Page 104 of Ten Day Affair

Cole

The jet engines wind down on the tarmac at Teterboro, and I step into the humid night air. The smell of jet fuel mixed with New Jersey grime hits me immediately. Nothing like the salt breeze off the Atlantic that I've been breathing for the past week.

Nothing like her.

I pull out my phone and dial Dorian as I walk toward the waiting SUV. He picks up on the second ring.

"Well, well. Didn't think you'd be back in the city till Saturday. What happened to soaking up some of that neighbor ass before coming back to the smog?"

My jaw tightens. The casual way he talks about Sam, like she's just another conquest, makes something violent twist in my chest. I kick the rear tire of the SUV hard enough to make my driver flinch and step back.

"I left early to refocus on the Singapore deal."

The words come out tight and controlled. Dorian doesn't need to know that I spent three hours pacing my living room after Sam walked away today. Nor does heneed to know that I watched her leave for a run and drive off to go God knows where.

I had to get out of there. Watching her every move isn't good for anyone.

"Singapore? Christ, Cole, that's not for another month. You sound wound up. Shouldn't you be celebrating our Good Samaritan win? Meridian has all but signed for the acquisition, and we haven't even started restructuring. Want to meet for a drink at Three Kings?"

There's nothing to celebrate about that.

"No, I'm good tonight. We did what we set out to do, but no need to sit around and sing Kumbaya."

"Shit, you're even more broody than usual."

I climb into the backseat and slam the door harder than necessary. The driver jumps.

"5th and 72nd. Avoid 7th if you can."

The driver nods and pulls away from the curb. Through the phone, I can hear Dorian moving around his apartment, and ice clinking in a glass.

"Since you're done with the beach house early, mind if I crash there next weekend before you sell? I could use some sun and sand therapy myself before you unload it."

The thought of Dorian in my space, in our space, makes my stomach turn.

"We'll talk about it next week at the Kings Holdings meeting."

"Come on, just say yes. What's the big deal? You said yourself the deal's done. The place is just sitting there empty now."

"I said we'll talk next week. It's going on the market, so I need to make sure that won't interfere. I'll let you know once I talk to the realtor."

Dorian pauses. When he speaks again, his tone is different, almost curious.

"Alright, man. Whatever's eating at you, work it out. See you Tuesday."

The line goes dead. I stare out the window as we merge onto the highway, the city spreading out ahead of us in a maze of lights. But all I see is her deck, her bare feet in the sand after our short jog, the way she looked at me when she rolled over in the bed a couple of mornings ago.

Christ. Was it only this week? It feels like a lifetime ago.

Because it was.

The elevator climbstoward the forty-second floor, and I check my watch. I'm seven minutes late. Angela catches me the second I step into the lobby of Houston Enterprises.

"They're already in the conference room."

Her heels click against the marble as she walks beside me, tablet in hand. The Kings Holdings boardroom sits at the corner of the building. The mostly glass and steel room was designed to intimidate. Today, it feels more like a cage.

I push through the doors, and five faces turn toward me. The usual suspects: Dorian, Harrison, Blankenship, Rodriguez, and Mitchell. They've already started without me, coffee cups half-empty and papers scattered across the polished surface.