What hurt Hannah the most was the thought of how this event would change the course of so many young humans’ lives. More of the local children and regular kids who utilized the complex were in dire need of it. They fully relied upon its functioning. With an open door policy, the center held its arms wide open for anyone under the age of eighteen. A better portion of its clientele was underprivileged children who came from hard, sad backgrounds. They practically needed the center as a cornerstone for their future. That youth complex had, in fact, been the main reason several children had been accepted into college sports programs.
Thank God for this loving, family-like community, Hannah thought to herself as she thanked Dee Strum for her signature on the detailed petition she had created.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Dee, I was lost in thought for a moment, what did you say?”
“I was just asking how many more signatures you had to gather up.” Dee handed Hannah a steaming cinnamon dolce latte.
“Oh! Well, you are actually the last one! I am heading down to the metro building just as soon as I leave here.” Hannah was drawn back down from her thoughts. And she was once again chipper about how well everything had finally come together.
“Well, good luck, honey. You know we are all standing right beside you! My own children absolutely love that rec center!”
Hannah walked back out onto the morning sunlight. Its warmth only fueled her cool and collected feeling as she headed for the metro building. She could not resist thinking what a pretentious, boogie man this developer character must really be.
Chapter 3
As Drake patted himself dry after his hot, steamy shower, he couldn’t help but imagine the Robin Hood character who was so willing to fight for that petty piece of land. Whoever this narrow-minded person was, they could cry a thousand rivers, but his money would overrule all in question, no questions asked. He couldn’t stop himself from imagining how wretched this woman must be. What kind of human, after all, would turn down untaxed, cash money offers...
He waltzed out of the shower room and into the expansive chamber that was his closet. Drake stopped himself mid step as he was passing the tall mirror that stretched up to the ceiling. Each and every carved muscle in his body flexed and curled and moved, showing off his immense brawn. He knew that hard work and actionable processes worked. His olive oil toned skin all but glistened in the bright of the sun rays that leisurely crept across the hard floor. Banks had already laid out an outfit for him. Which was just fine by Drake, as Banks kept up with every single modern, fashionable trends, and no one had ever stated that Drake dressed like a bozo. He buttoned his 16 Stitches up, and fastened his Jacob & Co timepiece around his thick, veiny wrist. Its sharp, cobalt blue hands matched his deep, steely eyes.
“Banks, I’ll see you after I feed the dogs!” Drake laughed out as he pulled the massive Argentine front door closed behind him. His blue Lexus LFA was sitting at a sexy angle on the brick lane circle drive, shined and buffed to a sheen. As Drake climbed into the spiffy two door sports car, he flashed his handsome smile, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. He punched the gas, the tires barked and screeched as he hit the road and headed towards the borough.
Hannah paced back and forth in between the parallel parking spaces across the street from the metro building. She was reciting, in her mind, what she would be saying over and over. I have this totally under control, she thought to herself. She strolled across the street assertively. Her black sundress showed just enough of her long, smooth legs to put major impressions on just about any poor sob. Running a youth recreation center most definitely had it’s big time benefits; keeping a sporty body from constantly running, playing and coaching, was one of those advantages.
She inhaled a deep breath of fresh, morning air, then pushed her way in, through the revolving door of the metro building. With her portfolio in hand and a professional stretch of cleavage showing, she was ready to handle this.
“What do you mean ‘a simple petition’ is not enough? It has taken me weeks of work to put all of this together. You know, Bob, down at the Hammer and Claw hardware store, he is willing to DONATE his own lot, the one over by 3rd and Banken. A corner lot. It’s massive! It’s perfect for a shopping mall.” Hannah was rushing words out until she was red in the face. She could not fully understand all the legal jibber-jabber that was being spilled onto her by the two overweight men sitting at the long conference table in front of her.
“Look, we are only trying to do what is best for the city as a whole. We completely understand that this will be a hard loss for you and many of the children. But then again, what child wouldn’t rather hang out at a mall with a roller coaster?!” Both round men chuckled hard at the incompetent joke.
“Gentlemen, this is far from any type of laughing matter...We are talking about ripping the only foundation some of these children have. They live and breathe to participate in our functions. You are ripping apart livelihoods here. This youth center has been in business and operating for over twenty-five years. Can you not see the damage you could cause by ending it all now? Not to mention, the land is beautiful, and it’s right in the center of our community. It is so much prettier and sightly and attractive than some superstructure that will only be a safe haven for wasted resources.” Hannah was out of breath once again.
The two men stifled their laughter and shifted uncomfortably in their high back rolling chairs.
“You people realize that the entire community is backing my facility on this matter, right?”
Before either could reply to her retort, a door across the room swung open.
“You have a call, Richard, on line two.” The secretary popped her head into the conference room, “It’s Drake.”
“Oh, perfect! If you will excuse me for a moment,” Richard stood and made his way out of the room.
The other man sat in his chair awkwardly and kept his nose down in his gargantuan iPhone Plus the entire time, not once even glancing over the portfolio that Hannah had put together. She could not believe their audacity.
“Who is this mysterious developer anyway?” The round man across the table from Hannah was utilizing his selective hearing skills, apparently.
Richard reentered the room, a sheer look of satisfaction was smeared across his face. “Well, looks like today is your lucky day. Mr. Vance is going to come here to settle this once and for all. He will be with us shortly. Would you like to wait?”
“Why of course I will wait!” What the two men weren’t aware of, was the fact that she’d tread through hell to solve the issue at hand.
And wait they did. For thirty-three minutes to be exact. They sat in a cloud of sheer cumbersomeness. The two men sat, rapidly tapping away at their electronics, not once looking up from them. Hannah was putting her words together in her mind, the words she would use as an Excalibur sword to fight for her sustenance. She just knew it would be some cranky, scrooge-looking, sexist old man who had too much money to know what to do with. She had seen the type a thousand times. They came through the borough every so often. All suited up to the nines in out-of-date suits, big nasty cigars, and they pointed and gawked at this and that. They always attempted to buy up any building or lot that they could. Stingy old m…
The conference door burst open without warning. The two suits nearly bounced out of their seats, iPhones went flying, and a stack of papers on the table was whooshed aside as the two men were surprised by the break in the silence. Hannah moved her head toward the door (this is the moment that everything went, suddenly, into slow motion) and through the door entered...
Drake Vance accidentally hit the door handle a little too hard as he sent a wink to the banging, redhead secretary. He bounded into the room with dramatics he couldn’t help if he tried. Oops, the sharp dressed Drake smiled to himself, grand entrance, I suppose.
When he made it through the doorway, his head nearly touching the top of the frame, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He didn’t even notice the two su
ited lummoxes as they shuffled around, awkwardly picking up whatever it was that they were shuffling in their awkwardness and desire to do nothing to ruffle the feathers of this man to which they were devoted in all things business.
No, he didn’t notice anything, not anything but the imaginary creature sitting in the rolly chair before him. He could feel sweat beading up on his neck, and just below his hairline. She was stunning. He had expected a wretched sea urchin, not the damn princess of the mermaid majesty. Wait, what was he thinking? He had had many, many finer women bow to his pinky ring. But there was something about her. As a tiny drip of sweat finally broke loose from a wrinkle and trekked down his forehead, Drake realized that he could not force his eyes out of hers.
What in the hell was happening here? Granted, she was beautiful, but she was no exotic model, she didn’t possess Victoria’s Secret charm. In fact, she wasn’t his usual type. Those beautiful brunette curls, he felt as though he could plunge into them from the highest high dive. Her lips looked more succulent than any pair he’d ever before seen.
Drake had to snap out of this trance. Those legs, smooth as a peaceful lake top, shimmering, he could almost see the full, yellow moon reflecting in her eyes.
And that’s about enough of that! Drake forced his stare to leave her soul; he turned to Richard. He really couldn’t stand him. Richard was the equivalent of the women who only wanted him for his money, only Richard didn’t have a vagina.
He flopped his briefcase up onto the stretched conference table with no regard for anything that may have been in his way. He fumbled around with the latches for a moment; he couldn’t get her gaze out of his mind. That feeling...it couldn’t be. Impossible.
Drake pulled out a stack of papers that were bound by a paperclip, and he dropped them in front of Richard.
“Erm....” The sound that protruded from Richard brought on the realization that the room had been silent since Drake had flash banged the door open.
“These are the papers that my attorney has filed; you’ll see that we are correct in our standing with the property. The facility, as it stands now, is out of code and regulation, therefore, the bank has no choice but to foreclose it, and I am prepared to pour fortunes into the development of the United States’ finest shopping mall - biggest attraction this city has ever seen,” Drake spoke the words without stopping for air. They exited his mouth with a good dose of authority, and a hint of compassion. Or maybe just passion. Either way, he saw it most fit that he steal the atmosphere before anyone got the chance to argue. He dominated the entire room.
“Ah, yes, that is what we have been attempting to explain to Miss…”
“Hannah Andrews. And have you even taken a moment to really think about this?”
“Ms. Andrews, has gotten signatures on...petition, and she has the entire community barking down our throats; there have been social media slurs aimed for us. Though I feel we will not hear a peep once they have a theme park mall to spend all their spare time in!” Richard laughed at the other suit’s little spiel.
Drake was in no way moved by the spiel. He already knew all of this. They were speaking into deaf ears. Her voice. Was it angelic? Was he hearing things? He had to have her. He wanted her. He desired her. Her attention. Her look. Her eyes.
“This looks like a closed deal to me,” Richard spoke up before Hannah could say another word.
Drake ignored every word that came out of Richard’s mouth. His attorney had already taken care of everything. He propped his right leg up on the seat of the office chair at the end of the table. He lowered his left elbow to his knee and leaned there. His sleeve slid up his wrist just far enough to show off the inlaid diamonds in his watchband.
“What do you say you go to dinner with me tonight, and we will work this out properly, Hannah?” Drake stared into Hannah’s deep, slate gray eyes. He was fully aware of the pure lust floating in his own.
Hannah stood up from the table, her sundress fell just to the appropriate length, down her long, creamy legs. She gathered her paperwork off the table, tucked it into her portfolio, and stared Drake square in the eye.
“No thanks.” And she walked out on that note. Drake was left propped by the table with the utmost stupefied look upon his face. He was stricken with surprise. “What time should I pick you up,” had almost slipped right out of his mouth. The two cheap suited goofs both had astonished features that now made up their faces.
“You said ‘no thanks’... to Drake Vance… my god, do you not know who he is? Do you not read any headlines? I knew you lived under a rock but...”
Hannah rolled her eyes as she held her cell phone to her ear. She was not aware of who he was, but she still could not believe what she had said either. He was a beautiful man. The best looking man she’d ever laid eyes on outside of magazines and the gracious internet. But there was something in this one’s eyes. And his jawline, and his broad chest…
“I don’t date. You know this about me, Lizzy. Especially not some self-centered, egotistic rich boy. Mommy and Daddy’s money can’t buy me. Besides, I am far too busy with the youth cent...OH YEAH, I am losing it to the very asshole that you are lifting high and praising!”
“Oh, I know, I know Hannah. Good grief...Hey, listen! I have a plus one invite to a hot dinner party tonight. You wanna go with me? I need you bad, I need you to pretend to be my lesbian girlfriend. The host is a one nighter from a couple weeks ago, but Brad Booles is going to be there, so I need you bad on this one. Please, please, please. And please wear something promiscuous!”
The line clicked over. Lizzy hung up. Great, Hannah thought to herself as she hit the crosswalk button. The entire walk back to her apartment, her feet were only carrying her along by memory, as she was lost completely to her thoughts of the morning’s happenings. She was really going to lose her only anchor. She was going to lose her entire life in one swift move. Checkmate just like that. The thought made her sick. But then, what about the feeling in her stomach, when that magnificent man walked through that door? He definitely carried himself like the typical douche bag with too much money. But there was something out of the ordinary. She had stared into the eyes of many people but never had she felt the feeling she experienced when his eyes caught hers. It was a trance feeling. It had to be something to do with his charming look and the high office heat, because he completely destroyed her dreams in less than four minutes, and then he had the audacity to ask her out. Though he was so smooth while doing all of this. It was one fluid motion.
Hannah twisted the key in the lock, unaware that she had already made the twelve block walk home. She was heartbroken and… in love? No, she told herself, that’s not what that eye lock was. She knew better.
Chapter 4
Drake moved into his building in a dazed and confused state which was not the norm in any fashion for this over-confident magnate. Did she really just say ‘no thank you’? Did the word ‘no’ really slip through her divine lips? Drake had never, in his adult life, heard a woman tell him ‘no’. No, this certainly had just happened. She had to have felt what he felt. She had to have felt that same drive. It was undeniable. He had gone completely clammy and nervous, the moment he saw her. He could not even put a name on the feeling that washed over him. Or maybe… maybe he could. He ignored Banks’ greeting, and drifted right by him, utterly lost in his disbelief.
Drake sat down in the meditation chair and closed his eyes. His memory flashed back, what seemed like an eternity, to the last time he ever saw his mother and father. They were laughing and holding one another, and he walked into the dining room where they were standing. They released one another and dad scooped Drake up into his arms, and they embraced once again. Their smiles were so real, so genuine. So unfamiliar.
A rap at the door reeled in Drake’s focus, back down out of the clouds.
“Don’t forget, sir, Conrad Slanter is hosting his dinner festivity this evening. You have it set on your date marker.”
“Oh, Christ, I totally f
orgot about that. I have to go. Brad invited me so that he could make an impression on Conrad. I owe Brad big time.”
“None of my matter, sir. I’ll prepare you a drink while you dress. Are you feeling well? You’ve slept in the same position since you arrived from your morning meeting. I assume it went well, aside from your ghostly manners.”
Drake had slept for hours, it was already three thirty in the afternoon. The entire time he had dreamed of his parents. It’d been ages since he had seen them in his dreams.
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