Epilogue
One year later…
Slade walked in a circle as he inspected the last of the offices on the executive floor. The one he was standing in would be his. He needed to make certain the specifications he’d given to the Realtor and the contractor had been followed to theletter.
Glass walls and an open floor plan welcomed him. Bull had spent so many years hiding behind closed doors in his office, Slade never wanted to adopt the same policy in his new position as owner and CEO of LoganIndustries.
“Is everything to your liking, Mr.Hamilton?”
Slade turned around and greeted the Realtor with a firm handshake and a smile. Tall, but still shorter than Slade by a couple of inches, with long dark hair that hung beyond his shoulders and bright blue eyes that flashed with contentment, Kenneth Searlington had come highly recommended for the project Slade was seeking toundertake.
“It’s perfect,Searlington.”
He’d met the man a little over six months prior, and now they were closing the deal on what would cost Slade millions, but net him the world upon itscompletion.
“I have to admit,” Kenneth responded, “I wasn’t sure we could find you the perfect space and have it ready in under six months, but even in real estate, miracles do happen. You must love New York to invest so much in thislocation.”
Slade shook his head. “Frankly, it’s a little cold, crowded, and noisy for my tastes. But, the woman I love lives here, so it’s where I need tobe.”
“If the size of the check you just wrote me is any indication, you must love hertremendously.”
Slade could feel the ridiculously huge grin tugging at the edges of his mouth. He was a grown man. You’d think he could mask his feelings for his woman while in a business setting. But even here, standing in front of a man he had no personal connection to, he couldn’t help the joy he felt whenever he thought ofMandisa.
“You have someone special at home,Searlington?”
Slade chuckled a little when he saw a matching smile climb onto Searlington’s face. “Yeah, married to a beautiful woman. She’s allheart.”
Slade nodded. “Then you know there isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do to make her happy. In the span of six weeks, she showed me how to live a life I’m proud of. This project is just me showing her what she means tome.”
The Realtor pulled a folder from his briefcase and a pen from his pocket, handing them both to Slade. “Sign here, and your project iscomplete.”
Slade scribbled his signature on the offered paperwork and returned the documents and pen to the man in exchange for a key ring with three shinykeys.
“As big as this building is, I’m only getting threekeys?”
Kenneth laughed. “Most of the doors on the building are key-code or keycard access. Your security firm has been given the current access codes, and I’m certain they will begin changing everything immediately. The only door that needs actual keys is the frontdoor.”
Slade nodded and tipped his hat toward the Realtor. “Thank you,sir.”
Kenneth stretched out his hand and offered it to Slade. “Thank you. Enjoy your property, Mr.Hamilton.”
Slade watched Kenneth Searington exit the room and pulled his cellphone from his jacket pocket. He tapped on Mandisa’s icon and waited for the phone to connect on the otherend.
“Hey there, cowboy. How areyou?”
The smooth sound of her sultry voice made his cock jump. “Missing my doctor lady something terrible. Are you on yourway?”
“Yes, Slade. According to the driver you sent, we should arrive at this mystery place within the hour. Are you going to tell me what this isabout?”
“Now, why would I ruin your surprise likethat?”
Slade said his goodbyes and walked over to the window to look out across the city. A year ago he wouldn’t have thought he’d be here. But loving Mandisa had changed so much about him and his life. All those changes enriched his existence and made him a betterman.
She asked him for three weeks to teach him the error of his ways. What she’d done was shown him how to love on more than just a superficiallevel.
The first week she’d made him work with one of her younger employees in the Pitkin Avenue store. Carmen was the first in her family to go to college. Although she received financial aid, she could barely afford to eat and buy her textbooks. The job Mandisa provided her meant she didn’t have to choose between starving and studying. Mandisa also made certain her hours were flexible and didn’t interfere with her classschedule.
Watching that young woman work diligently to help customers, stock inventory, and keep the entire store in immaculate condition gave Slade a new respect for the humble little store and its employees. Slade paid his executives more money than Carmen would probably earn in her lifetime, and yet she worked so diligently for Mandisa not because of the whopping check she received every two weeks, but because her boss had invested in Carmen, and Carmen’s future, and she wanted to make Mandisaproud.
