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“Zane, are you coming to bed?”
I’m surprised she wants me to sleep with her.
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”
It’s been three days since I came home drunk, and we’ve been tiptoeing around each other. I know our relationship is on rocky status again. Lana made an appointment with a therapist, Dr. Farley Amundsen, in the building she works. I’m scrambling trying to get everything completed so I can get there in time.
Our appointment is at 4:15, and it’s now 3:38 PM. I have to be out of here in another few minutes, or I’m going to be late. I send out two emails and throw a thick folder in my briefcase. I’m going to have to work when I get home tonight, but it’s better than missing the meeting with Lana.
I’m on my way out when I hear someone yelling after me. Jan, my assistant, is calling me back.
“Can this wait? I have to go.”
“No, it can’t.”
Virgil Yellen is on the phone about a glitch with the software we uploaded two days ago. He’s claiming it’s not functioning and freezes at the sign-on screen. I knew I could probably pass this off to one of my trainers, but Virgil had been a pain in the ass from the get-go. We had unfinished business with the Orange County school system, and if this didn’t work, they would cancel the order.
“Put it through to my office.”
As I sat down at my desk, I texted Lana to let her know I had an emergency at the office, and I would be there as soon as I could.
You fucking promised Zane. I swear if you don’t come
Lana, please, I’m trying. Be patient.
I was texting her back and forth while trying to calm Virgil down. I had to walk him through sign-on, and eventually, he accessed the software. By the time I got done, it was almost 4:10. I knew I would have to fly to the therapist’s office to get there a few minutes late. I let Lana know I was on my way.
The taxi driver I had was a gem, weaving through traffic like a pro. He got me to the building at 4:22 PM. I threw some money over the seat and got up to the therapist’s floor two minutes later. I gave the receptionist my name, and she ushered me into Dr. Amundsen’s office. The dark-haired man with a sharp face was sitting at his desk, writing some notes on a tablet when I entered. Lana was nowhere to be seen. He looked up as I came through the door.
“Mr. Butler?”
“Uh, yes. Where is my fiancée?”
“She left. She was very upset, and I tried to reason with her. Lana got here early, and we discussed a few points in your relationship.”
I slowly sat down on the couch, “What points?”
“That you don’t put her first in your life. She’s a placeholder.”
“I begged to differ. She’s very important to me.”
“But you don’t show her that she is. Tell me, why did you come here today?”
“I, we, thought it would help our relationship grow stronger.”
“And why is there a problem? What are the key issues you face?”
“She feels I’m not around enough. In my defense, I own a company that needs my attention. Lana knows once it becomes solid, I’ll turn some of the operations over to other employees.”
“But not now?”
“I can’t now. Eltech is at a critical development phase. I need to be there.”
“Need to or want to?”
I hesitated, “Both. I need control. It’s my company, after all.”
“Do you need the same control over Lana?”
