Curiosus
Latin etymology of the word Curious meaning “inquiring eagerly” meddlesome or diligent.
Adrienne returned to the office on Tuesday. She felt confident and proud of herself. True, she still hadn’t figured out how the heck she would tell her friends about Justin, but other than that, everything was perfect.
Justin is perfect.
He deserved to be sought after, drooled upon, dreamt of, but not for the reasons they all believed. Not for his face, his body, his money, his cars, or his privilege. He was a total dream guy because he’s romantic and sweet… he’s wonderful inside and out.
Now, to tell my friends…
She figured she needed to break up with Troy first. And then tell her friends. And then her mother. In that order.
Whatever happened after that, she would have to take it. She’d gone too far. She owed it to Justin. She owed it to herself.
Jada called her to her office.
“Adrienne, since you took a long weekend, I trust you are more well-rested than I am,” Jada started. Adrienne rolled her eyes. “So, you have to make up for my lack of sleep yesterday by attending this meeting with a potential advertiser. This is going to be a huge account.”
“Don’t we have a department that handles that?” Adrienne asked.
“Yes. But I don’t want them to mess it up. I want to send my best weapon to make sure that we bag this account. Plus, the decision makers are within your age group. I’m sure you can better reach out to them.”
Adrienne sighed. “All right. What time are they coming?”
“Unfortunately, they would only be available at seven tonight. You have a dinner meeting with the representatives of AB Wellness at The Sixth in Lever Du Soleil Hotel.”
She blinked back. “ABW? That’s good. What rates do you want me to give to them?”
“Standard less thirty.”
“Thirty?” she asked in surprise. Their magazine enjoyed a great reputation, and, as a well-known venue for advertising, companies almost fought for an ad space. Blush typically only gave their best customers a maximum ten percent discount.
“I want this account, Adrienne. Their health clubs are booming and that’s the direction we want to go to. They will make us look good.”
Adrienne stood up from her seat and turned to leave. “I’ll keep you posted.”
She received a message from Justin as soon as she got back to her office.
Justin: Dinner tonight, honey?
She sighed glumly. She wants nothing more than spend the evening with him.
She replied: Can’t. Working again. Meeting some advertisers at Lever Du Soleil. Jada’s job—assigned to me. Her punishment for me taking the day off yesterday.
Justin: Sorry, hon. My fault she did that. I’ll see you after your meeting. I promise to make up for your evening. ;-)
She smiled. She felt sorrier that she couldn’t have dinner with him instead.
At seven o’clock she arrived at The Sixth, a restaurant in the five-star hotel, Lever Du Soleil. “I have a meeting with somebody from AB Wellness,” she told a reception attendant.
A restaurant hostess led Adrienne to her table, which surprisingly was only set for two.
“Aren’t there going to be more people coming?”
“We were only told to arrange for two,” the waiter said. “Can I offer you something to drink?”
“Okay. White wine please.”
“Right away, ma’am.”
She reviewed her notes as she waited.
After five minutes, she heard somebody in front of her say, “I’m sorry, I’m late.”
She looked up and found herself staring at a pair of aquamarine eyes. Eyes she’d seen before. She stood up from her seat and stared at the man dressed in a dark gray suit that screamed luxury with every thread. He was smiling at her, showing the deep dimples on either side of his lips. His reddish brown hair was not disheveled this time. It was combed perfectly in place, which made him look professional and formidable, far from the seemingly fun and carefree guy she bumped into a few days ago.
He extended his hand to her. “We meet again, Miss Miller.”
It took her a moment to speak. What was his name? She was embarrassed to admit that she forgot.
He grinned. “You forgot my name, didn’t you?” he said in a teasing tone, catching her off-guard. She was about to say something but immediately he added, “Jin Starck.”
She shook his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s fine. It’s a first for me, though.” That should have made him sound cocky, but the tone he used made it easy for Adrienne to pass it up as a joke. “Please, have a seat.”
“I was… expecting to meet with some people from ABW.”
Jin nodded. “Yes. Me.”
“But…” Jin hardly looked like a guy who worked for a wellness spa.
“Were you expecting a bouncer-type muscle man? Or perhaps a healthy looking female?”
Yes!
But Adrienne simply said, “Sorry. Jada didn’t mention the names of who I was meeting today. And I also thought that I would meet more than one.”
“Well, my team is still in Paris,” he said. “I’m already here on business, so I decided why don’t I just meet with you instead.”
She nodded. She didn’t miss the words, “my team”. Jin Starck must be the head of their marketing department or something. And Adrienne couldn’t help thinking that he looked so young.
She remembered that Jada was dead-set about getting this account. She would have her head if she messed this up just because she was caught unprepared by the guy she was meeting.
“So, I was told you were looking to put an ad campaign with us.”
Jin nodded. “Yes. Our two lines of Health and Wellness services, Rain and Soleil are looking more into cosmopolitan men and women. We’d like to get it in line with this market with our set of elite services.”
They were interrupted by the waiter who took their orders.
Afterwards, Jin proceeded with the specifics. In fairness to him, he looked like he knew what he was talking about. He looked young, but obviously, he was smart and he came prepared.
Adrienne discussed his options and what Blushcould offer to them. She even threw in a first-hand feature and review of their services in one of her columns, to which Jin Starck seemed pleased to obtain.
When Adrienne gave him the standard rate, he didn’t seem to flinch at all. Instead, he replied, “Draw up the contract, send it to my office and my secretary will return it to you with my signature.”
That’s it? He is signing up without negotiating the amount?
“Um, all right. I would include the payment terms along with our offer.”
“I can pay via telegraphic transfer or check,” he said. “No need for terms. I can pay upfront if that’s what you require.”
Now, he didn’t sound like he just heads Marketing, unless his other job is also Head of Finance.
“So, it’s settled? Do I get your verbal confirmation then?” Adrienne asked carefully.
Jin grinned. “You can email me and you’ll get an email confirmation if your boss requires it from you.”
Adrienne smiled. “No. It’s just that, it will be a privilege for us to secure this account,” she said honestly. “She would want to ensure that the deal is a go, and we will make a space for you in next month’s release. There are other ads in line. Needless to say, she would kill me if I reserved a spot and then the client backed out.”
Jin nodded. “It’s a done deal, Miss Miller. I can assure you that.”
What if he has no right to decide?
“And of course, your word is good enough because you’re…” she trailed off, subtly asking him to supply her the information she needed. She realized that even his business card didn’t state his position.
Jin smiled at her mischievously, obviously, realizing what she was getting at. “Because I’m Jin Starck,” he said, much to Adrienne’s frustration.
He watched her expression for a while. Then as if he decided to end her agony, he said, “Miss Miller, ABW is a subsidiary of Starck Hoteliers. So I think, you can tell your boss that my word is good to go.”
Adrienne scanned her brain for a moment, while trying to keep her face steady. Then she remembered. Starck Hoteliers owns more than fifty five-star hotels, spanning three different continents. No wonder, Jin Starck looked so young and yet he seemed to know what he was doing, and had full decision-making powers.
Shit! I looked like a fool!
“I’m sorry, Mr. Starck…”
“Jin,” he said calmly. “You can call me Jin, Adrienne.”
She nodded. “Jin,” she said. “I’m sorry. I should have had that information beforehand.” Instead of making up excuses, she decided to own up to her mistake.
He grinned. “It’s okay. I get that reaction a lot,” he said. “I guess I look like I still belong in school rather than in the boardroom, making decisions on my parents’ behalf.”
Adrienne smiled. “I must admit I did wonder how old you were.”
“Twenty-three. And I’m managing one fourth of our hotels. I also look after ABW…” He stared at her for a moment. “On my mother’s behalf.”
Adrienne was impressed. Most twenty-three year olds barely have finished college. And Jin Starck managed a chain of hotels all over the globe.
“Your mother?” she echoed.
Jin nodded. “Yes. AB stands for Ariana Blanc. It was her concept. But sometimes she couldn’t attend to it. So I help out. She’s a very busy woman.”
“I think you have a busy family.” She smiled.
He nodded. “Yes. My mother doesn’t work much on the business though. She works more on her passion. You might know her.”
She looked up at him curiously.
“She goes by the name Amanda Seville.”
Again, Adrienne scanned her brain. Then she blinked back. “Amanda Seville as in…the writer?”
Jin’s smile spread across his face. “Yes.”
Adrienne was surprised. She read many of Amanda Seville’s novels and she was one of her favorite historical romance writers. She couldn’t believe she actually had dinner with her son.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“I know. She makes me proud. Not only because she’s a talented writer. But also because she’s the best mother anyone could ever ask for.”
Hearing him say that pinched Adrienne’s heart. How she wished she could say the same about her own mother.
“So now, you know more about me personally, and since we’re done with our negotiations and not even halfway through dinner, perhaps you can tell me more about yourself, Adrienne. Where are you from?”
“Boston,” she replied.
“What do your parents do, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“My parents are both doctors. My father is a neuro-surgeon. My mother is an OB-GYN. My sister studies medicine, too.”
Jin looked at her for a while and then he smiled, “So I guess, you’re the odd one out.” Again, the light, teasing tone he used made it difficult for Adrienne to feel insulted by what he said. She actually smiled at his attempt to tease her.
“You can say that. But I have a passion for writing. I love working for Blush and I love what I do now.”
“Didn’t they pressure you to go into medicine too?”
“Story of my life,” she murmured.
“Well, at least you aren’t working at all.” She raised a brow at him. He added, “Because if you love what you do, it’s not work at all. It’s all fun and games every day.”
“Do you like what you do?”
He nodded. “Oui, mademoiselle. I was born and raised to manage our family business.”
Adrienne was surprised by how easy Jin was to talk to. She didn’t feel like she was having a business meeting at all. More than half the time, they weren’t talking about business. They spoke about their families. Of course, she didn’t tell him how broken her relationship was with her mother. That part used to be Jill’s and Yuan’s territory, and now it belonged to Justin. She only answered his questions where she grew up in, which college she went to and then stuff she did at Blush.
Contrary to Justin’s belief, Jin didn’t ogle at her at all. He seemed actually funny and easygoing. Nothing in his actions or lines made her feel like he flirted with her. But of course, she didn’t consider herself an expert in that department.
By the end of dinner, although she insisted on paying for the bill, Jin didn’t allow her to do it.
“It’s my hotel, Adrienne,” he said, chuckling. “You can consider this as part of my advance payment for advertising with you.”
He walked her to the front of the hotel. “Do you have a ride?”
She almost told him that she didn’t when she saw a familiar figure stepping out of a familiar Ferrari. Her heart leapt out of her chest. She involuntarily smiled.
Jin noticed her face as she watched Justin approach them.
“Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about you getting home safely,” Jin said. She turned to him. “I’ll send you an email confirmation first thing in the morning. Please send me your final proposal and contract.”
He extended his hand to her and she shook it. “Nice to meet you, Jin.”
“Likewise, Adrienne.”
He gave her a final nod and went off before Justin could reach them.
Justin’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jin Starck disappear into the elevators.
Adrienne turned to him. “So… the world seems really small,” he said a little tartly.
Adrienne laughed. “I know, right? He’s advertising in our magazine.”
“Hmmm…” Justin said. “For what? Playstation?”
Adrienne laughed again. “I know. He didn’t look like the type. But he’s actually advertising for a spa.”
“Shouldn’t he still be in school?” he asked.
“He said he’s only twenty-three. But I guess if you operate a family-owned chain of hotels, you start young.”
Justin took her hand in his, and Adrienne almost panicked. But Justin only gripped her hand in his tightly. He pulled her gently towards his car.
“It’s a few meters walk, Adrienne,” he said. “And right now, I’m beyond caring.”
She sighed and quickly followed him to his car. When they got in, he pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers. He took her breath away, like he wanted to remind her who she belonged to. And God, how could she ever forget that?
When he pulled away, she smiled at him. “Are you mad?”
He shook his head gently. “No. But sometimes it kills me that I can’t punch the life out of any guy who shows interest in you.”
Adrienne smiled at him apologetically. “Jin Starck is not interested in me. He didn’t even flirt with me. And I’m not usually interested in boys younger than I am.” She stared at him, trying to give him some reassurance. Then she took a deep breath and asked, “How long can you wait?”
He took a deep breath and kissed her lips again. Then he breathed, “As long as it takes.”
He pulled away from her and then he started the engine. Before he drove off, he asked, “What did you say his name was again?”
“Jin Starck. Apparently, they own Starck Hoteliers. And oh my God, his mother is Amanda Seville! She’s like… my favorite writer of all time!”
Justin stared at her for a long moment. And then he turned towards the road. His face turned sober and he gripped the steering wheel tightly, before driving off.
“Justin, are you okay?”
He didn’t look at her. Instead, he continued staring ahead. With a hard look on his face, he murmured, “Peachy.”