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“No,” I admitted. “But I would appreciate it if you could see if she’s free. I really need to talk to her.”
The receptionist looked skeptical, but she picked up her phone and dialed up. She spoke to one secretary and then another before she shook her head.
“I’m sorry, sir, but she won’t see you.”
I groaned. I shouldn’t have given my name. I should have told her I was someone else.
A delivery person came to the reception desk with a manila folder. It was labeled with Mackenzie’s name. When I turned away, I heard the receptionist direct the delivery guy to her office—fifth floor, ask for marketing, the secretary would take him where he needed to be.
I hesitated, waiting for the delivery guy to walk to the elevators before I followed him. I glanced toward the receptionist, who was busy on the phone, before I hopped into the elevator just before the doors slid shut.
“What floor?” the delivery guy asked, ready to push a button for me.
“Fifth,” I said.
“Cool.”
We rode up in silence. I acted like this was exactly where I belonged.
When the doors slid open, I followed the delivery guy as he found his way to the marketing department, and finally, where he stopped at a secretary’s desk. He leaned forward and flirted with the secretary, who smiled sweetly.
Just behind him, I spotted Mackenzie’s name on the door.
The two of them were so caught up in each other. I walked by them and knocked on the door before I opened it. I slipped into the office and closed it again.
“Troy?” Mackenzie asked, confused. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” She glared at the door. “Did my secretary let you in?”
“She’s occupied, so I took the chance,” I said.
Mackenzie shook her head. “You should leave.”
“I just need to talk to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Then hear me out—”
“I’m not interested, Troy,” she said, her voice hard, her words clipped. “You and I have nothing in common now that the competition is over. Don’t you have a campaign to work on?”
“I gave it up,” I said.
That pulled her up short. “What?”
“You should have Stein in here at any moment telling you that you got the contract after all.”
“So, you just fucked with me? You don’t even really want it?”
“I wanted it,” I said, shaking my head. “I thought I wanted it more than anything, but I was wrong.”
“You’re so damn spoiled,” she said and shook her head. “It’s not enough for you that you got the contract, you’re already bored with it. You have no idea what that contract would have done for my career.”
“No, you’re right,” I admitted. “I didn’t know, and I didn’t care, and I was an asshole. I was so set on running after business, keeping the one anchor I had in my life going, that I didn’t realize how much you started to mean to me. I didn’t realize that losing the contract wouldn’t be nearly as terrible as losing you.”
She just stared at me, her face an expressionless mask. Her jaw was clenched, though, showing her frustration.
I powered on. I needed her to know—no matter how this ended.
“I fell in love with you, Mackenzie. I fell in love with everything about you. You’re kind and funny and caring, and you’re the smartest woman I’ve ever come across. Your mind is as beautiful as your soul. Everything about you is just perfect, and I was an idiot not to realize that before. I’m in love with you, and I don’t give a shit about the contract. I wantyou.”
