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“And there’s no second chances?”
I shake my head no. “I don’t think so. I had hoped. I thought that he’d come running back, but I don’t think Cyrus Gates is that kind of man.”
We both sip our wine, leaning back against the couch as we let it all sink in.
“Well, shit, this isn’t the good luck at your interview sendoff party I was expecting.” We both laugh. “Damn, I can’t believe you kept it a secret that entire time. Good for you.” She lifts her glass to mine and we toast.
“Want to hear something even crazier?”
“Can it get crazier?”
“Mm-hmm. I was the one who propositioned him with all of this. I mean, he was kind of the one who started blatantly flirting with me and making these little comments, but yeah, that’s why I said I couldn’t blame him.”
“Yup, it got crazier.” She laughs, drinking her wine, then looks over at me. “Is it too soon to ask how it was?”
“Oh God.” I cover my face with my hand. “That conversation is going to require tequila or anything a lot stronger than wine.”
Serenity jumps off the couch, running over to my liquor cabinet to grab a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses, returning to the couch in a flash.
“Tell. Me. Everything.”
Chapter 27
Cyrus
“Is this the meeting? Are they signing the deal?” Nelson falls in step beside me, his short legs working twice as hard to keep up with my stride as we make our way to the conference room where everyone is waiting.
I called a meeting with the entire board of Meridian; Ken Felps, their CEO; and their lawyers with zero context. Nelson doesn’t know that they came to me a few days ago with the photo he so generously supplied to Peter who in turn gave it to them. Truthfully, I wish I knew what the hell was going on in Nelson’s head. How did he think this was going to play out? That they’d pull the deal, offer it to Peter, and then he’d quit and go work for him, and I’d be none the wiser? He clearly takes me for a fool.
“Just need to say a few final things to everyone, make sure we’re all on the same page about this deal and the direction it’s going.” I offer him a tight-lipped smile as I punch the button to call the elevator. “How are you feeling about things, Nelson?” I grab his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“Solid, sir. I think we are moving in the right direction, and I have to say, I have a good feeling about my fut—our future.” He smiles back at me, and it takes everything I have not to laugh in his face and tell him to cut the shit.
“Good deal,” I say, stepping into the elevator after him.
“And, sir, can I just say I’m sorry if I overstepped with things regarding Miss James. You’re right. I had no business getting involved in that and you clearly were able to handle things professionally. Going forward, I’ll stick to my business and let you handle yours.”
I can hear the smug tone of his voice, the arrogance practically dripping from his lips. He thinks he’s gotten away with it. That little spark of excitement begins to burn in my chest. If there’s one thing I love, it’s holding my cards close to the vest and at the last minute, revealing them… after my victim thinks they’re safe, but by then it’s too late. They realize that this entire time they were being stalked by a predator more vicious than they could have imagined.
“Gentlemen,” I acknowledge the men sitting at the table as I enter the conference room. There is a stack of folders already in the center of the large wooden table, a request I made to Abigail before the meeting convened. “I use that term very loosely because I think we can all agree that none of you in this room are actually gentlemen.”
Their faces immediately morph from smiles and head nods to anger and confusion. They glance around at one another, seeing if they misheard me.
“Let me just cut to the chase as to why I’ve called this meeting. I’m not interested in a deal with Meridian.”
Gasps echo throughout the room. Ken laughs nervously. “Cyrus, what? What’s going on?”
“There’s no deal. I’m pulling it.”
“You can’t do that. You can’t back out of a contractual obligation. We’ll sue,” Rick, their lead attorney, says, already raising his voice.
I stand up, chuckling at the idea that he thinks I haven’t thought of that. “I’m aware of the contractual obligations. I’m also very prepared for your threat to sue me. So here’s my counteroffer.” I place my fingertips on the table, leaning forward and leveling my eyes at Rick. “Take the deal with Peter Frisk.”
The room is dead silent. Ken glances at Rick who looks back at him, then to a few of the others.
“If you thought that I was going to fight to keep this deal while you attempted to blackmail me into your demands based on a private relationship I had with my publicist; meanwhile, you were going behind my back to Peter Frisk and shopping for another deal, then clearly you don’t know who the fuck you’re dealing with. You can take your threats and your offer and shove them up your ass.”
Nelson is glowing red, his eyes about to bug out of his head. I’m still waiting for the right moment to reveal to him in front of everyone that I know it was him.
