“The good news is, there’s nothing wrong with you dating Tom since he’s not a direct superior.”
“And Gabe?” I ask.
“That gets tricky. When Icor employees date, there’s usually no drama unless it’s kept hidden. As long as you report it with HR, you’re above board. If one of you reports to the other, they do their best to reassign one of you. Maxwell never wanted to have to deal with disciplining employees because of what their hearts want. With Gabe? I can’t say. I’ve honestly never thought about it before.”
“So, with Tom, I can have romance, sex, love, and keep my job. With Gabriel, I can have…sex?”
“You’ll have to talk that out with him.”
“Thanks,” I say, though very little was cleared up for me. “So, how’s your sexy barista?” I ask.
Analise closes her eyes and gives the cutest ‘humph.’
“If you’re asking whether I came into work fifteen minutes late because I was being worshipped by a man who may be related to the Energizer Bunny, then I would say you’re crazy.”
She gives me an exaggerated double wink, and I snicker, more than a little jealous.
“I need to get back to these reports.” I wiggle my mouse to wake my computer. “Maybe we can chat later.”
“Sure thing,” Analise says, and gets up to leave. “Catch ya later.”
CHAPTER 20
Gabriel won’t give up without a fight…
Fuck me! How did I get myself into this mess? And why do I keep fanning the flames?
The delivery guys arrive on time, and I tell them where to put Remi’s boxes. They’re all marked well, what few she has.
I spent all Sunday telling myself it’s over. That I’m going to act completely professional around Remi and hope she could forgive my overstep, but then Tom had to threaten me this morning, telling me if Remi got in trouble for the video, he’d pull some legal bullshit.
And then I had to see him stepping into her office.
All men have a competitive drive. It’s the most basic qualifier of success, and Tom certainly ticked up the rivalry this morning.
With Remi, I almost feel territorial. Partially because I don’t want to see her get hurt, but also because she plays the starring role in all my most recent fantasies.
Remi has three large boxes of books, two large boxes of clothes, a desk in dire disrepair, an assortment of other medium-sized boxes, and a morbidly obese cat that clawed its way through two of the delivery men.
How can one person have so little? I ask myself while staring at her household wares.
Growing up in abundance leaves you oblivious to the lives of those with less. I know that what she has doesn’t mean she’s poor. It’s just so foreign to me. Every woman I’ve ever known, ever dated, ever spent time with, was a ravenous consumer.
Tonight, I will take her here, to her own apartment. Hopefully, she’ll react well when she gets to the master suite, which I spent an hour putting the finishing touches on. If not, well, that will make for an awkward workplace.
My alarm buzzes, alerting me to my upcoming meeting.
I leave the suite, providing the decorator and delivery men with strict instructions, and as I’m walking down the hall, I see Analise coming towards me.
“Figured I’d find you here,” she says.
“How do you figure?”
“I haven’t seen you this hung up on a woman in…like ever. I’ve never seen you this hung up on a woman.”
“God, Analise, you make it sound so serious.”
“Isn’t it, though?”
“No, it’s not. It’s this whole marriage thing. I think I’m feeling the weight of…of—”
“Marrying China’s most eligible lesbian?”
“Don’t say that so loud!”
“Oh, don’t be so sensitive. How are you going to react when you hear rumors that she’s diddling the maid?”
“Fuck, Ana, can’t you show a little tact?”
“Well, you should know that Remi’s having major anxiety over this.”
“Anxiety? Why?”
“Jeez, Gabe, you can’t be this oblivious. The girl’s a virgin with two men romancing the fuck out of her. She wants to make sure she makes the right choice.”
“What does she assume her choices are?” I ask.
“Well, she knows whatever she has with you will be driven by lust—she probably assumes you fuck a bunch of supermodels.”
“Really? Is that the vibe I put out?”
“Gabe, you have fucked a bunch of supermodels.”
“It was a phase. A fun phase, but not one I’m eager to go back to.”
“The other option she thinks she has is a possible relationship with Tom.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“I know. I didn’t want to be the one to break it to her.”
“Who knows, maybe he’s finally ready to settle down. I mean, he’s 30. Isn’t that around the time men start looking for life partners?”
“Gabe, you’re an idiot. I honestly think he’s been looking for a life partner for a while, but he gets bored. Easily. Do you remember that woman he met when he was finishing up the paperwork on his car? He bought her a damn Hummer and lost interest in three weeks. Three weeks!”
“So, what do we do?”
“Easy—you have to be the one to romance her.”
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m up against her hopes of a relationship.”
“Gabe, just lay your cards on the table. She may decide on her own that she doesn’t want to date anyone she works with. After all, she is analytical. You could become the appealing option by way of her not wanting to fuck up her work life.”
“Yeah, because screwing your boss never complicates things.”
“I never said that, but with you, she knows what she’s going to get.”
Analise’s logic is actually pretty good, but I don’t know if I’m simply telling myself this so I have a reason to fuck Remi.
“Well, I’m out,” Analise says, bringing her phone up to her ear and walking a little way down the hall.
“Later, Ana.”
I step into the elevator and push the number eight, bringing me to the meeting rooms. I’ve received at least twenty emails from high up people at Icor regarding Remi’s video from the other night. There have been some scandals at Icor, and some of those same people involved in said scandals are calling for me to dismiss Remi, which makes it all the more fun when I tell them she’s sticking around. I didn’t spell out the word hypocrite, but I let my words show my feelings more subtly.
Exiting the elevator I see Lindel, her face brightening when she sees me.
“You’ve been busy,” Lindel says, and I give the woman a hug.
“I have been.”
“Something’s up with you.”
Lindel knows me better than my own mother. As soon as I told her about my engagement, she knew I wasn’t happy about it.
“Things will start going better soon,” I say.
“That new girl you promoted.”
“Remi.”
“Yeah, her. How you feelin’ about that?”
“I feel just fine, actually. It was the right decision.”
She looks at me critically, and I can tell there are things she wants to say on the matter. Lindel is rather conservative, which is hilarious because her daughter Keisha is absolutely wild—too wild for even me during my own wild years.
“Look, I have to get to a meeting, but we can pencil in some time tomorrow if you feel there are things we need to discuss.”
“A talk’s coming, but maybe not tomorrow. These things take time.”
I smile, drawing Lindel into another embrace and make my way to my meeting.
The presentation has already started, and I slide into my chair, facing the screen.
Of course, the meeting is entirely unnecessary, and my mind begins to wander almost immediately—to Remi.
I pull out my phone and enter the chat thread I have with her,
bringing up her picture in the lacy black underwear. The underwear I keep in my desk.
Her friend must have taken the picture, Might be Whatever, or is it Amy? I don’t know, but Remi couldn’t have taken the picture herself. She has a playful smile on her face, and I try to envision her smiling at me like that. Playful…coy.
She deserves someone that will appreciate her. That will laugh at her clumsiness, and possibly cover all the doorframe and hard edges with padding. All I can give her is fleeting moments of pleasure.
What if Analise is right? What if casual is what she wants? She’s twenty-three and hasn’t pursued any serious relationships, and she’s so hot that if she wanted a man, she could easily find one.
My mind conjures images of Remi without the muumuu, wearing a matching lace bra, sitting on the conference table, legs spread.
Damnit! The last thing I want is to be ‘standing at attention’ in a room with six other people. Baseball, basketball…hockey. Dentist, oh shit, there was that hot one. Wait, are they looking at me?
“What are your thoughts, Gabriel?” Kelsey, a corporate lawyer, asks.
I exhale, knowing I’ve been caught not paying attention.
“My apologies,” I say. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
Kelsey dons a smug look. She’s hated me ever since I rebuffed her advances several months back, but she does damn good at her job, so we deal with each other as best we can.
“We want to offer the features listed to clients, but it seems like you’ve had them in beta testing forever.”
“Well, I can assure you, I will check on this personally.”
I make some notes on the matter, and tell them to proceed.
The meeting wraps up rather quickly, and I hurry to my office to resolve some things before my dinner with Remi tonight.
Unfortunately, when I enter my office, Tom is waiting for me.
CHAPTER 21
Remi goes to the top floor…
It’s almost five o’clock, and lucky for me, my work is done for the day, and I have nothing hanging over my shoulder to mess up my evening.
I shut down my system and enter the bathroom attached to my office, so I can change into my evening attire.
I pull up Meghan’s contact info and hit the FaceTime button, a moment later, her face pops on the screen.
“Let me look at you!” she barks.
I hold my phone up to my face.
“Your lashes stayed on, good. Your hair needs some work, though.”
I plug in two curlers because Meghan was clear this morning that my bottom layer required a softer curl that the top, and I spread out the array of cosmetics she gave to me.
For thirty minutes, Meghan issues orders like a drill sergeant, walking me through a process most women have down before they enter college. In the end, I look like a different woman entirely.
I’ve never felt so sexy before.
My eyes are dark and dramatic, my cheeks well defined. My lips are a shade of bright red that you see on a sports car, not at all the dramatic crimson she put me in for my date with Tom. My blonde hair is set in loose curls, flirty Meghan calls them. And the dress I’m wearing—well let’s just say I’m nervous about leaving the office in it.
It’s black and made of thin cotton. A metal ring holds the fabric together at my breasts, creating a peephole effect that has me blushing. It feels rather appropriate, considering the text last sent by Gabriel. The dress is short, and the shoes Meghan lent me are open toe ankle booties that elongate my legs, and give me a different, more brazen posture.
In other words—I look good.
Meghan squeals when she sees me, jumping up and down so that her head bobs out of the frame of the screen.
“I swear, it’s like an ugly duckling makeover!”
I scowl at her.
“Except you were never ugly! And you’re not a duck.”
We both laugh, and I disconnect from FaceTime after saying goodbye.
I don’t have to wait long until a soft knock echoes from my office door. I freeze, and my brain stops working entirely for a full minute before I finally say, “Come in.”
Gabriel enters my office, and oh my God, does he look hot! Like beyond perfect 10 hot. Godly levels of hot that not many can ever hope to aspire to.
His dark, rugged hair hangs over his intense blue eyes that are staring at me, taking me in. He looks pleased.
Suddenly, he frowns, hands on hips, exhaling loudly.
“What is it?” I ask, more than a little nervous.
“It’s just that, well I was excited to see you in that muumuu of yours.”
I smile and pick up the purse Meghan lent to me from my desk. Then I slip off my glasses and tuck them inside.
“I kinda like those on you,” Gabriel says.
“Well, I’ve been advised by my beauty benefactor not to wear them.”
His hands are busy, they’re toying with something.
“You’re wearing a top hat?” I say, a small chuckle escaping my lips.
“Well, something like that. You’ll see.” He offers me his elbow, and I tuck my hand in its nook. For a moment, I feel light-headed, like the physical contact is too much for me to bear.
He puts the top hat on, and I notice he also has a cane, which I find very peculiar. In all the pictures I’ve seen of him, he’s never dressed like this before.
“And, we’re off,” he says, pulling me through the door and to the most anticipated night of my life.
❦
Gabriel the Magician…
Remi Stone is the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, of that I am positive. Escorting her down the hall to the elevator should be a source of joy, and yet, I only feel sorrow.
We step into the elevator, and I push the button that brings us to the top floor, or rather, the roof.
“Oh, do you have some kind of super-secret restaurant up there?” Remi asks.
“Something like that,” I say, avoiding her eyes.
The door opens, and we exit, my helicopter is in plain view, the pilot waiting for our arrival.
Remi turns to me. “I didn’t expect this,” she says, stopping in her tracks.
I lean down and say, “You have no reason to be scared. The helicopter is top of the line, the pilot, Diger, flew missions in Iraq. Diger is the most qualified man I could find. There is no better.”
“I believe you.” She looks at me with a smile that breaks my heart, and I walk her the rest of the way to the launch pad.
After we’re seated, I give her a headset to wear, and the pilot takes off. Remi looks out the window hesitantly, a mix of anxiety and excitement. I can’t stop myself from putting my arm around her, no matter how ill-advised it is.
“I’ve never been in a helicopter before,” she says, fumbling for her glasses so she can get a better view.
Diger flies around the city so Remi can take in the scenery, then touches down at our next destination.
“Where are we?” Remi asks.
“You’ll see.”
We exit the helicopter to a sea of beaming faces greeting us.
“We’re at a hospital,” Remi says, a look of astonishment on her face.
“Yes, Mother of Mercy Children’s Hospital. Every Monday, I come here to spend time with the patients.”
The look on Remi’s face damn near melts my heart. It’s a mixture of surprise and devotion that can only be genuine. I want to say I’m not shocked, but I am. If I had brought any other woman here, they’d act gracious but be livid.
“Take ‘em out!” I shout to Diger, and a nurse brings two children out to the helicopter.
“The ones that are well enough get a short ride. They take turns, getting to see a couple sights.”
“That’s amazing!” Remi’s eyes light, and I can see they’re moist with tears.
I give some high-fives as I pass the children waiting their turn for the helicopter, then we enter the hospital, taking the elevator to one of the many common area
s.
I don my top hat as we enter the room and twirl my cane to the delight of the crowd.
For the next hour, I do haphazardly concocted magic tricks, many of which I fail miserably at, but the kids don’t seem to mind.
Remi goes around to each of the little girls and talks, colors, and plays dress-up. At one point, I overhear a child tell her she wishes she were as beautiful as Remi. Remi immediately wraps her in a hug and tells her, “You are!”
A nurse approaches as the children are being brought to bed, tablet in hand.
“We have three children this week whose parents cannot afford care,” she says.
I look at the numbers, frowning. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll pay half if Mercy agrees to discount the rest.”
“That’s what I figured,” the nurse says as I sign the tablet. “I already have the discounts approved.”
It’s the same dance it always is. I agree to pay half, they write off the rest. Once, they tried to go after the patient’s family for the rest, and I showed them quickly what a shrewd negotiator I am—that never happened again.
“Dinner time,” I say to Remi, and I bring her back to the elevator and to the ground floor.
We sit next to each other in the cafeteria, dressed in our finest, as the hospital chef brings us our plates.
Marcel is a damn good cook. I should know because I hired him. When I saw what they were feeding the children here, I was disgusted. Children recovering from illness need proper nutrition, and Marcel knows his way around restrictive diets.
“You do this every Monday?” Remi asks.
“Yeah, it’s been my tradition for about five years.”
“This is amazing. I mean, I don’t know how you do it.”
“Well, being my own boss means I can make the time.”
“No, I mean, it’s heartbreaking.”
“It’s also miraculous, in ways. These children are so strong, stronger than I’ll ever be. They’ve changed me. This is the least I can do in return.”
Her hand covers mine, and the physical contact sending a jolt through my system. I want her, badly, but she’s just so far beyond my reach, and just within grasp of Tom’s.
We finish eating, my heart weighing heavy with each bite. I don’t know how to undo the damage I’ve done, the stupid situation I’ve gotten myself into. I should tell her now that this can go no further, but I look at her, and I feel this indescribable joy I’ve never felt with anyone else before. I’m hopeless against her wiles.
The Billionaire's Board Page 14
