It was a soothing sight. I adored it. Watching others fall in love with their own masterpiece made me want to join them and sketch away. I wanted to—I had twenty minutes—but instead, I hurried to the front desk where a woman with thin-framed glasses and a high grey-streaked black bun sat. As I approached the desk, she looked up and grinned, her white teeth sparkling from the gold chandelier above her.
“Hello,” she chimed. “Welcome to Arts Global. My name is Gloria Watkins. How can I assist you today?”
“Hi,” I breathed, adjusting the strap of my satchel. “Um… today is the first day of my internship. I was told to ask for Franklin McGuire.” I pulled the white business card out of my pocket and slid it across the counter.
She picked it up and nodded, reaching for the phone. “Give me just a second. I’ll give him a ring.”
I nodded, taking a step back and observing the lobby again. There were a few offices with glass windows. Most of the people in their offices wore suits. All of the women had tight, high buns like Gloria’s, while all the men had cropped hair. I saw one office with a logo on their window that caused my heart to drop.
It was a FireNine logo, fierce orange and yellow with autographs from each band member. For a moment, I froze, staring at it, wondering who the hell was in that office. I thought for sure I was overreacting, but why would anyone who worked at Arts Global have a signed FireNine poster. I was certain most of the people who worked here were grown individuals and most of the FireNine fan base consisted of young, hormone-driven teenage girls.
“Miss Smith?” Gloria called, reeling me back to the present. I averted my gaze and her eyebrows drew in curiously. “Are you all right, dear?” she asked.
“Uh… yeah. I’m fine.” I swallowed and she nodded as she clicked away on her keyboard.
“It says here that your meeting is at nine. That’s fifteen minutes. Mr. McGuire inquired that you wait outside of his office on the thirtieth floor. If you need help, there will be an assistant to tell you where to go and what to do.”
I took a deep breath, nodding my head and thanking her before spinning on my heels and getting to the nearest elevator. Unfortunately, in order to get to the elevator, I had to pass the office with the FireNine poster. The door was cracked and I could see what the room consisted of.
FireNine everything.
FireNine coffee mugs on the desk, dozens of signed posters, key chains, T-shirts pinned on the wall… It was everywhere. I tried finding a person inside, but due to my nosey distraction, I slammed right into a broad chest. A pair of keys slid across the floor and I gasped, almost falling flat on my face, but his large hand gripped my arm before I could collapse.
As I was pulled back up and reeled against him, my heart pounded against my rib cage because he felt all too familiar. He smelled familiar, and as I looked up, I found him more than familiar. His hazel eyes sparkled from the sunlight coming in through the skylight above. His lips curled into a devious smirk and then his head tilted, causing his hair to fall into his eyes.
At that moment, I wanted to pull away, but I couldn’t. I was stuck in my tracks, hoping I was seeing things. Hoping this person before me wasn’t who I thought it was. Maybe I just wanted his face to be the only face I saw since he’d been on my mind a lot lately, but as I reached up and slid my finger across his soft, rosy bottom lip, I knew I wasn’t seeing things. It was him. It was Gage.
“Careful, Ellie.” His lips stretched farther and he revealed a full smile. “Almost broke your neck there.”
His arrogant tone caused me to yank my finger away from him. “I wasn’t paying attention,” I muttered, pulling out of his arms. “Sorry.”
I stepped past him, but I didn’t make it far because he caught me by the middle and reeled me in again. My stomach coiled from his touch, his firm arm across my waist, and his pleasurable scent. “Aren’t you gonna ask me why I’m here?” he whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine. I was about to shake my head, but when he placed a kiss on my earlobe, I melted in his grasp. I almost whimpered but caught myself to save my embarrassment.
“Let go of me, Gage.” I sighed, pushing his arm away. “I have to get to the top floor before nine.”
“Let me go with you,” he said, smiling as I faced him.
“No.”
“Why not?”
I scowled. “Um… I’m sorry. Aren’t you the one who hates me?”
He narrowed his eyes, his jaw ticking. He ran his fingers through his hair and his black shirt lifted, revealing the creamy skin above his waistband. I had the urge to pull him in by the waist but held off and took a step back. “I can’t hate you,” he muttered.
“Well, it seemed like you did the other night.”
“I’m upset with you, yeah, but I could never hate you. You probably hate me, too, huh?”
For some reason, my heart fluttered from the sight of his crooked smile. I wanted to ask so many questions, but I had to get to the top floor. I couldn’t be late because of him, although I did wonder why the hell he was at Arts Global of all places. Instead of responding, I turned on the heels of my flats and hurried for the silver elevator. As I pressed the UP button, Gage stepped to my side, his fingers tucked in his front pockets.
“Okay,” I snapped. “I’ll bite. Why the hell are you here?”
He sneered, watching the red numbers descend until the elevator doors slid open. He stepped inside first and I grimaced at him. “Come on, Ellie. Don’t wanna be late.”
I rolled my eyes and took the farthest corner away from him. I pushed the button for the thirtieth floor and then folded my arms as I leaned against the wall. It was silent at first as I watched the numbers ascend. It was obvious his eyes were on me. I could feel them surveying me. I knew a smirk was on his lips. He loved to get under my skin and I hated that he knew how.
“Seriously, Gage,” I sighed. “Why are you here?”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned his back against the wall and his eyes finally drifted from mine to watch the numbers. We still had twenty more floors to go. “Remember when we square danced in Texas last summer and you told me you wanted to become a designer?”
I frowned but knew exactly what he was talking about. “What about it?”
“Franklin McGuire will be your boss, but he works with one of the graphic designers of FireNine. He has a whole team here. I told him about you and how much you love art—even recommended you—and he automatically wanted to meet you.”
My mouth fell open. “But how? I applied here on my own.”
“Ben is the one who told you to apply for the internship, right?”
“Yeah, but—” I stopped talking abruptly, realizing this whole time Ben had been working with Gage to get me this internship. Oh, how I despised Ben at this very moment. He was a sneaky man.
“It’s still required for an intern to apply here off recommendation, but let’s just say as soon as Frank found the name he’d been looking for, he pulled your app and emailed you the same day.”
I frowned at him again, in utmost disbelief. I couldn’t believe this. I felt like a serious idiot for falling for Ben and Gage’s little trap. I actually thought I was wanted for my skills—for my portfolio that I spent so much time on. Damn my excitement! It’s what I get for not putting in more research.
“You’re welcome,” Gage sighed out.
I didn’t thank him. I wanted to work for this. I didn’t want to be a part of a job just because a man was in favor of a rock god. I wanted to be there for my skill and work. Instead, I was here because Gage pulled some strings for me. I suppose it’s what I wanted when he told me he’d set it up for me, but I wanted to do at least some of the work. I didn’t want it all handed to me.
We still had ten floors to go and with each passing one, my heart became heavier. I wasn’t as confident as I was before. Gage’s eyes were still on me and when I actually did give in to look at him, he was frowning. “This doesn’t explain why you’re here,” I said.
“I wanna see how well my Ellie does on her first day.”
“But I swear you were just pissed at me last week. You barely said anything to me and now you’re acting like you were never angry… Which one are you? Happy or angry, because I can’t tell. You’re being wishy-washy.”
“Well, let’s just say Roy got to me for the exact same reason. Told me acting like a child was only making shit worse between us. I thought on it and he was right… so I’m here to make amends and to see where we really stand… however that goes. But knowing you and how you like to run away and hide from your feelings, we might not get very far.”
I admit that hurt a little, but I went on anyway. “Well, it’s pointless, Gage. You came here for no reason and, quite honestly, just because you’re here right now doesn’t mean it covers the attitude you gave me a few days ago.” My eyes rolled.
Gage scowled, cocking his head to the side. His eyes seemed to darken as he took a few steps toward me. His face was less than an inch away from mine and he leaned his head down to get a good look into my eyes. “I wanted to talk, Eliza. I wanted to go over so much with you, but you didn’t even give me a chance to explain myself or what was going on. You just left, and every fucking day I think about it. Every fucking day I’ve worried about you. I understand you were upset, too, but you could’ve stuck around to let me fill you in. The least you can let me do right now is be around you while I’m free from the band. I’m not asking for your heart again, even though I’m pretty sure I still own it.”
My breathing stifled as I glared into his eyes. I was about to blast him—tell him we could’ve easily talked at Ben’s house when he was there—but the elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and someone cleared his throat. Gage and I were so close that it looked like we’d just finished making out, but by the lines drawn between our eyebrows, I was sure whomever this man in the suit was thought otherwise.
“Mr. Grendel,” the man said, clearing his throat again.
Without looking at him, Gage said, “Frank. How’s it going?” He continued his glare at me for only a second before stepping away and walking through the open elevator doors.
My mouth clamped shut as I looked at the man in the suit again. He was pretty young and clean. Crisp suit, well-trimmed moustache along with a goatee, and baby-like dimples. He had slick black hair and was around the same height as Gage, a little over six feet.
“You must be the phenomenal Eliza Smith,” he said, grinning at me with piercing blue eyes.
I nodded, stepping out of the elevator and shaking the hand he offered. “I am.”
“It’s a pleasure, really. I’m Franklin McGuire, one of the many executives here, but you can call me Frank.”
I smiled. “Great to meet you, Frank.” I could see Gage in my peripheral, but I ignored him. He wanted to stick around for no reason. I couldn’t control that, but I could make it seem like he wasn’t a bother.
“Let’s take a step in my office. I’d love to get to know you,” Frank said, hooking an arm around my shoulders. We trailed into his simple office. An all-black desk with a Mac computer sat near the wide window, which revealed ginormous towers. A black leather couch hugged the east wall along with a coffee table, and a bookshelf anchored the opposite wall.
The stretched window revealed some of New York’s busyness and a great amount of sun. Fleeting pedestrians were everywhere—people in business suits, women with cups of coffee, men in construction hats. It was so much to take in, considering I came from a quiet residence.
“I assume you’ve already settled into your apartment?” Frank asked, sitting in his chair and stretching his arm out in front of him, gesturing me to take a seat as well.
I slid into the seat across from him. “Yes, I have.”
“Great, and it’s comfortable enough for you? No need to switch?”
“No. It’s perfect.” I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Wonderful.” Frank folded his arms and then looked over my shoulder. I looked with him, and Gage was standing between the frames of the door, a devilish smile on his lips. “Why, sure you can come in, Mr. Grendel,” Frank said sarcastically, smirking. “I’m only working.”
“Why, thank you,” Gage said, returning the sarcasm.
With a smirk and a slight roll of his eyes, Frank stood from his chair and reached for a bottle of water on top of his filing cabinet. “I suppose we should get you started, then, Miss Smith. I took a look at your portfolio and I must say I’m excited to see what those creative hands can provide. You’ll be working on the eighteenth floor today, showing a few others your skills before we actually get you into the heavy FireNine work. You’ll be working with a ton of paint, pencils, paper, and computers, so I hope you’re ready for a pretty long summer.” He winked at me and I grinned, nodding my head eagerly.
“I’m more than ready.”
“Lovely.”
“I would hope so.” Gage butted in.
I wanted to retort, but instead, I stuck with my plan of ignoring him. He set up the internship for me and I was going to enjoy it with no worries and no aggravation. With a small smile, I stood and followed Frank out of his office. Gage hopped from the couch and I stole a peek at him. Right after I did, I cursed myself. He was grinning at me and as soon as he caught my eye, he winked and puckered his lips, sending a small air kiss.
I rolled my eyes and continued following Frank out the door. I was introduced to his assistant Mary, who had shiny blond hair pulled into a bun. She also wore a suit, but unlike the ordinary grey and black, hers was red along with her pumps and fingernails. At first sight, she looked young and stuck-up, but as she shook my hand with a warm and sweet smile, I knew she was down-to-earth and humble.
We boarded the elevator and Frank tidied himself, rubbed his palms along his suit pants, and then pressed the button for the eighteenth floor as soon as Gage was inside. The doors slid shut and a moment of awkwardness filled the small cart as I stared down at my shoes.
“So,” Frank finally said, folding his fingers in front of him. “How did you two meet?”
“My dad is their manager.”
“She gave in to me on tour last summer,” Gage muttered at the same time.
I scowled at him and then looked at Frank, a bright shade of crimson flooding my face. Frank’s head was tilted, but his eyes were amused. “Is that so? If you don’t mind me asking, what happened after the tour was over? Seems like you two aren’t on very good terms.”
Gage laughed silently and I was about to respond, but he beat me to the punch. “I asked her to stay with me. She ducked out.”
“That’s not true,” I snapped.
“It’s not?” Gage asked.
I waved a disapproving hand at him, watching the numbers of the elevator drop. Only six more floors to go. “What’s your take on it, Miss Smith?” Frank asked.
“It’s nothing,” I muttered. “I just had to put my priorities before anything else. It’s always been a goal of mine to graduate from University of Virginia and get my bachelor’s in art.” I turned my gaze on Gage. “It’s just sad that some people don’t understand how much my life and my future actually mean to me. The same people who can’t keep promises.”
Gage laughed dryly, his eyes broad. “You’re fucking kidding, right? I think we just talked about this less than five minutes ago. Somebody didn’t give me a chance to explain myself. She just left.”
“Oh, whatever, Gage,” I muttered. As soon as the elevator dinged, Frank cleared his throat and bit on a smile. Ugh, how embarrassing.
“Well then,” Frank sighed, stepping forward. “Didn’t mean for that to turn out so… roughly.”
I ignored his statement, my eyes down, and Gage brushed past me to get out of the elevator. I looked up and his shoulders were hunched. If I were a mile away, I could probably feel his anger, but I wasn’t about to play the defendant in this situation. It was a little over eight months ago. You’d think he’d be over it by now… well, sort of.
&nb
sp; The eighteenth floor was steadily busy. As I followed after Frank and Gage, there were people marching back and forth with papers, coffee, or art supplies in hand. A few were in the break room, sharing donuts and coffee, and some were eating their own light breakfast. As I looked ahead, a girl with a pale shade of violet hair, a nose and a lip ring bumped into my shoulder, almost knocking me flat on my ass.
“Shit,” she hissed. “It’d be nice if you watched where you’re going, prissy.”
I scowled at her, fixing my lips to come back with an even ruder remark, but as a heavy hand landed on my right shoulder, I whipped my head up, looking into Frank’s eyes and holding my tongue. “Oh great,” he said, the upper corner of his right lip lifting. “Just the talented girl I was seeking. Monica, how are you this morning?”
“Just fine, Frank.” The so-called “Monica” batted her eyelashes at Frank while collecting herself. She wasn’t dressed like the other girls. Most of the girls had on simple clothes, which consisted of jeans and blouses. Monica, on the other hand, had on leather shorts, stockings beneath heavy combat boots, and a busty pink T-shirt that matched her lip-gloss. She was gorgeous, I’ll admit it, but her attitude that I’d just become a witness to put her in my ugly category. “Who’s the new chick?” she asked, placing a hand on her hip. I looked down at the various colors of paint on her arms, hands, and beneath her manicured nails. She was slender yet curvy in all the right places.
“Eliza Smith,” I said, offering a hand before Frank could speak for me.
She didn’t take it. Instead, she glared at my hand as if shooting daggers into it. I jerked back as she looked up at Frank, who still had his heavy hand on my shoulder. Her dark-brown eyes watched the way his thumb stroked my shoulder. And then, as her eyebrows pulled together, I figured it out.
She liked Frank… and I could see why. Frank was hot for a middle-aged man, but he wasn’t my type. He didn’t seem like her type either, but there was obviously some sort of chemistry. Maybe a past relationship… or maybe a current fling. Casual sex? I wasn’t sure. “I hope you don’t think I’m training her,” she said, almost in a growl.
Who We Are (FireNine #2) Page 3