Heart & Soul: The Meeting (Heartland Series) (2 page)

“Mike,
get your lazy ass out here now!”
 

She
tossed a couple of the take out boxes in the trash and grabbed a pile of
clothes, turning towards the bedroom when there was no sign of him.

“MIKE!”

When
there was still no response, the clothes she carried got dumped into a heap on
the floor as she headed to the bedroom, pushing the door so hard it flung open
and crashed against the
wall.

Of
all the things she expected to see, Mike’s head buried between the thighs of
her neighbour wasn’t one of them.
 
Neither of them had noticed her presence,
obviously two absorbed in their carnal activities.
 
She stood frozen to the spot as she watched her
boyfriend grab the hips of his playmate, pulling her pussy closer to his eager
mouth, her brazen moans audible over the music as his hard cock stood to
attention.

Finally
coming back to her senses, she took hold of the door and pushed it against the
wall with a little more force.
 
As the
loud noise echoed around the room, the blond currently being eaten out by her
ass of a boyfriend turned her head, her eyes connecting with Sam’s blazing
green ones.
 
At least she had the decency
to look a little ashamed as she shoved Mike from between her legs and grabbed a
sheet to cover her silicone enhanced body.
 
It took several more moments before he turned to see her, standing
quickly, his erection still eager to play.

Shaking her head, Sam knew that it was a memory
she wouldn’t forget anytime soon, but she had to admit, she was proud of the
way she’d handled things. Sam just wished that it hadn’t been her neighbour
he’d been banging. That way, throwing them out into the hallway bare ass naked
might have had more of an impact if they hadn’t had her apartment to vanish
into, no doubt to finish their session, despite his pleads for forgiveness.
 
She hadn’t seen the blond since that night.

Banishing the memory to the back of her mind, at
least for the moment, she stepped into the elevator as the doors opened and
punched the button for the twentieth floor.
 
Hearing a shout to hold the elevator, she reached out to stop the doors
from closing as two men rushed in. Recognising them from the marketing company that
shared the floor with her employer, she smiled as the doors slid shut

As the elevator started to ascend her phone began
to ring again. Ignoring it, Sam smiled when one of the men glanced down at her
purse, then at her with a questioning look on his face.

“Telemarketers.”
 
She said with a shrug as the elevator stopped
on their floor.
 
“They just won’t take no
for an answer.”

Thanking the men as they stepped aside, she exited
the elevator onto the twentieth floor.
 
Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she
rounded the corner, pushing through the large, glass double doors and into the
hustle and bustle of Robinson, Morgan and Green, one of the most pre-eminent talent
agencies in North America.

The walls were lined with offices each with a
dazzling view over Downtown Toronto.
 
They
were home to one of the dozen or so full time agents the company employed,
their personal assistants in the adjoining and much smaller offices.
 
The two corner and most envied spaces
belonged to the two remaining CEOs, Karl Morgan and Max Green.
 
Only the most highly respected of employees
got to go within the confines of those four walls and she knew that, as a mere
assistant, her chances were about as equal to there being snow in the Sahara.

Placing the files she carried onto her desk, Sam
dropped her purse in her drawer and sat on the ergonomically designed chair.
 
Repositioning the phone and keyboard, she
silently cursed who very have moved them, again. When everything was set just
how she liked it, Sam reached over to switch on her computer when she spotted
David Hughes, one of the agents and the guy whose PA she’d covered for on
Friday, hurrying towards her.

“Sam! Sam, thank goodness you’re here. Rachael has
called in sick again so I need you to fill in as my PA and come with me to a
meeting.
 
I wouldn’t normally ask at such
short notice but this one is big.”

A meeting?
Her?
She was an assistant, a gopher. She never usually left the office until it was
end of her shift. Now she was being asked to go to a meeting with one of the
agents.
 
Surely another of the PAs was
more
suitable,
then again, at this time in the
morning, she doubted any of them had arrived yet.
 

She had worked with David and Rachael on more than
one occasion, which is probably why he’d requested her when Rachael had called
in sick on Friday.
 
She liked him.
 
He was a couple of years older that she was
and with his sandy blond hair, twinkling green eyes and boyish good looks, he
had that boy next door look that made people trust him.
 
This was a good thing in the business he’d
chosen to make his career.
 
Trust was
everything.

“Um, sure David.
Give me five minutes and I’ll be all set.”

“No time.” He said as grabbed her hand and pulled
her to her feet before blatantly looking her up and down from her red wavy hair
to her black patent toes. “You look fine.
 
I’m sure Alistair Lockwood will never know you’re not really a PA.”

Whoa, what did he just say? Alistair Lockwood?
The
Alistair Lockwood?
 
One of the most eligible
bachelors in the world?
 
She’d
seen his pictures on the Internet, seen some, if not all of his movies. He was
the ultimate romantic lead for any Hollywood blockbuster.
 
Men wanted to be him, women wanted to be
with
him.
 
Sure, he had a reputation for being arrogant
and self-centred, which is probably why the women in his life never lasted
long, but that meant nothing to her as this was Alistair Lockwood!

“Alistair Lockwood?” She said, voicing her
thoughts out loud

She saw the way David was looking at her and caught
the amused smile as he took her elbow and hurried through the large glass doors
and out of the offices.

“You wouldn’t be the first women to be star struck
by the guy. He’s
the
Hollywood
heartthrob at the moment but I need to you to keep it together Sam. Can you do
that for me? I need to land this account if I’m to stand any chance of getting
that promotion.
 
Alistair Lockwood being
represented by this firm is a major deal. Hell it’s a gigantic fucking
deal.
 
You up for
this?”

All she could do was nod as the elevator took them
down to the ground floor. After following David through the foyer, she was safely
ensconced in the back of one of the company’s fleet of cars heading through the
Toronto traffic to a meeting with one of Hollywood’s most sought after stars.
 
This was going to be one hell of a day.

                                          
~
2 ~

Ten minutes later, the car pulled up outside the
Fairmont Royal York hotel.
 
During the drive
through Toronto, David had given her the salient information about their
meeting, telling her all about the pitch he had prepared and a little about
their potential client’s history.
 
She’d
made all the right noises, nodding when it was appropriate, but if she was
honest, she hadn’t taken much of it in. All she could concentrate on was the
fact that within the next few minutes, she was going to be in the same room as Alistair
Lockwood.

Sam knew she wasn’t going to get the chance to
check her appearance before the meeting.
 
David had hurried them out of the Heartland building so quickly she
hadn’t had chance to grab her purse containing all the essentials any self
respecting woman needed to make it through the work day.

She thanked god that she’d gone for simple make-up
that morning, a little mascara and a pale pink lip gloss.
 
Her hair was swept up either side with a
couple of clips, leaving the rest of her strawberry blond hair in loose curls
down her back. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard to impress
a potential client. She’d learnt that too much make-up could be more of a turn
off than a turn on for some guys.

What
on earth was she thinking?

Sam let out a small laugh and shook her head. As
if Alistair Lockwood would even give her a second look. She knew she’d be lucky
if he even gave her a first look. His meeting was with the agent, not the PA and
she knew from speaking with some of the girls around the office that most
clients didn’t even acknowledge the PA.
 
They kinda just faded into the background.
 

Despite knowing all of this, it didn’t mean she
didn’t want to at least look presentable. Sam knew that her white, fitted blouse
and black pencil skirt were suitable for the occasion but did she really want
to look businesslike in front of one of the hottest men currently alive?

I
knew I should have gone for the red dress.

As her car door was opened by the valet, Sam
stepped out, nodding her thanks and joined David on the sidewalk.
 
He was doing his best to appear calm but she
could tell he was nervous.
 
However, if
it was one thing she’d learnt from working with him, it was that David wouldn’t
let Lockwood see he unnerved him.

“Here we go Sam. It’s now or never.” David said as
he took a deep breath.

Giving him a small smile, she fell into step with
him as they turned and walked into the fancy hotel.
 
They’d only taken a couple of steps through
the door and Sam saw the concierge heading towards them, giving them both a
polite nod and smile.

“Sir, Miss, how can I help you today?” he asked
and Sam detected just a hint of a French accent.

“David Hughes and Samantha Westfield to see Mr Carlisle.”

“Of course sir, Mr Carlisle is expecting you.
 
If you’d like to take the far elevator to the
sixteenth floor, someone will meet you there.”

Nodding their thanks to the concierge, they
crossed the expansive foyer.
 
Sam knew
that most big time celebrities used a pseudonym for hotel stays, mainly to try
and keep ardent fans at bay.
 
Clearly,
Alistair Lockwood did the same and she couldn’t say she blamed him.
 
She’d read enough stories about fans breaking
into hotels rooms and private residences just to get a glimpse of their
idols.
 
Whenever she read anything like
it, a shiver ran down her spine at all the things that could have happened.

As they walked, Sam took in her surroundings. She’d
only been to this place once before, and that was just to ask for directions,
but it was still as stunning as she remembered.

The whole lobby was elegant but not over the top.
Several plush couches and chairs were located for guests to use, some located
centrally in the large foyer, others in alcoves for more privacy.
 
Opulent chandeliers hung from the high
ceiling, giving off a glow that softened
the hew
of
the creamy coloured walls. A large, winding staircase led downwards and she craned
her neck to try and see what was down there before they arrived at the
elevators.
 
David pushed the button
farthest away from them and the large doors slid open smoothly.
 
As soon as they were inside, the doors shut
with a soft hiss and David pushed the button for the sixteenth floor.

Sam could only imagine what it would be like to be
able to afford to stay in a place like this.
 
Well, she could afford it, but she knew it would wipe out a good chuck
of her savings, which was something she wouldn’t do.
 
Having an investment banker for a brother had
taught her how to manage her money, at least her checking and savings accounts.
 
Her credit card was a whole other story and
she dreaded to think what
Xander
would say if he knew
she was stretching her credit limit to the max.

As the elevator smoothly whisked them to their
destination, Sam checked her reflection in the mirrored walls as it
ascended.
 
Quickly doing a scan on her
appearance, she swiped at her cheek to remove a stray eyelash and smacked her
lips together to even out the pink gloss.
 
Satisfied with her face, she then smoothed down her skirt that came to a
stop just above her knees and pulled at the hem of her blouse.
 
Straightening, she saw David watching her,
his mouth curved slightly in that half smile that had most of the girls in the
office ready to throw their panties at him.

“You look fine Sam, stop worrying. If anyone
should be worried it’s me.
 
My entire
career rests on this meeting.”

“No pressure then?” Sam said with a small smile,
pleased that he picked up the intended humour and returned the smile with a
quick shoulder bump.

Moments later, the elevator came to a halt and the
doors opened easily.
 
Standing in the entrance
to one of the suites stood a tall, blond woman that Sam could only describe as
gorgeous. She wore a scarlet red, skirt suit which stopped several inches above
her knees and skyscraper black heels that made her already long legs look like
they went on forever.
 
Her platinum blond
hair fell in sleek waves passed her shoulders and her full lips were painted to
match her suit.
 
If Sam hadn’t felt under
dressed before, she definitely did now.
 
The woman exuded confidence and elegance and carried herself in a way
Sam could only dream of emulating one day. Sam’s sexual preferences had always
leaned towards men, but for this woman, she may revaluate.

“Mr Hughes, Miss Westfield?” She asked as they
stepped off the elevator, the doors sliding shut behind them. “Please follow
me, Mr Lockwood will be out momentarily.”

They followed the blond through a set of double doors
into what could only be described as a place fit for one of Hollywood’s greatest
modern day stars.
 
It might be a super
expensive suite in an exclusive Toronto hotel but she had a feeling that this
whole place had been decorated to Alistair Lockwood’s personal tastes as it
certainly didn’t look like any hotel room she’d ever been in.

The soft mocha coloured walls were filled with
modern art which, despite her minimal knowledge of the art world, she had no
doubt were originals.
 
A sumptuous leather
couch formed an “L” shape and was angled to face the huge open fireplace that
dominated the main area.
 
The wrought
iron grate was encased in a cream marble surround and hearth that had been
polished to within an inch of its life.
 
The marble gleamed as the sunlight streamed in through the floor to
ceiling windows.

Whilst she was impressed by all of this, it was
the view of downtown Toronto that really took her breath away, that was until she
set her eyes on the reason they were here at the Fairmont Royal York.
 
Even though she’d seen his movies and many,
many of his photos, nothing could have prepared her for what seeing him in the
flesh would do to her system.
 
Sam stood
next to David as Alistair Lockwood, Hollywood A-Lister, stepped into the
room.
 

He was dressed casually in black pants and a
button down, white, linen shirt.
 
His
inky black hair wasn’t short, but neither was it long.
 
It was a little ruffled, just the way she
imagined it would look if someone had just run their fingers through it.
 
He had broad shoulders, a trim waist and lean
hips, the perfect inverted triangle.

As he closed in on where they stood, his movements
appeared effortless.
 
For such a tall
man, she guessed at least several inches above six feet, there was an elegance
and grace about the way he moved.
 
 
His one hand was nestled in his pants pocket,
the other rested at his side.
 
Sam could see
that his eyes were a brilliant blue and there was a golden tan to his skin, emphasised
by his dark hair and the light shirt.
 
He
wore the two top buttons undone which revealed a smooth expanse of skin.
 
Sam couldn’t stop her thoughts from wondering
exactly what lay beneath the material that covered his body from view.
 

She’d never before met a man that she would describe
as beautiful, an adjective she’d always associated with women, but Alistair Lockwood
was easily the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.

She didn’t need to look at him to know that David was
watching her.
 
He quietly cleared his
throat, a subtle reminder that she needed to keep herself together.
 
Sure, she was in the presence of one of, if
not,
the
hottest man she’d ever seen
before in her life, but that was no excuse to let her insides turn to
mush.
 
Taking a deep breath, Sam
straightened her back and plastered a smile to her face, determined to be as
professional as possible, on the outside at least.

“Mr Lockwood,” David began, “It’s so good of you
to meet with us. I know you must be very busy.”

She watched as David and Alistair shook hands, Alistair’s
free hand coming up to hold David’s forearm. She’d read about this somewhere,
in one of her courses at college. She recalled that the action was a display of
dominance. Alistair saw himself as being in charge, the dominant male in his
environment.
 
She couldn’t help but
wonder whether that dominance extended to the bedroom.

Whoa,
down girl. Don’t even go there.

“David, it’s good to finally meet you. I’ve heard nothing
but good things about your agency. I’m interested to see what you can offer me.
My current agent is going through a bit of a bad patch and I can’t have it
rubbing off on me.
 
You know how these
things can stick, guilty by association and all that.”

Sam watched as the two men exchange pleasantries,
well, she watched Alistair. She could look at David anytime she wanted back at
the office.
 
How many chances did she get
to ogle such a fine male specimen?
 
Whilst she couldn’t deny that David was very easy on the eye, no one
could compare to Alistair.

The tone of his voice was as smooth as silk and
extremely seductive as he spoke. She imagined what it would be like to hear
that voice whispering in her ear, telling her all the things he was going to do
to make her come whilst his hands did wicked things to her body.

Pushing the unbidden thoughts away, Sam tried to
concentrate on the words he spoke, rather than the voice that was speaking
them.
 
Whilst his biography said he was Canadian,
she could hear the slight hint of an accent, one that she couldn’t quite place.
 
She found it extremely sexy.
 
Wherever he came from, Sam decided she could
listen to that voice all day long.
 

He’d only been here for a few moments, but she
didn’t see any hint of the arrogance he was alleged to possess. Instead, Sam
saw a self-assured individual who knew that he was master of his domain,
wherever that may be.
 

She was trying her hardest not to stare at him but
the man was so damn beautiful it was practically impossible not to. She’d never
been the kind of girl to go all gaga over a guy.
 
She always prided herself on her confidence
when it came to matters of the heart.
 
She never rushed in to any kind of relationship, preferring to get to
know the guy before getting into the physical side of things.