When the woman actually manages to take her company global, we could end up on the same continent.
Given my current situation, I should probably be worried.
ChapterSeventeen
CHLOE
In the ten days that have passed since Ryan’s first concert, Liberty Events Management has acquired more work off the back of it than we can cope with, and that’s before my epic end of tour extravaganza.
I wanted global. Boy, am I getting it.
To the point I’m wondering if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. Instead of plugging the hole in my chest, it seems to stretch it wider.
I’ve coerced Ruby’s sister to view several commercial properties in London for me on the promise I’ll hire her if, and when, the time comes. London’s a huge market to crack and doing so will rely heavily on the exclusive wrap afterparty.
I’ve had to recruit another fifteen employees for the Dubai office. Ruby’s making enquiries into offices in LA.
If I had an office in every city in the world, I’d probably still base myself in Hollywood, but it has nothing to do with Jayden Cooper. Well, it didn’t before we started having regular, mind-blowing sex. After all, it is the epicentre of the rich and famous.
At least in Hollywood, everyone’s acting. It’s not just me pretending to be something I’m not. Namely, ok.
‘Are you telling me you’d seriously leave all of this?’ Ruby’s red talons sweep across the impressive hazy Dubai skyline.
We’re at the Aura Skypool, a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree infinity pool, the highest in the world. Ruby might be right about this country having a small man complex. It’s one of our favourite spots to hang out at weekends. The sushi is world class, and the cocktails are to die for.
I take a sip of my margarita. Salt frosts the rim decoratively and water beads the glass. It looks like it jumped straight from the page of a trendy food magazine.
I soak up my surroundings. The magnificent backdrop to the cool azure pool. The iconic Burj Al Arab glinting in the distance and The Palm. Of course, I’ll miss it. I’ll miss days like these. I’ll miss my best friend.
‘You know better than anyone, Rubes, I never intended on staying this long. This is what the business needs.’
Ruby sweeps her dark hair from her face before motioning to the crystal-clear glittering pool, the opulence and luxury at our fingertips. ‘Let’s not kid ourselves about the business. It’s already more successful than you ever dreamed. Moving on is whatyouneed. I just don’t get why.’
I don’t get it either. Just that I’m looking for something. There’s an internal force driving me somewhere, anywhere, to try to find it. I’ve been here too long already. Any longer and I risk laying down permanent roots. And that terrifies me. The last time I had roots, they were ripped from right underneath me.
That night flashes through my brain.
The manager of my parents’ hotel summoning me, stricken faced, to the grand hall to tell me about the accident. Having to tell my sister how our parents had been forced off the road on an icy December night.
There were so many tears. It was bad enough dealing with my own grief but I felt like I was suffocating in my sisters’ too. The day after I turned twenty-one, I left.
My phone rings from my oversized handbag.
Ruby huffs. ‘It’s the weekend. Turn the damn thing off.’ She signals to a passing waiter and orders two more drinks.
I grab the phone, cup it in my hands, and squint at the screen. It’s blown up since the concert. I couldn’t turn it off if I wanted to. Every time it rings, it seems to be with the offer of a brand new opportunity. And I don’t just mean a lewd conversation with my lover.
Ugh. That word. Lover. I hate it, but what other word can I use to describe Jayden? He’s certainly not my boyfriend.
Jayden’s name flashes before my eyes and I bite back the grin before accepting.
‘How’s my Princess?’
‘Technically, I’m not yours. I’m just on loan.’ I stick my tongue out at him, even though he can’t see me.
A low growl sets fireworks popping beneath my skin. ‘Youaremine until I say otherwise. I forgot to mention in Sydney that I don’t share.’
His possessiveness stirs a longing in my loins. Nobody has ever dared to try to possess me before and surprisingly, I love it. ‘Oh shit, I’d better tell the pool boy to put his clothes back on this second.’
