Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
“Cookies. A lot of cookies and tomorrow it will be a salad.”
She shoves blonde hair from her eyes and sits down next to me. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m good. Go to your Tuesday night yoga class.”
“I don’t care about yoga. I’ve been with you for five years. I know what this company means to you. You made it matter to me. And frankly, I’m thirty next month. I don’t want to start over somewhere else. What can I do to help?”
“You already are. Really. You are amazing. Go. I just need some time to work on my own.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive,” I assure her.
“Okay. Can I at least get you food?”
“No food.” I point to the bag of cookies next to me, with only one left. “I’m quite well taken care of.”
She smiles and hurries toward the door. I quickly get back to work and have a thought. I dial Royce Walker. “Problem?” he answers.
“Why do you always think there’s a problem?” I ask.
“That’s why people call me.”
“Right. Elijah Woodson. I need to know everything about him, how he might burn our company, how we might burn him.”
“You want to know how to burn him?”
“That does seem the best way to keep him from burning us.”
He’s silent for two beats. “I’ll look into it.”
We disconnect and I feel good about that call. There’s a way to do this deal and while I don’t like to play dirty, if someone plans to burn me, I have to ensure they can’t.
It’s at least another hour before Connie pokes her head in the door, a long blonde curl bouncing by her face. Good Lord, I’m surrounded by gorgeous blonde women. “I’m headed out, but Reid wanted me to tell you that your call to Royce was unnecessary. He has it handled.”
I am instantly hot under the collar. “Did he now?”
“Yes,” she says. “I take it that doesn’t please you.”
“No,” I reply tightly. “It doesn’t, but I’ll handle it.”
She laughs. “I’m certain that you will. Good night.” She disappears and I am on my feet in an instant. I exit my office and walk toward Reid’s open door, the sound of voices lifting in the air. His brother again, and I don’t care.
I enter Reid’s office and he looks up as I do, those blue eyes lit with expectation. He knows what he did. I know what he expects. For me to back off with Gabe present. I don’t. I cross to his desk and stop between them, leaning on the endcap of the desk to stare at Reid. “If you think your brother being here will shut me up, you’re wrong.”
“There are only a few things that shut you up and we both know it,” he replies dryly.
I ignore his reference to us fucking on this very desk. “I had every right to call Royce for the answers you won’t give me.”
“If you want information, ask me,” he says.
“I did. You said no.”
“You know what you need to know,” he replies arrogantly.
“What you want me to know is more like it.”
Gabe clears his throat. “Either you two need to get a room or I need to leave to give you this one.”
“Stay,” I say, looking at Gabe and then Reid. “We both know we don’t communicate when we’re alone.”
“On the contrary,” Reid counters. “Those one-on-one sessions have proven enlightening.”
“I think you use anything you can to distract me when we fight, your brother included, because I’m winning. And you don’t like to lose. This isn’t over. We aren’t done.” I turn and walk toward the door.
Once I’m in my office, I gather my things and I leave.
Hours later, I’ve finished a run, and I hate that I hoped to run into Reid. I hate that he’s become damn near an obsession. He’s all I can think about. Determined to get him out of my mind, I shower and have pulled on sweats to hunt down food when the doorbell rings with what has to be a delivery. No one but security, who brings the packages, can get up here without me knowing. I answer the door to find a small box in the guard’s hands.
Curious, and certain this must be from my father, I sit on the couch and open the box to find four pairs of panties inside. My heart starts to race and I reach for the card that reads: We agree. It’s not over and we’re not done.
Chapter nineteen
Carrie
Idon’t really spend a lot of time fretting over what to do about the panties Reid just had delivered. I curl up on the couch and call him. He answers on the first ring. “You got my package.”
Oh God, why does this man’s voice do funny things to my stomach? “And you,” I say, “tore my favorite panties today.”
“Favorite? Well then, I’ll have to give them a closer inspection. I was more interested in the woman wearing them.”