One

Dressed in a black body-hugging pencil skirt, a silk white blouse, and her lovely golden hair in loose waves flowing down her back, the dynamic Ariana Hudson walked hurriedly past the revolving doors of the ten-story building that housed Hudson Developments oblivious to the admiring stares all around her as she talked fast into her phone. It did not matter how many times a day the youngest corporate CEO in New York was seen by all and sundry, the heiress was a goddess's dream come true with her curvaceous and statuesque figure. 

Her assistant Isadora trudged slowly behind, half running after her with a bunch of files and a laptop as Ariana used the sharp point of her stiletto to halt a lift, inadvertently giving the elevator passengers an unexpected view of her long-toned shapely legs. Her gorgeous blue eyes flashed in annoyance and impatience as she shouted unexpectedly into the phone.

"I don't care, Dad!" An impatient pause. "I have a million things to do as regards our new project in Brooklyn. In fact, you put me in charge of it! How on earth do you think I have time for a date? A date of all things!" She asked disbelievingly, doing her best not to explode. He was her father after all.

On the other side of the line, Alphonsus Hudson the business titan behind Hudson Developments reined in his patience doing his best not to shout at his prized jewel daughter. He loved Ariana with every fiber of his being and he would do anything for her including giving up every cent of his enormous generational wealth. Yet there were times she almost made him insane. 

"Ariana, will you calm down and listen to me please?" Alphonsus pleaded in his exhaustive state. "I am tired of going over the same thing over and over."

Ariana had made it to her office and as always the breathtaking Manhattan view of the floor-to-ceiling windows sucked in her breath temporarily. Alphonsus erroneously thought she had calmed down and quickly started to speak in a rush so she would not interrupt. 

"I am not asking you to abandon the boutique hotel project in Brooklyn. And do not forget that when I get back from my business dealings in the Middle East I will take full control again while you focus on your duties as CEO. You are only in charge of that particular project temporarily. So what is so difficult about taking some time off and having a date with Ashton Drake? I will not indulge your determination to be a workaholic"

"It is not a determination!" Ariana asserted sharply with controlled fury as she stormed towards her seat. "I have a schedule and I do my best to stick to it. There is a meeting with the board of directors this morning, and I am meeting with the construction company this afternoon…."

"And I suppose you have to go and watch over the boutique hotel tonight," Alphonsus remarked dryly, unaware of how much the comment had annoyed his headstrong daughter.

"Let me reiterate Ariana, it is still my company even though you have been CEO for four years. So when I give orders you must listen. When I die it will be completely and totally yours but as long as I am your father you will do as I say. Is that clear?"

Silence

"I asked if you understood me"

Ariana sat on the swivel chair behind her bouffant walnut desk. Her mind searched frantically for a way out. A date with Ashton Drake? Hell no, she would rather spend time counting the stars in vain or watching two buffalos fight. 

"I understand you Dad, but I don't want to go out on a date with Ashton Drake."

There it was, out in the open again. Her father knew this yet he was annoyingly persistent.

"Ariana, you never want to go out on a date with anyone," Alphonsus corrected.

"That is not true! How is it my fault all the men in the corporate world are nothing but half-assed conceited assholes!"

For the second time that morning, Alphonsus placed his finger on the particular spot on his head where he got headaches. This girl would be the death of him. He had to smile though because her stubbornness and force of character reminded him of her mother. 

"First there was Curtis Montez, the one whose father owns an oil well who actually asked me if I could consider being a housewife. A housewife dad!" She still shuddered whenever she thought about it.

"Ariana, his mother was one and that was what he was used to growing up," Alphonsus explained for the umpteenth time.

"Well he should have known that I am a modernized twenty-first-century woman and then there was Vladimir the owner of the Russian network who was an arrogant buffoon….."

Ariana watched her assistant Isadora hide a smile. 

Ordinarily, Alphonsus would have loved to continue to indulge his daughter's angry tirades about men of wealth and immense corporate power, but he had a meeting with a conglomerate in thirty minutes. It was time to wrap up the conversation.

"That is why you should go on a date with Ashton Drake. Talk about all of your distaste that way he knows what to avoid with you." Alphonsus said reasonably.

Ariana drew in a breath. "Dad, Ashton Drake is a one-of-a-kind jerk. I want nothing to do with him."

"Tell him that on your date this afternoon at the reserved table in Crown Shy restaurant darling and don't even think of not going because I will know you disobeyed me again. I looked away after you wasted a special dinner reservation that I had taken time to book for you and Ashton, but I won't do the same this time around. Get over there this afternoon." Alphonsus ordered.

"This afternoon?!  But…"

The phone clicked in her ear

"Hello! Hello dad…"

It took every ounce of willpower Ariana had not to fling the phone across the room. But then that would be a perfectly good waste of this lovely iPhone that was customized for her by the Apple company themselves. Ariana closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. This was not how she wanted to start the day. She would need her mental strength for the board of directors.

"You have my schedule for today Isadora?'"

"Yes Miss Hudson but your father said-"

"Can I have it please?" Ariana demanded impatiently.

Isadora reluctantly handed her a piece of paper watching her boss's almond-shaped eyes peruse the paper. It was just as she had expected. A meeting with the board at 9:30 to kickstart the day.

Ariana leaned back in her seat. "Cancel the rest of my schedule for the afternoon and get me a…"

Isadora was listening. "Get you what Miss?"

"Never mind when it is noon, tell Jameson to bring the car around."

"Yes Miss Hudson"

She had fleetingly thought of telling her assistant to make a quick dash to one of the designer stores to get a date-worthy dress since she was dressed in corporate clothes but what the hell? Why should she dress for Ashton Drake? Nothing angered her more than the impulsiveness of the whole thing. 

Her father had unexpectedly ambushed her with a lunch date knowing if she had gotten a whiff of it before, she would definitely have ignored him. It wasn't the first time, but it did not make it less aggravating. Ariana stood up and faced her large windows, drinking in the lovely picturesque view. Then steeling herself, she went for her board meeting. 

***

By the time Ariana was at the back of her BMW heading to her forced lunch, she was seething from her meeting, but she managed to put it out of her mind. Her mind turned to Ashton as her driver Jameson parked in front of Crown Shy. She instructed him to pick her up in an hour because she would spare no more than that for Ashton Drake.

Crown Shy was a lovely restaurant, but Ariana was in no mood today to savor her surroundings as her favorite waiter led her to a secluded and quiet spot. As she sipped sparkling water, she sent out relevant emails to Isadora to sort out. Twenty minutes later, Ashton had not arrived. Irritated, she signaled to the water and ordered a romaine salad and caramel pasta with chicken. Ten minutes later, the egocentric CEO was still nowhere in sight.

"Bastard!" Ariana swore angrily under her breath as she stole a glance at her watch and nearly mixed the salad on her plate to a pulp. She was forced to have lunch with him and he had the audacity not to respect her time? She would give him a piece of her mind once he finally managed to get his sorry ass here. Another fifteen minutes passed before she looked up and saw a six feet tall broad-shouldered man making his way towards her table. Ariana was annoyed at his slow relaxed amble. It was as though he did not care he was keeping her waiting.  He slid into the seat opposite her with a small smile and removed his sunglasses revealing his smile stretched to his piercing green eyes.

Ariana did not return his smile.

"What right do you think you have to keep me waiting Ashton?" Ariana asked sharply, not bothering to keep the anger out of her voice. "You think I do not have better things to do with my time?"

Ashton smiled harder at the outburst.

"You are glad to see me after all Ariana. That is a first. Let's keep it up, shall we?