The CEO's Cinderella

Chapters 3

The next day, Travis returned from his morning meeting feeling even more frustrated and angry. He spent the most part of last night thinking about the woman in the bar and, after finally managing to fall asleep, he woke up after about three hours of sleep from a horrible nightmare.

He was angry with her. He was angry because she blew him off like that. And he was angry because he didn’t like nor understand these feelings. He tried to rationalize everything, replaying each word of their conversation and analyzing every gesture she made. He didn’t know how to deal with these feelings and emotions she elicited and he refrained from calling Flynn, dreading the explanations and conversation. He wasn’t looking for any revelation or epiphany.

He just wanted to get back being his old self. She intrigued him with her casual and sharp conversation skills. And she fascinated him with her way of acting around him. It was like he didn’t affect her in any way.

She managed to charm him in their short conversation with her direct manner and her witty remarks. He was shocked when he realized that she was the first woman to act normal around him, besides his mother and sister. He kept flirting with her and she managed to dodge every attempt of his with a clever and brisk remark. She darted from his questions in a very shrewd way and any other man would be sidetracked by her answers. But Travis knew she chose to hide the truth and he wondered why.

He was angry that he failed this whole pick up thing. He never failed before, as he never liked discovering things he wasn’t good at. And he was f*****g angry because she refused him. But Travis couldn’t help to feel a little enthralled with her, also, because of that.

She was the first woman to refuse him. And she was the first woman apparently immune to his looks and charms and enquiry. The first woman not intimidated by his demeanor. And if she was even a little attracted to him, she did not show it. A lot of firsts, Simpson…

Travis realized that he wasn’t attracted only to her physique anymore, but her behavior as well. Sure, he still wanted to f**k her into next Sunday, but he also wanted to be around her, getting to know her and talking to her. He wanted, at the same time, to punish her and praise her for that smart mouth.

And these feelings turned Travis’s anger towards himself. He was angry for letting her get to him, angry for starting this whole thing and angry for losing his control. Every time he closed his eyes he would see her beautiful eyes and her smug smile and her pink lips.

He was confused and tense. He tried to push these thoughts away, tried to bury in his work, but he failed to concentrate.

And to top it all, this morning he found out that the Taiwanese pushed the Friday afternoon meeting to Monday, claiming a pause on the negotiations during the weekend. What the f**k was he supposed to do now?

The past two days proved to be very frustrating for Brina. She barely got any sleep, because every time she closed her eyes she saw those silver eyes looking at her.

She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw what beautiful creature was talking with her. The moment she turned to him and their eyes met, her breathing hitched and she had to force down a gasp. It took nearly all of her control to turn her attention back to the television.

She felt eyes on her earlier in the evening and she glanced in the general direction of those eyes, but she couldn’t see who it was. She pushed back her suspicions, blaming it on her general paranoia. Was it him? He was watching her?

The man was a true Greek god, but she was determined not to let him see that he affected her. The truth was, that actually, she was scared of him. She had a feeling he would be the one to take all of her control in a second. And she couldn’t and wouldn’t allow it.

She realized that he tried to pick her up, probably being just another bored businessman looking for a distraction, but he wasn’t very good at it. Like, he was counting only on his looks to get a woman to drop her panties. And he probably succeeded often. She had no doubt about it. But that was not who she was.

Sure, he was tall and sexy, with a body that most would kill to have. He had amazing dark copper hair, slightly disarrayed, silver eyes that seemed to see the depths of your soul and plump lips. A wicked glint in his eyes and an impish smirk, that completed the whole bad boy looks.

She was VERY affected by him, it’s true. But she wouldn’t let him see that, the smug bastard. In fact, she was determined to decline him. He was probably talking to her because she was the only single woman in this bar, anyway.

He really started to get on her nerves with all those questions and that demanding look on his face. Like, he was the master of the universe or something. Sabrina  hated personal questions and the enraged spark in his eyes and the way his jaw tightened at her answers amused her greatly.

He would probably make any other woman tremble and kneel in front of him with only a look, but Sabrina  was not like most women. His authoritative and self-righteous way did not make her tremble. Sabrina knew terrifying, and he was anything but to her.

She truly enjoyed to cross him and to make him mad, it was entertaining, but when he gave her that panty-dropping grin she nearly forgot how to breathe. She knew she had to get the f**k out of there before losing her wit.

So she did, her fight or flight instinct on high alert. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he was the only person that managed to break through her otherwise cool, collected and distant manner.

She wanted him, badly, like she never wanted anything in her life before. She sensed he was bad news, but couldn’t get over her yearning.

She never wanted anybody like that before. Not even HIM, but she couldn’t get down that memory lane again.

Her thoughts were consumed with gray eyes and his deep, gruff voice. It was impossible and ridiculous to be affected like that by a complete stranger. She couldn’t lose her head. Not now, when everything was finally better.

But, in the past two days, she often found herself thinking about this man (Mark, was it?) and it was starting to affect her work, her judgment, her coherence, her keen sense of observation, her everything. And it annoyed the hell out of her that she couldn’t push him out of her mind.

So, by Friday afternoon, she made a decision. She will have him. She had to have him. To purge him out of her system, to get over her infatuation and to get her wit and sense back, so she could get on with her life and her job.

Friday evening came and found Sabrina  at the same bar as the other night, with a drink in front of her, perched on the very same stool. She had a deal to close with this man and she was determined to win.

She wasn’t very good at this whole seduction thing and she surely never found herself in this position before. Men and s*x and love and romances were simply not for her. She was cold and calculated and nothing or anyone could undermine her conduct. Not even this gray-eyed stranger. He was just a fluke and she will get over him fast.

Therefore, she would see this as any other deal, and she made sure to prepare for it accordingly. She wore her knee-length plum dress, which hugged her body in a perfect way and emphasized the right parts. She paid extra attention to the underwear, choosing a nice, sexy deep red matching set, with lace see-through bra and boy shorts with a delicate pattern. She wore her favorite black Louboutins, which made her legs look longer and slenderer. She wore, as per usual, little to no makeup, just a touch of eyeliner and mascara and some pink lip-gloss. Her hair was styled in loose curls, which took Brina forever to achieve with her otherwise wild and messy hair.

She didn’t know if the man was still here in Paris, but she had to try. She wasn’t here to play any games. She was here to propose him a deal, beneficial for both of them.

By the time Sabrina  was at her third Cosmopolitan, the man finally appeared in the doorway, shoulders slightly hunched and messed up hair. He made his way to the bar and ordered a double scotch, not even bothering to cast his eyes on anyone. He seemed tired and stressed.

He took his drink and made his way towards a table in the far left end of the room, near the windows. Sabrina  took another sip of her drink and, with a deep breath, made her way to the man.

Before she approached the stranger, who was currently looking to the traffic outside with a sullen gaze, she took a moment to repeat her speech and collect her thoughts. She squared her shoulders, straightened her back and trained her features to fall in her usual mask.

“What makes this night so special that it warrants a double scotch?” she asked with a small smile playing in the corner of her mouth.

The man turned and looked at her with surprise, which he managed to rapidly conceal, in its place a small knowing smile appearing.

“And to what do I owe this pleasure, Miss Brina?” Travis asked, eyes sparkling with amusement, motioning to the empty chair, inviting Brina to take a seat.

“Thank you”. Brina took the seat letting a small sigh. “I’m here to propose a deal, a verbal contract, if you want”.

Travis’s eyebrows shot up, getting more intrigued by the second. “What sort of deal?” he asked carefully, getting in his CEO persona.

“I want to take you up on that offer and give you what you were looking for the other night” Brina said with an even voice.

Travis let a small chuckle and took a sip of his drink before asking “And what do you think I was looking for?”

Brina let a huff and raked her hand through her hair, before responding with a slight blush “We both know what it is you were looking for, so let’s not pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about”.

Travis said nothing, waiting for the woman to make her next move. After a while, Brina continued.

“For some reason, I can’t stop thinking about you. And it has to stop. So the deal is that I’m going to say yes to you, just for one night. You can have me, just for one night.”

Travis took another sip and appeared to mule what she said in his head. With a lazy smile he asked “What’s the catch?”

Brinalet out a small giggle before answering. “You don’t get to ask questions. I won’t either. I’m not looking to get to know you. So no matter what, you will refrain from asking any type of questions.”

If he thought he was intrigued by this woman before, now he was plain spellbound.

“And what makes you think I want you? “ he asked.

“You don’t?”

“I do”.

Travis did want her. But he sensed something was amiss and he wasn’t sure what. She wasn’t married, seeing as it was no ring on her finger. Maybe she had a boyfriend or maybe she was just divorced and had children and she wasn’t looking for anything serious. But, after all, wasn’t he looking for some fun, no strings attached, too?

“I just have one question. What’s your real name? It’s not fair I don’t get to know yours, but you know mine.”

Sabrina  took a moment and regarded him suspiciously. She took a small sip of her cocktail and bit her lip, while thinking about whether to give him her real name or not.

“Sabrina ….Sabrina Winslet” she said in a small, unsure voice, before clearing her throat.

“Well then, Miss Winslet, shall we move this party upstairs?” Travis asked with a husky voice.

They both downed theirs drinks, before getting up. Travis took Brina’s hand and led her to the elevators. He seemed impatient waiting for the contraption to come down. Once the elevator arrived with a small ping, they got on it. Travis pushed the corresponding button for his penthouse apartment and slid his key card through the slot for the machine to begin moving.

Once the door closed, the s****l tension seemed to sizzle throughout the small space. Brina took a small breath, which caught in her throat when Travis approached and used his thumb to pull her bottom lip from her teeth.

Travis’s eyes were almost black, his pupils being so enlarged that they took nearly any available space. Brina’s breathing began to come out in short bursts, her chest rising with every inhalation.

Suddenly, Travis pounced on her, pushing her back in the nearby elevator wall, plunging his tongue deep in her throat. They began kissing frantically, Travis touching every exposed piece of skin with one hand, while with the other he seized her wrists above her head.

His tongue explored her mouth, licking every crevice and dipping in every corner. Brinafelt like she couldn’t breathe properly, but she wasn’t going to stop this sweet torture for nothing.

The elevator announced its arrival and Travis let go of Brina swiftly, taking her hand again and practically dragging her to his door.

Once they were inside, they both took mouthfuls of air, regulating their breathing.