NOVGO.NET Chapter 19: IT’S A DATE
Chapter 19: IT’S A DATE
TRISTAN
It took the perseverance of building a multibillion dollar enterprise from scratch to not throw my fist in Mr. Steele’s face or give him a piece of my mind from how hot it boiled at the moment.
I was not scared of the man. Neither was I scared of losing his investment. He was an asshole who was only good for yelling his nondescript opinions at board meetings and infusing chaos where not necessary.
He was my fiancée’s father, and that was another reason why I wasn’t walking him out of my office right now.
"Answer me!"
I leaned forward, eyes smarting. "I think you’re getting the wrong idea here, Mr. Steele. No one’s threatening you."
"That better be right." He snatched up the seat on the other end of the desk and sank into it. "Now tell me what this is." He slid his phone across the desk, eyeing me closely.
I ignored the phone and fixed my gaze on his face instead. "Respectfully, you have been absent from the recent board meetings. I can’t expect you to know that we’ve been trying to acquire the CEO of Phoenix as our top model."
"Why her? And is that how you try to acquire her? By literally getting in her face?"
My jaw tightened. "Mr. Steele—"
"These pictures show that you were close enough to kiss her. Was that your intention, Tristan?"
It irked me how much he kept calling me by my name, not bothering to accord me any respect. Forgetting I wasn’t married to his daughter yet. There was only so much he could get away with, and he seemed to not even realize how expendable he was. Same as his daughter who was snickering behind him.
"I believe there is a general understanding of the media manipulative skill, Mr. Steele. What you see is what they intended you to see. And that is all I would say concerning this matter."
I had no intention of going ahead to deny the fact that I would have kissed Laura right in that driveway if she had let me...if she hadn’t looked at me with such hunger and malice melded in those fierce amber eyes.
Mr. Steele stared at me for a really long moment. I could tell he had more to say, but I cared less about that than quickly heading out to meet with a potential new model for Pierce Holdings.
"I must remind you of what happens if you dare humiliate me again, Tristan. You won’t get away with it."
I scoffed and folded my arms across my chest. "Now it sounds like you’re threatening me."
He slammed his palms on the desk and jumped to his feet. "Half of the board belongs to my side, so you will do well to act right. Unless you want a proxy war, and the possibility of losing my daughter."
He stormed out, leaving a smug Madison behind. I stared after him for a moment, jaw ticking.
"Oh, Daddy’s at it again," Madison sighed, flicking her hair away from her face. "Tristan, honey, I’m sorry you had to take that."
"Aren’t you leaving? I have to make a call."
She frowned. "Are you sending me away?"
"I have to work, Madison. Besides, you came in with your father, did you not?"
"It does not matter. I came to see you."
"Well, I’m busy."
She ignored the warning in my tone and walked around the desk, sidling close to me. How could she not see that I was very ready to lose my shit with her? Was she daft or just an annoying little witch?
"I think you’ve been really stressed." Her fingers slid across my back and found my shoulders, working deftly. "Why don’t we visit a spa soon? Don’t worry," she leaned in close to my ear and her lips curved in a smile, "I’m not asking you to pay."
Her breath against my ear was warm. It should feel good. It should be ticklish. But all it did was annoy the fuck out of me.
"What part of ’I have to work’ did you not understand?"
She rolled her eyes and her hands dropped from my shoulders. "You know, I’m trying, Tristan. You don’t have to be so uptight. Our wedding is just around the corner—"
"And who says that?"
She shrugged, trying her best to not look alarmed. "We just haven’t fixed a date yet, but I believe it’s not a problem. If you’re looking for some advice, or some kind of push, I think this would be the best time to announce a date to the public. It can divert the attention of the media from the thing with Laura Hayes, and the company’s stocks are saved."
Exasperated about having to say the same thing over and over again, I moved away from her and dialed Laura’s number.
"We’re not done talking!" Madison shrieked behind me.
I winced, sticking my finger in my ear. "If you’re done loitering for the day, I’ll see you at home."
Laura picked up on the second ring, to my surprise. And Madison was instantly forgotten.
"Laura."
"Mr. Pierce."
My lips curved into a smirk as I pushed the door to the balcony open and the wind hit my face. There was just something very sexy about her being this way. It was nothing like the night she texted the wrong number and hooked up with a supposed intern.
On some days, I missed the innocence from that night. But this fierce, stubborn, no-nonsense woman was just as sexy. Maybe even more.
"Are you going to say something?"
"I’m sorry about the abrupt end of our call earlier."
"It’s a work thing," she emphasized. "Happens."
"Yeah, so. You had something to say? Something about meeting up?"
"Yes. Actually..." she cleared her throat, and I could tell just how uncomfortable she was.
"Tell me what you’re thinking, Laura. We can meet right away if that’s what you want."
"Right away does not work for me. I’m still at the office."
"So tell me what works for you. I’m willing to do that."
There was a brief pause on the other end, and I could swear the loud thud in the background was the sound of her heart clobbering away.
"How about tonight?"
I smiled. "Sure—"
"And this is nothing but an official dinner!" she cut in abruptly in a breathless voice. "It would be in both our best interests if you don’t have any other ideas."
"Of course. So we both agree it’s a dinner date?"
"Mr. Pierce!"
"Fine, Laura. How does 8pm sound?"
"Great. I’ll text you the location."
The line bleeped dead in my ears and I stood there, smiling into outer space.
Because in the journey of a thousand steps, this was one step in our story.