chapter 3

ENZO

"Nice doing business with you, Mr Hernandez," the woman sitting across from me said, smiling as she outstretched her hand toward me. When I took it in a handshake, she held on for a while longer, letting her fingertips graze the inside of my palm in a gentle caress.

Laura Slater was a big name in the industry, and one of the few women I had ever done business with. And frankly speaking, her work was impressive. Which was why we had partnered up a week ago. We had no issues in business whatsoever, but apart from being an excellent business guru, Laura did little to hide the fact that she was interested in me. She stayed unnecessary longer in my office after each meeting, her handshakes lingered, and she didn't miss a chance to 'accidentally' rub up against me. It was amusing to watch her try so hard each time.

Laura wasn't bad looking. On the contrary, she was quite exquisite, with curves in all the right places. A blonde haired beauty with mischievous hazel eyes, she was the kind of woman I would have bent over my desk while I fucked her senseless. And it was obvious she craved that too. I could see it in her eyes. But unfortunately for her, that was never going to happen.

My first rule was to never, ever mix business with pleasure. It was the oldest rule in the book. Everyone knows it would always end badly. Business was one of the few things that would always remain strictly professional for me.

And in a case like this where it would be with a business partner, things would get messy. Laura was also an influential public figure. The rumors would start up, and that's when the drama starts to roll in. Being a famous billionaire CEO had its perks, but it also had its cons. And I had tried very much to keep anything related to my personal relationships and love life out of the media. It was bad enough that I could hardly get time to myself without getting swarmed by paparazzi. If I were spotted with a 'potential love interest', I wouldn't hear the last of it.

Besides, women and relationships have never been a necessity for me. What was the point? Relationships were just full of drama that would stress you out. And sex? That had never been a problem for me. If I needed a hot night, I had my sources. Sources that I'd never have to see or communicate with ever again. Easy and straight to the point.

So it was a no for Laura and I. But of course I would still indulge in the satisfaction of seeing her try. Looking down at her hand, I firmly shook it and then let it fall. "Same here. We meet again next week for the rounds at the new site, right?"

I saw disappointment flash briefly in her eyes but she quickly covered it up with a smile. "Yes, of course." She stood to her feet, picking up the file she had come with and walking toward the door. As a bodyguard opened the door for her to step out, she turned back to me. "If you ever change your mind about…building on this site, you know where to find me."

I hid a smirk, knowing fully well what she was talking about. I watched as she strutted out of my office. When she was gone, I shook my head and raked a finger through my hair. I needed to round up everything on my schedule today as soon as possible. It had been a few days since I'd been to the gym, and it was taking a toll on me. Working out was like my very own drug. It was almost an addiction.

After I had scanned through the rest of the files on my desk, I took notes of the locations of lands the company had acquired in the last month. So far, things were looking quite good. Suddenly remembering something, I clicked the button on the bottom of my desk and continued working. A few seconds later, Mara walked in.

"You rang for me, sir?" She asked, bowing her head a little in greeting.

I looked up at my secretary, nodding briefly. "Let me know what's on my schedule for today." Immediately, she took out a tablet.

"Your last scheduled meeting at the office for today was the one you just had with Miss Slater. I have already responded to the necessary emails as well. The only thing you have left is the meeting you wanted to have regarding the new place you wanted to buy downtown."

I frowned. "Be more specific, Mara." I disliked beating about the bush. And whenever people I had to work with behaved that way, my patience began to run thin. I had fired my last three secretaries for the same reason. I would hate to lose Mara as she was incredibly efficient. But I had already warned her twice before.

"I-I'm sorry, sir.." She stammered, her eyes wide as she nodded. "There's a coffee shop called Morty's downtown. You talked about meeting with the owner to discuss buying the land."

Oh. I remembered now. I had been postponing it for a while now. It was situated in the perfect place. With any luck, I would buy it and start the demolition as soon as possible. Our plan was to build a shopping mall in its place. I checked the time on my wristwatch and immediately stood.

"That's all, right?"

"Y-yes," Mara nodded. I quickly waved her away, grabbed my coat from the rack and made my way out of the office. Best to get it all over with and then head to the gym later on. I motioned to my bodyguards as soon as I stepped outside. Usually, I didn't like to string them along everywhere. But they were only doing their job. I didn't have the energy to deal with the paparazzi on my own.

A few minutes later, I was in the back seat of my limo, headed downtown. I sighed in annoyance when I saw that a small group of people with cameras were already waiting for me. I sighed heavily. I was so sick of the paparazzi. I also never understood how they always knew where I'd be.

As I stepped out of the limousine, they began to swarm me with questions. I slipped on my sunglasses to avoid the flashing lights as Alan and Tyrone cleared a path for me. I walked into the coffee shop, carefully observing the surroundings. It wasn't a very huge place, but it was good enough. I slipped off my sunglasses, looking around the place. There were already a handful of customers. What I needed now was to find the manager.

I began to turn toward the counter, but stopped when I saw a young woman approaching. At first I did not notice her, but as she walked to me decisively, I realized she was heading toward me. In a few seconds she was face to face with me. I cocked an eyebrow in confusion, about to ask who she was. Beside me, Alan moved forward, an arm placed out to shield me.

But before either of us could process what was going on, the young lady had wrapped both arms around my neck, pulling me downward and crashing her lips on mine. Shocked, I didn't know how to react. But I couldn't seem to pull myself away either. Her lips tasted delicious…a strange mixture of mint and coffee.

She kissed me like her life depended on it. She moaned softly, sending a chill down my spine. The kiss ended as fast as it began. For a few seconds I did not know how to react. She just stood there, staring at me with the brightest green eyes I had ever seen.

All of a sudden, she staggered backwards, her face turning a bright shade of red. In a split second she had pushed past some people and sped out of the coffee shop at full speed.

I held my composure, brushing the incident aside for now. I did not have the luxury of time to dwell on it. But as I walked up to the counter and demanded to see the manager, all I could think of was the strange lady and the kiss. And right now, I wanted to know what the fuck had just happened.