I paced back and forth. I fucking hated being nervous. The meeting with the client was finally here. I gave my best to focus on the important points and how I would present our project and company to the client, but all I felt was panic, because Madison skipped work yesterday and she didn’t appear today either. She claimed she was sick, but somehow I wasn’t convinced that was true, and she made me confused as hell.

Why the fuck didn’t she come? Was there a problem? Even worse—did I do something wrong?

I was in the lobby, looking at my watch every few minutes. The clients were about to be here any moment, but Madison still hadn’t shown up.

I began pacing again, cursing myself for feeling this nervous when I was supposed to be calm and ready for the meeting, when I saw Madison entering the building in hurry.

She noticed me and rushed toward me.

Thank fuck.

“Where were you?” I asked her, feeling some of the tension release.

“I’m so sorry, Grant. I-I didn’t really feel well, but I knew I had to show up for the meeting. I apologize for leaving you all alone until now.”

She looked sincerely sorry, and I let a shaky breath out, relieved that she was here. It didn’t matter that she skipped work yesterday or almost missed this meeting. All that mattered was that she was here.

Something warm filled my chest and I wanted to hug her right here, but I had to hold it in.

The clients came soon after, and we took them out to one of the fancy restaurants I visited whenever I made some important business deals. It was a part of a famous hotel, and I considered it my lucky place, because I always managed to close the deals here.

We sat at one of the tables in the middle of the restaurant. This place was huge and screamed money—decorated with the gold chandeliers, marble floors and walls, and the breath-taking paintings that had probably cost a fortune. The classic music came from the speakers, fitting the luxurious atmosphere perfectly.

We did less eating than talking as we discussed the deal, but it didn’t matter, because my adrenaline was so high that I didn’t even have any appetite. It was extremely important for us to finish this meeting successfully, and I was more than glad whenever Madison jumped in with her helpful remarks, impressing our clients over and over again.

“I think you’ll find our plans meet your needs perfectly. The modern design, matched with the latest technologies with put you at the forefront of the medical community in this area. Breaking into this locale will broaden your business and create new opportunities for you and your investors.” The group nodded in agreement.

“And these figures? You believe these are accurate?” The one man asked her.

She sat up straighter, and I couldn’t be prouder. “Of course, we wouldn’t have brought them if we weren’t sure.” She smiled devilishly only further reeling them in.

“Well that settles it, I think the investors will agree that this is definitely something we’re interested in pursuing.” Heads around the table bobbed and smiled at us. We nailed it, or rather Madison did. I would give her credit for that.

“I’ll toast to that,” I added raising my glass.

“Cheers,” one of our new clients said and we clank our glasses. I looked at Madison, smiling with satisfaction, but the smile she returned to me was rather fake, and my insides churned for a moment. What was going on with her? We made a deal, why wasn’t she looking satisfied?

We spent another half an hour with the clients before they called for a town car and headed back to their office. I looked at Madison, who was staring at her glass of wine, unusually quiet. Actually, for the last thirty minutes she’d barely said a word, and now I really wanted to know what the problem was.

“Madison? Is everything alright?”

She flinched and looked at me, as if she’d been deep in her thoughts.

“Yes,” she muttered, not looking me in the eyes.

I frowned. Something definitely wasn’t right. “We managed to close the deal, and this meeting went really well, thanks to you, so what’s the problem?”

At first, I thought she wasn’t going to tell me—the insecurity and anxiety written all over her face.

Several moments later, she looked at me and pursed her lips into a thin line. “I-I heard something about your company, Grant.” She cleared her throat and continued, “I heard about the foreman who died on the job last year.”

Everything stopped. “What?”

She cleared her throat again, and this time she kept my stare. “I heard that he was killed last year on LQT’s job site and the company covered it up.”

I needed a few moments to fully understand what the fuck she was talking about, and then the anger settled in. “That’s bullshit,” I hissed, feeling hurt that she actually believed in rumors.

“Is it, Grant? You know, I was actually scared to come to work yesterday. That is why I called in sick. This is just too much, and it made me afraid, to tell you the truth.”

It bothered me that she felt this way, but I was also angry that such rumors existed and were spread about my company. That wasn’t what we needed at the moment. Hell, this was the worst moment ever.

“I didn’t know anything about it, Madison. In fact, the company wasn’t liable for what happened. We gave his family a nice settlement because he worked for us, but what happened at that site didn’t have anything to do with us. It was horrible. I felt terrible for everything that went down. But that is an old story and I’m angry that it came up just like that—at the most inconvenient time, and that you believed it.”

“I am sorry, but it sounded too terrible for me.”

“It is terrible, and it is unfortunate that such a thing smears our company’s name. What is past is in the past, and we must focus on the future and positive things. Who told you about it?”

“My friend Lauren. She heard it from her boss.”

“Damn it.” I took her by hands and squeezed them gently. “Madison, my company isn’t like that. We don’t do those kinds of things. Hell, I hate when people deal with problems in that way. From the moment we started our company, Oliver, Colten, and I swore we wouldn’t go down that criminal road. We have been always working hard and clean. Everything we accomplished so far we accomplished on our own—in an honest way. You have to believe me.”

I caressed her soft skin, moving my fingers over hers, and smiled reassuringly to her as I waited for her response.

Finally, she sighed. “I am so sorry, Grant. I really didn’t want to doubt you, but hearing that someone got killed was awful for me.”

“I understand, but please, believe me. I’m not that kind of man. I will never be.”

“I get it. I realize that you are a good guy after all. Now I know that Lauren was being paranoid and I made a mistake for not clearing this with you when she told me that. I should have talked to you immediately instead of running away just like that.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m glad that you talked to me about it now.”

Her face showed regret and shame, but I just felt relieved that she believed me. It actually hurt me a little that she’d doubted me like that, but I understood why she’d felt this way. I knew we still had to learn a lot more about each other.

“I almost made things worse by not coming to the meeting.”

“Hey,” I squeezed her hands again. “That’s okay. You came and nothing else matters.”

“Yes, and I am glad I made a right decision. I believe you, Grant.”

I was about to kiss her, but then I remembered she’d said she felt scared, and it just confused me. Why would she feel scared?

“Madison, why did you feel scared? That poor man’s case has nothing to do with you.”

She licked her lips, suddenly all tense. “Actually, I think there is someone following me.”

I tensed too, watching her carefully now. “Following you?”

“Yes. I noticed it for the first time a few days ago when I was driving back home from work. The second time was the night before last, also when I was returning home from work. I was in the train and I felt someone’s eyes on me... It was actually terrifying, and not being able to see that person freaked me out. Then Lauren told me about that guy getting killed, and I thought the same thing might happen to me...”

My heart rammed wildly against my chest, and I hated I had to admit her that in this way... “Actually, Madison, that was the company investigator who was following you.”

Her eyes widened immediately, and she pulled away her hands from mine. “What?”

I took a deep breath, feeling so guilty now. I didn’t want to scare her like this or make her feel like I considered her a bad person. “We had an investigator follow you to make sure you were who you were claiming to be, you know. Oliver and Colten had some concerns so I needed to make them feel more at ease. I knew that bringing you into this business deal was a big move and we needed to trust you. I couldn’t afford to take any risks. So that man followed you for several days to make sure you didn’t work for our competition.”

Her face twisted into anger, and for the first time I realized that this might push her away from me, and how much that would kill me.

Fuck, Grant, you really screwed this up.

“I can’t believe you would do this to me.”

“I know. I’m so sorry. This wasn’t anything personal, believe me.”

“It became personal when you started sleeping with me!” she hissed, her eyes flashing with hurt and embarrassment.

“I know. As the days passed and I saw how hard you worked and gave your best, I realized my mistrust wasn’t right. You proved yourself to me over and over again, and I started trusting you. That is why I called him yesterday and told him his services weren’t needed anymore. I believed you.” I growled in frustration. “I wanted to tell you this in a different way. I didn’t want you to find it out like this. I didn’t want you to feel afraid or think you are in danger. I’m truly sorry, Madison.”

For several moments, she didn’t say anything, staring at me with insecurity. She looked like she was having an inner battle, and I felt like a complete douchebag. She was a gem, and I didn’t want to lose her over this.

“Madison, I don’t want us to fight or for you to be angry, even though you deserve to me. I trust you. I do, and I won’t ever do anything like that behind your back again.”

Several moments later, she finally offered me a slight smile.

“Fine, I get it. Honestly, I’m a little offended, but I do understand. I realize this project is extremely important, and if I were you I would probably do the same. But I’m going to get you three back for this. Consider this your warning. And I want a commission on this project.”

I felt relieved and a smile spread across my face. Now that this thing with my investigator was out in the open, I could finally relax completely. Fuck, I wanted to tell her that, and I was feeling a little guilty for going behind her back like that, but now I wanted to kiss her like crazy because she was understanding.

“Ha! You know what? Done. The guys will deal. I’m really sorry it came out like this, so if you want a cut, take it.” I shook my head. “Damn, I want to make you happy, not hurt you.”

Her eyes filled with joy and the smile she gave me threatened to make my heart burst—for real. When the hell did I become such a softie?

I pulled her face to mine, desperate to kiss her, and claimed her lips with urgency that made me hard as rock in an instant. Our tongues stroked each other in hurry, both of us hungry for much more, and I realized I needed her right now. I needed to fuck her as soon as possible or I would explode.

What was she doing to me?

“I need you.”

“I need you too, Grant.”

“Good. Then let’s celebrate today’s success properly.”

“Properly?”

I smirked. “Yes. As in ‘Let’s get a fucking room’ properly.”