Ignite

Fancy Meeting You Here

"Mr. Bale, sir!" Stephan called out. "I'm sorry to bother you- I know you just got back from lunch. But the model you're supposed to meet came a little early. I'm afraid there's not enough time to brief you on him. He's waiting for you in your office."

"No worries, Steph. Thanks for letting me know."

Alessandro looked into his office through its glass doors. He saw someone sitting in the chair directly across from his desk.

They were wearing a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, and black calf high boots. Based on the position, it seemed like they were leaning their arms against their knees.

A pale hand was brought up to scratch the back of their head. The action revealed a vibrant purple spider tattoo. Shoulder length hair was pulled into a half-up-half-down style. A pair of shades rested on top of the thick strands.

Wanting to come off as friendly to a potential new employee, Alessandro pulled on a large smile that reached his eyes. He opened the doors to his office and brought his attention to the coat rack to put down his belongings.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! Traffic on the way back to the office was a nightmare. Have you been here long?"

"No."

"Ah, that's good. Wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone."

Alessandro turned around, aiming to walk forward to greet the model. But he stopped.

Their attention was already on him.

Bright blue studs sat in both ears. Long bangs framed a defined, cleanly shaven face. A small clear gem rested in the upper left nostril of a thin nose. Pink lips were enhanced by a dark birthmark that rested on the bottom one.

Bluish gray eyes stared directly into wide green ones.

"Lance..?"

"In the flesh, Alessandro."

"I... didn't know you were a model."

"Don't know why you would."

Alessandro had a plethora of things to say—things he wanted to do.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to faint. His mind was moving way too fast for him to comprehend because what in the absolute hell was Lance, of all people, doing here?

A single deep breath helped to calm Alessandro down. The fleeting want to express his feelings about their unexpected meeting was pushed aside.

Overwhelming emotions left as soon as a false smile grew. "Right, well, you're here now- so let's chat."

He walked over to his desk with long strides. The sound of his Oxford's hitting the floor seemed louder than normal alongside such a thick atmosphere. He sat down in his chair and slid forward. His arms rested on the glass surface. Large hands gripped each other a little too harshly.

Neither male said anything about it.

"How long have you been modeling for?"

"About three years. Haven't done anything super crazy though. With your company being one of the top ones in the world, well, I thought it'd be good for me to come here."

"Hopefully it will be." Alessandro offered a short nod. "Mind giving me your portfolio?"

Instead of verbally replying, Lance presented the manila colored folder using the hand which housed the spider tattoo. Alessandro reached forward. Their fingers brushed against each other. Despite the action being quick and only lasting a second, it left his skin feeling tingly.