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As the meeting carries on despite my outburst, I find myself unable to even pretend like I’m in agreement. I can’t even fake it like I normally would in a professional environment such as this one.

I need a moment.

Several of the people seated around the table lavish Rafael with praise. Pat Linetti goes on and on about how he’s so impressed with the business empire that Rafael has built over the years.

“You were on the cover ofForbes!Twice!” he gushes. “We’re in good hands.”

“Thank you,” says Rafael. “But I’d like to hear from Ms. James on how she believes we can improve the network.”

The table falls silent.

The spotlight shines on me once again. I’m so lost in my bad feelings over the situation that I don’t notice for the first few seconds.

Everyone’s waiting on my response.

“Excuse me,” I say, popping to my feet. “I need to step away for a moment.”

Both Finkle and Baron call after me, but they’re ignored.

I pivot in my heels and walk straight out the door of the meeting room.

I’m not even sure where the hell I’m going. I have no clue what I’ll say when, or if, I go back.

The only thing I know in the moment is that Rafael Calderone has come back out of the blue and knocked into me like a wrecking ball.

He shouldn’t have this effect on me, yet here I am, burning up.

I’m forced to think about the humiliating situation from my vacation to Sicily, where I met a handsome and refined, if not mysterious, businessman who seemed to only have eyes for me. He lowered my defenses for the first time since I’d been foolish enough to trust Lincoln and then he did exactly the same—he lied and made me feel stupid for ever believing in his word.

What happened between us in Sicily never should’ve occurred. I never should’ve let my defenses down and let another man in.

I damn sure never should’ve slept with him.

Some women can have sex with strangers and walk away like nothing, but I’ve never been one of them. Definitely not after the night I’d shared with Rafael.

Maybe if the experience had been terrible I could, but the night we spent together wasperfect.

It was everything I had never had with Lincoln and other men.

And nothing compared to the way he made me feel.

I wander down the corridor, passing by other news employees who are in the middle of busy schedules, even so late into the evening. Interns fetching yet another coffee and a camera crew rushing off to set.

One of the nightly news anchors with a bib attached to the front of his suit shouts about his makeup not being done to his liking.

I just need a moment of privacy. Some fresh air.

I’ll call Jayla and she’ll talk me off the ledge. She’s the only other person who would understand the situation I’ve found myself in.

She was with me in Sicily and knows how humiliating my experience with Rafael Calderone was…

I make it to the elevator and smash my finger on the down button. It arrives with ading, the doors rolling open for me to step inside.

A relieved breath leaves me as I press the ground floor and then lean back against the wall. The doors are gliding shut when they jump back open at the last possible second.

A man has rushed toward the departing elevator and forced his way on before the doors could close.

Rafael Calderone steps into the tight space as if he were invited. As if the elevator belongs to him and he’s not encroaching on me.