Clawen ♡ Second Time's the Charm

Chapter 1: Their Meeting

Claire frantically stacked her papers into a neat pile, paper clipping them together. She checked her silver watch again. Dang it. I should be walking to Mr. Masrani's office by now. I should have left my office exactly thirty seconds ago. Annoyed at herself for forgetting about the time, she arranged the files and papers on her desk hastily before giving her appearance a quick once-over. Pristine suit? Check. Three-inch heels? Check. Perfectly ironed skirt? Check.

Claire hurried out of her office and into the elevator, silently thankful for the fact that it was empty. The last thing she needed now was having people see her in this mess. Surely, that would taint her spotless reputation. Now what was it that Mr. Masrani needed me to do again? She pulled out her itinerary and scanned down the paper.

1:30- Walk to Mr. Masrani's office to meet the new raptor trainer. Possible tour.

Claire sighed. Any employee could have easily done this. Why did it have to be her? She had a million other more important tasks at hand. I have an important meeting tonight and then dinner with a client. I expect that this tour will take at least two hours, especially if Mr. Masrani wants me to go into detail about the park. Great. What's he going to ask of me next? To tour the new janitors?

The elevator doors opened and Claire rushed to the office door. She knocked firmly, holding her breath and hoping that her boss wouldn't chastise her for being a minute late. Fortunately, when the door opened, Mr. Masrani greeted her with a brief smile.

"Good afternoon, Claire. I'm so glad that you could make it. Please, step inside. I want you to meet our new raptor trainer."

Claire let out her breath and nodded, closing the door behind her. "Thank you, Mr. Masrani."

She turned and met the gaze of the new employee. Despite her professional facade, Claire couldn't help but notice the way that his arm muscles strained against the fabric of his blue shirt. When their eyes met briefly, Claire acknowledged him with a professional nod and a tight-lipped smile. The way he smiled at her gave her a strange feeling, something she had never felt before. It's probably just sparks of annoyance that I have to take him around the stupid park on a stupid tour while I could be doing so much more with my stupid time.

Just then, Mr. Masrani interrupted Claire's thoughts. "If you will please excuse me, I have an urgent meeting that I must attend at this moment. I trust that both you will get to know each other this afternoon. Claire, you will tour him around the park, correct?"

Claire nodded while grimacing internally. "Absolutely."

The door closed and she was left alone with the raptor guy. She decided to take initiative, but much to her surprise and irritation, he beat her to it.

"I'm Owen Grady, new raptor trainer," he said, extending a hand.

Claire kept her composure as she shook it firmly. "Claire Dearing, Senior Assets Manager."

"So... you're touring me around, aren't you?"

Claire felt a prickle of exasperation at Owen's casual tone. Holding the second highest title in the park, she expected more formality when spoken to by a lower employee. Already, she could feel a slight dislike for this man, rising in her guts.

"Yes, Mr. Grady-" she began.

"Call me Owen, please."

She stiffened and raised her nose haughtily, despising when people interrupted her. Her feeling of dislike grew. "Yes, Owen. Mr. Masrani has requested for me to show you around before your first day here. I'm assuming that you have already visited the raptor paddock."

Owen shook his head. "Actually, I haven't had the chance yet. But I'm assuming that you'll take me there."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I will. We can stop there first," Claire replied. She pulled out her itinerary and scribbled a quick reminder for herself.

Owen stared at the piece of paper, his face a mix of amusement and perplexity. "What's that for?"

Claire looked up sharply from her scribbling. "It's my schedule for today." Why should he care?

"Oh, really?"

"Yes." The hint of sarcasm in his voice did not amuse Claire at all.

"Well, why does it look like you're planning a five-hundred person reception?" Owen couldn't resist asking. He was already able to sense the shortness of her temper and found a sense of immature delight when he pushed her buttons. She seemed like one of those high-position employees who used their power to boss other people around. He enjoyed putting people like her in their place. Yet, deep inside, Owen could not stop himself from noticing the way that her skirt hugged her hips. It was quite... attractive.

Claire took a visibly deep breath before answering him. "Life becomes a five-hundred person reception when you are in charge of a whole park."

"Oh, does it?" Too busy thinking of a smart comeback, Claire missed Owen's playful wink.

"As a matter of fact, yes. There's meetings to attend and guests to satisfy and assets to manage and employees to monitor. Not to mention the pressure from being responsible for an entire theme park."

"Oh, really?" This time, she noticed his wink and instantly reddened. What the hell is he doing? Her heart fluttered nervously, something that rarely happened. She was Claire Dearing, Senior Assets Manager. She never felt intimidated, nor showed any signs of nerves.

Claire fought the waves of indignation from surfacing. Stay professional, Claire. Don't give him the satisfaction. She slipped her itinerary into the pocket of her skirt. "Mr. Grady, you are not here to interrogate me about my life. Now, if you will step out of this office and wait for me by the elevator, I will be out shortly to start the tour."

Owen shrugged. "Yes, ma'am."

He brushed past Claire and opened the door. However, before he closed it, he stuck his head back inside. "Just a little FYI, I wasn't interrogating you about your life," he said cheekily. "You just looked like you needed someone to rant to."

Claire's jaw dropped slightly, but the door slammed shut before she could fire back a response. I did not! And how dare he speak to me like that?

When she turned away from the doorway, she then realized how sweaty her hands had become. The creases in her palms seemed more like skinny rivers. Claire sighed and shook her head. I knew this tour would be a disaster. The man's a complete idiot! He doesn't have a single drop of professionalism in his blood. He's the total opposite of a gentleman and a businessman. He has no respect. He can't even recognize my position.

Claire stopped herself. I do seem like I need someone to rant to. Oh, gosh. You know what? I'm just gonna step out there, make the tour happen, and never see him again. Great plan. Should I write this down on my itinerary? Probably not.

She remembered Owen's reaction.

Life has always seemed like a five-hundred person reception for me, with its meetings and conferences. But how come my life suddenly becomes a thousand person funeral when a single man named Owen Grady is introduced into it?
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