Ch 1: The Encounter
“Lisa, watch out!”
Before Elisabeth could see what was coming her way she hit a rather warm hard wall. Her eyes widened when she realized there was no wall standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and that she had in fact hit full flesh a tall guy. She blushed as her blue eyes darted upward towards his face and was met with the darkest gray eyes she ever had the chance to encounter.
She instantly fell under the charm of those gray orbs and couldn’t break the eye-contact.
“Why, thank you for ruining my shirt,” came the dark stranger’s voice, bringing her out of her reverie. His light blue shirt was indeed stained with ice cream.
“I’m so sorry,” she stammered on her words like a teenager, which she definitely wasn’t although she had actually been skateboarding.
Elisabeth’s friend – Clara – arrived at last, and she too apologized for her friend.
““Sorry” isn’t going to fix my damaged shirt,” he told them tersely, “and I have a meeting in 30.”
“I could buy you a new shirt,” Lisa suggested, blushing anew.
He looked her up and down and then told her coldly, “You think you can afford this kind of shirt?”
She gulped down before asking, “How much does it cost?”
“500$.” He flashed her a fake smile.
“For a shirt?” She shrieked, “I could buy an outstanding outfit for that much and then save some.”
“I believe we do not have the same understanding of outstanding,” he snickered.
“Although that may very well be, let me offer you a new shirt from that shop across the street,” she offered while pointing to said shop.
“You don’t have to,” he told her dismissively with a wave of his hand. “I don’t believe your bank account could handle it.”
She rolled her eyes at him, “Don’t worry about my wallet. I’m not broke.” She hissed through gritted teeth.
“Oh, is that so?” He said while looking her up and down a second time.
“Stop looking at my outfit like that,” she bit out icily, “don’t you have a meeting to get to? Chop, chop!” She said while ushering him across the street, leaving her skateboard with her friend.
“Oh, Mr. Ferreira,” the clerk welcomed the guy like he was some kind of star.
‘He is just candy for the eyes and the clerk is probably gay.’ Lisa thought a tad bit unnerved at how she had been ignored.
“I need a new shirt. Give me your best one.” Was the only response he got from tall, dark and handsome Ferreira.
In 3 minutes, the guy whose name she still didn’t know had changed into a new black shirt that outlined his muscles nicely.
Elisabeth almost drooled at the sight. He was that hot… and then some. From his sun-kissed skin to his gray eyes, not to forget his strong muscles, and his strong angular jaw, he was pure temptation.
“You look nice,” she told him softly.
“Thanks,” he replied simply.
He handed the clerk his credit card but she slapped his hand away.
“I said I’d pay for it, didn’t I?” She glared at him while giving the clerk her own credit card.
“And I said you don’t have to,” he argued right back.
“I insist.” She crossed her arms under her chest.
He looked at the little bit of cleavage showing as if he couldn’t help himself, and she felt a blush creeping under her skin to her utter and complete dismay.
“You can insist all you like,” he told her matter-of-factly as he snapped his eyes to hers, “I pay for my own things.”
She huffed at that and muttered a hushed “Men and their pride.”
“I heard that,” he c****d an eyebrow at her.
She stuck her tongue at him and rolled her eyes. “And I don’t care.”
“You’re feisty,” he observed in an amused tone, “And I like feisty. Instead of paying for the damned shirt, let’s have dinner tomorrow night… you know, when you’re done skateboarding.”
She blushed anew. It didn’t matter that she was 22, nearly 23, she absolutely adored her skateboard.
“Tic toc,” he told her while looking at his wrist watch. “I have a meeting, remember?”
“Fine,” she replied on a sigh as if she was resigned when in fact she was excited beyond words.
“Here you go Mr. Ferreira,” the clerk handed the businessman his credit card.
“I’m Elisabeth, Lisa for short,” she told him with a smile “and you are?”
“I’m Gabriel. Gabriel Ferreira,” he smirked before asking the clerk for a pen. He scribbled down his personal number on the back of his business card and gave it to her. “My meeting will last 3 hours. You can call me after.”
“Aye sire,” she mock saluted making him chuckle.
And they exited the shop like a happy couple, a smug smirking man with a blushing woman by his side… although they looked from opposite worlds.