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“Layla.” My tone was harsh, the kind I used in meetings or when I was with someone who I didn’t consider worth the pretense of kindness. This was my actual self—stern and unfriendly. From the quiver in her voice, I knew she’d gotten the message.
“Is there a problem, sir?” she asked.
“Is there a problem?Yes, Layla, there is, in fact, a problem. What on earth were you thinking sending that mannerless wrench to me?”
“Sir?”
“Don’t fuckingsirme. You had one job, Layla, to find someone competent enough to accompany me to the meeting, and youpicked the most unruly of them all. Did you not take time to look at her portfolio?”
“Sir, I promise, I took my time to pick her out. She was the best I could find.”
“Well, it’s a shame that’s yourbest.I’m terribly disappointed in you, Layla.”
She started to speak but trailed off, and I knew I had gotten to her. Maybe a little more than I intended, but I didn’t care.
“Reschedule my meeting with the company and book a room for me, and get rid of the fucking Russian. I want someone else at my door as early as eight tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And if you’re so worried about me losing focus, if you have such little trust in me, then get me a man.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sighed as I ended the call, then tapped the bell at the center of the table. Sinking into my chair, I waited for a waiter to come, handing me a menu.
Waving my hand at him, I said, “I’ll just have the special.” He nodded and made to leave. “Also, can I get a refill?” I lifted my emptied wine glass to him, and he nodded again, then hurried out.
By the time my dinner was finished and everything was settled, Layla had sent me the details of the new room. I ordered an Uber, paid for my food, and then stepped outside to get into the waiting car.
Chapter five
CONFUSION STARTS
Olivia Sanders
Isat across the kitchen island from Samantha, my elbows propped on the concrete as I held my temple in frustration. “I just can’t fucking believe this.”
“Hey, you need to calm down. I would’ve hit him too, and the fact that he walked away means he’s a little bit reasonable.” She reached for my shoulder and squeezed it lightly.
“How long do I have to wait? He hasn’t contacted me since then.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know you’ve retrieved your number.”
“Well, he could at least try to contact me.” I stared down at the phone that rested on the slab. I had gone straight to the nearest phone hub and gotten a new phone with the hopes that my agent would reach out to me.
Or at least his secretary.
I didn’t feel bad for what I did; he’d gone too far by grabbing me like that, and to be fair to me, I was in a pretty anxious state already. I’d expected that he would consider various options and try to reach me.
Unfortunately, I had deleted his number, making it impossible for me to contact him. I considered looking for the video I’d found his number on, but I didn’t know which video it was; I had come across it on a coworker’s phone.
“I’m confused, Sam, and I’m in the fucking dark right now.”
“I know, but you’ve already gotten this far. We just have to come up with a plan to keep moving. But in the meantime, you’ve got to slow down.”
“I can’t slow down. I need to contact him. Perhaps I can get to the coffee shop and start looking for him there.”
“And what makes you think you’d find information about him in some vague coffee shop?”