“No way,” he said, then held up two fingers to the bartender. “Because everyone’s going to talk about how I screwed you over, getting a deal like this.”
I started laughing. He was right. The numbers were fantastic on his end, and those properties were a pretty solid anchor for his diversified portfolio. “Just tell them I put up a good fight,” I said.
The bartender deposited the drinks on the table, and Zachary held his in the air. “One more night on the town? It’s better if you look hungover when you go in to talk to the board tomorrow. Show them that you’re paying for it.”
I raised my glass, clinking it with his. “One last time around the merry-go-round,” I said. “How could I say no?”
* * *
By the time my car was pulling up to the financial district the next morning, I had almost managed to chase away the hangover Zachary left with me. Sometimes, it felt like headaches and fuzzy vision were that guy’s idea of a goodbye gift.
Sucking down some coffee and stepping out of the car, I looked up at the towering buildings, gray and silver against the sky. A familiar hunger rose up inside of me, like back when I had thought I needed to climb to the top of those towers to prove myself. All at once, the thrill of New York City was in the air again, just like when I first arrived.
“Out of the way!” a woman barked, jostling into me suddenly. I stumbled forward and barely managed to keep the coffee off my shirt.
Some things I wouldn’t miss, too…
I smoothed down my shirt, then headed toward the front door, rehearsing the speech I’d worked out on the airplane. I was so lost in thought, I almost walked right through those doors without noticing the face that was in front of me.
But then again, how could anyone miss a face like that?
Clear, angelic eyes. Lips that were always moist and puffy. Cheekbones that could melt your heart.
“Xavier.”
His name crossed my lips before I could process the fact that he was there, toeing the pavement with his purple Converse. He bit down on his lip but kept his hazel eyes trained to my vision.
“Dominick,” he said softly.
I started to ask how he had found me but stopped myself, realizing the truth of it. Where else would I be in New York City, if I weren’t at my firm?
Where else did I ever go but to work?
I hurried forward, taking him by the elbow and stepping aside from the entrance to the office. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why are you here? Did something happen in Denver?”
He shook his head quickly, then sighed. “I… I came in to your office, to surprise you.” He stepped back from me and pressed his fingers against the sleek walls of the building behind him. “Your assistant told me you were in New York.”
I winced. “Xavier, I had no idea you’d come in,” I said. “I was going to explain once I got back, but I figured since we didn’t have plans until tomorrow anyway…”
“You could just disappear?” he said, then shook his head quickly. “It’s not even that. It’s not like you owe me an explanation for everywhere you go. I’m not your… whatever.”
You’re my love, I thought, then startled.
He is. He is my love.
“I thought you were done in New York,” he continued. “I thought you were putting this all out of mind. Have you been coming back every week? Am I just too silly to notice?”
My heart ached. It was somehow worse than the first time I disappointed him. Things had progressed so far in such a short time since then, and there was so much more to lose.
I felt dizzy, my worlds crashing into each other on the Manhattan street. And up forty floors above me, a very short-tempered board was waiting to hear some news they were not going to appreciate.
“I am,” I said, the words clumsy in my mouth. “The thing is…” I paused, then laid my hand on his elbow again. “Can you come inside with me?”
He blinked but didn’t pull away from me. “Into your office?”
I rubbed my temples for a second, cursing Zachary for the last tequila shot of the night. “I know it sounds odd right now, but I think I can explain.”
Xavier looked down, and pain tore across my heart. I needed to see his eyes and the honest trust that shone in them. I needed Xavier to look at me the same way he had always looked at me, like I was a man worthy of his kindness.
