11
Abby
She paced back and forth in front of the large windows in her office. This was agonizing. She had delivered her design over three hours ago. How long was it going to take Deacon to make a decision? What if he already had and she wasn’t the choice? He had gone with someone else and she had two more weeks with the bachelors.
She closed her eyes, exhaling a long breath. The past two weeks had changed her. She hadn’t had any contact with Cal. She had a new kind of freedom, even though it was under the constraints Deacon and Cole set.
She felt free from the Mantelli world. No more doing Cal’s bidding. No more schemes to make money. She didn’t like to think about the ways she had helped him over the years. Something about her two weeks with Deacon and Cole had taught her the past could really be the past.
She had moved into a new home. Was given a new office. Had a new career, using her passion for art. And every night she dined with the sexiest most eligible bachelors in Chicago. As much as she had hated how it came to be, she had started to wake up with a smile on her face.
She went to bed feeling safe. She awoke feeling as if she had a purpose. Deacon and Cole had given that to her.
What happened if she did win the bet? Would Deacon throw her out of the office? She won and her freedom was instantaneous? She shook with nerves, rubbing her arms. Was that really what she wanted? Did she want to leave them and not look back?
Abby jumped when her phone buzzed.
“Abby, Deacon would like you to meet him in his office.” Abby rushed to press the button on her intercom.
“All right. Please tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”
“He asked that you use his private elevator. Do you know where that entrance is?” Annette, her assistant asked.
Abby nodded. “I do.” The butterflies attacked her stomach. She didn’t know if she could walk. This was it. The moment of truth was about to hit her.
***
It was a different experience riding in the elevator without being slung over someone’s shoulder. She watched as the numbers rose higher about the doors. The carriage finally arrived at the top floor and the doors retracted.
Deacon leaned against the front of his desk, his arms crossed. She almost lost her breath. He shouldn’t look so edible.
She cleared her throat and took her first step into his office.
“I heard you’ve made a decision.”
He nodded. “I have.”
She didn’t know how much longer she could wait. She bit her lip. “Well?”
Deacon’s broad chest rose. “It’s you, Abby. Only you.”
Her eyes widened. “Me? I won?”
He bowed her head in her direction. “Your design was impressive. Unique. Inspired. It was the only one I even considered.”
Her palm flattened over her heart. She tried to stop it from beating out of control. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
Deacon broke his stance and walked toward her. “Why don’t you take a seat? We have to discuss your obligations to the project at this point.”
“Obligations?” She sat on the leather sofa across from him. There was a coffee table in between them.
“You have heard Cole and I discuss the Vegas trip this weekend. Launching the foundation is the pinnacle of our careers. It has to be flawless. The creator of the brand needs to be at the announcement. You are the vision, Abby. You can’t miss being on an international stage with something so critical for the foundation.”
“We agreed if I won, I could go.”
“Yes. We did. You won. You can go. I’m asking you to do this for the foundation. I’m asking you as the artist who created something beautiful, to see your vison shared the way it is supposed to be.”
Her chest prickled. Her blood rushed with heat. “You’re asking me to stay on?”
“I’m asking you to travel with Cole and me. Represent your art.”
“You’re going back on your deal, Deacon,” she fired.
He shook his head. “No. I’m not. You can get up and walk out of here if you want. I won’t stop you. I swear.”
She looked at the set of double doors over her should and the elevator to her side.
“But, now that you’re free, I’d like you to stay because you want to see the project finished. At least through the weekend, Abby.” He smiled devilishly. “I promise Cole and I can make Vegas fun.”
She felt more heat rush through her. It spread between her legs and rushed to her nipples. Shit. What kind of effect did this man have on her? Was this even legal what he could do to her body without even touching her?
“Vegas for the weekend?” she whispered.
He raked his teeth against his lip and she thought she might melt off the couch. Was it crazy she wanted to go? She could see it. Having drinks with Cole and Deacon. Dinner at a five-star restaurant.
“You won’t regret it,” he urged. “We do everything first-class. It will be a trip of a lifetime. By the time we leave everyone will want you to design for them. You can’t get exposure like this any other way, Abby. Think about your career.”
She laughed. “My career or you and Cole?”
He leaned forward. “Can’t it be both? Can’t you have it all?”
The flutter soared in her belly. She nodded. She could have it all. She deserved it all.
“I-I guess I could go.”
She didn’t have the willpower to tell him no. Not with those eyes and lips. Not with large hands that could hold her close. Her lips practically parted, begging for him to kiss them. She knew she had officially lost her sanity.
He was pulling her in with that look. She knew it, but there was no lifeline to drag her back to reality.
“I promise you’ll never forget Vegas, sweetheart.”
Deacon rose from the couch to escort her to the door. He pressed his hand into the small of her back. It was as if he seared her skin through her blouse.
“Congratulations,” he leaned to whisper in her ear before opening the door.
She looked up at him. She didn’t know whether to stay or to run. To say thank you, or screw you. She was filled with hope and regret. Confusion was pouring in from all sides.
The door closed behind her and Abby was in the foyer to Deacon’s office. She was free.