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Chapter 9

Leah

"Wow, that was intense." Sarah said as I stood there in disbelief. "He's insane, Sarah, can't you see that?" I feel like pulling all of my hair out of my head. "He's insane for you and that was super hot. Way better than "Love is blind" and wine night would have been." I can't believe this is the same best friend from mere minutes ago. "Well, I'll tell you one thing." I say as I make my way over to my small yet cozy kitchen. "What's that?" Sarah asks. "This wine," I say as I hold up the bottle of red wine, "Is going to make this night much better than it has been up until now." With those words, I took a sip from the bottle, because getting a glass would be too much effort right now.

I would prefer complaining about how much my head hurts waking up this morning, rather than complaining about a stupid text from Christian. Yet, here I am, phone in hand with a message from Christian telling where I should meet him for our first consultation, because I was basically forced into this situation by my best friend and my former boyfriend, now enemy. Can the universe just open up and swallow me whole?! Getting ready for today was like getting ready for school, daunting, not knowing what mean and insulting things people would throw your way... or maybe that's just my experience. But, with Christian, I have no idea what will happen. Will he be kind and gentle like he was in the past, or will he be his infuriatingly possessive current self, either way, I'm in no mood to find out.

Pulling up to the address Christian had sent me, I'm sure the cab driver got lost somewhere along the way. "Are you sure this is the right place?" I ask the poor man that is just trying to do his job. "I'm sure, miss. This is the address that you gave me." He replied in his foreign accent. "But... this can't be it. It's supposed to be a penthouse?" I mutter, more to myself. I tried calling Christian, but the asshole didn't pick up his damn phone. I am already regretting even considering this job and this is just another sign why I should just leave it be and go back home. 

As I was about to tell the driver to take me back home, something caught my attention out the corner of my eye. I turned to look out the window and saw Christian making his way over to the cab. "Please, can this day just end already." I mumble to myself. A tap on the window pulled me from my own space bubble and I saw Christian looking in, smirking. I really would love to slap that smirk right off his face, but I need to control myself. I roll my eyes at him and pay the driver as I got out of the cab. As soon as the cab drove of, I swung myself around to Christian. "What the hell Christian!" I yell throwing my hands in the air. "This isn't a penthouse." I say through my teeth trying not to let him get to me more than he already has. "This is a damn cabin in the middle of nowhere." Finally done with my little tantrum, Christian's smirk just broadens as he simply said, "Did I say penthouse? I meant a cabin in the middle of nowhere where you'll have to stay until the project is complete."

He can't be serious. He's just messing with me...right? "I can't just up and leave my life behind to stay in a cabin for a 'project', that I am sure has been planned, just so you can annoy the shit out of me." I feel like throwing this man with a damn rock. "At the rates I'll be paying you, you might as we'll retire today." He says, getting all up in my space as he took two long strides towards me. I hold my breath at how close he is and I couldn't help but feel the same attraction that was there when we first met each other in high school. Even more so now, if that's even possible. "Let's say I decide to do this." I start off.

"You make it sound like you have a choice." He interrupts me and I take a step closer to him. "Oh, I assure you, I have a choice. But as I was saying...If I decide to do this, how will it work? Will you be staying here with me or just checking up once in a while?" He rubs his chin with his day old stubble – which looks way hotter than I'd like to admit – as if he is considering something. "I think I'll stay here and keep an eye on you." He says casually as if his decision was a no brainer from the start. "You can't do that." I say in protest. "And why not, Miss Whitlock? This is my cabin, I'm paying you and therefor, my choice." Damn, I hate working with, correction, for him already. 

"I'm not taking on this project if you're going to be here looking over my shoulder every minute waiting for me to screw something up!" My voice started to rise with each word and I could feel every emotion rush through me in full speed. "Besides, don't you have some rich millionaire business shit to attend to with Charlotte?" I say more as a statement than a question, because the first night I saw him at the restaurant, he was with Charlotte and her rich daddy discussing who knows what. Probably how to create their own bank for all their freaking money. 

"Miss Whitlock..." He stretches out my last name way too long. "Are you jealous about my partnership with Miss Von Ashberg?" I roll my eyes at his smug smile. "Stop trying to make this conversation something it's not." I say, really getting annoyed with what he was implying. "So, you're not jealous?" He says as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I hate that I've missed his touch. I straighten my posture and pull back my shoulders. I will not be cowering to him. I will not allow him the pleasure of seeing just how much he broke me all those years ago. 

"Why should I be jealous, Mr. Armani? I'm simply asking if you don't have other business to attend to? That's all." I say as I walk around him to take in the cabin. It's beautiful, so peaceful. I have always wanted a cabin in the middle of the woods, to get away from everyone and everything, but then life got in the way and that just didn't happen for me. I'm still young, my time will come. I have never told anyone that I longed for a cabin, only wrote it in my diary. Of course, it's nothing top secret or anything, it's just one dream I didn't want anyone else to know about. It was my dream and my dream only. Taking on this project will definitely be bittersweet.

"Well, I'm staying whether you like it or not." His voice brings me back from my thoughts. "I've got somebody that will be handling important matters at the office and my staff can manage on their own for a while. If they couldn't, I didn't do my job well and we both know that's not the case." He says and I can hear the arrogance in his voice without having to look at him.

Walking into the beautiful wooden cabin, there's nothing really going on quite yet. Just big empty spaces. That's why I'm here, obviously, but looking around at the cabin, walking through each room I've got so many ideas flowing through my head that I want to get started right away. Keeping in mind those are my own ideas, I still need to get the brief from Christian and what he would like for me to do with his cabin. With the latter part tasting sour on my tongue, I would never have thought I would be designing a cabin for Christian and pretending to not freaking know each other. I almost started laughing out loud at the complete madness of the situation, but managed to keep it back just barely.

"Alright, now that I'm here Mr. Armani, what would you like me to do with your cabin? Are we thinking co-" Interrupting me is probably his new talent, because he cuts me off mid-sentence. "Anything you want to do with it." He says, leaving me speechless. "That's not how this works Mr. Armani, you're supposed to give me a brief on what it is YOU would like."

"And I'm telling you, I want you to do whatever it is you want with this place. Go crazy. There's no budget limit." He throws the latter part around casually as if it's no big deal. "You can't be serious." I say as I started making my way towards the front door. This is crazy. He is insane, he has most definitely lost his freaking mind somewhere on his way to the woods. I didn't get very far when he grabbed me by my arm, turning and pushing me up against a wall in one fluid motion, leaving me with utter whiplash. "I'm as serious as the history between you and me." Shocked by his words, I didn't...I couldn't manage a reply. "I told you to do what you want with the place. It's yours to do with what you please." He says and I can see the truthfulness in his eyes.

Blame it on the emotions, blame it on the position he's got me in, blame it on the fact that we have history that is clearly still haunting the both of us, hell, blame it on the freaking woods and being alone in the middle of nowhere, but I couldn't stop myself from what I did next...

Christian and Leah back at it again! These two are really just something else. What do you guys think? What do you think will happen between these two with all the time they'll be spending together in the woods? 😏

Please note: Editing of the story and chapters will be done once the story is complete 😁

Hope y'all enjoyed this one. Next Chapter will be out soon! 

All my love, Charne x