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My apology is met with a smirk.
“You left,” I whisper, unsure for a second whether I thought it or said it aloud. He closes his menu and puts it down in front of him. “You left. The next day, the very next day, was one of the worst of my life and I… I wanted you to hold me and tell me everything would be okay.”
He doesn’t speak. He watches me, expressionless.
“You can’t tell me you love me now, Clark, and expect that to wipe away the past.”
“I know.”
“You were supposed to get married, and I just think… I think you have a lot going on in your head. You must have. It’s not okay for you to mess with my mind and tell me you love me when I know… I would be your rebound. No, don’t speak. That’s how it is, Clark, and I can’t do that. Even if I could forget, even if I was still…”
“Still what?”
I shake my head. “No. I won’t let you pick me up and shatter me again.”
The gentle sound of guitar music breaks my train of thought and makes me look out to the Burj Khalifa Lake. Enrique Iglesias’s “Hero” plays out across the lake, and water begins to rise from multiple fountain heads in the middle. As the beat drops into the music, the fountains spurt and the water sways in time to the lyrics.
I stand and move to the fence, looking out over the dancing fountains. It’s so alluring it brings goose pimples to my skin. He knew about the fountains. He knew how stunning this place is. And I don’t know whether I love him or hate him for bringing me here.
I feel Clark move behind me. His hips press into my back, his hands either side of mine on the wooden rail.
“Say you love me,” he whispers into my ear. “Say you love me, and I’ll never leave again.”
God, I love him. I love him completely, unequivocally, despite knowing I really shouldn’t.
I refuse to turn and look at him. My eyes are too full. “Why did you bring me here, Clark?”
He moves away from me, leaving my skin chilled in spite of the warm air.
I compose myself until the song ends and the water stops dancing. Then I take my seat and we order.
“I asked you to come here because I want one more shot at asking you not to go through with the alternative bid,” he says, the warmth of his voice gone, as if I imagined him pressed up against me, begging me to love him, just moments ago.
“Didn’t you hear me last night? God, Clark, surely you can see now how much I need this?”
“I heard you, Dayna. But nothing is worth putting your life at risk. Nothing.”
It’s not the first time I’ve heard similar sentiment today. I’ve had a verbal bashing from Arthur too. He and Teddy are in Camp Never Going To Make A Profit together. People say like father, like son. It’s definitely true in their case.
“Caspar is full of empty threats, Clark.”
“How can you say that?” His words grind through gritted teeth. He’s all but snarling at me. “Last night the man broke into your room with a knife and hit you.” He glances at his hand; the way he looks at me right after tells me he didn’t mean to.
“How did you hurt your hand?” I ask, rubbing a thumb across his red knuckles. He doesn’t tell me, but I know the answer. He had my back. He tried to protect me. That knowledge only adds more turmoil to my mixed-up mind.
A waiter places two plates of softshell crab in front of us. I start eating. Clark doesn’t. He turns his glass in his fingers.
“I have a proposal for you. Another way to get what you want.”
“I’m all ears.”
He takes a deep breath. “Let’s go in together. You and me. SP, Layton Oil. We could make a joint bid. We’d have more money, and maybe your blending capabilities could turn us a profit.”
A waitress asks if everything is okay with our meals. I barely hear her. My attention is fixed on the man in front of me. “I can’t believe I fell for this, for you.”
“What?”
I snicker, a sound that’s coated in hurt. “You end an engagement, just like that, and suddenly, you’re back on the scene and saying you’re interested in me.” I take my napkin from my lap and throw it onto the table as I stand. “I’ve been taken for a fool by you far too many times. This is why you wanted to get close to me again. You know, Clark, very little surprises me in this industry. Oil is corrupt, the people are corrupt, but you… I thought you were different.”
