Chapter two

Vivienne wasn't doing the walk of shame, but her steps were more cautious than ever. She passed by Eva's office which was attached to hers and noticed that it was empty. She didn't know who she was meeting and every attempt to find out proved futile. The calls she tried to put across to Eva did not connect and the anonymous caller did not answer her calls, nor did he reply to her texts.

She carefully adjusted the belts on her wrap-around dress as she approached the reception, careful not to make so much noise with her stiletto heels.

Eva looked calm and collected like nothing disturbing was going on. She talked to the receptionist as she typed away on her laptop.

Vivienne's eyes trailed to the bulky figure that stood beside Eva. He looked like a fighter, always ready to pounce and attack his opponent at the slightest opportunity. That was by no chance her caller, or was it? His brows creased and his lips twitched as he watched the wristwatch impatiently.

She couldn't help but admire how beautifully sculpted he was. His black wavy hair fell to one side of his face, almost covering his right eye. He started saying something to Eva when his eyes landed on her.

"Ms. Chavez," he worked the loose button on his suit and slid hands into his pockets.

She stared in confusion, still fazed by his beauty. She pulled Eva aside and whispered, "Who is this?" She asked. "And how the hell did you stay beside him and not get burnt by the heat?"

Eva shrugged and laughed. She leaned in and replied, "Unlike some people, I have learned to observe work ethics." She giggled. "That's Mr. Gavin Leyva."

"You might as well add that I am a threat to the female society," he chuckled.

Vivienne blushed. She was embarrassed that he heard Eva say that. A lot has been said about Gavin Leyva in the past, but she didn't take the compliments about him to be more than hype.

"I can't help but look good for the sake of all. There's not much of me to go around, you know," he said and pulled out his hand for a shake. "Ms. Chavez, I'm the famous Mr. Leyva as you already know, but you can call me Gavin," he flashed a bright smile.

Giddy and too flustered to make a complete statement, Vivienne stuttered as she took his hand and let it go almost immediately. "I-I-I-"

"Ah, you made me think I stuttered earlier, now you're the one stuttering" Gavin smiled. "I see you're also star-struck. It happens often and I'm not ashamed to admit it. It only goes further to say how much of a threat I am to your kind." He had this mischievous aura and Vivienne could not understand why, but she was drawn to him.

He checked the time once more before offering his arm to her. She could see what he was suggesting but didn't want it to happen again.

"I'll be fine on my own," she gave a sad smile and walked away. She turned to Eva, "I may not return today, and if I'm not back by two, please cancel whatever comes after." She said and Eva waved in response, pity evident in her eyes.

"Ah," Gavin spoke up again and Vivienne immediately noted that to be his favorite sound. "First you make me wait for months, then you degrade our meeting to a lunch date, not that I'm complaining," he lifted his hands in surrender, "then you leave me hanging there. Also, I finally understand how you have to postpone so many meetings. I don't get why you'd be in your feelings and not consider the hassle others had gone through before successfully booking an appointment with you." He sounded judgemental, and Vivienne did not like that.

Not in the mood to answer those, she turned. "I don't know who you think you are, Mr. Leyva, but if you don't want this meeting, I might just go ahead and have lunch." She spat angrily and walked to her car.

She unlocked it and entered, starting her engine, she sent him an address and sped off.

"Damn!" She hit the steering wheel in frustration. She had just checked out and man and not long after, he comes on to her like he was him. The memories of their last night together came flooding in. Why did they even do that?

The traffic on Interstate Five Highway made her want to blow her brains out. She looked around to see if Gavin was also stuck in it and she was almost worried when she didn't see him.

Just at the right time, Amelia's call came in. "Hey," Vivienne breathed out.

Noticing the nervousness in her voice, she held back her exciting news.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

Vivienne sighed before answering. "I don't know, Amelia. I'm not sure returning to work was a good idea. He's everywhere," she sniffed, checking her face in the rearview mirror.

Amelia was quiet. They had gone over this discussion countless times and she was gradually losing hope that she would ever be fine again.

"Did something happen?" She asked, her voice begging for a positive response.

"It's just this Leyva guy who always makes the news," Vivienne told her frustratedly.

Amelia gasped. "What?"

Vivienne nodded in response as if she could see her. "Yes," she said when she noticed her mistake. "The Gavin Leyva."

"And I thought I had more interesting news," Amelia laughed.

"What happened?" Vivienne's curiosity was piqued.

"I don't think you'd want to know now that The Gavin Leyva has visited you and left you thinking hard about your ex," she giggled.

"That is no good thing, Amelia." Vivienne's body became stiff at the mention of her ex.

"I don't think you're going to love it so much either when I tell you that he is in town," Amelia said in a breath. "Oops! I just did."