I pace back and forth in the small space between the bed and the dresser in my hotel room. My hands are still shaking, and I need a cigarette.
Okay, that last part isn’t really true. I’ve never smoked, not really. I had a few here and there in high school when I was trying to fit in, but it’s not me.
Somehow, though, inhaling some nicotine after that encounter seems like it would have a calming effect.
Maybe a shot of something. I pace my way over to the minibar and review my options: tequila, vodka, rum, gin—all the standards. Nothing sounds good; nothing sounds like it’s going to actually hit the spot or make me feel better.
What would make me feel better is currently almost three thousand miles across the country.
I text William.
Me: Could use a hug.
His reply comes almost immediately, as it always does. It isn’t in the form of a text, though. My phone starts ringing.
“Hi you,” I answer, still pacing.
“Hi honey. How’d it go?”
“Awful. He wants to meet to talk over dinner.”
“I knew I should’ve come with you.”
“I’m fine, William. I can handle him.”
“He’s a known womanizer, darling. I know you can handle him, but I just don’t like the idea.”
“I know you don’t, but I’ll be fine.”
He sighs and concedes. “What did he say?”
“Well, I may have interrupted some sort of meeting as I rushed in and tossed threats at him.”
“Oh, Sylvie. You didn’t.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I did.” I know William won’t like what I did, but he’ll still support me. That’s what we do. We don’t have to like everything the other one does, but because we love each other, we still show our support. “There were maybe six or seven men in there and they all got up and left so I could talk to Carson.”
“And then what happened?”
“He was a cocky bastard, that’s what happened.”
“What did he say?”
“Just how I didn’t have to come all this way and could’ve just sent an email.”
“Didn’t I tell you the same thing?”
I blow out a frustrated breath. “In person is much more effective. He probably gets thousands of emails every day. You think he’s going to care about one from me?”
“What else did he say?”
“He’s going to go ahead with his plans for a hostile takeover.” I leave out the part about his flirtations, mostly because William was against the idea of me coming here from the start.
“Darling, I don’t want you going to dinner with him alone.”
“It’s a big city filled with people. It’s not like we’re going to his place for an intimate dinner for two. Besides, this is business. I intend to fight for our company.”
“I’m going to see if there’s a flight tonight.”
“It’ll take more than five hours to get here, William. By the time you find a flight and get to the airport, we’ll be at dinner, and by the time you arrive, it’ll be long over. Besides, you have the Canterbury event tonight, remember?”
“I know. I can skip it for you, though.”
“No, you can’t. You need to be there.”
“I know.” He sighs. “I just want to be there for you.”
“You are there for me, always. I’ll do this dinner tonight, and then I’m coming home first thing tomorrow.”
“I could at least spend the night with you there, be there for you after dinner so we can talk about how it went. I should be there as your attorney anyway.”
“I’ll be okay.” I love that William always wants to take care of me, but sometimes I just want to prove that I’m a grown woman and I don’t need to be taken care of. I want to prove to both William and my father that I can handle my position as vice president of operations at Baker Media. My dad put me in that position, after all, and it’s time he let go and trusted me to do my job.
William is our corporate attorney. My father hired him six years ago, and we’ve been together a little over two years. We hid our relationship at first because we work in the same building, but now everyone knows. We’re on different floors, anyway.
He’s going to propose soon. He doesn’t like surprises, and we’ve talked at length about what we want for our future together. I already have a date in mind and a wedding planner, venue, and caterer just a phone call away. William just hasn’t actually gotten down on his knee to ask me yet. We’ve both been swamped at work, and he’s waiting for a break in the action so we can take a breath and find the time to plan a wedding.
I ignore the fact that I managed to find the time for a quick trip to New York. I could’ve done it in one day, but I didn’t want to sit on a plane for five hours one way and then get right back on it to turn back the other way all in the same day. Besides, I didn’t know how long it would take me to find Carson.
Turns out it wasn’t really all that long.
I sort of wish William had already proposed to me as I’m thinking about tonight’s dinner, though. A ring on my finger might make me feel a little safer from this arrogant Carson character, especially with the way he spoke to me earlier.
Though I’m not entirely convinced he’s the type of person who would care if there were, in fact, an engagement ring on my finger proclaiming that I belong to another man.
“I love you, Sylvie.”
My heart warms just as it does every time William tells me he loves me. “I love you, too.”
“Be careful tonight, okay?”
“I’m always careful. Have fun at the Canterbury event.”
“It would be more fun with you by my side.”
“As would this trip to New York.”
We’re both quiet for a few seconds, and then he says, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We hang up, and I feel a little empty. I want his warm arms around me, comforting me. He’s so good to me, so kind and sweet, and he treats me right. He protects me and cherishes me, and I know he’ll make a perfect husband. He’s a good, solid man. I can’t wait to start my future with him.
So why does Carson King’s arrogant grin flash through my mind at this very moment, and why does just the thought of his annoying smile send a little tingle through my stomach?