Connexion

Part 14

It was a situation she could not win. What happened to her guardian angel today?

For the man's appearance was far from text book handsome given his accident, but that did not mean women were not attracted to him. And she could understand why. Tall. Broad shoulders. Chiselled jaw. A thousand watt smile reflected in his eyes. And something that was intangible, given she was battling with unanticipated, surprising, bewildering feelings about him. Something about him was turning her world upside down. Logic replaced by confusion. Judgement confused with foolishness. Purpose thwarted by feelings.

A few moments later he rubbed his jaw to stop the ache from laughing. "You know, you are growing on me!"

"I doubt it!" Jena retorted. But her heart jumped in joy!

"You don't like my appearance?" Caleb grinned.

One side of his face bore traces of several ragged edges, slicing from temple to chin, across his cheek, along his jaw line, taking a once classically handsome face and rendering it dangerously attractive. His scars reminded everyone about the danger that this man posed. He might wear a suit, dress like a gentrified, well mannered man of leisure, and conduct himself with cool level-headedness but his face told another story altogether. He was hazardous to all women's pulses.

"Gutted." His grin grew. "Absolutely gutted, Ms Silva!"

Jena rolled her eyes. Jena knew that Melanie was impressed, temporarily blinded by this man's charisma and status.

His lifestyle was probably best described as luxurious. Built on the back of a short but lucrative career as a motorcycle racer, he'd taken his expertise, and used it to build a very successful engineering firm. A firm, that given his contacts in the racing industry, had carved out a niche in supplying specialist parts for custom made motorcycles. From the age of seventeen he was racing motorbikes for a living. In less than two years, he'd won several high profile lucrative races. By the age of twenty he was contracted to ride with the most prestigious team on the circuit. He'd stayed with the team, winning consistently until he'd turned twenty three, at which point, during an early-race-lap one of his peers had underestimated a turn, clipped the rear wheel of another who'd lost control, sending the bike sliding into Caleb's pathway. There was nothing he could do to avoid the ensuing mayhem. It was over in a matter of seconds. It had taken years to rebuild him physically. That rebuild time was not wasted. He wasn't the type to sit around moping. His face was shredded, his bones broken, lost the tips of two fingers, but his head was intact and his brain fully functional. Time to put his energy into another venture. He started to build his business from the moment his doctor told him that a return to racing was out of the question and he had to rebuild his confidence. Now, seven years on, he had a lucrative business, with a life style to go with it. It was something he was used to, given his family was rich. But that was before his accident. 

Previously, he was box-chocolate handsome, from a rich family, well educated, and imbued confidence, so the world was his oyster. But after the accident, while he re-established his position in his mind, his confidence took longer.

Perhaps that is why, this meeting, this unexpected meeting, was reinforcing his confidence. And she made him laugh, albeit unconsciously. She was fascinating, no guile, no deceit, unpretentiousness, her naïveté, her candour, her sincerity, bluntness was new in his social circle. 

His preceding girlfriends were honesty but they laced their outspokenness with honey. Jena obviously missed that lesson. His prior girlfriends demonstrated sophistication. Jena appearing here for this meeting at his office to discuss his private life as if she had the right, suggesting a lack of sophistication. In any case, none of his previous girlfriends would ever consider telling him whom to date next! His girlfriends would find another way to put him off that route and would never have the gall to tell him, face-to-face, what to do in his personal life.

The fact that Jena was trying to do that, and he found her approach amusing. For some reason, he loved seeing her eyes flash with indignation! Even better, the fact he did not have to disperse charm or ooze graciousness. He could just be himself. 

Jena was sure he could turn on the charm if he wanted it, he'd just chosen not to use any of it on Jena. Not needed. And why Jena thought she could talk some sense into the man standing in front of her, she had yet to fathom out. He was way out of her league, so playing in that field was doomed to failure.

She was determined to put some distance between him and Melanie. Tony would be devastated by Melanie's defection. Although, Jena was coming to another conclusion: Melanie defection might be the best outcome for Tony.

Now, given Jena started this, she just had to remember her current quandary and her position in this ridiculous pickle, created by her imprudent actions, vested by foolish allegiance, and misplaced trust in conventionality, could be sorted out if she remembers her sanity! And sanity demands a swift exit.