I nod, and we pose, Tom extending his long arm out.
“Say cheese,” he says.
“Cheese!”
❦
Gabriel can’t outrun his heart…
Sunday is my cardio day. I lift three days during the week, meditate and stretch on another, and Sunday, it’s all cardio.
I’ve already run five miles and sprinted several laps. I’m tired, but there’s still a lot left in me, so I crank up Prodigy and begin to sprint again.
What am I doing? I need to get back to work.
But I’m avoiding work.
Every time I sit down to get something done, I think of her. I pull up her pictures. I watch her videos.
And quite frankly, after Friday, I feel like a filthy pervert. I asked an employee—a director—for her panties when I knew she had been drinking.
I run faster, but there’s no outrunning my mistake.
Nothing I can do will undo my overstep. On Saturday, I composed half a hundred text messages trying to apologize, but I deleted each of them. Terrified.
It doesn’t take long before I slow, exhausted. I grab my water bottle and towel the sweat from my face.
Get back to work. There’s a lot to be done.
My phone buzzes. I pick it up to see a message from Tom. It’s an image of Tom and Remi together, smiling.
At least I don’t have to worry about breaking her heart.
My heart is racing, and not just from my workout. Just seeing Remi wrapped in someone else’s arms does something to me I can’t quite explain.
This is one of the best things that could have happened. If she can win him over to my cause, it will be that much easier to save Icor Tech.
No amount of rationale makes me feel at all good about what I’m seeing, though.
I put down my phone and go back to my treadmill, setting it to eight out of ten, determined to outrun my problems.
CHAPTER 19
Remi has a choice to make…
I enter Icor Tower at quarter after seven and step into the elevator absolutely terrified. My arms ache from all the crap I’m lugging in at Meghan’s behest, but at least I won’t have to bring it back to my old apartment again.
It takes an insane amount of effort not to rip off the fake eyelashes Meghan insisted I wear, and it’s a constant struggle not to touch my face and smear my makeup.
Stepping off the elevator takes an act of courage I don’t often have to muster, and as I walk the thirty plus feet to my office, I’m met with blatant stares from others in the hall.
Everyone knows.
I hold my breath as I complete my walk of shame. I’ve spent most of my life trying to make the right decisions, and everything I’ve gained could be taken from me in an instant because of one stupid night.
I walk through the door to my office and turn on the lights. I’m relieved to be away from judging eyes, and I just want to bury myself in my work.
After I take a seat at my desk, I begin to log into the mainframe when my door opens.
“Looks like you had quite a weekend,” a voice echoes from the doorway.
I look up to see Cregor Leskey, his face full of contempt.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you are talking about,” I say as I bring up the system.
“Six-hundred thousand views and climbing. I can’t recall the last time we’ve fired a director so quickly. This may be a record.”
“You’re saying I’m going to get fired?”
“You doubt it?”
“Well, judging from the texts I’ve received from both your daughter and Gabriel Icor, CEO to Icor Tech, I would say no.”
A dour look crosses his face, his lip pulling into a sneer.
“Move along, Creg,” a voice says. “She just spent all weekend packing. I’m sure whatever you need you can get from her tomorrow.”
Tom appears behind Cregor, a megawatt grin on his face.
Cregor huffs loudly, turning and hobbling back to his office.
“Yeah,” Tom looks to me warmly, “you’re going to get a lot of that.”
“I guess I should have expected it.” I bury my head in my hands, overwhelmed by the few short minutes I’ve been at work.
“I talked with Gabe this morning. You have nothing to worry about. I made sure to tell him if you come under any scrutiny, he’s going to have to face me.”
I muster a smile, more than a little anxious.
Tom pulls a seat over to the side of my desk, facing me, sitting very close.
“So, how do you like it?”
“The office or the job?”
“Both.”
“Ehhh, I’m getting used to it.”
“You look amazing, by the way. Did your friend make you over?”
I blush. “Yeah, she’s pretty persuasive.”
“Do you want me to look at the inefficiencies you’ve found?” he asks. “I have a sliver of time this morning.”
I pull up the spreadsheet I made last week showing the research I’ve been doing.
“We’re using outdated shipping methods and inefficient ports.”
“Really?” Tom says, leaning in.
“Yes, if you look at this row, it shows what we currently spend, the row to the right shows the range of what I believe we can get it down to. Conservative estimates, of course.”
Tom squints at my screen, so close to me, I can smell the scent of pine.
My phone vibrates. I pull it out to see a message from Gabriel.
I grow a little tense. We haven’t communicated since the night of my debauchery, when I sent him the panties I had been wearing. Meghan assured me his silence was fine, that it was normal for men to do this, but I can’t help but feel his distance might be due to regret.
Gabriel: You smell abso-fucking-lutely amazing!
My jaw drops. I’m at a loss for words.
I don’t think Gabriel Icor is feeling regret.
“What’s up?” Tom asks.
“It’s just…It’s just Meghan. I guess the video’s getting a lot of traffic.”
“As it should. You were adorable—and by adorable, I mean sexy, and adorable.”
I should be flattered. Tom is hot, respectful, and absolutely interested in me, and yet I can’t stop thinking about Gabriel the 10.
Tom’s hand moves to my thigh, his touch so warm it feels scorching.
“I was hoping I could take you out to dinner tonight,” he says.
It suddenly occurs to me how stupid I’ve been behaving. With Gabriel, I don’t stand a chance. Maybe he’ll allow me to fuck him tonight if I’m lucky. He dates supermodels—there’s just no future.
With Tom, well, if his actions are giving me any indication, he could be my first real boyfriend. Like a walking hand in hand through parks, sitting next to each other at the movie theater kinda thing that I’ve never had before.
Then there’s the matter of my virginity--both seem eager to relieve me of.
Tom has this good-natured appeal that’s easy to fall for. The ‘boy next door’ if there ever was one. Blond hair, blue eyes, dimpled smile, and a muscular physique. Nothing wrong with that.
Gabriel, on the other hand, is all dark and mystery. He smirks, and has a look that will melt you. His hair is styled ruggedly, always a five o’clock shadow. His eyes, God, they kill me every time. He’s a little leaner than Tom, but damn, his suits fit well.
“I’m sorry, I already have plans for tonight.”
He frowns, and my heart sinks a little.
“So, have you made use of that gift card?” he asks.
“I haven’t had time to go shopping yet.”
“Well, judging by that video, it seems as though you have that covered.”
“Actually, my neighbor has bags and bags of stuff sent to her for free. We went through them while I was packing.”
“So, she has muumuus sent to her?”
“Oh, not those. Those are mine.”
Tom leans back in his chair, a grin o
n his face, and I realize how that sounds.
“It’s not that I wear them! They belonged to my grandmother.”
“Well, what is it you wear to bed then?”
I don’t know what to say. I have Gabriel Fucking Icor the 10 sexting me. And, I have Tom Wellington in my office talking dirty. How the heck did I get myself into this mess?
“Something you’d likely consider uninspiring, and I’m sorry, but I’m really anxious about this presentation, especially because I know the room’s gonna have it out for me.”
“Well, by what I saw, you certainly seem to know what you’re doing.”
I smile, relishing the compliment.
“If you don’t mind me saying so, those figures might make you some enemies.”
“How so?” I ask.
“Barry’s cousin runs that port there,” he points to a map I have on one of my monitors, “the one you’re suggesting we cut. There’s also additional inland travel from the new port.”
“That port extends us out a day, and if we travel just a little further, our docking fee is cut by a third. I’ve also been given access to a few documents that are not yet released, and it looks like we have pop-up shops in development for the area around that port. It’s a new business strategy that’s gaining ground and will make the additional inland travel from that port worth it.”
“Yeah, I hear what you’re saying, but numbers aren’t the only determining factor of how people cast their votes.”
“So we’re supposed to pay a third more and deal with a 72-hour turnaround versus and 48-hour turnaround so Barry’s cousin can have our business.”
“Look, I’m not trying to—”
“Does Icor ever make any decisions that make sense?”
Tom puts up his hands defensively. “Hey, now—”
“With the amount of money we are saving in one year alone, we could retire Barry’s fucking cousin and a handful more people if we wanted, or are we also concerned about his pride.”
Tom’s face grows stoic, and I realize how inappropriate my lashing out at him is.
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
He smiles. “It’s okay, and I understand your reasons behind this. It’s just better that you go in armed with the knowledge. I’ll back you up in there. I promise.”
Point: Tom.
Tom gets up from the chair, patting my shoulder. “Well, I better get back to work myself.”
“Thanks! For the flowers and letting me vent.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Tom leaves, closing the door behind him, and I can’t help but pull out my phone to look again at Gabriel’s text.
What do I say to this? What does someone say to this?
I stare at the words on the screen, unsure of what to do.
What would Might Be Meghan say?
I decide to say the opposite.
Remi: I’m sorry for acting like a nut the other day. I hope I didn’t put you in an awkward position.
Gabriel: It’s fine. Do you regret our conversation?
Remi: Not really….
Gabriel: Would you like it to continue?
Remi: Kind of.
Gabriel: All I can think about is tasting you.
Remi: Oh?
Gabriel: Down on my knees, under your desk.
Remi: Oh…
Gabriel: Is that a good oh? Or a bad oh? Is it the big O?
The room suddenly feels ten degrees hotter. I’m unsure of what to say but very interested in what he’s telling me.
Remi: It’s a ‘new at this’ kind of oh.
Gabriel: Am I going too fast?
Remi: I don’t know. Where is this supposed to lead?
Gabriel: Hopefully, to you touching yourself.
Touching myself? Am I supposed to tell him I’m touching myself? How am I supposed to touch myself and continue whatever it is we’re doing on the phone? I’m such an amateur.
Remi: Maybe we can discuss this more tonight?
Gabriel: Definitely. I think you’ll find I’m pretty convincing with my words. It’s due to my skillful tongue.
I toss my phone down, utterly unprepared for the torrent of emotions suddenly coursing through me.
God, please let this be real and happening.
Curious, I pick my phone back up and read and reread Gabriel’s text. The feelings they’re provoking are highly addicting.
Is this what it’s like to feel wanted? To feel desired?
Before I can think on it any further my office door opens again, this time it’s Analise.
“I worried you wouldn’t show!” she says as she hops over to my desk.
“I damn near didn’t after that video. God, how embarrassing!”
“It’s funny. The board is going to go nuts, but it’s hilarious. There’s nothing they can do about it.”
“Oh, and thanks!” I say glaring.
Her face contorts in confusion. “For what?”
“For telling Gabriel I told Tom I wasn’t wearing underwear on my date!”
Her lips shoot out like a ducks, her eyes shift from side to side. “I didn’t tell him that.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No…I didn’t. We have talked about you, but I never told him that.”
“Oh…”
“So, how do you know he knows?” she asks.
I go to show her the text messages, then remember how fucking stupid that would be considering everything that was said between us—and the pictures.
“You told him what I said to Tom. That I blurted out I wasn’t wearing any underwear.”
“No, I didn’t. I promise you.”
Then how does he know?
After a minute of thinking, I decide I believe her. I barely know Analise, and she’s Cregor’s spawn, but something tells me she wouldn’t lie.
“Hey, if you don’t mind, I could really use some help. I’m in uncharted territory.”
Analise sits down, crosses her long legs, and says, “Your therapy session has started. I charge more for boring stories than fun ones.”
“It’s just, I don’t know what to do about Tom,” I say.
“What about Tom?”
“He’s asked me out to dinner tonight. I said, ‘no.’ Maybe I shouldn’t have.”
Analise dons a smirk. “So, you’re playing hard to get?”
“No, it’s just I’m going to dinner with someone else.”
“Oh? Well, you must tell me who.”
“There’s this guy, very different from Tom, but hot. Super hot. I like him, but there’s no way he would ever date me, and Tom, well, he just might want to date me.”
“So what you’re trying to tell me is you can’t decide whether to lose your virginity to Tom Wellington or Gabriel Icor.”
My cheeks flush every shade of pink in existence, and I jump up to cover Analise’s mouth with my hands like a damn toddler.
She chuckles. “Like—you didn’t think I’d guess?”
“How?”
“Me and Gabe are close. Real close.”
“Oh, my God, so you know?”
“Know what?”
“What a fool I made of myself the other night.”
“Is this aside from the cat tower video?”
“So, you don’t know about the texts?”
“I was in his office pretty late on Friday. The last thing I told him to do before I left was to text you and invite you to dinner.”
The words feel like a punch in the gut.
“So…he didn’t want to take me to dinner?”
“No, he did. I just had to nudge him in that direction.”
“I’m confused.”
“Yep, I would be too, but it’s Gabriel that’s going to have to straighten it all out for you.”
“So, you’re not going to help me at all?”
She exhales an annoyed breath. I can tell she wants to discontinue the conversation.
Finally, she says, “I can’t tell you what to do about Tom or Gabe, al
l I can say is you need to go into whatever situation knowing what you’re going to get out of it. At a minimum, both of them will fuck you. Without a doubt. But beyond that…well…that’s a conversation you’re going to have to have with each of them.”
I look down at my keyboard, frustrated.
“So, what exactly is it you want?” Analise asks.
“What do I want?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s not just about them. You get a say in where everything goes.”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Well, do you want a relationship? Do you want a boyfriend? Do you dream of a husband and kids in your future?”
“Sometimes. I want all the good things in life without having to work for them.”
“Then why the hell are you working for Icor Tech?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I just don’t want to have to guess and worry, and put years into a guy hoping for a proposal just to have him dump me.”
“I guess a lot of us feel that way.”
What Analise said sounds so ridiculous, I snort. “Yeah, like you ever have to worry about that.”
“You think I don’t have to?”
“You’re rich, smart, and beautiful. You’re the whole damn package.”
“My fiancé left me for my cousin. I had to go to their wedding to keep up appearances. Wouldn’t want a scandal.”
“Oh, gosh.”
“Another ex sent nude pictures of me to a host of tabloids after we broke up. My father spent almost a million dollars keeping them off the internet.”
“I had no idea.”
“Of course. You wouldn’t. My problems may not be the same as yours, but I promise you, I have just as many.”
“I hear ya, and thanks for setting me straight,” I say. “And I want love and a career. It doesn’t have to be in that order.”
The Billionaire's Board Page 13
