The Heart of Tomorrow (Book Two) (The Tomorrow Series 2) (12 page)

Seventeen

The weekend had been fun, just as he’d said. We’d ridden the rides on Santa Monica Pier. I even convinced Drew to get one of those ridiculous caricatures together by one of the sidewalk artists. We’d found a little shack that was selling fish tacos and we ate them on the beach, side by side as the waves rolled up to our feet, watching the sunset.

The Yankees were playing the Angels on Sunday and Drew got us tickets right behind home plate. We’d had a good time, but Drew left in a sour mood when the Yankees lost after a walk-off base hit by Mike Trout. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the hotel room, trying to cheer him up, which I had no trouble doing.

When Monday morning came, Drew wanted to take me to the office. He said he only had a few things to take care of before we could take a drive up the coast.

He held my hand as we walked towards the new home of Taylor and Saben. The sign was already up, but it seemed very different than the office in Manhattan. It wasn’t housed in a tall skyscraper like in New York. It was its own building and I could feel the more casual atmosphere the moment we stepped inside. Even Drew seemed more laid back. Even though he’d picked me up in a suit he so often wore in New York, today he was sporting a pair of expensive jeans and a striped button up shirt he’d left untucked with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He said good morning to the security guard and then he led me into the main office, stopping at the reception desk. I was used to seeing Christa upon my arrival at Taylor and Saben, her hair tied back into a bun, her tortoise shell glasses poised on her nose. The woman who greeted us was the complete opposite. She was young with tan skin and jet black hair that hung straight as a pin down her back. Her blouse was open far enough so that her cleavage was one of the first things I noticed about her.

“Good morning, Gabby,” Drew said, picking up a pen and scrawling my name into the visitor’s log.

“Good morning, Drew,” she said with a friendly smile and then her eyes moved to me and I was taken aback by the casual greeting. I’d expected her to address him as Mr. Saben, but then I remembered my first meeting with him and how he’d insisted I drop the formalities and call him by his first name. “You brought a visitor this morning?”

“Yes. This is Natalie, my girlfriend. She flew in from New York.”

I would’ve been blind not to notice the momentary dip in her smile when she realized who I was, but I doubt Drew was even aware.

“Welcome to Los Angeles,” Gabby said as she handed me a badge.

“Thank you,” was all I said to her and then Drew took my hand, nodding at Gabby as he led me away.

Drew said hello to different people as we made our way towards his office, exchanging a few words and introducing me before we’d move on. I couldn’t help but notice the amount of attractive women in the office, many of whom seemed the perfect stereotype of California girls: Tall, thin, tan and blonde. They all seemed more than happy to speak with Drew and I found myself inching closer to him as they talked.

We eventually made it to his office. He opened the heavy oak door with an official looking nameplate on the front reading ANDREW SABEN -PRESIDENT. We stepped in and he shut the door behind us. Just like everything else, it was different than his office in New York. This one was smaller and without the impressive view. It looked as if he hadn’t done much decorating, which I took as a good sign. Perhaps he’d be returning to New York sooner than I expected. I walked over to his desk. Of course, it was neat and tidy, like every other aspect of his life, but I smiled when I saw a picture of the two of us that had been taken at Christmas time. 

“So,” he said when he was behind his desk. “What do you think of the new office?”

“It’s nice,” I said and he stopped looking through a pile of paper on his desk, glancing up so our eyes met.

“But?” he asked.

“No buts.”

“There is a but. I can tell by your tone,” he said and I couldn’t help but smile a little. He obviously knew me too well.

“Your staff,” I began. “A majority of them seem awfully young…and attractive,” I added, watching as his mouth curled up into a smirk.

“Are you jealous, Miss Vasser?”

“No,” I said quickly.

“I think you’re lying.”

He came to the front of the desk where I was standing and slid his hands around my waist.

“I am lying,” I said and he laughed, kissing me on the forehead.

“I can’t help what they look like, Natalie. They all worked here before I got here.”

“So, you admit they’re pretty.”

“Well, they’re not ugly,” he grinned. “But, they’re nothing compared to you. Plus, there’s not a redhead in the bunch and you know I’m partial to redheads.”

He was staring into my eyes, the sincere grin still on his face and I knew he meant what he said.

“I’ll just try not to think of you being alone with all of these attractive women while I’m back in New York.”

“You have nothing to worry about. Ever,” he said, the grin leaving his face, transforming into a serious line.

“I know. I’m being stupid.”

“I actually kind of like it,” he said, the smile returning to his face just as we heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he said, undoing his hands from my waist as a woman walked in.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company,” she said, her eyes moving over to me.

“That’s okay, Mya. Come in,” he told the woman and she stepped in. “Mya, this is Natalie Vasser, my girlfriend from New York and this is Mya Mendez, one of the other architects.”

Mya looked to be a few years older than Drew, but there was no denying she was attractive. Her black pencil skirt looked great with her long legs and her blouse showed a rack that put mine to shame. Her long curly hair was nearly black with caramel highlights and she looked at me with eyes a shade of hazel I’d never seen before. Her tan skin was flawless and I suddenly felt very plain next to her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Natalie,” Mya said, extending a hand to me.

“Likewise,” I said as we shook and then she turned her attention back to Drew.

“Do you have a minute to come to my office?” she asked him.

“Of course,” he said, turning to me. “I’ll be right back, Natalie.”

I nodded and watched as Drew and Mya left. He wasn’t gone long and I’d barely had a chance to check out the office anymore when he returned. I could tell his mood had been soured by the look on his face.

“Is everything okay?” I asked and he sighed.

“I’m so sorry to do this, Natalie, but I think we’ll have to cancel our drive up the coast today.”

“Why?” I asked as the disappointment washed over me.

“Something’s come up with the project Mya’s working on and I need to fix it.”

“Why do you have to?”

“Because I’m the boss, Natalie,” he said curtly. “This is the first project with the Taylor and Saben name on it in California and it’s got to be perfect.”

I didn’t like the tone of his voice. He was never short with me the way he’d just been. He must’ve seen the surprise on my face because he took my hands.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I shouldn’t take my stress out on you.”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to be understanding of what he was dealing with.

“It’s not okay and I’m sorry,” he said, brushing his fingertips over my cheek and then kissing me softly. “I’ll make it up to you. You didn’t come all this way to hang out by yourself.”

“It’s fine, Drew. Truly it is. I’ll be fine.”

He reached into his pocket, handing me the car keys and his credit card.

“Take the car. Go wherever you want. The address to the hotel is programmed in the GPS.”

“Do you know how long you’ll be?” I asked and he shook his head.

“I’ll get back as soon as I can. Thank you for your understanding.”

He kissed me again, but not so innocently this time and when he pulled back, I could see the need in his eyes.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because now all I can think about is ripping all your clothes off and throwing you onto my desk.”

“Go ahead,” I teased and he shoved me away playfully.

“Don’t tempt me, Natalie,” he said, taking my hand and leading me back to the lobby. “Drive safely and I’ll have my phone on me if you need anything.”

“I’ll be fine, Drew.”

“I know you will and again,” he said, squeezing my hand. “I’m sorry about today.”

“It’s only one day,” I said with a smile and he kissed my cheek.

“I love you, Natalie. I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

I smiled and walked out, and even though I never turned around, I knew he watched me the whole way.

~~~

Driving around L.A. was no fun by myself. I didn’t know where I was going or what there was even to do and I’d never seen traffic so bad. After being stuck on the interstate crawling at a snail’s pace for a half an hour, I decided to exit and head back to the hotel where I stayed holed up for the rest of the day, only leaving to grab some dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Drew texted me a few times throughout the day, apologizing for not being back yet. I couldn’t deny I was a little annoyed by the whole situation, but I also knew it wasn’t his fault. He had to work and unfortunately that interfered with our plans.

It was nearly nine o’clock, but I’d changed into my pajamas early, parking myself on the bed where I’d been all afternoon and was half-way through a movie when I heard the door open, the light streaming in from the hallway.

I looked up to see Drew standing there, apology written all over his face. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down.

“I’m so sorry, Natalie. I didn’t think it’d take that long.”

“Did you get everything taken care of?”

“No, but I wasn’t going to stay away from you any longer.”

“So, you have to go back tomorrow?”

“Yes, but it shouldn’t be long.”

“Can I ask what happened?”

“The blueprints Mya drafted were all wrong and the client wasn’t very understanding of the situation. They’ve got a deadline to meet and this creates a setback for them.”

“Isn’t Mya an experienced architect?”

“Yes and she’s a very good one, but there’s a reason we were able to takeover this company and this screw up is just one reason why.”

“You’ll be able to fix it,” I said, taking his hand and pulling myself closer to him.

“You always have such faith in me, Natalie.”

I smiled as he placed his palm on my cheek, smiling at me with his eyes. I loved when he looked at me like that, with nothing but total adoration.

“I hope you don’t mind, but part of me fixing this problem is having to attend a fundraising gala tomorrow night,” he said, taking my hand. “I was hoping you’d be my date.”

“A gala?” a said with a terrible British accent. “I don’t think I’ve ever attended a gala.”

“I, unfortunately, have attended too many,” he said with a laugh. “They’re horribly boring, but then again, I’ve never attended one with such a hot date. We could have a little fun.”

He was grinning at me and I wondered what his idea of a little fun was.

“Perhaps we could,” I teased.

“I know you didn’t bring anything to wear to a black-tie dinner, so tomorrow while I go into the office, use my credit card and go out and buy yourself something.”

“I feel like Julia Roberts in
Pretty Woman
, except for the whole prostitute thing,” I said with a laugh.

“Wait? You’re not a hooker?” he joked and I slapped him playfully on the arm. “Please get something incredibly sexy, so that all I can think about while we’re there is taking it off you. Something with a long slit would be nice,” he said, his hand landing on my upper thigh and then slowly inching higher. “I’m not opposed to you showing a little cleavage either.” He took my shirt by the neckline, pulling me toward him and peeking inside. “Yes. I could look at this all night.”

I started laughing, yanking his hand away and then wrapping my arms around his neck, pushing him down onto the mattress. I climbed on top of him, stripping off my shirt and smiling down at him.

“Is that all you want me for, Mr. Saben? My body?”

“No, Natalie. There are a million reasons to want you. Your body is just the icing on the cake.”

He reached up, placing his hands around my neck and pulling me down so my chest was smashed against his. His greedy mouth was on mine a moment later and as he reached for the waistband of my pants, inching them off, my lonely afternoon away from Drew was forgotten.

Eighteen

I’d spent the last forty-five minutes trying to get my hair just right and I thought I’d finally done it. I’d used my curling iron to tighten the curls in my naturally wavy hair and it hung loose down my back. I’d purchased some new makeup while dress shopping and as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I was certain Drew would be pleased with the whole package.

It’d taken longer than I anticipated to find the right one and as I tried on dress after dress, my mind drifted to my first trip to Bloomingdale’s to find something to wear to my interview at Taylor and Saben. It’d been different this time though. Back then, I was spending money I didn’t have to make money I wanted. This time, Drew had handed over his American Express card without any restrictions. I didn’t want to take advantage of him though and I tried to be frugal with my shopping. I still ended up spending nearly $400 on the dress I eventually chose. I considered that a good deal when most of the acceptable dresses were at least $700.

I’d gone for a classic look, keeping his requests in the back of my mind as I decided on the form fitting black dress, complete with a slit to my upper thigh and a plunging heart shaped neckline that revealed a healthy dose of my cleavage while still looking classy.

“Does this meet with your approval?” I asked Drew when I finally stepped out of the bathroom.

He was just finishing putting on the jacket of his tuxedo and he turned to me, his eyes instantly moving over my body. They moved slowly and a satisfied smile spread on his lips.

“You’re pure perfection, Natalie,” he said, straightening his tie as he walked towards me.

I felt his fingertips on my skin, tracing the neckline of my dress, making its way deep into my cleavage while his other hand found its way inside the slit, slowly inching higher and higher. My breathing was picking up. I couldn’t help it when he touched me like this. His touch was like a drug to me and with him this close, I wanted nothing more than to overdose.

“Do you really expect me to focus on anything but you tonight with you looking like this?”

His voice was low and gravelly as he placed his lips, warm and wet, at the base of my throat, his tongue making a slow trail up to my chin. I could almost taste him as his mouth was only inches from mine.

“I was only honoring your requests,” I whispered, trying to maintain my control, which was becoming increasingly difficult.

“And I thank you for that,” his deep voice said before pressing his lips hard against mine, his tongue plunging into my mouth. I could tell this situation was quickly getting out of hand, especially since we had somewhere to be. I didn’t care though and I pulled him even closer to me, my hands burying deep within his hair.

His phone went off just then, totally destroying the mood. He rolled his eyes, finally pulling away from me. He got himself together while I straightened my dress and went to the mirror to make sure I didn’t look like a complete mess. Luckily, aside from a few hairs out of place, I looked fine.

“Andrew Saben,” Drew said, finally answering his phone. “Okay. Thank you.”

“That was a quick phone call,” I said when he’d hung up.

“Our car’s here to take us to the fundraiser.”

“A car?”

“Only the best for you, Natalie.” He grinned as he joined me at the mirror. “How do I look? Can you tell I almost just got laid by the hottest girl in L.A.?”

I couldn’t help but blush at his comment.

“You look like you stepped out of one of those ridiculous cologne ads you see on TV, so stop worrying.”

“You think I’m attractive then?” He grinned playfully, continuing to straighten the tie of his tuxedo while looking in the mirror.

“You’re all right,” I teased, running my finger over his jaw line.

“Yeah, you’re all right too,” he grinned. “Shall we?”

He gestured toward the door and after I grabbed the new clutch I’d purchased to match the dress, I nodded, linking my arm with his.

“This is the best start to one of these things I’ve ever had. Perhaps it’s a good sign,” he said as we made our way to the elevator. “You think we might be able to pick up where we left off after this thing is over?”

“I think we might be able to arrange that,” I said, grinning over to him when the elevator doors closed.

“Let’s hope for a quick end to this little party then.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”             

I grinned slyly and I watched as his eyes traced my body, obviously thinking about what he planned to do to me when we got back.