Perfectly Flawed (4 page)

But his patience with her was a point in his favor. He’d put up with much in the short time they’d dated. If only Adrianna were normal, like other women. Felt things, like other women. That thought cast darkness over her heart.

She stepped inside the dance hall, glad to be in the shroud of flashing lights once again. The bass of the music vibrated through her, carrying her to a better place. Moving her arms, Adrianna fell into the rock beat and began dancing as she made her way to the floor. The rest of the evening wasn’t so bad. They stayed inside, so no further discussion was possible. For that, she was grateful.

The ride home was quiet except for the rock tunes playing in Kevin’s car on the expensive music system. Adrianna closed her eyes, mentally somewhere else. When they arrived, she got out before he could open the door for her. Still, all good manners, Kevin escorted her to the front door and kissed her goodnight. It was brief, and a little formal, making her feel worse that she couldn’t be what he’d hoped.

It was late and her aunt was already asleep. Quietly, Adrianna crept upstairs to her bedroom and closed the door behind her, locking it, as was her habit. Kicking off her leather pumps, she let her feet sink into the rich wool of the rug and wiggled her toes. The blue dress was left, carefully draped over the maple rocking chair. After preparing for bed, she slipped under the thick peach-colored comforter, but relaxation wasn’t part of the deal.

The discord with Kevin and his harping once again about her going to college had ruined what little good mood she had. Knowing sleep wouldn’t come quickly, she reached for her iPod. In the
earbuds, she listened to Blink-182 sing “Up All Night,” which seemed appropriate given her looming insomnia.

Chapter 6

The next morning Adrianna went for a jog, bundled up and wearing wool socks with her running shoes. The temperature had dropped overnight, and snow was possible. Listening to music on her iPod, she took a route that wasn’t as up and downhill as some. Invigorated from dancing the night before, she pounded out a decent workout before returning.

The wind whistled, and clouds hovered in the darkening sky. It felt good to be out, even with the cold assaulting her, breath forming in the air. After she ran hard, the winter garments got too warm, and by the time she was back on her street, Adrianna had removed the earmuffs and gloves.

Stamping off any dirt before entering her aunt’s home, she took a minute to gaze back at the tree-lined street. The strong trees, scattered among the iron gates and brick structures, were still bare of leaves. Her parents weren’t really that far away; Beacon Hill wasn’t that big. Yet they seemed to reside in another world, one apart from the comfort she found with her aunt.

With one motion, she opened the door wide enough to step inside and quickly closed it behind her to shut out the cold. Hearing the clap of a cupboard closing, Adrianna made her way to the kitchen. “Good morning, Aunt Krista.”

She stopped short the moment she entered the enormous kitchen, all white cupboards and countertops. Only the polished blond wood floor and a section housing a stove provided contrast. Even the refrigerator was hidden behind huge white wooden doors. But what drew her attention was a huge bouquet of red roses.

“Wow.” She stepped closer. “These are lovely.”

“They are for you.”

Adrianna raised a brow.

“Not from me. They were delivered while you were out.”

“Really?”
She reached for the card and pulled it out of the tiny envelope.

It read: Thinking of you, Kevin

“What does it say? Who sent them?”

“They’re from Kevin.”

“Oh, how nice.” Krista smiled. Having the family trait of blond hair and blue eyes confirmed she was Hannah’s sister. But her eyes conveyed warmth unlike Adrianna’s mother. Her hair was more dishwater blond, and the color in her blue eyes was a bit dull. Plus her features were slightly rough, lacking the delicate bone structure bestowed on her older sister. It must have been a struggle growing up, Adrianna thought, as looks were prized in the family as though they were a treasure only special people were born with.

Yet Krista stood grinning at her, appearing content.

“Yes, it was nice. Kevin is always nice. Most of the time, anyway.”

Adrianna was struck with an unsettling realization—not new, really, just more obvious all of a sudden. Kevin was not just nice; he had perfect manners, and he was intelligent, capable, and handsome by any standards. He was everything a girl could want.
Mostly. She couldn’t put her finger on what he lacked, if anything.

She really did have issues. All she had to do was accept his advances, be the willing girlfriend of the aforementioned eligible rich boy. But no, she had to resist. If that was what it
was. Here, reasonably, was the “right guy.” There was nothing stopping her from reaching out and plucking the fruit.

But the roses didn’t have the effect Kevin had intended. Instead of feeling flattered and
softening towards him, Adrianna felt guilty. That was an emotion she understood. It was familiar. Yet it wasn’t the stuff of which happily-ever-after was made. At least she hoped not. Life couldn’t be that dismal, could it?

She felt guilty precisely because he was nice, and she was being weird. There was not much more he could do to show her that he was willing to take the relationship deeper. And that was what didn’t make sense. Kevin was, conceivably, the perfect guy. And with a name like Robert Kevin Scott, he was destined to be an investment banker, just as he aspired to be.

If he wasn’t what she wanted, then what did she want?

“You can leave them there on the table if you like. They look pretty.”

“Sure. That’s a good idea.”

“I’m making breakfast if you want some.”

“I appreciate that, but I have to go get ready. I have an appointment with a new client. I’ll grab something later.”

Adrianna raced upstairs, focusing back on the present and the appointment. It was unusual to meet on a Saturday, but the client was swamped during the week and had asked if she could make the time. It was no problem for her, since she was looking for more contracts, and taking a few hours on a weekend seemed little enough for the possibility of additional income.

The appointment was at the Law Offices of Bennett Hayes. Apparently, one of her other clients liked her work and had recommended her to the prestigious law firm located in the financial district. She could take the subway; the red line would drop her at South Station only a couple of blocks away.

Adrianna still had her cherry-red Infiniti coupe with silver interior; her father had bought it for her a few years before. What she drove represented status in his eyes, thus the gift was more for appearances than out of consideration for his daughter. Matthew Jason Brooks took the trouble to list his full name on his business card as investment banker. That little detail was the guidepost to his personality.

Every detail added up to his appearance in the eyes of others: his name, his home, his tailored business suits. And even what car his daughter drove. And, essentially,
that
she drove, and was not relegated to getting rides with friends, or worse, riding the bus. Thus, ownership of the classy car was bittersweet.

It was a dream to drive, eye candy to look at, and yet another reason guys took notice of her. But it was another gleaming symbol of everything Adrianna despised. And the insurance for it was pricy. As it was, the car spent more time in her aunt’s garage than out on the road. And this day would be no different. Much more comfortable riding the subway, Adrianna opted for the public mode of transportation.

Though it was a Saturday, it was still smart to dress for business. Adrianna didn’t want to assume a casualness that she hadn’t yet witnessed. This was a law firm and that spoke convention. Best would be a compromise in attire: not a stiff, overdone business suit, but something professional yet feminine.

Clothes were not an issue, as her mother had plied her with new designs every season. It would have been a pleasure were it not for Hannah’s continual nagging about Adrianna’s curves. The comments ranged from a snide comment about her bust size to outright criticism of her fully rounded hips. The onslaught started when she reached puberty, and had never stopped.

Adrianna was sure her own body image was out of whack. Overly critical of her own figure, she tried on many outfits before settling on what to wear. Cari always assured her that she was beautiful, and that men liked her voluptuousness. If she’d had more time, Adrianna would have snagged her friend and had her come by to help choose the right outfit.

However, this wasn’t a beauty contest; it was a job interview. So it wasn’t like she was competing with all the rail-thin, expensively made-up women of the world. Those days were over, she reminded herself. The goal was to look intelligent and efficient, yet friendly. Finally, she settled on a soft gray pencil skirt with a lavender voile jacket. The white stretchy top underneath accented her figure, while the jacket gave the outfit a feminine appeal.

Not wanting to come across too stuffy, she chose gray leather pumps and wore her simple gold hoop earrings. She swept her hair back loosely in a velvet tie and put the finishing touches on her makeup. After a final assessment in the full-length mirror, she decided it would have to do.

A passing thought that her hips would look narrower in a longer skirt was shoved aside by the knowledge that her long legs were shown to best advantage by the hem of the pencil skirt, which ended mid-thigh. Men seemed unable to resist the long-legged look, and even if this was a business meeting, it couldn’t hurt to have that extra edge.

The subway ride was uneventful though chilly. Wrapped in her long wool coat, Adrianna navigated the two long blocks to the attorney’s office. She wasn’t actually meeting Bennett Hayes but his social media strategist, Emmett Sanders.

At first she’d been puzzled why a law firm would need to focus on social media. But after being enlightened that the firm’s specialty was advertising and marketing law, it made sense. One could hardly manage the advertising legalities of high-profile clients without having a respectable media presence as well.
For credibility, if nothing else.

Graphics played a key role in any type of advertising, and Adrianna was flattered to be considered for the task of assisting the law firm with theirs. There was a thrill attached to the financial district of Boston. It was like something important was happening, just by being there, or so it felt to her.

Nestled below the tall office buildings, Adrianna couldn’t get a view of Boston Harbor. She walked along the busy street, against the bitingly cold wind, and located the skyscraper that housed the law firm. Going inside, she took the sleek elevator up to the seventeenth floor. Before going to the suite for the meeting, she walked to the window to look out.

The way the jagged landscape of city buildings sprawled right up to the edge of the expansive harbor always amazed her. From above, Boston looked like a stack of children’s blocks that might tumble into the water with the sweep of a small hand. The water was choppy that day, with the possibility that the weather could worsen. The sky was dark blue with wisps of clouds dragged across it like cotton candy.

Better not be late
. Adrianna turned and made her way down the hall. Readjusting her leather bag on her shoulder, she took a deep breath and then stepped inside. Immediately, it was a whole different world. The plush gray and blue décor was accented with orange chair cushions and blond wood floors that gleamed so brightly she stepped carefully so as not to slip.

The place was brightly lit, though silent. The expansive receptionist’s desk was empty. To the far side, Adrianna could see the harbor though the tall windows. She gazed at the sparse selection of art work on the wall, picked to match the ivory vases with bright orange flowers more than for its aesthetic value. The pieces were abstract and colorful.

“Adrianna Brooks?”

She hadn’t noticed his presence before hearing his question. Turning, she saw a man dressed in charcoal slacks and a v-necked sweater. Never good at guessing age, she pegged him generally from her father’s generation. For his age, the man looked good, sporting a trendy,
intentionally messy hairstyle and leaving the buttons of his shirt open down to the vee of his sweater.

Dark brown eyes and black hair gave him an Italian flair, and Adrianna would say he had been even more handsome in his younger days. Relieved that he looked friendly and not intimidating, she smiled. “Yes, I’m Adrianna. Are you Mr. Sanders?”

“Call me Emmett, please.” He shook her hand, not too hard, the grip communicating professionalism and control. It was odd how such a simple gesture said so much about a person.

He guided her to the conference room, another space decorated with dark wood furniture and orange cushions. The outer wall was a huge window open to the view of the harbor. In one corner was a full-size computer; the walls were adorned with artsy pictures similar to what she’d seen in the lobby. Warm, Adrianna slipped off her coat and draped it over the chair next to her.

“We’ll get started in just a moment. Please, have a seat. I’m waiting for one other person.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” It seemed Emmett took for granted that she’d be working on the project. So it wasn’t an interview after all, more of a startup meeting. Adrianna sat down in one of the high-tech conference chairs, and took out her trim leather binder to take notes if needed.

“Yes, you will be doing the graphics for us, provided you find the terms acceptable. I’ve looked over the samples you emailed, plus you come highly recommended. Let me say we are looking forward to working with you. You can take the contract with you when you leave today, and if you find it acceptable just endorse it and drop it off when you return. If you need to negotiate any of the terms, you have my cell number.”

Adrianna couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t find the terms acceptable. By the looks of the place, the firm did nicely. Any offer they would make would likely be more than she was earning from her current clients.

Emmett made use of the waiting time to fill her in on the project while they sipped bottled water. She’d declined coffee or soda just then. The project he described was to be a revitalization of the company’s current social media presence; the intention was to be innovative, a leader not a follower.

“And I’ve hired a social media expert; you’ll be working with him directly. He will have ideas about our approach, and your graphic work will support the presentation. It will be vital for you to co-ordinate with each other. Today’s meeting will get things started.”

“Ah, here he is.” Emmett looked through the huge window to the hall at someone behind Adrianna.

She turned in her swivel chair just as Emmett pulled the long stainless steel handle on the oversized wooden door to open the conference room. A man in tight jeans and a gray wool blazer stepped in. Emmett shook his hand and greeted him.
“Sean, good to see you again.”