Justin checked his watch and let out a loud sigh. It was almost 6:00pm and Gina still wasn't there. He grumbled to himself for the umpteenth time about having a partner for this latest project. He had been working at this company for a little over five years now, and had proven how capable he was. The only reason this green-behind-the-ears yuppie was getting to work on such a high profile project was because her father plays golf with the boss. He had been ready to spit nails all day. Gina left a message saying she would meet him in his office around noon to discuss some ideas and to get a "feel" for the project. It was now well past 6:00pm. Justin thought about skipping out.
"How embarrassing for Daddy, huh princess?" Justin mumbled as he swung himself around in his leather chair.
"Princess....wow...I don't know many people who have such intimate pet names for their computers...you two must be close."
Justin swiveled around to face his office door...there was Gina. He could feel his face growing redder as the seconds ticked by. She extended her hand and forced a professional smile across her lips. Justin coughed out a hello. He truly did not know what to say. And there really was no way to explain that comment. There were a few more seconds of awkward silence before Justin was able to right himself. He smiled back and offered to get her a cup of coffee.
"Oh...um...yes...thank you. And black is fine." Gina replied, her face already buried in her black leather briefcase. She looked up in time to watch him head for the coffee maker. The crisp smile remained on her face, but inside she was ready to scream. She had begged her father not to interfere in her job search. And although she was more than grateful for this opportunity, Gina knew Justin viewed this as a babysitting job and nothing more. A few tears threatened to well up in the corners of her emerald eyes, but she blinked them away and plastered that smile back on just as her partner returned.
Justin returned to his position behind the smooth mahogany desk, cup of steaming coffee in hand. They both took the opportunity to sip their beverages in silence. This also gave Justin a chance to really look at his new partner for the first time since she surprised him. She had thick, shiny auburn hair. It almost glistened under the office lights, and framed her round face just right. Before he could study her eyes any further, Gina was sliding a pair of glasses over her nose. Justin glanced back at his now half full cup of coffee before returning his gaze across the desk. He could tell she was attractive, no matter how she seemed to want to hide it. And there was something else about her...something smoldering beneath the skin that he could not get a fix on right away. Gina broke the lull of silence by asking where the wastebasket was. She was finished with her drink and ready to move ahead. Justin took the cup and abandoned his inspection to concentrate on the task at hand.
"I want to apologize for being so late," Gina said after taking a deep breath. "I was in a bit of a fender bender today and spent most of my afternoon dealing with that. I should have called to tell you I would be very late. I do appreciate you hanging around to wait for me."
Wow, Justin thought. If he did not already feel like a heel, he sure did at this point. "I should have been nicer," he reprimanded himself. "I am such a jerk!"
"No problem Miss Batten," Justin replied politely.
Gina continued with her small presentation, occasionally handing Justin graphs and typed notes. After about twenty minutes, she closed her note pad and settled back in her chair. Justin was still pouring over the reports and graphs, so Gina leaned back and waited for him to finish. For the first time since she had entered his office, she began to take notice of him. She guessed he was five or six years older than herself. He was moderately tall, with short, dark hair and amazingly clear blue eyes. She could tell he was active in some sport, at least enough to stay decently fit. Justin flipped a page of the report and tried to concentrate on the words in front of his eyes. But he knew Gina was looking at him, and suddenly he felt a nervous lump form in his throat. He did not even know this woman, nor had he really had a chance to look her over. But he was nervous nonetheless.
"Um...Mr. Phillips...er...Justin,"
Justin looked up from the report he was not even reading. "Yes...sorry...wow, this is good Gina. This is really good. There are people who have been here for several years that do not do reports this thorough...myself included. "
"So you like the ideas?"
"Very much so. And I am sorry for the welcome when you got here. I will be honest...I was not sure this was going to be a good idea, but seeing your ideas...wow."
Gina smiled shyly as she removed her glasses. The more she looked at him, the more attractive she found him. "Oh well...this guy is so out of my league."
Gina stood up to hand Justin one last pie chart. Her eyes were deep pools of sensuality, framed by long, thick eyelashes. Justin was almost mesmerized and had to blink a few times to bring himself back to reality. They chatted for a few more minutes about company expectations and when would be a good time to meet again.
"I don't know about you, but I am a little swamped. I am a free lancer of sorts and have a few other projects on the pipeline. Which is why I am a little miffed at my father for setting this up. I can swing by the day after tomorrow...say noon?"
"Sounds good to me. I can go over all this information again tomorrow. Then we can brainstorm a little better. I will work on my notes as well."
Gina nodded and was readying for departure when she stopped suddenly.
"Oh crap! I had a report about our client's competitors I wanted to give you...nothing big, just some more background. I think I left it in my study...wow this sucks! I can have it sent over tomorrow by messenger. I am so sorry."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Whenever is fine. Oh...how are you getting home? Since it seems you are without a car...and I am still feeling a bit guilty..."
"Oh you don't have to do that...although I definitely appreciate the offer. I called a car service before I walked in the building." Gina could not help but smile. She dropped her head a little, and suddenly felt like she was back in junior high. Instantly Gina chided herself for the flirtatious gesture. "He is not thinking about you that way!"
"Thanks again Justin," Gina called out as she made her way towards the elevator.
Justin watched her walk away, noticing the pair of lean calves peeking out from beneath her black skirt. He had been so irate about having to play babysitter, he was completely caught off guard by this intelligent and beautiful woman. And it must have been his imagination that she had flirted with him...he must have misread that smile.
Justin returned to his office to clean up before leaving for the night. Gina was definitely not like most of the women who worked there. She did not play that bashful, eye-batting card that Justin had gotten accustomed to seeing. He knew he was attractive and viewed as somewhat of a ladies' man around the office. A few of the secretaries liked to walk around in short skirts and revealing tops. As much as Justin enjoyed the view, he had to admit it was refreshing to see a woman show some class. Hell, she didn't even remove her coat!
"I think I would liked to see that view," he mused to himself aloud.
