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Eric rang and wanted to tell me all about a new investment venture, but my mind wasn’t on the conversation and the multitude of questions he shot my way. He asked me if I was still angry at him for the press slipup, and I told him I was well and truly over that ridiculous debacle.
I cut our conversation short so I could stay alone with my thoughts. It wasn’t healthy to let it go over and over the situation in my mind, but I wanted to place my finger on what was wrong. It wasn’t the sex. That was more than great. It wasn’t that she was on her period. It seemed like more than that. It could have been because I never told her I loved her in person, at least not before the stupid press was told. It could’ve been the whole Keith thing or that I got a restraining order without asking her first.
Fuck! This was driving me absolutely nuts.
The phone buzzed. “Mr. Jacobs, call on line one.”
“Thanks, Ronnie,” I said, realizing my immediate slipup.
“I would appreciate being called by my full name if you don’t mind, sir,” she said.
“Yes. Sorry, Rhonda. It’s been a big week.”
I picked up the line, wondering who it might be. Usually, Rhonda told me, but she was probably pissed because of how many times I’d called her Ronnie.
“Damon Jacobs speaking,” I said.
“Damon, hi. It’s Macca Fry. I’ve been reading all about you, you lucky dog.”
Macca was an old client who’d walked away from the company about twenty-four months ago. He was unreliable and annoying. I still stayed on my best behavior despite not liking him.
“Well, hi. How is everything in sunny Montana?” I asked.
“I’ve moved to Seattle. I found this unbelievably beautiful Thai woman on my trip there. She’s my new bride.”
“Oh, well, congratulations. What can I do for you today?”
“I was thinking about Chan. He recently went in and Duffield and Rogers followed. I think if Timothy James was in, it would seal it long term for me.”
I gave a laugh. “He was in before Chan actually.”
There was silence at the other end of the line. “Just checking how soon I can get over there. Next week probably.”
“No need. We can have the documents sent over, and as long as it’s a witnessed signature, you can send it back in the mail.”
“Really?” He paused. “Send me the documents, and I’ll think about it this week. I think it might be a wise move.”
“Yes, of course. Has your address changed?” I knew it had, but I thought I’d better be polite.
“Yes. I’ll tell your secretary if you patch me back through.”
I was surprised he didn’t mock my recent newspaper and TV famousness. Usually, he loved to wallow in other people’s misfortunes. No sooner did the thought cross my mind, it happened. I guessed he just couldn’t help himself.
“I heard you were tapping your nanny. Sounds extremely erotic. Lucky lady getting the cock of Damon Jacobs.”
“This line’s not great, Macca. I’ll put you through to Rhonda so she can sort your address out. Talk soon.”
I heard him continue talking as I put him through to Rhonda. I didn’t have the patience to listen to his bullshit. If I had wanted to work with assholes, I would’ve stayed with Rainer Holdings. They were the biggest bunch of jerks I had ever met in my life, the clientele and staff members alike. I was done with egos for the day. I was going to lie low until I went to pick up Alexis.
I had about two hours until I needed to leave. I closed my eyes and put myself into relaxation mode. Everything seemed to be catching up with me, and I didn’t want to lose my shit at work or at home. That was why I was the CEO, because I stayed balanced and in control. Everyone needed my strength to function. If it looked like rain, I would tell everyone about the blue skies ahead, and if something was doubted, it was my job to give everyone hope. I hoped the same qualities would work with Karly tonight. Whatever it was that was bothering her could be fixed. We could tackle it together as a team. That was the point of a partnership; you had one another to lean on.
My mind moved from topic to topic. There weren’t too many calls I had to answer, and I refrained from calling Rhonda the dreaded Ronnie. Although I thought Ronnie suited her, I thought better of saying so. Her mood was better if I stuck to being more polite.
***
I got to Chelsea’s right on time. I wasn’t expecting Karly to show up, but she did. She wore a beautiful aquamarine dress and turquoise drop earrings. Her lips were painted in a gorgeous mauve lipstick, and her eyes sparkled. She was unmatched by any other woman I’d ever seen, either in person or on TV.
