Mia flicked her long, dark braid over her shoulder and took in her work with a critical eye. Her compressed lips softened into a slow smile as her gaze swept from one side of the wall to the other. She planted her hands on her hips and let out a relieved breath, pleased with her efforts. Even with the scaffolding still in the way it didn't detract from the overall effect.
Gareth Robertson of Robertson Klein Architects had commissioned her to create a cityscape mural for the conference room wall in their new suite of offices. She'd worked off an actual photo of Melbourne that featured one of the company's previous projects, with an ominous twilight sky added for a more dramatic feel. Now all she needed to do was put the finishing touches on her work, which she hoped to get done by tonight.
Her ringtone startled her from her thoughts. She frowned and patted her back pocket then remembered she'd left her phone on the table. Mia padded across the wood floor in her bare feet, wondering who'd be calling her at this hour. When she grabbed her phone and checked the screen, the private number on display only deepened her curiosity.
"Hello?" Checking her fingers first for wet paint, she rested her hand on the back of one of the chairs hugging the oversized table.
"Mia, this is Gareth Robertson. Are you still working?"
Her stomach dipped and she tightened her grip around the phone. "Mr Robertson. Hi." Mia winced at the breathy, rushed sound of her voice. No matter how many times she'd spoken to him over the past week he'd kept her constantly on edge and unable to relax. She glanced at her watch, noting it was already after midnight. "Yes, I'll most likely be here for a few more hours."
"I thought you might be there for a while. I need to drop by the office to pick up some paperwork. I'm just calling ahead to let you know."
His secretary had set up the first meeting between them to discuss the artwork he wanted done, so she hadn't spoken to him on the phone before now. At twenty-six she generally found herself attracted to men closer to her own age, but despite being somewhere around fifty Gareth had captured her attention and pushed his way into her thoughts.
During their initial encounter he'd worn a charcoal suit and crisp white shirt that set off his tanned skin. He'd stood to greet her, flashing a smile as he reached for her hand. With his sharp, appraising blue eyes and dark hair that displayed a scattering of silver, his appearance unsettled and aroused her. While her heart thumped madly and she struggled to hold his gaze, he'd taken her hand between both of his in a clasp so warm and firm that she'd wanted to melt against him and do anything he asked of her.
"Thanks for letting me know," she said, shaking off the thoughts before she could get too carried away. "I'll see you soon, Mr Robertson."
"Ten minutes—and Mia?"
"Yes?" She held her breath at the teasing note in his voice.
"It's Gareth."
Mia ended the call with a smile. She glanced down at her paint-splattered jeans and baggy purple tank top, knowing without needing to look into a mirror that smudges of colour decorated her face as well. She contemplated running to the bathroom to repair the worst of the damage but decided there wasn't much point going to the effort. This was just a business relationship, and a short-term one at that. He more than likely wouldn't even notice.
She slid her phone onto the table and went about gathering the supplies needed for the next stage. Mia climbed onto the scaffolding platform with her palette and brush in hand, chewing her lower lip as she considered where to begin. Just as she was about to dip bristles into paint, the click of the main door sounded down the corridor. She stared at the wall and let out a slow breath, focusing on a storm cloud in an effort to keep her excitement at bay.
It wasn't long before she sensed Gareth behind her, and it surprised her how aware she'd become of his presence over the past few days. She glanced over her shoulder, her heart rate speeding just at the sight of him. He stood in the doorway wearing black pants with a rumpled white shirt and loosened tie. Combined with his messy dark hair he looked almost as dishevelled as her. "Hello... Gareth."
"Hello... Mia."
Hearing his teasing tone again brought a quick smile to her face. She turned around fully to see him better. "Up late again?"
"Mmm... it's unavoidable at the moment."
"You must be tired. You've been here late all week." She considered continuing on with her work while they spoke, but having him standing right here watching her made it impossible to focus on anything else.
"I'm sure you know what that's like." He gave her a brief smile. "Feel like taking a coffee break with me? Looks like you've earned one."
Right at that moment she couldn't imagine anything she'd rather do than spend some one on one time with him, but there was still work to be done and a limited amount of time to get it finished. She'd been painting throughout the night to avoid disturbing the staff during the day, and her original estimate of five days to complete the project had already blown out to six. "I want to... but I can't. I have a new job starting on Monday so I need to get this done by tomorrow."
"Surely ten minutes won't hurt. I'll even make the coffee."
He looked up at her in such a calm, steady manner that it left her unable to tear her gaze away. Mia opened her mouth to speak then shut it again, wondering why he'd want to waste precious time talking to her when he could be finishing his work and getting some much needed sleep.
He splayed his hands low on his hips and tilted his head to survey her work, continuing on as if he hadn't noticed her lack of reply. "I'm so used to seeing you around here," he said. "I'm going to miss you when you're gone."
Her cheeks warmed at his comment; he'd unknowingly just voiced her exact thoughts about him. She smiled and followed his line of sight, trying to imagine what her artwork would look like through his eyes. She'd started with the background and gradually added layer by layer, becoming more intricate with the detail as she went on. This particular project inspired more of a sense of pride in her than anything she'd done in the past, but since he'd never commented on her progress before she still braced herself for his reaction.
