Benjamins POV

"Unfortunately we will need to delay construction on the new site for a few more months, we just don't have enough funds to expand Mr Vaughn."

First meeting for the week and I already regret my decision to schedule Mr Corbin in as our first meet up.

I look over to Brad, waiting for him to take lead.

The one thing most people don't know about my brother, is that he is a whizz at numbers. We had briefly gone over the contract and finances last night in prep for this meeting. Mr Corbin was one of our newer clients. One which my father had no interest in ever meeting but insisted we take on board. My father never divulged certain details about our clients, however we were later informed that Mr Corbin was a pathological liar and had a severe gambling problem.

This fucking piece of shit is stealing from us.

"Mr Corbin, we've been over the numbers and don't see an issue with the date proposed for completion." Brad retorts. "If there is an error in the initial estimation, we will need to further investigate. But I believe the numbers are spot on as I've never been wrong before, therefore this leads me to the assumption that someone within your company may be stealing from us." Brad continues as he now leans over the table at our guest.

I lean back in my seat, waiting for the verbal backlash.

Mr Corbin slowly stands up from his chair, with his face quickly turning a deep red. He leans forward, meeting Bradley in the middle.

"How dare you." He says. "Do you know who the fuck you're talking to boy!"

Brad slowly retracts his body and is now standing upright with his arms folded across his chest.

"I don't know what you are insinuating but you and your brother have a lot to learn about respect." Mr Corbin demands. "Fucking kids." He mutters under his breath.

Playing the age card again. Fuckwit.

His associates make their way over to the door, ready for Mr Corbins abrupt departure.

I slowly stand up but remain silent.

"You will be hearing from me Mr Vaughn." Mr Corbin spits out before leaving the room with a huff.

"I'm counting on it." Bradley replies.

"Well, that went well." I say, slumping back down in my chair completely drained.

"Eh, could've been worse." Brad replies, still feeling smug.

There's a faint knock on the door and a few seconds later, Ava strides in. Bradley's eyes immediately light up.

"Is everything okay in here?" Ava questions. "I heard a lot of yelling."

"Nothing to worry about love." Bradley dotes. "But now that you're here, how about we get some coffee?"

They continue their little flirtatious banter, oblivious to the third party that's still in the room.

Ava's exaggerated laughter and playful hand taps on Brads chest are enough to make me exit the room.

Jesus, she's gagging for it.

As I walk out, I head towards the elevators and quickly check my watch.

11:48am.

I head back upstairs to the Penthouse suite to change out of my suit, before making my way to the hotel restaurant.

The restaurant is in full swing as the staff prepare themselves for a busy lunch period. The kitchen door continuously swings open and shut as the orders poor in. Thankfully, I have been seated near the back away from all the noise.

I eye up the menu, not particularly taken by what was available. I hear a mumble in the corner and see two men gawking at the entrance, their attention clearly peaked. I follow their gaze and find a beautiful little brunette, dressed in black stilettos, a bright yellow and black patterned mini skirt, paired with a black leather jacket making her way through the room in search of a free table.

Alexis.

Fuck me did she look good today. Admittedly I had thought about her for most of the night, wondering if I'd get the chance to be in her presence again. She intrigued me.

Not wanting to make eye contact yet. I pick up my menu and pretend to read through, knowing she would eventually notice me in the corner.

"I'm sorry darling, but you may need to come back later. The tables are looking quite full."

I look up and see the Reservations Manager informing Alexis of their current capacity. Alexis then begins to turn around and head back out the door.

Fuck. Don't leave.

"Ms Cooper?" I blurt out impulsively.

Her back stiffens at my words and I honestly don't know whether she will turn around or choose to ignore me. She eventually turns around, quickly plastering a smile on her face and begrudgingly greets me back.

"Good afternoon Mr Vaughn."

Yep. This woman hates me.

"Care to join me?" I continue.

She gives me a funny look, contemplating the seriousness of my invitation. She quickly looks around at all the occupied tables before giving in to my request.

Good girl.

She makes her way over to the table cautiously, clearly hesitant to find out what my intentions are. Not even I know what they are at this point.

I can't help but allow my eyes to rake over her body, lingering over the hem of her skirt. I clench my fist under the table as I feel my dick move. The way the fabric rubs up against her thighs, has me gagging to have my face in between them. My dick is pushing against my pants as I'm almost fully erect now.

Goddamit Benj. Get a hold of yourself.

I rip my eyes away from her inner thighs and subtly try to adjust myself to reduce the discomfort I'm feeling.

"Thank you for the offer Mr Vaughn but I'm not really hungry." Alexis says as she reaches my table.

A loud gargle emits from her stomach a few seconds later, dismissing her initial response. I chuckle and say "Come on sit down, I promise I won't bite."

"Fine." She says, finally taking a seat next to me.

My eyes wander down to her inner thighs again as she switches positions, placing her left leg on top of her right.

Fuck me. I shouldn't be doing this.

I quickly grab a cigarette from my jacket and take a long drag, trying to concentrate on anything else but whats hiding beneath her skirt.

"Mr Vaughn, you really shouldn't be smoking in here." She says.

Please god, don't call me that ever again.

"Benjamin." I reply while taking in another puff.

"What?" She says, acting confused.

"Please, call me Benjamin." I reply, eager to hear my name on her lips.

"Riiight." She says. "Look, I just want to apologise again for my behaviour yesterday. I probably shouldn't have called you--"

"An ass hole?" I finish off with a smirk.

Alexis fidgets uncomfortably in her seat now, rubbing at her knee. I chuckle softly to try and lighten the mood.

"I've been called much worse before." I say. "No need for another apology."

She doesn't say anymore on the topic. Instead she's concentrating on everything else around her, except me. I put my cigarette out and continue to study her face, her body. She's definitely different to the other woman I've been with and nothing like her sister. She hasn't made a pass at me once. Now I can't say my ego is bruised but it does have me thinking...

Am I not her type?

This just makes me want to get inside her head even more. Suddenly her eyes connect with mine, silently questioning me.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" She says impatiently.

"What makes you think that?" I reply rubbing my chin.

She rolls her eyes at me, leans back in her chair and folds her arms across her chest.

"You've been staring at me for awhile now with that look on your face." She says slightly irritated. "So if you have something to say, then just say it."

What a little firecracker.

I can't help but say "You know you're nothing like your sister."

She seems taken aback by this comment.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She says defensively.

"You're different." I reply calmly, looking her dead in the eye.

She mutters something under her breath which I don't quite catch, then she re-positions herself once more.

"Ava is an independent woman. She's very head strong and oozes confidence." She says, taking a quick breather. "Every guy wants to be with her and every girl wants to be her. It's always been like that." She continues, speaking in a matter of fact tone.

Her facial expression shifts slightly before adding "I am nothing like her."

I take a moment to digest the information, wondering how close Alexis really is with her sister. She continues to stare me down and I cant help but feel as though she took my words in a negative way. I need to let her know there is nothing negative about my current thoughts of her.

"Actually I was--" I begin, but am suddenly interrupted by an smartly dressed elderly man.

"Amore! You are here." He says. "We have not seen you in awhile. You are looking as beautiful as always."

He must be the owner.

He continues to charm Alexis without a second glance in my direction. Judging by her quick responses and the way her body is positioned, she clearly does not feel comfortable with compliments.

The elderly male turns to me now and quickly sticks his hand out to shake mine.

"My apologies sir, I am Senor Lorenzo. I am the owner here. What can I get for you today?" He says charmingly.

I quickly place the order for Alexis and I, very eager to have his presence gone from the table. I decide not to continue our last conversation topic, but instead I allow myself to open up and make her feel a little more comfortable about being here with me.

Time seemed to stand still with her. Thankfully she began to relax and I was able to see a different side to her, a less guarded side. She confessed that she preferred to be called Lexi as opposed to Alexis. I had many other names, I would prefer to call her as well.

I was very much engrossed in her company and didn't particularly want the time with her to end, so I suggested to go for a walk outside in the courtyard. There was a familiar feeling building up inside me, which was now causing me some discomfort.

I need a smoke.

I take a long drag from my cigarette, savouring the initial nicotine hit I receive while I hang my head back and look up to the sky.

Fuck I needed that.

I bring my gaze back down to find Alexis staring at me with a questionable look.

"You smoke a lot yea." She says.

"Are you asking me or just stating the obvious?" I reply.

"Both I guess?" She says not sounding too sure.

I take another puff and wait for her to continue. But she doesn't.

I take one last puff before putting it out on the floor. I cross my arms over my chest, mulling over how much more of my background I should be sharing with her.

"I smoke to combat a particular addiction." I say.

She looks directly at me now. My statement clearly peaking her interest. I can practically see the dialogue going on in her head.

What addiction? Is it gambling? Drugs? Alcohol? What else is there? What could he be addicted to?

I stand a little uneasy now, unsure of how to feel if she ever were to find out what my addiction is and what her view of me would then be. The thought of scaring her away sets off an impulsive reaction in my body and I suddenly feel myself inch closer to her.

Her eyes widen a little and she begins to fidget with her jacket. A reaction I wasn't exactly expecting.

"Do I make you nervous Lexi?" I say.

"No! Why would you?" She replies all too quickly.

Yes I do.

"So, why is it you think you're so different to your sister?" I pry.

Alexis takes a deep breath, clearly reluctant to talk about herself.

"I was only a little girl when my parents died. Ava was the one who took care of me, of us." She begins.

"She grew up for the both of us, she became the parent. Even when we were taken in by our Aunt a couple years later, Ava never stopped looking after me. I was young, I was hurting and eventually that pain consumed me. I got mixed up in the wrong crowds, dropped out of school and couldn't keep a steady job. Ava cleaned me up and got me a job here with her." Alexis takes another breath before continuing.

"Ava is very head strong, she can come across very over confident and flirtatious, but its not without reason. It's been her defence mechanism over the years and it's always worked in her favour. She always knows what to do and what to say in every situation, especially when it comes to men.... I am nothing like her." She concludes.

No, no you are not.

She drops her gaze to the floor, sinking back into the shell she just came out of, most likely regretting everything she just shared with me. Her reactions cause me to smile as I slowly inch forward.

"And what about you?" I say.

"What about me?" She asks genuinely confused.

I give her a cheeky smile before I lean in and ask. "How are you, when it comes to ?"