Jin had agreed to meet Julieta in her office briefly to discuss their contract. He’d come alone today. There were just a few details she wanted to clarify before having the contracts written up. The remaining members of BTS had tasted the samples Julieta had sent home with Jungkook – the ones that he hadn’t eaten on the return car ride, anyway – and they had agreed that, if Jin and Jungkook were willing to work with Julieta, then they were also interested in advertising for Los Gemelos.
From the moment Jin entered the room, Julieta didn’t seem quite like the confident young woman whom he and Jungkook had met a week and a half ago. Something was amiss. Or maybe she was just having an off day.
“Good morning, Jin.” She didn’t meet his eyes initially. Her own seemed to be searching her desk for something.
Finally, she stood up and crossed the room to shake his hand.
“Come in. Please. Have a seat.” She gestured to the chair across her desk from her seat.
She sank back into her chair and began to open drawer after drawer in her desk. Jin watched, fascinated, as her fingers quickly picked through every item in each drawer. Finally, she closed each drawer, one by one, heaving an exasperated sigh. Then she picked up her purse and began to rummage through it, depositing item after item on the desktop in front of her. She arranged them all in a very neat line even in her haste. She had an orderly mind, for sure. Finally, she put them all back into her bag.
Increasingly, as he watched her, a look of panic began to form on her beautiful countenance. Her jade eyes were greatly troubled by the time she glanced up at him. The cast of her countenance was different too, somehow. Her face wasn’t quite as round as he remembered. Was it his imagination, or was she really thinner than the last time he’d seen her?
“I’m sorry. I seem to have misplaced my phone.” Her voice was tight, constricted by stress.
“Oh, no! Can I help you look for it?” Jin smiled reassuringly at her in an attempt to put her at ease. But she didn’t seem to notice.
She breathed out a long breath, but it didn’t make her feel any better. What on earth was going on?
“I have no idea where else to look. I’ve searched my office thoroughly three times. I searched my car, the sidewalk, the lobby, the conference room – every single room in the building. Even the ones I haven’t entered today. I even drove home and searched there. It’s simply disappeared.” He could hear the rising anxiety in her voice.
Just then her office phone buzzed. She glanced up apologetically at Jin. “I am so sorry. I told my secretary to hold all my calls.”
He tipped his head and smiled at her as if to say, “It’s all right.”
She picked up the phone. “Martina, I’m in a meeting, remember?” she whispered. Next, a pause. Then, “What? He is expecting me in twenty minutes? But that meeting is scheduled for tomorrow…He said it was rescheduled for today? I never rescheduled that meeting! Did you?”
Jin could see her agitation growing. Something was definitely wrong.
She heaved a huge sigh. “All right. Thank you, Martina. You definitely saved me.” She hung up the phone and looked at Jin. “I am so sorry. Apparently, I have another meeting across town in twenty minutes. I would cancel, but,” she cringed, “I can’t. This man is literally the one signing my paycheck right now.”
She was about to cry. In front of Jin. She took a deep breath. She could not lose it in front of him. She needed him. At least, she needed his cooperation. She needed BTS and the exposure and popularity their support would bring to her company. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t see any way to win today.
Her distress was visible. Were those tears that he saw in her eyes?
“It’s no problem. Can I drive you to your appointment, and we’ll discuss the details on the way?”
Julieta looked up at him in shock. The man was a prince among men. She could kiss him! With that thought, her eyes found his lips.
Lovely, full, soft lips. Julieta! For heavens’ sake! Get yourself together! This is a business meeting, not a date!
But then his mouth attracted her notice once more as he smiled that perfect, glowing grin that revealed his straight teeth in all their perfection. She was nearly blinded by their beautiful brilliance. The man looked like an angel when he was happy. He had the sweetest expression. It embraced her with comfort. And she felt so safe inside his kindness.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
Then she very neatly stacked several sheets of paper together, combed through them to double-check that she had the right ones before sliding them into a manila envelope. She repeated the process with another pile of papers. These she handed to Jin.
“Would you please hold these until we get to the car? These are the proposed contracts for BTS. You can look them over as we walk.”
This girl had it together, even in the midst of a crazy day. She was clearly competent. He wondered why so many things seemed to be going wrong today. The question was reinforced by her secretary as they were leaving the office.
“Miss Flores! Your two o’clock just called. He needs to meet in an hour.”
“In an hour! That’s not going to work, Martina! You’ll have to find another time.”
“He can’t. He’s headed out of town at five o’clock. He’s willing to meet you for a late lunch. I booked you a reservation at the restaurant across from the airport.”
Julieta sent her secretary an alarmed glance. Then she picked up her pace and flew out of the building when Jin held the door open for her.
“Julieta, would you let me wait for you? When you’re done with your meeting, I could drive you to the restaurant.”
In the midst of her panic, her heart melted into a puddle at her feet. She stopped walking abruptly. Jin, who had been briskly following her, bumped into the back of her. He reached out to steady her, pulling her towards him.
Julieta instantly found herself embraced by the most wonderful man in the entire world. Just as suddenly, he dropped his hands from her arms. Then he stepped back. She missed his warmth. She turned to face him.
“Who ARE you?” she whispered. “Are you my guardian angel?”
Jin smiled at her. “Just your friendly chauffeur, ma’am.” Then he tipped his invisible hat to her. When he grinned, she could have sworn that light bounced off his front tooth.
“You are a very busy man. I could never ask you to wait in your car for forty-five minutes while I sit through another meeting.”
“You didn’t ask. I offered.”
She peered up at him, furrowing her beautiful brow. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
He shrugged. “Not until three o’clock. I cleared my schedule in case you were free for lunch.” That was more honesty than he had intended to share with her today.
Julieta studied his face. Had he suddenly flushed? Or was it just her overactive imagination?
“You wanted to take me to lunch?” she questioned breathlessly.
“Yes,” he answered curtly, grabbing her elbow lightly to maneuver her towards his car. “But we need to get moving if you’re going to make your first meeting on time. Which you need to do if you’re going to make your second meeting at all.”
“Third meeting.”
“What?” He glanced down at her.
“You’re my first meeting, remember?”
He grinned. “Oh, right. In that case, let’s discuss this contract. I can look the papers over while you sit through your second meeting and I prepare to drive you to your third.”
There it was again. An intense desire to kiss the man.
