t fair.
He put the glasses back on and they immediately slid down his nose. He pushed them back up with an unconscious motion. “Have a good day,” he said, gesturing down the street toward her building.
She’d been looking at the gold glints in his eyes and it took a moment for his words to catch up with her. “Yeah, right,” she said, embarrassed that she’d been caught staring. “You too.” She turned and walked down the street, wondering what had just happened.
Chapter Two
“Morning, boss.” The receptionist looked up from her ultra modern desk as he entered. “You look drenched. “Can I get you a coffee?”
“Thanks, Chloe, that would be great.” Freddie turned into the open space that housed the staff. Irregular work pods dotted the space; many of them were unoccupied. He didn’t pay much attention to hours worked. Productivity came second to creativity in this business, and the teams competed fiercely to come up with the hottest new games. He made his way to his office in the corner. It was his one luxury. Other execs in hi-tech businesses loved to be photographed in among the staff, pretending to be just like everyone else, but when it came right down to it, he wasn’t like everyone else. He’d built this empire, and the employees were his responsibility. And that was a responsibility he took seriously.
Chloe placed the coffee on his favourite coaster and put a small stack of messages in the middle of his desk.
“Anything pressing?” He looked at the stack with distaste.
A fleeting frown passed over the receptionist’s face. What was the matter with the boss? He usually pounced on the messages like a cat on catnip. Maybe he was getting a cold.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m fine.” He forced himself to smile.
“Okay then. There was another call from Mr. Zhou in Taiwan, and a writer from Gamer Nation called to ask about an interview. The rest are fairly straightforward.”
“Thanks Chloe.” He picked up the top message and scanned it; a hint for her to go back to her desk. She left, then looked back after a few steps. He was staring at the piece of paper.
He didn’t see the words. He saw Samantha’s face, framed by that impossibly curly hair. He wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through it. He shifted in his seat, aroused at the thought.
Was it only last week that he’d noticed her having coffee a few blocks from his new condo? It had seemed like a lifetime, waiting to talk to her. Within a few days he’d discovered that she went there for her morning coffee. So far she’d met Lauren there every morning...that was a bit of a problem, but if he hung around he could probably engage her in conversation. Okay, okay, he’d like to engage her in more than just conversation, but he could be patient. After all, wasn’t that how he’d built his company?
He was still holding the message. He dropped it on the desk and looked out the windows. His accountant had cautioned him against buying this old building, but fortunately he hadn’t listened. Its value was now four or five times what he’d paid for it, and from his office on the top floor he could look out over Vancouver Harbour. He didn’t think less of his accountant–how could the man have known the vision that had been building for years–ever since he was eleven years old and discovered computer games? The clear vision that combined the hundreds of characters he’d sketched over the years with the latest technology in the gaming field. It had been a heady ascent, and he’d ridden it to the top.
But hadn’t got there by
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