The playboy crush

ompany wasn't something she had dreamed of ever having, so she felt extremely nervous at her meeting with Shane. Besides, she was anxious ov

ppointment to meet with him?" The lady inquired, her fingers already dancing on her keyboard to confirm her statement. "Of course I do. He asked me to meet him here by eight." She brought out the card he had given her and handed it over to the lady. She took it from her and perused it. "Proceed to the elevator and head to the last floor," she informed her, returning the card to her. Lara thanked her. "You are beautiful, by the way. I am inclined to express that." She smiled at her with an adoring glint in her eyes. Lara smiled in response. "Thanks. You are amazing." She walked to the elevator and fiddled with her fingers behind her back as it ascended. The elevator stopped occasionally as the others that had gotten on it with her walked out upon reaching their floors. Each floor had a sublime outlook and setting, as she glimpsed as the doors parted. Eventually, the others had all reached their floors, while she continued alone to the top floor. She mentally braced herself for the meeting with Shane, recalling how rude she had been to him during their previous meeting. Heat pooled within her sharply, and she felt her cheeks flush deeply from embarrassment at how forward she had been with him in her earlier meetings with him. She thought she had experienced the grandest height of beauty to be seen, but not until she entered Shane's office. She was awestruck by its magnificence. She halted in her steps, unable to resist ogling the whole office as she walked into the room. Even the air around the room felt, smelled, and tasted different. An amused smile flashed on Shane's lips as he watched her. She was punctual. He admired that. She had arrived forty minutes earlier than the time he had asked her to meet with him. He was a habitual early bird, so he had never missed out on being punctual unless he had an appointment at a different location from his company. Which he often did. He went on meetings with CEOs and directors of various organizations to facilitate business relationships and bank deals with negotiators and other distributing companies of the beauty products and cosmetics company he ran. He had always had an eye for aesthetics since childhood, and over the years, he had been able to develop his company into a multi-billion-dollar cosmetics-producing company with bases locally and internationally, covering at most half the states of the world. She looked fresh and beautiful. She was an alluring sight to make a fresh start on a perfect Monday morning. "Morning, Lara." He observed that she was captivated by the splendor of his office. Lara jumped at his voice, realizing she had been staring. She bit down on her lips, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Good morning," she said breathlessly, still rooted to the spot she was standing on. She felt numb, with a chill snaking down her spine to her feet and nervousness shooting sharp shots through all of her body. "Impressive, isn't it?" Shane smiled at her as he rose from his desk chair. She nodded stiffly, flattened her lips, and twitched her eyebrows in response as she gingerly walked forward. Her legs trembled beneath her, and she silently prayed she wouldn't trip and fall over her heels. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Lara." He chuckled softly, then extended his hand toward one of the sofas set at the center of the office as he approached. "Have a seat." Lara did, relieved to be free of the risk of tripping over her trembling legs. However, even sitting down did little to ease her anxiety. She could feel her legs shaking as she sat. Awkwardness shrouded her with such an excruciating influence that she could hardly breathe. She heaved her chest, parting her mouth subtly to fill her constricted lungs with the air they needed before she turned purple from asphyxiation. "Nervous, aren't you?" Shane asked, looking at her from where he sat. She looked at him startled, blinked twice, and swallowed dryly, unable to voice out a reply. Her mouth had gone dry. An acrid taste settled at the back of her throat at the rush of blood that had spiked through her veins at his question. A mild sting spread through her chest, and she bit down tightly on her lips to hold down the pain. "A bit." Her voice came out in a breathless whi