Then he turns on his heel and leaves the room.
CHAPTER31
Oliver
Free.
I’m completely and utterly free from Lord Arden, for once and for all, and Ishouldfeel really fucking awesome about it.
So why, when I wake up in my own depressing bedroom several days later, do I still feel like such complete and utter shit?
Both Nik and Zee have tried to reach out, ask me about what happened. I told each of them I didn’t have time to talk…which was true, in that I wasn’t going tomaketime to talk.
I roll over and glare at my phone, which tells me I’m awake at least an hour before I need to be, but my mind is already racing so fast that there’s no chance I’ll fall back asleep.
And then it hits me: today is the day.
I curl up in a little ball, trying to quell the inevitable panic before it starts. It’s no use. Every morning I wake up feeling like this. First I think about Elliot’s face when I stormed out of the house that night. The incandescent rage I felt at the time has completely died off, and I think I understand now what he was trying to say. He wasn’t demanding my utter fealty at the expense of everything else—he was reminding me of what I’d said myself, what I’d said I wanted: to find that perfect Dom forme.
But therewasno chance of us ever being together.
That’s the second thought I’ve had each morning. It doesn’t make my explosion seem any better, of course, but it’strue. Still, I wish I hadn’t blown up like I did. I let work stresses completely overcome me, and now there’s no chance for us even to stay friends.
I don’twantto be Elliot’s friend, though. And I sure as shit don’t want to be his go-to service sub whenever hedeignsto be in town.
No, I want to be…
That’s when I try to stop my thinking dead by reminding myself that I have to get up and get to work. The meeting istoday, and even though I’ve organized everything down to the inch, I’ve been going over the plans each day, reviewing them until my eyeballs just about start bleeding.
The stress of work, on top of feeling like an asshole, plus being on call for all emergencies, means I’ve had a bad time sleeping since I left Zee and Nik’s household.
Since I left Elliot standing there with my cold words ringing in his ears.
I groan and curl in on myself even more. But if I stay like this, I’ll just freak out even more, as I’ve learned from experience. So I drag myself out of bed and into the shower and start my day.
Today is the meeting. Today is the meeting. I try to focus on that as I shower, eat breakfast, dress.
If I concentrate hard enough on work, I might one day be able to wipe away Elliot’s heartbroken expression from my memory.
* * *
Brandon decides to try me as soon as I set foot in the Bellamy Grand.
“Magda’s flight got delayed in New York and there’s a new request for the meeting,” he hisses at me as I hurry past the reception desk. I have to backtrack a few paces to listen to what he has to say.
“Magda’s not here?”
“Nope. She said you have to take charge; she won’t be back until late this afternoon.”
Like I need any more stress. But I don’t let that show; I pull on my work mask and give one firm nod, the kind Elliot gives. “Fine. And the request?”
“They want a—a baby in the meeting room?”
“What?”
“A…baby?” he says, confusion still clouding his face. “That’s the message I got from Sarita.”
“What’s her number?” I ask, pulling the reception landline over.
