Perfectly Imperfect

Men busied past as Grace played with her straw again, every man but Lucas Mcarthy.

It was shameful enough that she had been reduced to getting into a marriage deal, she didn't need to be stood up to.

Fifteen more minutes passed by before he walked in, checking from side to side for the table number she had texted him.

This was their fifth attempt at having a date and she had always been the one waiting, totally unmanly of him.

"I'm sorry," he had beads of sweat lined at the top of his forehead and a grim smile.

Maybe he hates my dress, she thought, or the color

She blinked to shut the voices in her head

"At least you made it"

He pulled the chair opposite her and took a seat and their eyes met for the first time.

It was a lot to take in; the Rolex on his wrist, the neatly designer tuxedo, the well-arranged hairline, the fragrance that smells like wealth.

As if pulled out of a trance, he shifted in his seat "At least I did. Lucas Mcarthy" he pulled out a hand "It's a pleasure meeting you."

The butterflies in her tummy curled in bliss… that voice.

"Same here"

He brought her hand to his lips and planted a kiss on it "You look good"

So he likes my dress, she thought. She had been so unsure of the earlier look on his face.

A smile was her reply "Shall we?"

She raised the menu to her face, not to scan for something mouthwatering but to be able to release the tensed breath she had been holding ever since he walked in.

It wasn't the first time she had seen what he looked like, for he was all over the news, the billboards, and social media. Lucas Mcarthy was one of the leading forces in marine contracts and she had braced herself to meet him but the moment he walked in through the door, there was something about his presence that caused her stomach to churn, and in a good way.

"I would ask you to tell me about yourself but I'm not sure there's anything special I need to know," he said after the waiter had brought their orders and they were digging in.

Grace almost choked at his statement but before she could reply, he was back to talking "So let's get straight to the point" he sat back into his chair, "I would.."

"I am aware of all the deals," she cut in. His attitude was turning her off. He seemed uninterested in the meeting and seemed like he had something more important to do and couldn't wait to storm out. "I don't need them to be read to me physically."

For the second time, he took a good look at her and for a minute, it seemed like he was going to say something but he held back. "Good. Anything you want to talk about?" He asked

"I want to get to know you," her voice was soft. "If we are going to be getting into this, at least we should be on friendly terms."

He sighed in exasperation "I am a busy man, Grace," his eyes traveled to the low neckline of her dress before traveling back up to her face "and I don't keep friends, I make rivals." he paused to let his message sink in before resuming "this is a contract, not a relationship."

Women, he couldn't deal with them. It was the reason he found it difficult to keep one.

Grace grabbed her fork and resumed munching her salmon "That's alright, so, you wanna go?"

He resisted the urge to squint in surprise at her question "You want me to?"

"Well, I don't see you as one who would come sit for nothing when you have a very busy schedule. You better go catch up on those deals."

Giggling, he smiled "I think I'll like you"

She didn't know why that made her nerves tingle but it did.

"What do you want me to know about you?" He asked.

"That I don't think I'll like you" As much as she was already dripping just by being in his presence, she wasn't one to tolerate disrespect, especially not at this early stage.

He humped "I don't think that will be a problem." When she said nothing, he continued "Listen, we both know why we are into this, you want your family's stability, I need the company, this alliance is as important to me as it is important to you, so why don't we go ahead with the deal and let go of whatever we think we may feel. It's a simple deal and it's either you're in or you're out."

"Got it"

"You'll get everything, the money, the fame…"

"I have experienced all that before, it's not going to be the first time."

"What's your problem?" He asked her

"That you kept me waiting for almost an hour and you're coming in here, barking orders. You don't see me with an apron, do you?"

"We haven't even made love yet and you're already nagging."

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came through so she turned to her food for distractions. She was going to pretend he didn't just say that and that it didn't bring dirty thoughts to her head, and that she was looking forward to it. It wasn't just the line he said, it was the way he said it, the voice he said it with, the way his eyes romanced her while his lips moved.

His phone buzzed the entire time they were together and he kept glancing at it.

"Do you have anything else you want to say to me?"

Her head moved from side to side. "No, for now."

"That being said, I will take my leave now, it was nice meeting you and I'll try to stay in touch. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend much time together but we'll meet again soon and I'll make it up to you."

He was on his feet and after a quick kiss on her cheeks, he was out of the restaurant. He hadn't even touched his food.