Claire
I am unnerved by the meeting.
I'm thrown off by the guy.
Liam is the hottest thing I've seen in a while.
His gorgeous, chiseled face and deep green eyes are on my mind, tormenting me and throwing me off my game.
I walk into Epica and feel home at last after a big afternoon of dealing with ad agencies that outsize mine in so many ways.
"How was it?" Charlotte asks me as she greets me with green tea and a smile.
"It was...fine."
"Fine? That's all you have to say about it? It was just fine? Come on, tell me everything. How'd they like your ideas?"
She walks with me as I head to my office in the back of the building. It's surrounded by glass and exposed brick walls. I have a view of the city and it excites me. My office also has bean bags, books, and feels very cozy.
Charlotte plops down on a faux fur bean bag and proceeds to procure answers from me.
"Why are you being so aloof, Claire? Usually, you're an open book after important meetings, dying to tell me everything. What happened?"
I sit behind my glass desk, sip my green tea, and eye her cautiously. To tell or not to tell?
"Fine, Charlotte. I'll tell you. The meeting went well. The executives seemed to like my ideas and my presentation was better than the rest, except for one done by one man, or rather his assistant. Have you ever heard of Liam Alton?"
She looks at me in surprise.
"Heard of him? Of course, I have. He's known as one of the hottest and richest men in town. He's also the consummate player. Every girl wants him, but he's like forbidden fruit. No one can land Liam. Why was he there?"
I look into my tea mug with consternation. I knew he was a player but I had no idea it was such common knowledge.
What am I thinking, wanting a guy like him? I'm like all those other women wanting to land him. It's pathetic. I internally kick myself for being so naive.
"Yeah, he was there all right. And he appears to be our biggest competition. His ideas are good, very good."
She looks at me pensively. "Well, he does own the biggest ad agency in town. Doubtless, he's good at his job. But it's okay because you're also good. And remember that we're a little agency for a reason, to fill that niche in the market.”
Charlotte has a point so I let her continue.
“Not everyone wants to be handled by a corporate agency. Most of our clients prefer the small size of this firm and how we cater to them creatively. Remember that."
She's right, I know. Sometimes it's hard to remember my mission in this world, which is to stay small and to do what I do best. Liam has me teetering on the edge of my morals and my direction.
My heart still races every time I think of the way he was looking at me, as though I were his already.
"Hello? Earth to Claire. Are you in, Claire?"
I realize I've just zoned out, lost in thought again about Liam.
"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else."
"And could have something to do with a certain someone, a certain handsome playboy?" she prods.
"Yes, okay? He's so fucking gorgeous and he was literally staring at me throughout the entire meeting. I thought maybe there could be something there, but I know he's a creep, a one-night stand kind of guy and you just reminded me of that, so thanks."
She looks at me knowingly, as though it all suddenly makes sense to her.
"You like him, Claire. You really like him, don't you?"
"Shut up!" I throw my pen at her. "Besides, I only kind of like him. And he's a player so what does it matter?"
"It matters," she says, "because you never like anyone. The fact that he's even on your radar is a big deal."
"Yeah, well, I'm not about to get hurt by a guy like that. So, I'm gonna push him out of my mind and just focus on winning this campaign. Then, I can prove to him and all the others that we're a company to contend with."
"Sounds like a plan," Charlotte says with a smile. "Why don't we go out to celebrate tonight? You've very nearly landed the campaign and that in itself is a big success. Let's go to a club or something."
That actually sounds like music to my ears. I could use a night out to forget about work, and to forget about him. I can't believe I've only just met the guy and already he's occupying my thoughts like this. I need to shut it down and a night out will help.
"Definitely. Let's go out. There's that new club uptown called Embassy. We should go there."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's wrap up the day and then we can change here and go."
"Okay, Charlotte. I'll just finish some stuff and we can leave in a few hours."
She leaves me to it and I go about making changes to the Velvet Luxe campaign. Now that I see what I'm up against, I also see more clearly where I can make changes to my ideas and make them stronger.
I love working. Designing is basically my entire life. I do it for fun, I do it for work, and everything in between. I guess you could say I'm an artist at heart. I was always doodling as a child and now I've somehow turned that into a career.
I try to lose myself in the work, but somehow, I still see Liam in my head. I can't help thinking that this is dangerous territory.
I cannot allow myself to fall for a playboy, much less my professional competition. It's just not a good look.
I spin around in my chair and look at the view. Storm clouds are threatening the city and I think that tonight I might need an umbrella.
His handsome, rugged face is on my mind again, but I attempt to shake it off, telling myself that it's just because he's so hot. I'm in lust not love, and I need to keep a firm distance between Liam and myself.
I work some more and put all my energy into creating the most fabulous ad campaign the lingerie world has ever seen. I decide to take it up a notch in terms of sexiness, sure that this will win them over.
At last, night falls and it's time to take off. Charlotte wheels a clothing rack into my office. We always keep an array of extra outfits on hand so we don't have to go home to change before hitting the town.
"What'll it be tonight?" She's perusing several of my new purchases. "You know, if you spent less money on Gucci, maybe the company wouldn't be in such dire straits."
I laugh. I do have a penchant for shopping.
"Hey, why do you care? You wear all of my stuff anyway."
She runs her hands over my new Chanel dress. "It's so lucky that we're the same size."
"You should wear that," I say. "It's super cute on you."
She pulls it off the rack and we both strip and change after we pick our desired outfits.
Then, I pull out my vanity mirror and we do our makeup.
"I say we look pretty good," Charlotte says.
"No babe, we look hot."
I'm wearing a very small, black lace dress with six-inch heels. It almost feels like I'm wearing nothing and that's how I like it tonight. Tonight, I plan on flirting with so many guys and I will forget all about Liam what's-his-name.