Page 7 of The Fashion's Mogul's Secret Wish

“Get us two plates of beef bourguignon and a generous serving of your vegan salad. Also, bring a bottle of Roagna Crichet Paje, 1998.” She nodded and stepped away. I brought my attention back to her and saw that she was still staring at me.

“You’ve known I was your sister’s best friend all this time?” She looked perplexed. I shook my head.

“No. And who said it was wrong getting together with my sister’s best friend?” I stopped, chuckling when I saw the dark look on her face. “Easy. I’m just as shocked as you are. I rarely pay attention to anything other than my work. I heard Selena mention your name on a couple of occasions and during a general meeting when we needed a competent company for our upcoming project. I like to meet with the CEO of a company I am about to work with to get an impression.” For a minute I thought she wouldn’t respond, but I saw her relax more.

“And do I surpass your expectation?” She rested her back on the seat and crossed her legs. I stared unabashedly at the slight curve of her shirt, revealing pale soft breasts. Although she looked unconcerned, I could see the blush across her cheeks. She was a beautiful woman with an expressive face. I was stunned, seeing her in the full light of day, because I could see a resemblance with Jason. It was just me over-thinking probably. I stopped myself. Though I joked about what happened. I couldn’t move forward with her romantically until Selena knew of this.

“That’s inconclusive. So, DRP media house? That’s quite huge. I’m aware of the Rosii empire and its extensive network, but you being at the helm is quite surprising,” I noted with pride.

“You think I’m too young or what? Don’t look down on me Karl,” she scoffed, scrunching her nose.

“I like my name on your lips. Marie, a beautiful name. I wish I knew it earlier. Marie, Marie…” I said it repeatedly like I was tasting the finest wine.

She put a hand under her chin and watched me with a lazy smile; the question she asked next made me pause. “Why did you leave? I thought we had something great going on. Then I wake up to an empty bed and no contact information. Is that the kind of guy you are?” There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.

“Sounds like you missed me. And…” I stopped as the waitress arrived with our order. She served the food and poured the wine into our glasses and left. Marie glanced around and inhaled the aroma.

“You’re full of yourself.” She still didn’t smile. “You can’t just leave a woman like that, Karl. An apology would go a long way and then maybe I could forgive you.”

I chuckled, “I don’t remember asking for one. However, after this meeting, hopefully your opinion of me will change.” I raised my glass to hers; she begrudgingly raised hers and we toasted. A comfortable silence settled between us. I watched her as she ate slowly and elegantly, tasting the meal delicately. I kept on recalling how soft her lips had felt on mine. She saw me staring and raised her eyes.

I winked at her and ate from my plate, savoring the bursts of flavors in my mouth. I caught her watching me and licked my fork slowly. She let out a sound like a moan and rolled her eyes at me. I stopped teasing her, and we ate together. When we were done, I called the waitress over to remove the plates.

“From what I see, my meeting with you is better than the one you had with that guy,” I said, grinning.

“Are you always this cocky? Get a grip; you still have more to prove.” She laughed despite trying to hold it in.

“I don’t need to prove anything. I have done that and am willing to do that again, only if you’re ready.” I winked; she rolled her eyes, blushing. On a serious note, I told her the truth. “I did think of you all this while. We had something magical,” I confessed.

“I didn’t expect you to acknowledge it. I guess you’re not that bad yourself.” We were now feeling relaxed in each other’s presence. I was once again captured by her smile and the challenging look in her eyes.

“I’m better than that. About our meeting today, I guess you have been briefed. However, I want to discuss it in depth and how to make this project a success.” I was serious now.

“What’s this project about?” She had a focused look in her eyes. I nodded appreciatively.

“It’s going to be a new fashion season next month, and my company is going to be showing our new collection. What makes this special is the fact that this is not just new; it will be revolutionary. I want your team to record the creative process and conduct interviews with the designers, models, and other important figures behind the scenes. When fashion week is over, we will release this as a documentary to ramp up the impression of our collection in the public eye.” She nodded thoughtfully.

“I hear you’re a great designer yourself. Are you planning to reveal any of your work? Few people have gotten to wear your looks in a while.”

“Yes, that would be the highlight of the show.” I had put time into making this something to be remembered for a long time–fashion and its impact on culture had long been a dream of mine.

“Then, we’re going to have to interview you and get to know your creative process in more depth.”

I hadn’t thought of that. I rarely appeared in public or did interviews. I consider myself a private person. The less people and the public knew about you, the better. I have watched the media tear apart people’s lives with lies and half-truths and I have vowed never to find myself in that situation. I prefer to operate in the shadows and allow the public to speculate on the real Karl Penfield.

However, since discovering that I am a dad, I’ve had to change my lifestyle and buried my playboy persona. This would be my first in a very long while.

“I agree, but I want you to do the interview,” I said and winked. I guess that was a yes.

“After this is said and done, I’d like to get my own exclusive outfit made from one of your designers. Karl, this is another condition of mine. Agreed?”

She’d look great in any of my designs. I had something in mind. “You would do my designs justice. That’s all for now. We can settle the other mundane issues about the cooperation later with our lawyers. I’d like us to get started soon. When would you be ready for the contract review and signing?”

“Tomorrow would be perfect. I’ll get my people working on it today. I’ll forward the time of the meeting to you.” She looked satisfied with the arrangement. She was an interesting woman. I was tempted to pursue whatever we had between us further, but I held back. Flirting and sex were one thing, but when emotions were involved, it could get tricky.

“Fine by me. I’ve spent more time than I ought to. I must get back to work. Can you get back safely?”

“I can and I will. Thanks for the concern, though.” She rose, putting on her coat.

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