Falling for His Best Friend

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

Keenan ignored the loud thumping of his heart against his chest as he watched the representative from the other company, who was sitting on the chair across the table from him inside the conference room, sign on the dotted line. It was another successful transaction, and the value of the contract was more than five hundred million dollars, which officially made him the best salesperson in the pharmaceutical firm he worked at in San Francisco. He still had more than two months before the deadline of his annual goal, which was the thirty-first of December, but he exceeded his target by a large margin. At the risk of sounding conceited and arrogant, he knew he was excellent at his job. That was the reason why he was one of the few senior sales managers at the firm at the tender age of twenty-eight. He cleared his throat softly and got up on his feet before shaking hands with the other company’s representative.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Davis. Thank you for stopping by. I’ll submit the contract to the upper management before the end of the day. Once the contract is signed by the director, I’ll mail you a copy of it.”

“You’re welcome. I have faith in you, Mr. Underwood.”

Keenan smiled at Ms. Davis before gesturing at the door. “Let me accompany you to the lift.”

Ms. Davis nodded. Keenan chatted a little with her as they headed toward the lift. It didn’t take long for the lift to arrive.

“I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Keenan beamed at Ms. Davis. “You’ll receive the copy of the contract no later than next Monday. Have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you. You, too.”

Keenan continued to grin until the doors slid shut. Then his shoulders slumped down a little. He loved his job, and he enjoyed negotiating with people, but this particular client was the most difficult yet. He was relieved he finally got the other company to agree to his terms. Granted, he lost a few items on the list, but they were minor things. He made his way back to the conference room and packed everything up before returning to his office. He had just plopped himself down on his chair when someone knocked on his office door. He bit back a groan.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Keenan was pleased when David Lee, one of his best friends and colleagues at the pharmaceutical firm, entered the room. David was the IT junior manager in the company.

“Long day?”

Keenan snorted as he rubbed the back of his aching neck. “You can say that again.”

David chortled while approaching the table. “The other guys and I are going to this new bar near to the office. Six o’clock tonight.”

Keenan sighed. “Dave, I’m—”

“Nope. No excuses,” David interrupted while occupying the chair across the table from Keenan. “The bar is still quite new. Its grand opening was less than a month ago. You missed it and the opening-week discount because of your intense negotiations with a huge and very profitable client. I heard it was finally done.”

Keenan scrunched up his eyebrows. “Where did you—”

“The receptionists,” David cut Keenan off midsentence. “They know everything.”

Keenan gaped for a second or two before he burst out laughing. “You’re a busybody.”

David stuck his tongue out at Keenan. “I’m friendly toward everybody. People love me, and they’re more than willing to share any information with me.”

Keenan smirked. “Information?”

“Whatever. I’m not here to argue with you. You’ll be coming to the bar with us later at six o’clock. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“Dave, I have many things to do before—”

“It’s only forty minutes past three o’clock. You have plenty of time. Chop chop.”

Keenan rolled his eyes. “I don’t think I have enough time to—”

“Not if you keep talking to me.”

Keenan glared at the triumphant grin on David’s face before expelling his breath through his mouth. “Fine. You’re the worst friend ever. I hate you.”

David guffawed while getting up off the chair. “Liar. You love me.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Whatever. What’s the name of the bar?”

“The Overrated Llama.”

Keenan scoffed. “That’s a f*****g stupid name.”

“It’s unique,” David retorted while heading toward the door. “Besides, the owner is cute and definitely your type.”

“Whatev—Dave! What’s that supposed to mean?”

David turned around and grinned at Keenan. “Exactly what you think it is.”

Keenan groaned. “I really don’t need you or any of the other guys to be playing matchmakers on my behalf.”

David snickered. “I know, but trust me, Kee. The owner is really gorgeous. He has black hair and eyes, and he’s the same age as us.”

Keenan glared at David. “But—”

“Judging by the tight clothing on the man’s body, his lean body is to die for. His muscles are compact enough. He’s really the kind of man you’re into.”

Keenan folded his arms across his broad chest while pretending to pout a little. “How will you know my type of men?”

David chuckled. “Oh, please! Don’t act stupid and coy. That’s not your style. Besides, I’d watched you hooking up with plenty of men. You always went after the same kind of men in the past.”

“Like what?”

David pointed at his fingers one at a time. “You like them much shorter than your own height of six feet and three inches. I noticed you rejecting men with huge, bulky muscles. Instead, you would chase after those men with leaner build. I have a strong feeling you prefer men who weigh less than your own two hundred and twenty pounds. Most importantly, all your one-night stands had dark features. The colors of their hair and eyes ranged from dark brown to black. There were only three occasions when you ended up with men who had dark blue eyes and dark green eyes. How am I doing so far?”

Keenan was rendered speechless for a brief moment. “You’re…you’re terrifying and impressive.”

David waggled his eyebrows at Keenan. “I’m observant.”

Keenan scoffed. “Okay. Fine. What’s so great about the owner of The Overrated Llama?”

David beamed at Keenan. “The guy is only an inch taller than me. He’s probably five feet, nine inches tall. Based on his build, he’s approximately ten pounds heavier than me. Maybe one hundred and seventy-five pounds or so. That’s a rough estimate.”

Keenan hated to admit it, but the owner of The Overrated Llama sounded truly intriguing now. He bit his lower lip and nodded.

“Fine. I guess I can spare an hour or two of my precious time.”

David snorted. “Awesome. I’ll stop by your office at six.”

“Sure. What’s his name anyway?”

David opened the door before responding. “Pablo. Pablo Cotilla.”

Keenan’s heart felt as if it almost ceased to beat against his chest. That was a name he hadn’t heard of in years. He had also never mentioned it to any of his current friends. He gaped at David in shock.

“What did you say?”

“Pablo Cotilla. Anyway, I’ll see you at six o’clock. Later, dude.”

David stepped out from the office and shut the door before Keenan could get another word out of his mouth. Keenan raised his hand, and he wanted to call David back, but words failed him. Instead, he simply stared at the door in shock. Pablo Cotilla was someone he used to be really close with. They were both so young and naive back then, and they had made promises with each other with the purity and innocence that only children their age could possess. He wondered if Pablo now was the same person he used to know. Moreover, what were the chances of two people having the same first and last names? It took him a while to regain control over his body, but he was more or less useless for the rest of the day. He couldn’t get many things done. In the end, he gave up. He simply passed the new contract to the Sales Director’s personal assistant before packing his things up and waiting for six o’clock to arrive. He couldn’t wait to go to the bar now. He had to find out if the owner was the same guy he once knew a long time ago.