by P. Dangelico
Next was relief because I actually nurtured a kernel of hope that he’d come to his senses. Perhaps he wanted to clear the air. Secretly, I was praying that he missed me as much as I missed him. Last was a small bit of suspicion over what Hastings had claimed.
I stepped out into the hallway, headed to the meeting, and shot Michelle a do you know what’s going on look and my secretary simply shrugged. Business was business, however, and regardless of our personal differences––differences that had kept me up every night since Frank had died tossing and turning––I was going to make sure he understood that there would not be any more “meetings” without him running it by me first. I was acting CEO and this was bullshit.
When the room came into view, my steps faltered because what I saw confirmed my worst suspicions. Through the glass-paned wall, I could see the entire board of directors seated at the conference table, Scott standing at the head of it. Any hope I had disappeared, and my stomach sank. Hastings was right. There wouldn’t be any heartfelt reconciliation. He didn’t want to discuss business, or our marriage. Whatever it was––it wasn’t good.
I entered, grasping my cell phone with an iron grip, my diamond wedding band painfully digging into my skin. Anything was preferable to feeling the collective stares of all the people in the room. Well, all with the exception of the one I still loved.
Scott spared me only the briefest of glances before his attention returned to the board members seated around the table. He looked the part. Nobody would’ve mistaken him for a spoiled playboy. And it wasn’t just the expensive suit, or the neatly parted and swept-back hair. It was his demeanor. He looked hard, formidable. He looked like vengeance incarnate. Everything Frank wanted him to be.
I’d felt his love. Even now, even though he was fighting it tooth and nail, I knew he still loved me the way I loved him. After everything he’d done and said to me, I wanted to wrap my arms around his waist and bury my nose in the warm skin at the base of his throat. I’d never wanted to touch him as badly as I did in that moment, ironically, when he was most out of reach.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” he began without addressing or introducing me. He hadn’t even asked me to take a seat. No acknowledgement of my presence. It was the worst insult he could have leveled at me and he knew it.
He owned the room already. One glance around confirmed it. Nobody was looking my way for guidance. After dedicating my life to this company, having known most of these people for a large part of it, I’d suddenly become not only invisible, but dispensable.
“The five of you on speakerphone, please acknowledge who’s present.” All five board members on the phone spoke up. He pursed his lips before speaking. “Losing my father so unexpectedly has been a tremendous blow for me personally, for my family, and for this company…”
The “unexpected” remark was entirely for my benefit, aimed at shaming me once again.
“Had I been made aware of the state of my father’s health, this transition would’ve gone smoother. Unfortunately, I wasn’t and now we’ve got what we’ve got.”
His gaze dropped for a brief moment to the table, and in turn I held my breath, sensing the imminent danger I was in as acutely as I’d felt it standing before that charging bull back in Wyoming.
“As of today, I’m removing my wife as acting CEO––”
I hadn’t wanted to believe Damon. I needed to believe that Scott still felt something for me, for what we’d had. Respect, whatever. That he would’ve at least given me the benefit of telling me in private rather than to humiliate me in front of the board of directors. In front of the world, really. It was only a matter of time before the Wall Street Journal broke the story. Somebody was probably texting them right now.
And despite him being a raging asshole, I still loved him. The same man who wouldn’t even look at me. The same man that had kissed every square inch of my skin and every silver scar refused to meet my eyes.
“The decision to install her as CEO was made by my father while he was unsound of mind and body––influenced by my wife…It should be noted that I’m seeking a divorce as soon as possible.” He wasn’t pulling any punches. No mercy granted for a woman he once considered a friend and a lover.
I didn’t move a muscle. I couldn’t. It’s like my limbs wouldn’t cooperate. I stood stock-still near the door and took every shot, all his anger and frustration. My arms hung limply at my sides, my expression as neutral as ever. I wouldn’t let them see, and I certainly wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
My eyes worked around the conference table, taking in each and every disapproving glare and smirk, each shake of the head and disdainful frown. I’d known most of the members of the board for the better part of ten years, but they were all strangers now. With a few choice words, Scott had destroyed my reputation, my connections. All my hard work.
“Regardless, no harm’s been done and I’m ready to take my place as CEO of this company.” His voice sounded firm, remorseless. “I’ve consolidated power, spoken to my mother and sister. Devyn has signed over her shares, giving me controlling interest in case any of you get ideas.” Heads turned left and right, some of them quietly murmuring to one another.
I gave it one last chance, but no matter how much I willed it Scott refused to look at me. So I took one last look at him, at the man I’d fallen in love with. Then I turned and quietly walked out. There was nothing left to say. Nothing left for me in that room period.
“You should sue his ass,” Miller announced from his seat in the armchair in my office. I glanced up from the stack of papers I was sifting through and met his disgruntled expression.
“Can you please hand me the blue file,” I said, motioning to a stack of files resting on the side table. Miller did as I asked and went back to sipping his latte like he was at Sunday brunch and not at work in the middle of the week.
If leaving was only as easy as walking out. There were too many important contracts and proposals I needed to personally go over with the new general counsel to simply quit. Besides, I could never do that to Frank.
In the break room, I’d overheard the whispers. Scott had hired someone from an outside firm, thus ensuring that person would be loyal to him and only him. Smart move I’d tell him if we were talking. Which we weren’t.
It had been five days since my public humiliation and there would be nine more. Nine more days of people watching me as if I were a reality TV show and whispering behind my back. Nine more days of seeing him day in and day out. Of him ignoring me––or worse, treating me with the same cordial indifference he reserved for strangers. He was a good actor, my soon-to-be ex-husband. He didn’t even look mad anymore. Just far away, remote…cold. The bright side was that it couldn’t get any worse.
It was time to throw in the towel, to admit that my Scott was gone and a younger, more ripped version of Frank had taken his place. The tailored suits. The groomed-to-death appearance. The dead careless stare. The party whore was long gone. This Scott was all ruthless efficiency. I wondered what Laurel and Ryan would think if they saw him now. I’d tried to explain it to Laurel the other day on the phone and failed.
“What do you mean he’s not coming back to Wyoming? He’s a rancher not a CEO.”
“Not anymore, Laurel. He fired me and announced to the board that he’ll be running Blackstone. And you should see him. He reminds me so much of Frank…his father would be proud of him.”
Ironically, the pain of losing my dream job had turned out to be no pain at all. It was Scott’s betrayal that cut to the bone. The job I would eventually get over. The man I was still very much in love with––not so much.
“Have you thought about staying?” I asked my soon-to-be ex-assistant while my attention remained on the piles of paperwork on my desk. “Hastings wants you on his team.”
Hastings had been a surprise, and I wasn’t used to good ones.
Miller sighed. “No. It’s time for a change. Paul wants me to work for him, on the bu
siness side of the restaurants, but I’d like to stay married…so I’m thinking about going back to law school.”
My head jerked up, hoping that I’d heard him correctly, and an uneasy smile grew on Miller’s face. “It’s about damn time. Anything you need from me––anything––”
“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” he muttered.
“Miller…” I sighed. “…you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Don’t be stupid about this.”
Miller’s attention fell on his nails. He drummed his fingers on his thigh. For all his tough talk, Miller was a sensitive soul. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“It’s not a compliment it’s the truth.”
“What about you? Plans?”
“For the first time in my life, no…I’m going to pack a bag, grab my passport, and head to the airport. I’ll buy a ticket when I get there.”
“I should sue him,” he sneered.
That brought an unexpected smile to my face. The workings of Miller’s mind were always good for entertainment. “For what?”
“Sexual harassment.”
As much as I wanted Scott to hurt, to taste a little bit of his own medicine, taking down Blackstone Holdings in the process wasn’t my idea of fun. “Stop it.”
Female laughter drew our attention out the glass-paneled wall of my office and across the cubicle-littered floor. Scott stood near reception with an attractive redhead in a sharp gray pantsuit, and judging by the smiles, they were clearly enjoying themselves.
“Who’s that?” I asked as my stomach knotted and an ominous feeling came over me. The redhead gazed at Scott with unmistakable lust in her eyes. I knew that look. I’d worn that same look on my face not too long ago.
When Miller didn’t answer right away, I cut him another glance. That’s when I knew I wasn’t going to like his answer. “Who is she, Miller?”
“New general counsel––the woman that’s taking your place.”
My gaze returned to the attractive woman. There was no mistaking that she was aiming to take my place in more ways than one. Things had just gotten worse.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Scott
Ten days. Ten days had passed since I’d taken control of this company. Since I’d essentially ended any chance of a reconciliation with my wife. In the meantime, I’d done a great job of burying my head under Blackstone Holdings. Figuratively speaking, of course. Although somedays it felt literal. Then again, I would’ve done just about anything to drown out all the feelings
I was still reeling from. Betrayal. Disappointment. Powerlessness so acute it made me want to smash things. The last one particularly devastating. Worse yet, I was trying desperately to hold on to my righteous anger, but it was hard when the person I wanted to be angry at wasn’t making it easy.
Sydney had been nothing but helpful, facilitating the transition every way I asked and even going the extra mile when I didn’t. There was no resentment, no bitterness, no threats of lawsuits coming from her. No tears either––which annoyed the fuck out of me.
She didn’t seem all that upset about being fired. I’d feel a little better about the situation if she was at least a little angry in return. Nothing would feel better than unloading on her. But, no, she’d shown me nothing but kindness and hard work.
For the past three nights, she’d stayed late to help Katherine Daly get up to speed. With no small amount of satisfaction, I’d hired her away from one of my father’s competitors. Maybe the one thing I’d done right since returning to this garbage dump of a rat-infested shit hole city.
I wondered what the old man would say if he could see me now, occupying his office, trying to fill his shoes. He was dead and I was still trying to get his attention. How fucked was that?
As I drummed my fingers on the keyboard of my computer, my bare ring finger caught my attention. Today I’d check to see if Sydney still wore hers. At some point, I’d get around to divorcing her, but not any time soon. I had a company to run after all.
“Scott, a word?” Katherine Daly marched right in without waiting for a reply. Which, of course, irritated me. Although almost everything did these days.
She took a seat in the wing chair stationed on the other side of my father’s desk and crossed her legs. Funny how I still thought of it as Dad’s.
“Did you see the game last night? We need a better DH.”
She was talking about the Yankees game which I had absolutely no interest in discussing. I tore my eyes away from my desktop screen, ready to tell her I didn’t have the time nor the inclination for idle chitchat, when I noticed her black skirt gapping open. It had spilt up to her thigh, revealing the lace band of her thigh high stockings.
There was no question she’d worn it on purpose. I’d been the victim of so many female schemes of seduction over the years I could teach a class on it.
Inappropriate, I thought, and discarded the sentiment just as quickly. I wasn’t about to grant her any more mental space than was absolutely necessary and even negative interest could fuel the fire. Her come-ons had grown bolder over the last week. I was trying my best to pretend it wasn’t happening.
“Did you need to discuss something––other than the game?” I remarked with as much irritation as I could pack into one sentence. My expression said more of the same.
“I thought we could have dinner tonight and go over the files Sydney sent me last night. The Tokyo project in particular may be problematic.”
“No.” My attention moved back to the computer screen.
“No?” She chuckled.
My patience with her, the little I had left, had officially run out. “Look…Katherine. You came highly recommended and I appreciate you hitting the ground running with all the turnover Blackstone has suffered since my father’s death, but make no mistake, this is a working relationship. I don’t know how Campisi runs his office, but I don’t fuck my employees. I’m not interested. Am I making myself clear?”
Somewhere between the death of my father and the end of my marriage I’d lost all capacity to be diplomatic. It would’ve been lost on her anyway. I was getting the impression that this one needed blunt force to get through to her.
Katherine sat up straighter, her legs uncrossing. After easing shut the gap in her skirt, she laced her fingers together on her lap. “We’re clear.”
Exhaling tiredly, I continued, “Good. Now tell me what Sydney said about the Tokyo property?”
As if summoned, Sydney appeared in the open doorway to sucker punch me in the gut. The dogs shot up from a dead sleep on the couch and ran to greet her, circling her legs, whining and crying as she fussed over them. I hadn’t seen her in a few days. I’d tried to stay away, but it was getting increasingly harder instead of easier.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked with a soft smile, her gaze shooting back and forth between me and Katherine.
“No,” I shot back immediately. She’d just granted me the perfect cover to get rid of Katherine.
She wasn’t in work clothes, I noted. She wore a black sweater and black jeans that hugged her long athletic legs. Her hair fell loosely around her shoulders.
Fuck, I miss her, was my first and last thought. I almost laughed bitterly. Rather inconvenient to have a beautiful almost ex-wife that I still loved. And I did…despite everything.
“We were discussing the Tokyo property, but that can wait.”
“Oh. If you have any questions I can––”
“Not yet…maybe later.”
She stepped further into my father’s office and stopped halfway. That’s how I thought of it––all of it. My father’s company. My father’s office. My father’s desk. None of it felt mine. Not like the Lazy S did. None of this felt real.
The woman who stood calmly watching me a few feet away was real…and she’d been mine not so long ago.
Sydney
“Thanks for the notes, Sidney,” Katherine said, standing. There was only genuine gratitude in h
er voice. I had to give her credit for that. “They’ve been quite helpful.”
I tore my eyes away from Scott’s intense expression to take in Katherine’s appearance: the white blouse and black pencil skirt, the bee-stung lips and Disney-princess eyes. Very sexy. No doubt about it. Katherine was a beautiful woman and a really good lawyer. It was the latter that rankled.
At least Scott was speaking to me. He’d said more in the last five minutes than he had in the last three weeks combined. That was something to be grateful for.
“We can go over the files later, Scott,” Katherine said to him. More flirtation followed, and I almost rolled my eyes. Everyone in the office knew she was after him. Some were even taking bets on how long before they got caught fucking in the supplies closet. It gave me a panic attack every time I heard someone whispering his name.
“I’ll give you guys some privacy,” she said.
Scott didn’t bother replying and his attention didn’t waver from me. I didn’t know what to make of this new attitude, and quite frankly, I was too exhausted to even try. Sensing she wasn’t going to get another word out of him, Katherine made for the exit.
I glanced over my shoulder and made sure Katherine was gone before speaking.
“I came to give you this.” From the back pocket of my jeans, I extracted a white envelope and approached. I’d almost lost my nerve when I found her sitting in my chair, the one I’d sat in for years across from Frank. For all his faults, his meddlesome ways, I missed him desperately.
By the time I reached the desk, Scott had already risen from the chair and was half sitting on the corner of the desk as casual as anything. His demeanor said he wasn’t breaking a sweat. Not like I was. This was it. Probably the last time I’d see him other than on a television screen. I held out the fat white envelope for him and waited. He stared at it for a while. Then, taking it from me, he dropped it on the desk like I’d doused it in a contagious disease.