“Anna! How are things going with the Sanders’ home?”
Anna jumped. She had been focused on her current task and wasn’t prepared for the shrilly voice over the speakerphone. And it was definitely something she didn’t want to deal with on a Monday morning.
“Things are great, Beth. I’m looking over the floor plans as we speak.”
Beth was the owner of the design firm. Anna worked alongside many other interior designers, but she felt Beth harassed her the most. She desperately wished she had the money to open her own office, but until Ethan’s house was completed, she was stuck working with someone always looking over her shoulder.
“I received an email from Mrs. Sanders this morning informing me that she hasn’t been very happy with your progress.”
She stared at the phone in silence for a moment before picking up the receiver. “I don’t understand, Beth. Why would she email you and not me about this? Mr. Sanders hasn’t shown any concern regarding the status of the remodel. In fact, he was just in here the other day to confirm some changes he and his architect made. There was no mention of any issues.” Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest. As the owner, Beth had every right to pull her from the project and either hand it off to someone else or finish it herself. None of that would do. The Sanders project was large enough for her to build a solid portfolio, and the money she would make would help her branch out on her own.
“I’ll give her a call and see what it is I can do—”
Beth cut her off. “You will do no such thing! If she emailed me and not you, then she has a valid reason for it and I will not have you call her out and embarrass her. I’ll give you another thirty days to turn things around, otherwise I will step in. This is my reputation on the line and I’d hate for you to tarnish what I’ve built.” Beth hung up the phone before she could respond.
Anna rolled her eyes and slammed the phone down. Her boss was one of the most arrogant people she knew and she couldn’t wait to get away from her. Beth put her name on everyone’s work and was happy to take credit for the successful projects but would blame the individual designers for their failures.
Anna was sneaky this time around. The contract written between her and the Sanders was on Beth’s letterhead, but nowhere in the wording did it say that Beth had anything to do with the project. All triumph would be awarded to her and her alone.
Stomach growling, Anna glanced at the time. She had gotten so wrapped up on color and tile design for one of the bathrooms at the Sanders’ home, she forgot to eat lunch. After making a quick note in her planner to give Ethan a call regarding his wife’s unhappiness, Anna gathered her things and headed to the door in search of sustenance. Her phone vibrated, stopping her in her tracks. A message from an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.
Good afternoon, beautiful. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we met.
“Weird,” she said before sliding her phone in her back pocket. Anna began walking down the street to the nearest café where she placed her order and took a seat in a booth. She pulled out her phone and read the message again. Obviously a wrong number, she assumed. It made her think of the times she used to run the streets of Scottsdale in her tiny little dresses, breaking hearts and giving men the wrong phone number. The thought made her laugh out loud. Poor sucker was probably duped by another pretty girl.
I hate to break it to you, but you have been given the wrong number.
The waitress placed her turkey sandwich in front of her just as her phone began to vibrate again.
On the contrary, my dear. I’d say you’re about five-feet-six inches tall with shoulder-length blonde hair, and you have the biggest green eyes I’ve ever seen. Your high cheekbones accentuate those sultry eyes causing your plump, watermelon colored lips to stand out, making any man want to beg for a taste.
The last sentence made her choke on a piece of bread.
That doesn’t sound anything like me. Sorry you’ve been tricked.
A part of her was actually kind of disturbed. She did have blonde hair and green eyes, but she never thought of her cheekbones as high and her lips were definitely not that pink. The next message popped up on her screen.
Oh Anna. Do you always disregard compliments? How is someone supposed to impress you if you keep rejecting him?
Anna blinked and looked around the café. Not only did the mystery texter describe her appearance, but he called her by name, and that was cause for concern. She quickly wrapped up what was left of her lunch and hurried back to the office, praying the person in question wasn’t in the café watching her. When she finally reached the safety of her office, Anna sat down at her desk and tried to think of a clever response.
A comment is allowed to be rejected when it’s coming from someone who refuses to disclose their identity. Reveal yourself and I may take you more seriously.
She hit send and regretted it immediately. She aimed to be funny but instead sounded too serious. Anna started to think of other witty responses when her phone vibrated.
I’ll give you a hint… I’m tall, dark and handsome. You were attracted to me the second you laid eyes on me. You knew you absolutely had to have me. Oh, and you haven’t been able to stop thinking about me, either.
Arrogant, she thought while searching her brain. I haven’t given out my phone number in months.
Cristiano Ronaldo? Is that you?
Anna giggled to herself and anxiously waited for a response. This unidentified man made her nervous at first but now she found the innocent banter and flirting with a stranger exciting.
Ouch. You wound me.
Another message appeared on the screen.
Okay, so maybe I’m not that handsome, but I am just as athletic as your lover boy. And I still think you’re absolutely attracted to me.
How can I be attracted to a man when I don’t even know what he looks like? She pondered that thought and continued typing. You are a man, aren’t you?
Anna heard Beth’s footsteps in the hall and she quickly set her phone down and then stared at her computer screen.
Beth poked her head inside Anna’s office. “I’ll be out the rest of the day. If you need me, I’ll be on my cell.” Anna nodded and Beth hurried away. Good timing, too. Her phone began vibrating again and she was excited to see what the mysterious man wrote.
Would you be disappointed if I wasn’t a man?
She smiled. No, actually. Relieved. I can’t remember the last time I was with a man. I sure would love me a tall, dark and handsome woman.
Anna pressed a hand to her mouth to prevent from laughing out loud. If this person didn’t want to give up his name, she was going to have fun screwing with him.
Ah, well, unlucky for me, I am a man. Lucky for all women out there for they would be fortunate to have such a beautiful woman like you in their lives.
“Ha!” she said aloud and then quickly looked around to see if anyone noticed.
Look, just tell me who you are and how you got my phone number.
Even though she was having fun teasing him, Anna had too much work to do. Staring at her phone all day anticipating his next text wasn’t one of the items on her list.
We had a brief introduction a couple days ago. My name is Ben Whitley. I hope you don’t mind, but I had Nate ask your friend Karlie for your number. I thought you were a pretty girl and wanted a chance to get to know you. I can see now that you aren’t interested, but I’d still love to take you out for dinner tonight. Or maybe a drink?
Anna stared at the screen in disbelief. On the day they met, she assumed he was trying to be funny with his compliment. He had said those words in front of a crowd and she felt embarrassed by them, but regardless, she was somehow still attracted to the handsome ball player. It must have been the way his muscles flexed against the cotton thread of his fitted baseball pants that had her tingling with anticipation. Because of this, she ended up having a delicious dream about him that very night.
It was as if she was directing her very own Baywatch episode and Ben Whitley was her David Hasselhoff. Instead of running on the beach, she watched him peel his clothes off in slow motion while she sat back and enjoyed the view. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of his black boxer briefs when a soft melody began playing. Anna had opened her eyes and angrily tapped her finger across the screen of her phone to stop the theme song from Jurassic Park, irritated that her alarm had gone off just as her dream was about to get good.
A crooked smile spread across Anna’s lips. So, Ben Whitley wants to get to know me. There was no way she imagined herself getting involved with a professional baseball player, but intrigue overtook her sanity and she decided to accept his offer.
Fret not, kind sir. I am not interested in women. I only said that so you’d stop messing around and reveal yourself. But tell me Ben, why do you want to take me out?
It was a silly question and one he had already answered, but she needed to hear more. It was thrilling to know that someone was attracted to her.
You mean me wanting to get to know you a little more wasn’t a good enough reason? By the way, I’m relieved to find that you are attracted to men.
Anna cringed. Clever man. He knew she was fishing for more compliments.
Well besides the obvious, a man’s got to eat. Just thought it would be better to do in the presence of a beautiful woman who I assume needs to eat, too.
She laughed. Lol. Okay, Ben. I’d love to meet up for dinner, under one circumstance. You don’t attempt to woo me just so you can sleep with me and be done with me when spring training is over.
It was a valid request. Her friend Karlie had a magnetic attraction to baseball players and every year during the month of March, she fell in love and had her heart broken.
Anna kept making excuses in her head as to why she finally accepted his dinner invite to make herself feel better, but it all came down to this: He was a good looking man who she hoped genuinely wanted to spend some time with her, and it was a feeling she hadn’t felt in quite some time. It was nice.
I’m appalled you would think the only reason I’ve asked you out is so I could sleep with you.
Anna rolled her eyes when her phone vibrated with another text.
With that being said, I am glad to hear that you are willing to join me for a bite to eat. How about Olive and Ivy around seven o’clock?
She got excited. Olive and Ivy was one of her favorite restaurants and it had been months since she’d had an excuse to dine there again.
Okay, Ben. I’ll see you tonight.
Looking forward to it ;-)
Anna’s stomach did a somersault. It had been over a year since she’d had dinner with a man that wasn’t considered a close friend. She parted ways with her last boyfriend, Gary, when they realized that they weren’t in love with each other. Unfortunately, Anna found out a week later that he had been spending a lot of time with a co-worker and had fallen madly in love with her. Even though the feeling of love had disappeared months before their break up, it still hurt, but knowing he hadn’t cheated on her softened the blow.
She set her cell phone on the desk and sighed. The tile design she had started working on was now a blur and her motivation to get the first draft done today was gone. Anna decided to admit defeat. She saved what she had and closed the program.
The sound of the front door opening caught her attention and Anna glanced over her shoulder. In walked a small man holding twenty-four long-stemmed red roses.
“Anna? Is there an Anna here?”
She blinked. “I’m Anna.” She walked toward him and lifted the heavy vase from his hands, then walked back to her desk. She looked everywhere for a card or note showing the name of the sender, but there wasn’t one, and the man who delivered them had already disappeared.
The only person she could think of was Ben Whitley. She laughed. “Damn, he works fast.” Anna shook her head. “Nice try, Romeo, but you’re still not getting into my pants.” She dug her nose into one of the roses and inhaled deeply. Can’t blame a man for trying, she thought and shut her computer down for the day.