4

Finally he understood what his father had been up to. He understood that smile he had seen on his father's face that day at his office. Jensen Packard had loved Chloe as if she were his daughter when they were in high school, but this.... This was the last thing he could have guessed that his father would do.

Timothy didn't turn to look at his father. There would be a lot of time to let him know that he didn't appreciate being taken by surprise this way, so instead, he focused his gaze on the woman who had just walked into the spacious office.

She effortlessly projected an ingrained confidence and inner strength that Timothy had envied for a long time before finding his own rightful place in the world. He watched Chloe Gilbert saunter towards him, that heart-stopping smile curving her luscious lips. He stayed put, let her come closer, looked deeper into her stunning dark eyes and tried to hide his confusion.

Three feet from him, she stopped. "Hello, Tim. Good morning" she said in a voice that didn't help his situation at all.

Tim. No one called him that anymore, he thought. And that was because he had told people not to....not that his mom listened though. She still called him Tim and he didn't need anyone to tell him that that would never change. He shoved his hands into his pockets and narrowed his eyes, almost deluding himself that minimizing his vision would lessen her physical impact. "Hi, Chloe. Good morning" he replied.

"It's good to see you again," she murmured and extended her hand for a handshake.

Tim gritted his jaw against the evocative effect of her voice. Was it? He wondered, so he raised an eyebrow, deliberately, but didn't say anything. She did seem to understand his facial expression even if he didn't say anything because the faintest flush stained her cheeks. A little appeased at that reaction, Tim accepted the handshake.... A perfunctory courtesy—just a quick touch. Chloe found her hand captured by his for several seconds, making her extremely conscious of the warm flesh-to-flesh contact.

"It's good to see you too" he said very personally, his voice pitched to a low, deep intimacy... Or maybe that was just what she wanted him to sound like, Chloe thought. At this point she wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

Her stomach flipped. She had known she was going to see him. She wasn't surprised that he was here now, yet here she was, acting like a hormonal teenager. He was right in front of her, so dynamically sexy she could scarcely breathe. It was a miracle she found the presence of mind to produce a sound. She noticed the dark tan of his skin...The strong nose...., strong chin. His eyebrows were straight and low, his eyes deep-set, somehow emphasizing their penetrating power. His hair was a mass of tight, springy black curls which should have had a softening effect, but perversely added a sense of wound-up aggression.

Chloe was glad when Timothy finally stepped out of her way, so she stood face to face with his father. Jensen Packard sat with a smile plastered on his face as Chloe stepped forward.

"Hello Mr Packard. It's really nice to see you again. Thank you once more for giving Golden Gate this opportunity" she said to him.

"Oh please. Your agency deserved it" said Jensen as he stood to shake hands with her. "It's nice to see you again dear. Please have a seat"

They both took their seats, but Timothy didn't. He wasn't going to... He couldn't... Not until he was sure about what the hell was going on.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Mr Packard." said Chloe. "We really appreciate you giving our agency a chance. I can assure you that that is a decision you will not regret"

"Oh come on" Jensen said, "We couldn't bring ourselves to make a decision about which Ad agency would be best for us, but immediately I spoke to you, I knew that my problem was solved. If there is anyone I would trust with this, it's you, and it's very important to trust whoever you intend to work with "

Chloe smiled, trying her best not to think of the man leaning on the wall on her right. Something that was difficult because she couldn't stop herself from seeing him through her peripheral vision.

"I really appreciate that" she managed to say.

Jensen smiled back at her. "Of course, you are welcome," he said, then leaned forward a little. "But you see, the reason why you are here is because... this is a decision that I made really fast, and my son and partner here,...." He glanced at Timothy before he returned his gaze to her. "...Is not too sure that I made the right decision. Although I am perfectly sure that this is the best thing for us, I cannot convince him, but maybe you can... Just the way you convinced me. So I would really appreciate it if the both of you just find sometime to talk about it before we go further with this. I'm very sorry for the additional stress this might cause you, Chloe. I really am, and I hope you won't mind this at all. Will that be okay with you?"

Spending time alone with Timothy was something Chloe had sincerely hoped wouldn't happen, but she had known that it would. It was bound to happen at some time and she had ensured Evan Reese that she would do everything in her power so that they could successfully land this account. If it meant spending some time with Timothy then she would suck it up and handle it. Besides what was she going to say to Evan? 'I couldn't stand spending time with my ex boyfriend from high school so I backed out?'

How ridiculous would that sound?

That wasn't the kind of person she was, and she sure as hell didn't want to disappoint Evan. She wasn’t a quitter. She faced her problems and fixed them, and that was exactly what she was going to do now.

"Sure," she said. "I have absolutely no problem with that" She turned to look at Timothy who remained where he was, staring at her as if trying to see through her. "Mr Packard, you just let me know when you want to meet up and I will be ready. Or would you prefer we talk about it now?"