“Just go home, Keri. I have enough to deal with today,” he demanded. I nodded. He opened his door and I left. I refused to meet the eyes of everyone watching as I left the building,especially not the person who’d caused this whole mess in the first place.
I went home and poured myself a big glass of wine, not caring that it was before noon or that I was the only one who was going to enjoy it.
It was fucking five o’clock somewhere, right?
* * *
The next day I woke up with a headache. I hardly ever drank, and I had outdone myself last night. I stared at the empty bottle of wine on the coffee table and made myself a strong cup of coffee to combat it. I poured a healthy dose of creamer into it and sat down on the couch. I had nowhere to go. I wasn’t welcome at work until next Monday came around and that left me dangerously alone with my thoughts.
I sipped the warm brew, taking a moment to enjoy the sweet and bitter flavors as they washed over my tongue. I had to figure out what to do now and how best to handle the monstrosity of a problem that Miranda had caused.
The promotion was likely out now. In all likelihood, Miranda was going to get it and I’d probably be demoted, that is if Colin didn’t decide to fire me after all. I’d have to work like a dog to help alleviate the situation so that everyone would forget what happened yesterday. I could manage it, but the road would be long, and the stigma would always be in the back of everyone’s mind.
I could leave the department and work someplace else, but I’d have to start at the bottom of the ladder in whatever I decided to do next. That wouldn’t be easy either, but it would be doable.
Fuck me.
I reached for the remote and turned on the television. Jaxon Blackwood’s face was all over the news. Apparently, he’d been involved in a major acquisitions deal that bought out some of the biggest hotels on the Vegas strip, namely the Bellagio and the Venetian, as well as several others. Because of it, he’d jumped up several spots on not only the Bloomberg Billionaires list, but Forbes too. He was now one of the richest people in the country.
I stared into those dark chocolate eyes, remembering how they had stared back at me in deliberate challenge.
I licked my lips and my mind started to work overtime. I could deal with this whole sticky situation at work all by myself. It would be rough, but I could do it. It would be far easier to go to him and ask for the one man who could help to make it all go away.
I could make a deal with him. I’d seen my father make deals time and time again. I knew what to do. Hell, I’d even been one of those deals for a period of time. If he wanted money, I would pay him. If he wanted me to work it off at one of his hotels or assist him in some way, I would.
Fuck.
I’d even suck his cock if he could just make it all go away.
I blushed hard even though no one could see me. The image of me on my knees kneeling in front of him caught me by surprise and I did everything in my power to push it all away.
That wasn’t why I was considering going to see him. No. I just needed his help. That’s all this was and that was all it ever would be.
I chewed my lip, staring as he walked down what appeared to be a red carpet with a massive pair of scissors in his hands. I didn’t even know what was going on in the story anymore. I was too caught up in the possibility of seeing him again.
Was I brave enough to go see him and ask him for his help?
What if he didn’t want to help me? After I’d run from his house so long ago, he could very well hate me and just slam the door in my face. But the longer I sat there thinking about him, the more viable the possibility of his help became. It would be so much simpler than starting over somewhere else or having to work within the stigma that Miranda had created.
I sipped more of my coffee. By the time I finished the steaming cup, I knew that the decision had already been made.
I was going to go see him. If he refused to offer me any help, I’d still be in the same situation I was in now, but at least I would have asked. I wouldn’t be left thinking what if after it was all over.
I got up off the couch and put my cup in the sink before I padded into my bedroom. I walked into my closet. Chewing my lip with indecision, I ran my fingers along the soft fabrics before I settled on something to wear. I elected not to wear a power suit, but something a bit more business casual. I chose a pretty dark gray A-line skirt, a tank, and a cute light pink blouse covered with Japanese cherry blossoms. I picked out a brand-new lacy bra and matching white panties. If I felt beautiful beneath my clothes, I was always a bit more confident even though no one else could see it. It was a silly thing I always told myself, but with every interview or important event in my life, I liked wearing a pretty set of lingerie in order to feel like I was at my very best.
I got dressed and slipped on a short pair of hot pink kitten heels to pull together the entire outfit. I went into the bathroom next and did my makeup, making sure to play up my eyes with some smoky eye shadow and big lashes. I chose to only put a dab of colored Chapstick on my lips instead of the bright red I usually wore because I didn’t want it to appear as though I was trying too hard to impress him. I wanted to look professional. Nothing more and nothing less.
When I was finally ready, I stared in the mirror and studied the person I saw there. Once I was satisfied that I looked the part I wanted to play, I turned around, grabbed a small black purse and left my apartment. The front desk attendant waved when he saw me, and I smiled in return.
“Anything I can do for you, Miss Esposito?” he asked.
“Can you call my car to the front for me? I need to go visit a friend,” I answered.
“I’ll get right on that,” he said.
He grinned as he picked up the phone. In no time at all, he was waving me to the front door where my sleek red Tesla was waiting for me. I’d bought it as a gift to myself last year. I didn’t drive it often, but when I did it was a joy.
“Thanks so much!” I called. I strode out the door and smiled as the valet got out of the car and held the door open for me. I took a nervous breath as I slid into the driver’s seat, trying to mentally prepare myself for the intellectual battle to come.
