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“Don’t remind me.”
Seeing Lana and knowing she was in the same city as me was a torture I wasn’t prepared to deal with. I wished that she had aged horribly, but she had done just the opposite. Her skin was still porcelain smooth and perfect. She was perfect. I don’t think it would have mattered to me anyway.
The first day I saw her, I left work early and spent most of the rest of my day at Clancy’s drowning my sorrows in scotch. The owner called Lucian to take me away. Poor guy was already home after the doctor's appointment with Vincent, and he had to come and get me. However, I remember way back when I did it for him.
Lucian brought me home, deposited me on my bed, and got the stainless steel garbage can from the bathroom just in case I threw up. He put it by the side of the bed. When I woke up the next morning, he was sitting in one of the chairs I had in the corner of my bedroom.
“What the fuck happened.”
Lucian looked up from the magazine he was paging through.
“You got fucking drunk. Thomas called me to pick you up.”
“Shit, was he pissed?”
“No, more like concerned. You can’t do that crap. You have a reputation to uphold.”
“I just…”
“You just what?”
“Seeing Lana threw me for a loop. I just needed something to take the edge off my nerves.”
“If you’re falling apart this easily for a five-minute meeting, how are you going to be when you see her next week for the children’s hospital fundraiser?”
“I was thinking of not going.”
“You have to. You’re one of the biggest donors.”
“No, Eltech is one of the biggest donors. You’re part owner. They don’t need both of us.”
“You’re going. This won’t be the only place you will see her. Are you going to hide and avoid her? Deal with it, Zane. She’s here to stay, and she isn’t yours.”
“It’s easier said than done. I still love her. Besides, I don’t have a date.”
“Take one of your regulars. What about Serena?”
Serena would do. She had married and then realized it was a mistake after three years of marriage. When she came back to Manhattan after living in Connecticut, she looked me up. We started hooking up right away. She was a bitch but great in bed. Occasionally, I would take her out to dinner or as my escort to a fundraiser or charity dinner. I needed her support.
“I’ll ask her. Have you been here all night?”
“Yeah, I slept in this chair.”
“You could have gone home. Olivia must be pissed.”
“She’s pissed at you, and no, I couldn’t go home. If I went home and God forbid you choked on your vomit, I would never forgive myself.”
“I wasn’t that drunk.”
“Yes, you were. I practically had to drag you in and out of the cab.”
“My fucking head is killing me.”
“Good. Maybe next time you won’t drink so much.”
“Thanks for the help. You can go home. I’m sure that Olivia wants to see you.”
“If you need anything, let me know.”
