4
LURE
When we went out of his office, the four lovely ladies flinched when they saw us walking out together. They looked at me and Benedict as if it was the first time they ever saw him walking a woman out from his office. Even the look on their eyes could kill me this instant.
But I didn't mind them, I'm still bothered that I didn't get to ask more questions than I should have. It was my only chance. It took them three weeks and two days to give me a call, I'm sure I'll be waiting for another week just for another interview with him.
I groan inwardly.
"Coral." He called out.
"Yes sir?" The lady who welcomed me answered him.
"Cancel my meeting with the Japanese investors and my lunch meeting at Henri's." He instructed.
I was left here squirming next to him while I was busy flickering my fingers together as I watch Coral's eyes widened with what he said. She glared at me.
"I want my schedule clear after my board meeting." Benedict added.
Coral nods. "Yes sir."
Benedict stopped and felt him spinning around to face me. I took a step back when I felt his towering height over me.
"Miss Thibault."
I quickly pulled my head up to him and his green eyes makes my mind go wander off somewhere not allowed to.
"Yes Mr. Saintclare?"
"Stay behind." He speaks.
My heart leaps. What does he mean?
"My board meeting will probably just be an hour." He adds.
Oh my god.
"But Mr. Saintclare it's three hours and--"
"I say an hour." He cuts off Coral and turned his attention back at me.
"If you still stick around then maybe you would be lucky but not rest assured." He said sternly.
I smiled and felt like hugging him for a thank you. But instead I kept my hands to myself and just kept smiling at him even though he's looking at me emotionlessly. I'm still so happy.
"I'll take the risk of waiting. Thank you Mr. Saintclare. This is a huge honor." I chimed.
I don't know why he asked me to stay when he's known for not letting reporters have a personal one on one interview with him. Consider me lucky? Not yet, he said himself its still not rest assured but I could wait. There's no harm. When I think about how strict and cold he is, at least he'd let me interview him again. I didn't know he'd be nice to me, if he's actually really being this nice. I didn't even charm him, I mean look at me. I look like a mess in front of the world renowned Ben Saintclare.
"I'll see you later, Miss Thibault." He says as he walks away from me.
I kept smiling so happily knowing that I will be able to ask him more questions for my article. I squealed inwardly.
My head moved to the four ladies who were still looking at me. The other three continued taking calls again and ignored me while Coral was the only one left to stare at me intently.
"At least be presentable enough in front of Mr. Saintclare. Look at you." Coral spat.
I looked at myself. "I was in pot making when I received the text so I rushed here as soon as I read the time."
Coral rolled her eyes at me, "Comfort room's that way if you don't mind." She gestured before she sits ack down and continued to take calls.
I walked my way to the bathroom shyly and once I got inside I take a deep breath in. I walked closer to the sink and stared at my own reflection on the huge mirror that was in front of me.
Fuck I look like s**t when I faced Ben.
I grabbed some plies of tissue and started wetting it with running water then began to rub it against the dirt on my neck. I tried to rub it off and placed some soap on the tissue, at least it's kind of disappearing now. I seriously want to go home and have a quick change or maybe a bath too but I don't want to miss this chance that Ben gave me. He's hard to find and its hard to set an appointment with him.
I groan. "Never mind what I look."
After a while, I walked back to the row of chairs and sat down quietly. The quietness of this building is creepy. It's nothing like Lure Magazine because the people from our building is always talking and laughing whenever Mrs. Victoria is inside her office.
Unlike this building, it is eerily quiet. Almost creepy as hell because the only things that are making sounds around here are the ding coming from the elevator, the sound of the telephones ringing, and the soft murmurs from those four ladies taking continual calls.
My eyes moved down to my feet, damn my converse are pretty damn dirty right now. What a perfect timing for me to receive that kind of text at such same time I was playing with clay. I groan inwardly again knowing that people will remember me as the girl in coveralls with dirt all over her coming to a prestigious office like Saintclare Enterprises.
Later, after an hour or two, I think I finished every game that I have on my phone waiting for Ben to finish from his board meeting. But as a reporter, I need to keep in mind that I need to have more patience upon interviewing this kind of high profiled person because I'm just starting and I'm already tasked to write an article about England's sweet darling of a manwhore. I should feel more privileged to be doing this, to be interviewing Benedict Saintclare.
I'm already starving and my stomach's already hurting. It needs foods. My mouth is looking for something to chew on. Argh, I feel like my stomach is about to make a sound soon. Oh please not.
The elevator opens as I pulled my head up, a glimpse of a very tall striking man hits me with a jolt of feminine warning rushing through my veins as he stands there from across me. He steps out with a trail of businessmen talking behind him. His shoulders are broad, long chestnut brown curly hair, crisp designer suit with a cream white dress shirt underneath it and stride that could catch any women's attention.
Ben Saintclare is like a striding storm.
The eye of the simmering force of the strongest hurricane.
He takes the folder that one of the other men extends to him and after issuing some commands, his followers dispersed like a speed of a bullet as they ride back on the elevator. God. He's the hottest male ass I have ever seen.
"Coral." He snapped.
Coral leaped on her feet and stood up from her desk. "Have you cleared my schedule?" He asks.
Coral nods. "Yes sir. I've already rescheduled everything for tomorrow."
Ben glanced at me, "Have you called Dean?" He asks.
"Yes sir. Your car is already here."
"Very well." He commented and felt him walking closer to me.
"Miss Thibault." He calls out so I quickly stood on my feet just like Coral.
"Yes... Sir?" I answered and felt like I was answering a military officer.
He stands right in front of me and smells so good I want to sniff him on his collar. Even though I'm five foot seven, he makes me feel smaller and smaller with his head looking down at me since he's towering. He's probably six foot plus in height. He's making me feel so small because he's so humongous.
"It's already past twelve noon, almost one thirty." He glares at his gold Rolex watch then pulled his head up to me.
God those Emerald eyes are truly beautiful, I'm forgetting that I'm starving.
"You've waited long. You must be hungry." He continued.
I shake my head, yes I am starving. Are you asking me out to eat lunch with you???
"It's fine. I'm not that hungry." I lied.
"Good. I'll be out to have lunch with my sister. How about you take a shower, clean up a bit and come back here by three?"
I mentally gaped.
He actually made me wait for his meeting to end up only to tell me to go home, clean up and come back here again at three in the afternoon? Is he even kidding me right now? I've waited for almost two hours with no food for him to finish his stupid board meeting hoping that he would at least be nice enough to offer me lunch. But no, he didn't. This is all I get for waiting for him for hours because he's gonna have lunch with his little sister.
This man sure is a heartless bastard!
I even thought he cancelled his meeting for me but then I was wrong. He cancelled his other meetings for his little sister. I thought he was serious enough about this one on one interview but looks like this is just a game to him.
I exhale heavily and faked a smile at him. "Will you be available by three if I come back here Mr. Saintclare?" I questioned, making sure that he's going to keep his word.
"Coral, check my schedule by three." He instructed over his shoulder while he kept his eyes glued at me.
"It's vacant sir. Until four." Coral responded.
Ben smirks at me. "You've got an hour. How's that?"
I felt relieved. "Wonderful."
I extended my hand to him while he glares at it briefly. "I take that as a promise Mr. Saintclare. This is a rare opportunity so I'm taking the risk." I say.
He extends his hand to mine and it's when I slide my fingers into his warm grip only that I noticed that I wasn't even breathing once his skin touched me. His sexy piercing green eyes penetrates through me like a huge bullet.
Swallowing hard and pasting a stupefyingly nervous smile plastered on my face as I pull my hand free from his huge warm hand.
"Thank you Mr. Saintclare. I will see you again later. This chance means a lot to me. Thank you." I tell him.
He nods at the same time his phone suddenly rings inside his pocket. He pulled out his phone, "I will see you later Miss Thibault." He walks away and headed to the elevator.
"Bethany. I am on my way." He answered the call as he steps inside he elevator without asking me to join him along.
I sigh.
I walked to the elevator and waited for Ben to be dropped to the main floor. As I look up at the sign as it goes down to the first floor, Coral catches my attention when she was still standing from her desk. She looks at me intently with her as crossed against her breasts.
"Nice idea to actually look like a trash to get Mr. Saintclare' attention." She spat.
Oh so she's one of Ben's millions of devotees too.
"I didn't even know I was going to be called here today." I answered.
She laughs humorlessly. "Mr. Saintclare doesn't let any reporters from low-circulation magazines to get a personal interview with him. Even Time finds it hard to set schedule with him. But with you... He rescheduled you."
Her arching eyebrow makes me want to pluck all her hair out. "Well I take that as a chance to show Mr. Ben Saintclare that Lure isn't just a low-circulation kind of magazine."
The elevator dings open so I smiled at Coral, "Thank you for accommodating me today Miss Coral. It was very nice of you. I will see you later." I answered her sarcastically since she obviously hates me because Ben rescheduled me.
That's not even my fault!
I walk inside the see-through elevator and exhaled as soon as the doors closed. No use, they can still see me so I kept my chin up even though I'm already starving to death. I pressed the ground floor button and waited until I reached the main lobby. The doors opened for me and I quickly climbed out of the elevator, rushing my way out of the company since I am internally hungry. I hailed a cab and rode home right away to have a loooong shower.
I need to look presentable in front of Mr. Saintclare. First impression always last, I hope the second impression would even last longer.
But Benedict Saintclare certainly makes a woman feel uneasy even just being around him.