She stares at me for a moment before saying, “Oh.”
Chuckling quietly, I say, “Yeah, this isn’t my normal modus operandi, as you’ve probably have heard. I tend to storm in, wipe out most of the company, then fix it or liquidate it.”
Nodding at my words, she asks, “What changed all that?”
“You,” I say quietly.
“Me? Surely you didn’t…” She trails off when I nod at her.
“Yes, you, Zoe. I had to talk to you so I did the only thing I could think to do. Keep everyone working until I got you alone,” I say with a shrug.
“But…” Her eyes widen. “Is this actually costing you money right now?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” I smirk.
“What’s a little bit?” she asks.
“I don’t know right now, with the projections still being out on whether this will be a sustainable company… But we’re in the hundreds of thousands today. Next week, it will be a million or so if I don’t have a game plan in place.”
“Holy shit,” she gasps,
Shrugging, I reach out and grab her hands, holding her own trembling fingers. “I think we can turn this company around. We just need to get a rebranding that sticks, then earn the trust of the public.”
“Umm…” she starts, but then closes her mouth, her eyes falling to our hands.
“Zoe,” I say sternly. “Look at me.”
When she finally looks up, I can see she’s clearly freaking out. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s not on your head to fix this. Mine either. If it goes south, we liquidate the company, take what we need, and put it into another company. It happens all the time. Regardless of the outcome, you will be working for me in my company soon enough.”
“I… what?” she asks, confused.
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about our marketing and publicity. With your help, I want to see what other sectors we can get into.”
I’ve been giving some thought about what adding a viral marketing department could do for the company, and what it would be like to have her working closely by my side.
Fuck, this trip is going to be a nightmare to hell and back for me, and judging by the look in her eyes she’s going to feel it just as strongly as I am.
My heart already aches just from the thought of spending an hour away from her.
Pulling her up from her chair, I then pull her tightly into my arms. Shit, I can’t bear the thought of sleeping a night away from her.
“We’re getting you a passport as soon as I get back. From then on, you’ll just have to come with me everywhere I go.”
From the comfort of my arms, she asks, “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“Four to five days, at the most. I’ll fly there, hold a meeting and then leave. If they aren’t willing to come to my terms, I’ll walk and their company can fold within five months.”.
“Can we talk on the phone while you’re gone?” she asks.
Nodding my head, I say, “As much as you want baby.”
Nineteen
Zoe
With so little time left before he leaves, Bry keeps me in his office for the rest of the day, telling Ariel to hold all his calls. We talk, we try to just enjoy each other’s company, but ultimately we end up making love.
Bending me over his desk, he takes me hard and fast. So hard and fast there’s this desperate quality to his thrusts. It’s almost like he’s trying to fuck his memory into me…
As if I could forget him. Forget how he makes my entire body burn and throb.
After I recover from the first time, he takes me again on the floor. This time it’s slow and sweet, neither one of us wishing to part. Staring into each other’s eyes, we use our bodies to speak what we’re afraid to say with words.
And it’s in this moment, in this sweetest agony, staring into his eyes while pushing off my release for as long as I can, that I realize how much I need him. How much I fucking love him.
How lost and miserable I am without him.
Fuck, I can’t believe I’ve fallen in love with this man after such a short amount of time… It’s fucking crazy… and exactly what I was afraid of, but it is…
By the time we walk out of his office, my legs are jelly and my core pulses with the sweetest ache. Thankfully most of the office is gone and no one is around to see me lean so heavily upon him.
Bry guides me to the elevator with his arm wrapped around me, holding me close.
Pushing the button for the elevator, I think we’re both secretly hoping it never shows up.
“Remember…” Bry suddenly says while we’re waiting, turning me and pulling me closer. Grabbing me by the chin, he stares into my eyes. “Even when I’m gone, you’re mine, Zoe. I bought and paid for all your time. Our original deal still stands.”