I start to think about Chad. He was … nice. A stand-up guy and very chivalrous. We wanted the same things in life. From the outside, looking in, we should’ve been a good fit. But something was missing.
That’s the feeling I get with all my boyfriends. I can never put my finger on what is missing. I just don’t know what it is. I’m beginning to think there’s something wrong with me.
Chapter Five
Roman
“Mr. Bertini, Eva is here.” Dorothy’s voice sounds through my speaker.
I press the button to respond. “Send her in, Dorothy.”
I stand up and button my jacket, then walk around my desk as the door opens. She and Dorothy are laughing as they step into the office.
The moment she sees me, her laughter fades away. It shouldn’t bother me, but for some reason, I don’t fucking like it.
“Mr. Bertini,” Eva says as she extends her arm.
“Please, it’s Roman. We’re going to spend a lot of time together. I think we can drop the formalities.”
Dorothy nods at me and steps out of the office. I motion for Eva to join me in the corner of my office that has two sofas across from each other.
I sit first and watch her as she slowly takes a seat opposite me. She’s in a cream dress that hugs every single curve. Her cleavageis subtle, not like it was the other day in her apartment, but still noticeable.
I try to remain unaffected. Thinking of how I can steer my brain away from where it’s headed.
“Are you settling into your apartment?”
She smiles softly at me, though it doesn’t seem natural. “It’s getting there. Thank you for allowing me to stay there. I wasn’t aware you were the friend my brother was referring to when he told me he knew the owner.”
“Is that a problem?”
She seems caught off guard by my question. “Not at all. I just hope you didn’t feel pressured into it. Walker can be persuasive, but I hate to be an inconvenience.”
“I don’t agree to things if I don’t want to do them.”
Eva straightens herself on the couch. “Of course.”
“Shall we get started?” I suggest moving this conversation to a more productive topic.
“Absolutely,” she replies as she takes out her notebook and pen.
“Before we get to work on the list of hotels that need to be designed and the order in which they will be done, I thought it might be appropriate to let you see the hotel redesign that we are up against.”
“That would definitely help me understand what we need to top.”
I stand abruptly. “Good. Let’s go.”
She looks left and right, then up at me. “Now?”
“I told you I want this project done as quickly as possible. I want an official design for the New York hotel done by the end of the month.”
She follows me out of the office, where Dorothy is typing on her computer.
“Eva and I will be stepping out for about an hour. Make sure to forward all important matters over to Penelope.”
“You got it,” she answers while continuing her task at hand.
I walk toward the elevators. “Penelope is my VP. I will introduce you to her when we get back.”