by Kate Stewart
It takes everything I have to keep my voice even. “Today?”
He’s here.
Tobias is in Triple Falls.
My mind flits back to the idea that I wasn’t alone last night.
Oh, how he fucks with me just by existing.
I was ready to confront him at some point in the near future, but today, now? My nerves start firing off as I stand and walk over to a row of large windows.
“Please excuse us,” Ryan says, his eyes still on me.
Mr. Strauss nods. “I’ll be just outside. I’ll send him in when he arrives.”
Ryan replies with a quick “thank you” and closes the door behind him. Our eyes connect for a beat before I dart them away.
“Finally, a secret you can’t keep. It’s written all over your face. Who is he?”
“Someone I didn’t think I’d ever see again.”
“Clearly, he wants to see you.”
“Not true. He wanted this to be a quick sale. His name is nowhere on the offer.”
“He knew you could dig and figure it out. He made it too easy.”
“He knew I would see, but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to see me.”
“So, this is the one that got away from you,” he says, sidling up to me as I move my attention back to the windows. “Cecelia, what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure.” But I am sure he still wants Roman’s company. This was always supposed to happen. But Tobias hasn’t touched it since I left.
“Do you trust this man with the company?”
I nod.
“Then, why do you look so terrified?”
“Let’s just say the last time I saw him—it didn’t end well.”
“He’s offering you a lot more than it’s worth.”
“That has nothing to do with me. It had to be an offer I wouldn’t refuse.”
“So, we’re dealing with the Godfather?”
That crack doesn’t even get him a smile.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Positive. Look, don’t worry. He wasn’t a fan of my father. But he’s not trying to gain this company with ill intent. My guess is that he plans on making it employee-owned.”
“I see.” Another pause, and I still can’t look at him. “Is any of this, you coming back here, selling the company, and Mr. King, any part of the reason why you broke it off with Collin?”
I don’t answer.
“Wow, now, I’m really intrigued.”
“Don’t be. He’s just a man who wants to own the company, this plant in particular. He’s got his reasons, and he’ll do right with it.”
“Well, I sure as fuck don’t want to leave you in a room with him if you’re afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Cee,” he grips my hands in his, forcing me to face him. “You’re shaking.”
“It’s cold in here.”
His eyes narrow, calling bullshit.
“It’s just been a long time.”
“You’re sure you can handle this?”
No.
“Positive. Ryan, please do me a favor and give me a minute alone.”
When he hesitates, I shake my head. “I swear, I’ve got this.”
“Okay, I’ll be just outside that door.”
“Thank you.”
When the door closes, I move toward the window and stare into the trees on the other side of it.
Over six years without a word, and this is all I get? Years of silence, and he expects me to hand it over without a fight? His audacity only feeds my residual anger. I understand his grudge, for Roman and for me, but this move only adds insult to catastrophic injury.
For years my father monopolized the city’s welfare, and it’s only fitting that they fought back. Tobias was always going to be the one to give it back to them. I was so young then, I never really saw the bigger picture, but his plans haven’t changed. Small town justice was always his gateway to corporate warfare.
And I can’t even hold a grudge for it. It’s brilliant. From an alliance formed when they were just teenagers to the bittersweet victory of today, he seems to have done everything he set out to do. Everything.
His day of reckoning has finally come. And ironically, I’ll be the one to gift it to him.
But not without seeking some justice of my own.
When the door opens and closes some minutes later, I keep my gaze out the window but can feel his hesitance from feet away.
“Well done, Tobias, but you had to know I’d figure it out.”
Silence. A long minute of quiet followed by another. I can feel his eyes on me, my spine prickling in awareness, my heart fluttering in my chest.
“I didn’t care if you did.” The timbre in his voice combined with the thick foreign lilt has my eyes closing and my heart lurching into rapid rhythm. For years I dreamt of hearing his voice, and for years I’ve replayed echoes of his soft murmurs during our most intimate moments.
“So why didn’t you show up?”
“It wasn’t necessary.”
“You mean I’m not worthy of a handshake? Or at the very least a little gloating on your part.”
“No gloating necessary. I’m well aware of your position to deny me this. But you never cared about his company.”
“Why now? Why did you wait so long?”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore.”
“What’s changed?”
“Nothing, except deciding I did.”
Despite my mission with my own career, I haven’t so much as touched Roman’s company since I inherited it because though I hold my grudges close, it was never supposed to be mine for the taking.
“This was supposed to go down years ago. What happened? Did you take pity on a dying man?”
“Plans changed.”
Quietly exhaling, I turn and lay eyes on him for the first time in six years. It’s a shot to the chest which robs me of breath and ricochets when his eyes collide with mine. In those few seconds, I’m engulfed in flames, my lips parting slightly as we take in the other, at a loss for words.
He’s cruelly beautiful, as he’s always been, even more so now. He’s larger than life in the outdated office. His dark suit clings to his physique, his build just as magnificent as it was years ago when I felt his naked flesh under my palms, and our breaths mingled.
No memory I have did him justice. From the surreal ember color of his eyes to the cut of his jaw, to the majestic strength of his nose, down to his light crimson lips, he’s spellbinding. And just as I recognize the fire in his eyes that I’ve longed for with every beat of my betrayed heart, they cool considerably before slicing like diamonds down my form.
“I see we’re going with an openly hostile reception. I would think this would be a good day for you, Tobias. A celebration. You won.”
“I won nothing.” His tone sends a chill down my spine.
“I’ve been well, thanks for asking.” I take a step toward him to engage, and he stiffens. “You’re going to give it back to them, aren’t you?”
One sharp nod.
“They deserve it. I won’t fight you on that.”
Another nod as he sweeps me as if he’s trying to make sure I’m unharmed. I’m fucking not.
“But I won’t let it go fully, either.”
He snaps his eyes to mine. “Can’t you just be done with this?”
“In the last six years, I’ve been no burden to you. I did what was asked of me.”
“I told you not to come back, Cecelia. I meant it.”
“Yeah, well, sorry about the inconvenience, my father died. I have business here.”
“Your father died two years after you left, you didn’t show up then. But if you want to use him as an excuse, then let’s get this over with so you can go.”
I square off with him. “Sorry. I no longer take orders from you.”
“You never did. And this doesn’t have to get ugly.”
“Except it will because I won’t b
e manipulated by you again. And I want answers.”
“Let it go. We were foolish people then, who did stupid shit. Your part in it ends in this room.”
“Stupid…” I draw the word out. “Well, I’ve definitely felt that over the years.”
His nostrils flare as I draw closer, the energy between us crackling with each step, making it harder to breathe. Volatile eyes scour me before he shoves his hands in his pockets. “Do you want an apology?”
“Now that would be worthless. What you did to me was unusually cruel, don’t you think?”
“It was necessary.”
“Necessary…no, I don’t like it. And cruel might be mild in comparison to what it was. Merciless might be the better word. But I’ve tried really hard not to hold it against you because it came from a place of pain. At least it did at first.”
His jaw feathers with irritation and my palm itches to slap and soothe. Physically I can feel every emotion rolling between us, but I want so much to break this tension because it hurts.
His voice is barely a whisper when he speaks. “What do you want?”
“I want you to talk to me. Grant me a conversation.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“I have plenty.”
His nostrils flare. “Then let’s hear it.”
“No,” I say softly. “I don’t think so. Not this way. Not with ears on the other side of that door.”
“This was a mistake,” he barks out and runs a hand through his hair, ruining the composed look of it. “The deal was—”
“We’re still in negotiations,” I snap, striding toward him in anger. “You plotted and schemed using me as a ragdoll, and you’re the one who’s aggravated? I’m not going to deny you this, but how dare you stand there and have the audacity to act indignant about it?”
“Again. You were never supposed to be involved in any part of this. From day one, I told you to stay the fuck away. But you didn’t listen.”
“And you stayed away?”
He levels me with his response. “It meant far more to you than it did to me.” Inside I’m dying, his words hitting as hard as he intended. I glance back out the window to keep him from seeing the sting. Tension thickens as he speaks from behind me. “Everything has moved on without you.”
“Good to know.”
“Just sign the papers and go home. You’ll be a rich woman.”
That comment has my focus back on him, my glare full of the offense I feel. “Money means absolutely fucking nothing to me. And I’m a successful woman already without this deal.”
“I’m aware.”
“Are you?” I cross my arms. “Is that part of moving on?”
“We’re not going back there.” His voice is steel, the edges of the blade slashing across my chest. Why can’t I let go of this man that so clearly despises me? I had suspected as much, but now it’s blisteringly evident. In a way, I cost him his brother, as my father did his parents. Maybe he has every right to hate me and vice versa, so why can’t I hate him back?
Electricity sparks the longer we share space, and I can feel the increase in the thrum between us, while he tries to feign indifference. But it’s still there. And how I wish it weren’t. How I wish that fate or karma or whatever it is that decided to tether us together would disappear and release me, release us both. But it’s there, and it’s so loud, it might as well be the pound of a drum.
This, this is why he didn’t want to be in the room with me. Our connection is in our chemical makeup, an unexplainable bond. It was our undoing years ago, and it ate us alive. It’s every bit as strong now. It’s so easy to put my finger on the why of us when every part of me is buzzing in awareness.
“You want to keep this civil? Fine, indulge me. How is Sean?”
“Married. Happily. He runs the garage now. He’s got two kids.”
I swallow. “T-that’s, that’s wonderful.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Are you still close?”
“No.”
“Why?”
His eyes ignite, and this time, it’s take no prisoners. “I’m done here,” he snaps, picking up the pen and holding it toward me. “Sign. And go home.”
“No. I think I’ll hang around for a bit. I’ve got old friends to see. How is Tyler?”
He takes an aggressive step forward. It’s almost as if he’s in pain staring back at me. Greedy, I eat the feel of it up because being within feet of this man has heightened my senses to a point I didn’t think I was capable of anymore.
He reads me easily.
“Times have changed. This is the last thing that ties us.”
I tilt my head. “Is that so?”
“Just fucking sign,” he orders in warning. “I want to be done with you.” I flinch, and for the first time since he entered the room, his eyes soften, but I’m already hemorrhaging.
Hate him. Please hate him.
“Sign,” he utters, his voice low. It’s as close to begging as he’ll get.
The air stills the longer we square off, and I know he’s with me. We’re both fighting the draw, fighting the shift between love and hate. The longer we’re in the room, the more it blurs, and the angrier I get. But I’m not going back on the promise I made myself.
“I want the truth.”
“Prepare to be disappointed.”
“Meaning?”
“Don’t push me, Cecelia.”
“Don’t push you? Oh, you silly bastard, it’s about to be a shoving match,” I grit out, lifting my chin. “I deserve answers.”
The door opens, and Ryan steps in. Tobias’s glare lands on him, but Ryan’s eyes are on me.
“We okay in here?”
“Fine,” I answer quickly, though I’m anything but. I’m coming apart the more the seconds’ tick past. “We just need another minute.”
Tobias doesn’t spare Ryan a word as the two have a silent but loaded moment before he closes the door behind him.
Tobias looks back at me incredulously, before shaking his head in disgust.
“What?”
“Of course, your fucking lawyer is in love with you.”
“He’s a dear friend I trust, and he’s the best at what he does. In fact, he’s about to put your balls in a vise, so you might want to play nice. This is business, and I’m keeping my silly heart out of it, you taught me that, remember? And who better to teach that lesson than a heartless man?”
He slides the documents across the table.
“Sign it.”
“No. I don’t think so. Not this contract. Draw up another where I have a twenty-five percent stake in the company. And if you don’t, I’ll take the next offer for bottom dollar, and you’ll never have this fucking plant.” His eyes light with fury, but I don’t bother to celebrate, I’m defeated in a way I didn’t think was possible. Coming here was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made because seeing him again has wrecked both me and my chances. I still feel it, every ounce of it. The truth will never set me free. I’m not in love with a memory. I’m still in love with the man standing in front of me. And that truth unleashes an anger inside me that’s been building for years.
“You might have made it easy for yourself by once again exiling me, but you destroyed that stupid naïve girl with your selfish shit and war games. I circled the drain for years wondering how I could have meant so little to you. I’ve lost half my fucking sanity trying to battle my way back from what happened, and that’s because of the way you shut me out and left me dangling in the dark, completely alone.”
I begin to shake with anger.
“I lost him too. And then you saw to it that I lost everyone else.” His eyes sweep me, and I see a flicker of guilt, but it’s not nearly enough. It never will be.
My tone is just as frigid when I finally lift my chin to my maker. “But that girl grew up, and she’s angry about the cards she got dealt by your hand, and she wants her pound of flesh. You can have the company, but you won’t ever, ever cut all ties to me. I’ve been serving the
sentence you passed for years, suffering in silence, and it’s time you start serving yours.” My voice rattles with fury, my hurt and hatred emerging from the river of lies he left me drowning in. “You thought with this, you could wash your hands of me? Tough shit. You don’t get to break ties with me, not now, not ever.” We’re so close at this point I can see the dark tint and curl of his long lashes, the divot beneath his nose, the faint freckle on the corner of his lower lip. I can smell the rich scent of his skin.
“I’ll give you what you want when I have my answers.” I grab my purse and jacket and palm the handle of the door. When I glance back at him, his eyes are predictably on me. “That’s my counter-offer. Take it or leave it. I guess the question is now, how bad do you still want it?”
Jerking the door open, I gesture to Ryan, and he joins me at my side, his eyes darting over my shoulder as I stride toward the lobby.
“What happened in there, Cee?” He helps me into my jacket, his gaze darting between the lobby and where we stand.
“Negotiations.” I’m still shaking as he ushers me into the parking lot toward my car.
Once I’m behind the wheel, my body goes slack as he looks over to me, his eyes wide. “Jesus,” he says, looking as bewildered as I feel. “Who the fuck is that guy?”
“Just a part of my history I need to put to bed.”
“I physically felt that, Cecelia. I felt the tension in that room.”
“Yeah, well, he thinks you’re in love with me.”
A long beat of silence has me turning his way.
He rakes his lower lip with his teeth before lifting deep blue eyes to mine.
“I am. And I’ve never been so jealous of another man in my life.”
I gape at him. “Ryan…you aren’t serious…”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. I gave up on you a long time ago.” He nods toward the building. “And no man alive can compete with that.”
“I never…” I search for the words as guilt gnaws at me. He’s always flirted, even in front of Collin, but he’s had a dozen or so more girlfriends since we broke up. He sees the guilt in my eyes and shakes his head.
“Want to feel better?”
I nod.
“I’ve fucked my way through half of Atlanta.”
“That’s more concerning than anything.”