Let's Play A Dirty Ass Game, Mr. CEO

Chapter 46: LUCKY YOU

LAURA

"What do you want?" I muttered under my breath, loud enough for him to hear over the speaker.

His voice rolled into my ear, low and gravelly. "Is that how you intend to take all my calls? Both business and personal? With ’what do you want?’"

I rolled my eyes and ran my fingers through my loose hair. "There are no personal calls between us. It’s business or nothing. You might want to get on with it or get off the phone. My hands are currently full with something very important."

"I can replace whatever it is with my—"

"Don’t say it," I snapped. "Boundaries, Mr. Pierce," I added, my face heating up for whatever reason. "You keep forgetting, and that is very unprofessional."

"I’m sorry. Look, I’m sorry for ruining your morning." His voice quickly switched back to professional, and it irked me more than I thought necessary. Why did he have to keep apologizing? He could just...try to do things he wouldn’t have to apologize for. And did he have to obey me so instantly?

It sent a thrill racing through my veins and made me weak with an euphoria I couldn’t explain.

"The reason I called is to let you know that the photography and video cuts from our partnership shoot have just been sent, and our preferred cuts are expected back for final touches by tonight. We have to take a look at them as soon as possible."

My ears twitched. "We?"

I didn’t like the sound of that...and at the same time, it sent a wave of heat flowing through my veins. Again. Too frequent for my liking. The way my body reacted to Tristan.

It made me wonder. Was the problem actually with my body? Or was it Harlan? Or was it something else I did not know?

God, I itched to find out.

I heaved another exasperated sigh and turned my back on the team. "You can’t keep springing things on me impromptu," I said into the speaker. "You have a company to run, I do too. So why don’t we stick to schedules?"

"We don’t exactly have one yet. But we can work on it."

We. The sound of it had my stomach flipping. The thought of all the things we could do together.

My teeth scraped my bottom lip and a jolt ran through my body. The nerve ends in my body screamed for release, in whatever form it came. And maybe it was high time I listened to what they wanted.

"I’ll meet you back at your office whenever I get off work."

I could hear his deep sigh of relief over the speaker. "I’ll wait for you."

Then the line clicked dead, and I stood there for a while, staring at my phone, wondering what I’d just signed up for.

By the time I returned to the finance team who had patiently and quietly waited, the fire from earlier had burned out and was replaced with a different kind of fever.

"I’ll leave you to do your jobs," I said in a reserved voice, my eyes sweeping across the room and landing on Mara.

"Do you think we could talk for a moment?" I jerked my head towards the door and she followed me.

Once we were outside, I turned to her. "I think something shady’s going on here. Something that involves Tristan’s fiancée."

Mara nodded. "That sly bitch must be up to something again." Something passed her expression as I met her gaze, but I couldn’t place it.

I tapped my chin with my fingertips in deep thought. "Remember how she came all the way here and pulled that stunt?"

"You think it has something to do with that?"

"Find out what Macy knows, and we’ll have our answer. And please, pay more attention to the finances, Mara."

I flashed her a solid smile that communicated how much I loved her but wouldn’t tolerate questionable transactions in the finances of the brand I worked so hard to build.

She was my chief financial officer because I trusted her. I wouldn’t want to begin questioning that trust. Not now. Not ever.

The moment I got to my office, I ordered ginger tea and locked myself in all day, working on new designs and sifting through already existing sketches, unattended paperwork.

All in a bid to distract myself from all the dirty thoughts waiting to pounce on my mind the moment I let them.

°°°

By 5pm, I was strolling through the lobby of Pierce Holdings with my head raised high, not exactly sure what I was here to do.

It was late already. The staff were leaving, one after the other. Some of them looked at me with renewed awe. Some, disgust. Some greeted me. The ones who had balls congratulated me.

Above all, I found that I no longer cared what they thought about me. Because newsflash...they were the least of my worries.

The very first and foremost worry on my mind was Tristan. Would he still be at his office? He did say he would wait. Was he a man of his word? I couldn’t exactly remember.

I took the elevator to the executive floor, and by the time I arrived at Tristan’s office, my heart was practically racing in my chest, feeling like it would burst from anticipation.

A wave of relief washed over me when I peered through the glass door and saw Tristan with his legs stretched atop his desk, his head thrown back, headphones jammed in his ears.

I paused for a moment, watching him carefully. I had never seen him in such a relaxed, vulnerable state. He seemed completely at ease, out of tune with the world around him.

I looked around. The office was mostly cleared out.

Was this like...a routine stuff for him? Slipping into his own world when everyone else was gone?

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there watching him. But I realized I’d stared for too long when his eyes flew open and those blue irises burned into mine from across space.

None of us moved for half a minute.

Then he rolled his chair back and dropped those long legs, rising to his full height on them. I cleared my throat and walked into the office.

"You came." There was a backdrop of relief and excitement in his tone that warmed my insides. I ignored the feeling, sliding into the seat opposite his desk.

"Fortunately, I’m the kind of business partner who keeps their word."

"Hmm," The corner of Tristan’s mouth twitched as he watched me. "I got lucky."

I met his gaze squarely. "Damn right. Now shall we get into it?"

He perched his ass on the desk, turning halfway to face me. And keeping his eyes on mine, he began to peel off the buttons on his shirt. Painfully slowly.

"Absolutely. What do you want to do first?"

My jaw dropped. And my cheeks colored crimson.

Now what could he be up to?!