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Since his building was only a few blocks from my hotel and the weather was somewhat agreeable for April in New York, I opted to walk. The crisp morning air filled me with determination, and for the first time since Courtland left, I felt like I could breathe without the fear of an attack.
Pausing at the entrance of King Enterprises, I thought about what I would say when I saw him this morning. I really didn’t have a solid plan. I just wanted to know why. Why had he left without a word, and why, if he was determined to end whatever this was we were doing, would he call Jackson to check on me every day?
When I stepped off the elevator on the fiftieth floor where the King offices were located, it looked like something out of Forbes magazine. Of course, he would occupy the top floor since he thought the entire world was beneath him. Pun intended. From the Italian leather high backs to the marble fountain in the foyer, the entire place screamed wealth. Rows of glass doors lined one wall while granite columns graced the corridor. Soft classical music could be heard throughout the area.
The blonde woman who sat at the reception desk eyed me suspiciously when I approached her. She cleared her throat. “May I help you?” Yes, you can tell me why your boss is such an arrogant, self-centered ass.
That’s what I wanted to say, but of course, being the southern lady I was, I chose the high road. “Hello, I’d like to speak with Courtland King, please.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Do you have an appointment?” The blonde bombshell wasn’t backing down. I could hear the smugness as she spoke. “I’m afraid Mr. King is booked all day, so if you don’t have one, he will not be able to see you.” Her Botox-injected forehead didn’t even wrinkle when she spoke. It was that or the fact her hair was pulled back into a tight bun. But I’m putting my money on the Botox.
I had to give it to her; she was determined to keep her job because, from the little I knew about Courtland King, I knew if she allowed me access without an appointment, it would be the last of her duties in this office. Stumbling over my words, my confidence was deflating faster than a balloon in the middle of an archery board.
“No, I don’t have an appointment, but I really need to talk to him. It won’t take very long. Can you just tell him Molly Steel is here to see him, please?” My voice came out louder and harsher than I had intended.
Once again, her eyes roamed up and down my body, causing the hair on my arms to stand up. Was she sizing me up for a brawl? I opened my mouth to protest, but when a deep voice rattled the silence, I froze in my spot. “Is there a problem, Andrea?”
I still had my back to him. “I was just explaining to this lady that you were booked today, and she would need to schedule an appointment.”
At that, I turned and immediately felt naked as his gaze traveled down my body. When his eyes came back to my face, he had a blank expression. It was like looking at a stranger, not someone who had their tongue inside me. Not someone who delivered earth-shattering orgasms only a few short weeks ago.
After an awkward moment, he broke the silence. “It’s okay, Andrea. I will see Ms. Steel.”
Ms. Steel? What the hell? He turned on his Gucci soles and strode down the hall; me following like a lost puppy. We passed several opaque windows before reaching the massive corner office. He closed the door behind us and walked to his desk, motioning me to sit in one of the wingback chairs facing him. Instead of sitting, I stood in front of his desk and glared at him, waiting for an explanation. We remained in a silent stare-off until he spoke.
“What do you want, Molly?” His cold words penetrated my heart like an arrow. I cut my eyes away from him, trying to maintain my dignity and my composure, and sank slowly into the chair, allowing the soft leather to caress my body.
That chair must have cost a fortune, just like everything else in this office. When I glanced back at him, his face had fallen, and he looked like a defeated man. “Courtland,” was all I could get out.
He held up a hand. “Molly, what are you doing here?”
His voice had taken on a softer tone, and he almost looked remorseful.
What was I doing here? For weeks, I had held on to my anger. But along with the anger came the profound hurt. I continued to watch as he worked his fingers through his hair, sighing deeply as he pulled at it and sat waiting for my reply.
I couldn’t maintain eye contact. It hurt too much. “I’m sorry. I really don’t know why I’m here. I guess I just wanted to understand.”
He glanced down, then met my eyes, his navy eyes looking darker than normal. “What’s there to understand? We had some fun, but it’s time to move on, Buttercup.”
I cut him off before he could finish. “Don’t. Don’t call me Buttercup?” I knew that my voice was getting louder, but I couldn’t control myself. I needed to make a point, but I could barely keep the tears at bay. Blinking them away proved harder than I thought as they spilled down both cheeks. “Why? Why did you leave without so much as a goodbye?” My heart was breaking. I was headed straight into a brick wall, but I couldn’t stop. “How can you treat people like that? I know we weren’t together long, but I thought you cared.” I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. My breath came out in short pants. Oh God, no, not now. Please, not now. I tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. I had unknowingly left my inhaler at home this morning, and now I was gasping for air. My lungs were burning as I tried to gain a rhythm. I was bent over in the chair when Courtland immediately rushed to my side.
“Breathe. Look at me, Molly.” When my eyes met his, he took both my hands in his. His expression was intense. Once I focused on his face, I mirrored his movements—his breaths. It took a few minutes to get mine under control, but when I finally did, I pulled my hands away.
When he sat in the chair opposite me, I could sense his walls coming back up. “I’m sorry. This was a mistake.” Exhausted from the asthma attack and still holding on to my anger, I stood and walked out the door.
When the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, I ran out the door, wincing when the harsh sunlight caught my face. Tears continued to stream down my cheeks as my feet carried me the four blocks back to the hotel. As soon as the door closed, I held nothing back, collapsing onto the floor and sobbing uncontrollably. My flight back to Stone Creek would leave in a few hours, but that wouldn’t be soon enough for me. What I needed was to put as much distance between myself and Courtland King as I possibly could. I got along fine before him, and I sure as hell would get along without him now.
Chapter 12
Courtland
Ialways knew I was a bastard, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear from someone else. The walls I built over the past twenty years were slowly turning into ash, and I was powerless to stop it.
It took everything in me to deny her when all I wanted to do was fall on my knees and beg forgiveness, to plunge my tongue into her mouth and fondle her soft, perky breasts. I wanted to taste her, tease her, and sink my cock deep within her tight cunt.
She was wrong about me, at least partly wrong. I did care. I cared so much that I had to let her go. If she found out the secret I had kept for two decades, she would run away forever. She would hate me as much as I hated myself, and I couldn’t let that happen. Better she thinks of me as a heartless bastard than the failure that I am. Behind the mask of indifference lies the truth, buried long ago. Hopefully, one day, she would understand. I would rather her hate me for a lie than hate me for the truth.
After a restless night, I decided to punish myself in the gym. The penthouse came with a fully furnished home gym that I had taken advantage of lately, spending six days a week sweating and grinding until exhaustion took me. Today was no different.
