appearance …or not. Whatever.
She slapped herself inwardly. Jeez, she was here to work, not to impress some rich fellow who at best thought she was interesting. Like a rare butterfly species. But then again…something was odd about him, but in a good way for a change. After she recovered from his dazzling looks, a calming feeling took over, something she never experienced around people. He radiated peace she didn’t even know existed. And that coming from a person like him of all people, a greedy stock market shark, party animal and darling of the yellow press. She had expected frenzy activity, maybe even a nervous quirk, a twitching brow or something like that. An ambitious businessman who kept an eye on a half dozen monitors during their talk and looked down his nose at her. Didn’t he have to deal with a gazillion important things like buying stocks and selling real estate–or the other way around? She had imagined him sitting in a glass and chrome office, entrenched behind a desk from where he lead his empire.
But here he was, smiling and emitting this wonderful peace. If she were a cat, she’d curl into a ball and start purring.
And there was something else. On some weird level she felt as if they knew each other. Of course that was bogus, like she’d ever forget meeting him. But nevertheless…
To busy herself, she took the seat on the sofa he’d offered, pulled her iPad out and started going through her notes. Her hands were slightly shaking, so she was glad he was busy with a call. This way she could clear her thoughts. Kind of.
After he hung up, his bodyguard reappeared with a tray like a good fairy. Once food and drinks had been placed, she cleared her throat to start the interview. After all, she was representing the Seattle Times and all of a sudden she understood why Renée had wanted to accompany her. This wasn’t the same as writing canny little blog entries or questioning the principal of Redmond High about a student-initiated environmental project. At the moment she felt like trying on her mother’s shoes. And they were a size too big for her.
Instinctively, she straightened her back.
“So, Viktor, during my research, I found out that there is no verified biography on you. Not even on Wiki . How come?”
“My biography is boring,” he replied, studying her. Her cheeks flushed under his glance, while the tiny hair on her arms started to raise. Just great–how did he do that?
She bit her lower lip and decided to ignore the strange reactions to him. She had no desire to make a fool of herself. Given that her life currently was imitating a John Grisham novel this interview was a cakewalk.
Still, the thought of doing her job gave her stability. A piece of normality in a world that had fell apart. Right now she was Ally again, member of the school newspaper and future ex-staffer of the Seattle Times . Or something like that. She’d been dreaming of this interview for so long, she wouldn’t give it up just because this guy had beautiful eyes. And a sultry mouth. And had she mentioned he smelled incredibly good? Of earth, mowed grass and a subtle cologne.
Gosh! She had to pull herself together and at least pretend to be professional. “Can you tell me something about you anyway? For example where you grew up?”
That’s right, keep asking questions. This way she could mask her annoying thoughts. Maybe she could also hold her breath. Without a conscious decision she’d leaned into him as if trying to sniff him. Could anyone shoot her already?
He also got closer, and her gaze automatically landed on his lips. Oh boy, they looked soft! She would have loved to extend her hand and touch them…
Get a grip!
With superhuman strength she tore her eyes from his tempting mouth only to notice that he seemed to be just as fascinated with her as she was with him.
Um, sure. Ten minutes alone in a room with him and she was already hallucinating. Or dreaming. Or both.
Whatever. The guy was
She slapped herself inwardly. Jeez, she was here to work, not to impress some rich fellow who at best thought she was interesting. Like a rare butterfly species. But then again…something was odd about him, but in a good way for a change. After she recovered from his dazzling looks, a calming feeling took over, something she never experienced around people. He radiated peace she didn’t even know existed. And that coming from a person like him of all people, a greedy stock market shark, party animal and darling of the yellow press. She had expected frenzy activity, maybe even a nervous quirk, a twitching brow or something like that. An ambitious businessman who kept an eye on a half dozen monitors during their talk and looked down his nose at her. Didn’t he have to deal with a gazillion important things like buying stocks and selling real estate–or the other way around? She had imagined him sitting in a glass and chrome office, entrenched behind a desk from where he lead his empire.
But here he was, smiling and emitting this wonderful peace. If she were a cat, she’d curl into a ball and start purring.
And there was something else. On some weird level she felt as if they knew each other. Of course that was bogus, like she’d ever forget meeting him. But nevertheless…
To busy herself, she took the seat on the sofa he’d offered, pulled her iPad out and started going through her notes. Her hands were slightly shaking, so she was glad he was busy with a call. This way she could clear her thoughts. Kind of.
After he hung up, his bodyguard reappeared with a tray like a good fairy. Once food and drinks had been placed, she cleared her throat to start the interview. After all, she was representing the Seattle Times and all of a sudden she understood why Renée had wanted to accompany her. This wasn’t the same as writing canny little blog entries or questioning the principal of Redmond High about a student-initiated environmental project. At the moment she felt like trying on her mother’s shoes. And they were a size too big for her.
Instinctively, she straightened her back.
“So, Viktor, during my research, I found out that there is no verified biography on you. Not even on Wiki . How come?”
“My biography is boring,” he replied, studying her. Her cheeks flushed under his glance, while the tiny hair on her arms started to raise. Just great–how did he do that?
She bit her lower lip and decided to ignore the strange reactions to him. She had no desire to make a fool of herself. Given that her life currently was imitating a John Grisham novel this interview was a cakewalk.
Still, the thought of doing her job gave her stability. A piece of normality in a world that had fell apart. Right now she was Ally again, member of the school newspaper and future ex-staffer of the Seattle Times . Or something like that. She’d been dreaming of this interview for so long, she wouldn’t give it up just because this guy had beautiful eyes. And a sultry mouth. And had she mentioned he smelled incredibly good? Of earth, mowed grass and a subtle cologne.
Gosh! She had to pull herself together and at least pretend to be professional. “Can you tell me something about you anyway? For example where you grew up?”
That’s right, keep asking questions. This way she could mask her annoying thoughts. Maybe she could also hold her breath. Without a conscious decision she’d leaned into him as if trying to sniff him. Could anyone shoot her already?
He also got closer, and her gaze automatically landed on his lips. Oh boy, they looked soft! She would have loved to extend her hand and touch them…
Get a grip!
With superhuman strength she tore her eyes from his tempting mouth only to notice that he seemed to be just as fascinated with her as she was with him.
Um, sure. Ten minutes alone in a room with him and she was already hallucinating. Or dreaming. Or both.
Whatever. The guy was
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