Chapter 30
Cole
My meeting with the other architect was scheduled at nine p.m the next morning. I barely had time to get dressed properly because I had woken up so late. After having a cup of green tea and grabbing an apple off the kitchen counter, I walked out the door, reluctantly leaving Jasper and Skye in bed together.
She looked so cute with her bottom sort of sticking out in the air as she slept on her tummy and there was Jasper, looking all powerful and fierce like some mountain lion. He would eat her ass for breakfast if he woke up and saw her like that. I prayed that would not happen. Insanely, I even contemplated the idea of locking her up in her room until I came home that evening but then the time on my phone jarred me out of those desperate notions.
At five minutes past nine, I rushed inside the conference room of the Tempo Libero line of hotels' main office branch in the city and found who I assumed was my future design partner scowling at the pages of plans spread out before him.
"Hi. Good morning. I'm so sorry for being late. My name is Cole Sawyer,” I said as I walked up to him and extended a hand.
The other guy raised his head and looked at me without smiling. Oh my God. I openly stared because hot damn...
He looked like some Instagram model with his bronze skin, deep blue eyes and dark hair. His physique was lean and muscular and he carried himself with such confidence. Sensuality seemed to ooze from his pores.
"A lot can happen in five minutes," he opened his mouth to say and I noticed his tongue piercing with interest. Also, his voice...it was as smooth as melted butter.
Okay, Sawyer, what the fuck? I mentally conjured up a picture of Skye and Jasper, two very hot people who were devoted to me and then tried to focus on this guy's actual words which were clearly spoken with displeasure because I had been late to the meeting.
"I know. My apologies. I'm usually very punctual," I assured him and dropped my hand because he seemed too pissed off to shake it.
He pursed his lips at me. "If we're going to be working together, you need to know I don't tolerate this sort of thing. You need to be on time, every time. I don't care if you show up drunk or half dressed or in a freaking wheelchair but don't ever show up late."
I tucked my tongue in my cheek. Dramatic much? I wanted to ask but instead, decided to smile and be pleasant.
"Got it. It won't happen again."
He nodded and then relaxed visibly before his lips formed the ghost of a smile and he held out his own hand. "My name's Armaan Qureshi. It's nice to meet you, Cole."
"Likewise," I lied as I moved around the table and took a seat, removing my laptop and papers from my briefcase.
"You probably think I'm an ass," he said after a moment's pause and I raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's alright. It was my bad," I murmured with a shrug.
A grimace formed on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Listen, Cole, you already know that this is a huge project which means that we'll be spending a lot of time together. I don't want us to start off on the wrong foot. The time thing is a sensitive issue but otherwise I promise we're going to have a blast working on this."
I nodded and got to discussing schedules and design changes with him over the next hour. He was very professional but also, quite easygoing, I discovered. He knew the hotel owners who had hired us and they already trusted him to see to the successful completion of our project. I realised that if I did a great job, he had enough contacts to recommend me to other bigger stakeholders. This could be my big break if I didn't screw it up.
"Thank you for considering me," I told him after we had finished going over the details.
He smiled and I could not help noting how wicked it was. Jasper would flip the fuck out if he could read my mind right now. Actually, he would flip the fuck out if he ever came to know my partner was Armaan. Even if I wasn't interested in the guy in that sense, he was extremely good-looking and sexy.
He looked at me in amusement. "You should thank my wife for that."
My forehead crinkled with a frown. "Your...wife?"
He nodded once. "I wasn't too happy with the hotel board's choice. Nothing personal, I just prefer to work with more established architects so that I don't botch the projects." His lips pursed thoughtfully. "My wife saw your design last night in my office and loved your concept so much, she basically threatened me to work with you or she would kill me for not giving you the chance."
I laughed at that. "Okay. Be sure to thank her for me, then. She sounds wonderful."
He smiled in a way that I recognised. The smile of a man deeply in love and happy with what he has.
"She is," he murmured and then cleared his throat and straightened. "You should come by for a drink sometime," he invited suddenly.
I frowned at him. Wow. That was...unexpected.
He noticed my expression and looked serious. "Unless you feel weird about it," he amended. "You shouldn't though. Like I said, I'm not formal regarding anything except the time factor. You could bring your partner if you have one. My wife would enjoy the company."
I have two partners, I almost blurted out. And I'm bisexual so I don't know if you'll want my boyfriend to keep your
