by Chelle Bliss
Even though a relationship between us would be impossible, he’s made me want someone at my side to share everything with. My heart’s heavy because I know when we step foot off this island, nothing will ever be the same.
I reach down, picking up a perfect seashell near my feet and clutching it tightly in my palm. It’s the single reminder of this weekend and Antonio that I’ll allow myself to bring back home. I can’t wallow in self-pity, wishing life could be different. We both must play the cards we’re dealt, even if they put thousands of miles between us.
We spent most of the day on the beach, talking and swimming under the warm Caribbean sun. I didn’t think about the contract I’d signed or the fact that everything was coming to an end. I saved that until now, until the end of this journey with Antonio.
His arm wraps around my shoulders, and his toes meet the crashing waves. “Are you ready to go back?”
I place my head against his chest and stare off into the distant blackness. “I know we have to, but my heart doesn’t want to leave here, Antonio.”
“We can come back,” he says quickly. His hand curls around my shoulder, pulling me closer. “This doesn’t have to be the end.”
He’s uttered that phrase to me a dozen times this weekend, but he’s wrong. This does have to end. There’s no us on the mainland. There’s no reality where two rivals can fall madly in love and have a happily ever after. It’s delusional even to let my mind wander there.
“Thank you,” I say, peering into his blue eyes that are as dark as the ocean in the dim lighting.
“Thank you, love.” His fingers touch my chin, lifting my lips to his.
I’m almost breathless as he kisses me. The wind swirls around us as the waves crash down against our feet. If I could have a single photograph from this weekend, this moment would be it. When his lips leave mine, he stares down at me with the same sadness in his eyes I have in my heart.
Neither of us wants this moment to end, but we both know it must. The dreamland we’ve lived in since Friday night is just that…a dream and can never be reality.
“The jet’s ready.”
I try to crack a smile, but I fail miserably. “I’m ready,” I lie and slide my arm around his back.
I glance at the sea, taking in the whitecaps of the waves that are illuminated by the moonlight cascading across the sea. The tranquility yet volatility brewing under the surface is much like this moment. Perfectly peaceful, yet filled with dread and fear that I’ll never be the same again.
Antonio and I walk to the dock and the waiting charter to take us to the mainland, our arms around each other and our sides touching. After Antonio helps me inside the tiny boat, I take one last glance at the lights dotting the wraparound patio, the palm trees waving in the wind, and I say a final goodbye.
Not even the most beautiful things in life are meant to last. This is another step on my journey and one I’ll never forget.
***
ANTONIO
“Welcome home, Mr. Forte,” the airport hangar manager says as we step out of the jet into the cool Chicago air. “Your car is ready for you.”
Lauren’s already halfway down the stairs, heading toward the waiting Escalade before I have a chance to respond to the manager.
I give him a curt nod before jogging down the stairs, reaching for Lauren’s hand. “Wait,” I say, but she pulls away and doesn’t look back.
She stalks toward the opposite side of the car and slides into the back seat before I can even open the door for her. The Lauren Bradley of last week is back and in full effect.
After I climb in the back and give her address to the driver, I take a moment to think about what to say next.
She’s pissed at me and rightfully so. I promised her the name of the mole, and I’ve been vague with my answer. She wants specifics, but I’m not ready to lose the only card I have left.
“I expect the name by tomorrow or…” Her voice trails off.
“Tomorrow you’ll have your mole,” I promise, and now I have to deliver.
I pull a manila folder that’s been tucked in the pocket behind the passenger seat that I had prepared for this moment, hoping the weekend would go as planned. “I have another proposition for you.”
“Oh, another?” She purses her lips and glares at me. “Is this another thing you won’t fully deliver on too?”
I deserved that shitty comment. “I will deliver, Ms. Bradley. This is entirely different than our personal agreement. This involves both of our companies.”
She turns toward me, pressing her back against the door and putting as much distance between us as possible. Her eyes glance down at the folder. “At this moment, I can’t trust anything you have to say or any contract you have to offer.”
I straighten my back and let her words go. The last thing I want to do is argue with her. “Look this over, and we’ll discuss it in the morning.”
Her top lip curls as she glares at me. “Just tell me what’s inside. I don’t have time to read through a hundred-page contract. I have a company to run, Mr. Forte.”
“Cozza is ready to move forward with the takeover of Interstellar. Nothing has changed, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get the board to change their minds.”
Her eyes narrow. “Like you’ve bothered to sway them in any way. This was all just a ruse to get me away while the takeover moved forward. Just admit it.”
That’s the furthest thing from the truth, but she’ll never believe me. “Inside this folder is a new contract, an agreement to bring to your board and investors. Instead of a hostile takeover, Cozza would like to merge with Interstellar to create a new company that no one could top.”
“So, wait.” She gawks at me. “You want us to join up and make a team?”
“Imagine our two companies with us in charge and the amazing and unbelievable things we could accomplish together. Number one and number two joining forces would make us unstoppable. The aerospace industry would grow by leaps and bounds through cooperation instead of competition.”
“You’re delusional,” she replies and closes her eyes. “My team will never go for this, nor will my investors.”
“Read the document, Lauren. Don’t make a rash decision before understanding the true terms and what Cozza has to offer. This could make your investors richer than they’ve ever imagined and make a trip to Saturn a reality sooner than we both expect. We’d be unstoppable.”
She rips the folder from my hands and sets it in her lap, maintaining her distance from me. “When do you want an answer?”
“Tomorrow, end of business. I’ll deliver you the identity of the mole, and you give me an answer if you’re willing to bring this option in front of your board.”
“Do I have a choice but to bring it before them? It’s not my decision to make.”
“But it would be your decision if you’d like to remain at the company and work with me.”
Her eyes rake up and down my body with disgust. “I will not be your second-in-command.”
“You’d become the President of Cozza Interstellar Corp, and I’d maintain my position as CEO. You would not be my underling, but my equal.”
“It would never work.”
“Lauren,” I say, reaching across the seat and placing my hand on her knee, but her body remains rigid. “Just think about it. This could solve all of our problems. No longer would we be enemies and have to maintain a safe distance. We could be equal partners and become something bigger and more profound.”
She doesn’t reply as she straightens her body to face forward, causing my hand to slip off her knee. The wall that had crumbled is back up and stronger than ever. I fear it’s impenetrable at this point and there’s nothing I can do to remove even a single brick from her self-imposed armor.
She stares out the window as the car weaves in and out of the city traffic. The only thing I can do is hope that once she reads over the contract, she’ll come back to me.
I’ve always been the master of my
own destiny. But this time, I’m leaving it in her hands. I’ve played my cards, dealt every last one in this final hand, and the decision rests with her, along with our fate. For once, I’m giving in and letting her make the decision that will determine our futures.
Chapter Eighteen
LAUREN
There are exactly eleven voicemails and seventeen text messages from Tara when I finally turn on my phone after I cracked open a bottle of Moscato and kicked off my shoes.
Tara: Want to get a drink tonight?
Tara: Hello.
Tara: Are you wrapped up in that handsome devil?
Tara: Lauren, where the fuck are you?
Tara: I’m going to call the police.
Tara: Damn it, why didn’t you tell me you were going out of town? I called Cassie to see if she knew where your ass was. Call me as soon as you get in.
I listen to the voicemails as I sip the first glass. They’re funny at first before growing panicked and then telling my ass off just like she had in the text messages. I’m about to dial her number when there’s a pounding at the door.
I stare at it, not moving because it’s after ten and the doorman hasn’t alerted me to a guest. The only person who has unfettered access to my loft is Tara. I could sit here quietly and pretend not to be home or open the door and have to retell the entire story.
“I know you’re home. Matt told me you were. Open up.” She pounds on the door again, relentless as she always is.
I’ll be having a chat with Matt, the doorman, tomorrow about the type of information he shares, even with my best friend. I open the door and don’t say a word as Tara breezes into my place and tosses her purse to the floor.
“Where the hell have you been?” she asks, plopping down on my plush, oversized couch and making herself comfortable. “You have a tan.”
I grab a second glass from the cabinet next to the sink, along with another bottle of wine because I don’t feel like sharing. I need to drown my sorrows and any thoughts I may be having in lots of booze. “I went to the Caribbean for the weekend.”
“Which island?” She plucks the glass from my hand before my butt touches the cushion. “You know I love it there.”
“I don’t think it had a name. It was a private island.”
Her mouth drops open as she pours herself a glass of wine and tops mine off. “Wait. Were you with him?”
I nod and let out a loud sigh. She stares at me, wanting details. I can see it in her eyes, but I gulp down the glass and reach for the bottle again.
She’s quicker and moves it out of reach, holding it hostage. “Were you with him?”
“Yes, I was with him. Now give me the wine.” I motion for the bottle and can’t bear to look her in the eye.
She tucks her leg under her bottom and rubs her hands together. “If you’re ready to take him down, I’ve come up with a plan. But first, I want to know everything that happened.”
And with that, I tell her. I go into every detail. I leave nothing out. I tell her about our first night under the stars and sleeping by the sea in his arms. I recount our fights and that I finally rode a Jet Ski after she’s been begging me to for years. I relive the candlelight dinner on the beach. Tara sits silent, hanging on every word as I speak.
“God, he sounds dreamy.”
“Like a frickin’ nightmare,” I mutter and take another gulp of wine.
I’m three glasses in and not feeling half bad. The wine’s dulled the ache that’s settled deep in my stomach since the moment the jet touched down. The pain of saying goodbye to Antonio and knowing that nothing will ever be the same. The wine has even tamped down the anger I have for him and the rage that’s built inside since the moment he refused to tell me the identity of the mole.
“Come on.” She slaps my arm and rolls her eyes. “I’d take a little of your nightmare. I mean, shit,” she mumbles. “You could’ve worked my shifts for me, and I could’ve lounged on the beach and made love to that beautiful man. I’m willing to take one for the team.”
“The nightmare wasn’t the weekend. The nightmare has only just begun, Tara.”
She grimaces. “What are you going to do?”
I scrub my hand across my face and try to focus my blurry, tired eyes. “I have no idea.”
“Could what he’s proposing work?”
“I guess it could.”
I haven’t put a lot of thought into it. He dumped all the information in my lap, and I haven’t had time to process the full scope of the proposal. I’m too angry with him to even see straight, let alone form a coherent thought.
“I say go for it. You get the man, the company, and can rule the world.”
I laugh because she always makes everything seem so simple. “If only it were that easy.”
“It is. Then you can take me to that swanky private island, and we can bask in the sun and work on our tans.”
“I’ll buy my own private island just for us.”
She scoots forward and places her empty glass on the coffee table. “Now you’re talking, sister, but maybe hire a really hot cabana boy for us to ogle.”
I laugh. “I can do that.”
She glances down at her watch before climbing to her feet. “I have to go. It’s late, and I know you’re going to be in the office before the sun even rises.”
I walk her to the door, sad to have my friend leave so quickly. “Thanks for checking on me, T.”
She wraps her arms around me and holds me tight. “Just promise to call me tomorrow and let me know what happens.”
“I promise. You’ll be the first to know what I tell Antonio.”
“How about an early dinner tomorrow to celebrate?”
“Celebrate?” I ask as we pull away from each other.
“Whatever your decision is, I know it’ll be right. I could use a fabulous meal and more wine, or we can grab a bat and visit Mr. Forte.” She laughs, and although she’s joking, I know she’d break his knees in a heartbeat. “I’ll swing by your office at five, and we can have a girls’ night.”
By the time tomorrow evening rolls around, I’m going to need time with my friend. I don’t know if I’ll be in tears or ready to take the world by storm. “You got a deal.”
Tara waves as she strides toward the elevator, pretending to punch the air like she’s preparing for a fight. She’s the female version of Rocky minus the heavyweight titles and muscles. But the girl has the attitude of a fighter and has always been by my side, no matter what crazy shit’s gone down in my life.
I close the door and press my back against the cool, hard wood, taking in my expansive penthouse before sliding to the floor. Resting my head in my hands, I groan.
“I fucked it all up, Daddy,” I say, wishing he were here more than anyone in the world. “I think I did it this time.”
The only person I can turn to now is Tara, and she isn’t much help. Dangle a sexy man in front of her, and she’s choosing that option, no matter the repercussions. She doesn’t see the downside, no matter how small it may be.
When I’m done having my pity party, I make it to my bed before passing out fully dressed and completely exhausted.
Not only did traveling take its toll on me, but the emotional turmoil that’s coursing through me has drained every ounce of energy I had left in my system. I dream of Antonio, haunting me from the beach and beckoning for me to join him by the ocean under our stars.
“We may have found something,” Josh says before I’ve even had a chance to shove my purse in my desk drawer. “It’s not much, but it may be a lifeline.”
Cassie saunters in, eyeing Josh, who isn’t always her favorite person. “I brought you a cup of coffee, Ms. Bradley. Is there anything else I can get you?”
Josh is staring at me as I take the coffee from Cassie’s hands. “That’ll be all, Cassie.” I smile at her before my eyes flicker to Josh.
I wait for Cassie to close the door as she leaves before I speak, but Josh interrupts me first. “Looks like you had a r
elaxing weekend.”
I glance down at my tan skin and drag my eyes back to his. “I spent the weekend trying to save our company. There’s another offer on the table from Cozza.”
Josh places his hands together, touching his fingers to his chin. “What type of offer?”
“They’re offering a merger instead of a takeover.”
He leans back, placing his ankle on his opposite knee, and he stares at me with an unreadable expression.
“As the CEO, I’m bound to bring the offer before the board for a vote, but I have reservations.”
His fingertips slide over his jawline in slow, gentle strokes. “Do you want me to look it over?”
I reach into my purse and pull out the manila folder before sliding it across the table. “Everything’s in here. Let me know your thoughts.”
“It’s a total merger instead of a takeover. Would we remain on staff?”
“We would,” I tell him, based on everything I read this morning on my way to work. “The name would change and our roles may end up being slightly different, but we’d become Cozza Interstellar Corp or CIC and become the largest and most powerful aerospace company in the world.”
He flips the folder open and studies the first page. “Based on what the team brought me over the weekend, it may be our only option.”
“We’ll meet after lunch to discuss the logistics and what the offer could mean for the future of this company.”
He stands, tapping the folder against his open palm. “I’ll give you my opinion then, but I really don’t see another way out of this without ripping our company apart.”
“I was afraid of that,” I tell him before he walks out of my office.
I figured a company such as Cozza wouldn’t put a takeover in motion unless they were completely sure they’d be successful. I’m sure their team of lawyers and executives worked every angle.
Even though the takeover would be costly with the new engine ready to go into production, they’d more than make the money back. There isn’t much risk on their end, and the merger is a lifeline that I’m sure Antonio put into motion.