Page 31 of Remembering Passion

“I told her,” I said, leaning against the table, “I never should have let you go—from Sinclair Pharmaceuticals.”

Ella lifted her fingers to her temples.

It was the second time she’d done that.

“Are you feeling all right?”

“Headache.” She scoffed. “I probably should have consumed more than coffee and donuts.”

“Let me have Johnathon get you something to eat. I remember you liked the chicken salad from the deli.”

Ella sighed. “How do you remember things like that?”

“Because, Gabriella Crystal, you are impossible to forget.” I walked over to my desk and pushed a button on the phone. Johnathon answered on the second ring.

“Yes, Mr. Sinclair.”

“Go to the deli on the second floor and get Ms. Crystal a bowl of chicken salad and a raspberry tea.”

“Would you like anything?” he asked.

“No. I’m fine. Bring the food in as soon as you have it. Also, cancel my four o’clock.”

“Yes, sir. I will reschedule.”

“That will be good.”

I hung up the phone and turned. Ella’s blue gaze was on me. No longer was she seated at the table, but leaning against it as I had, her arms crossed over her breasts.

“You are so confusing,” she said.

“What’s confusing about ordering you food? You’re hungry.”

“That was kind.”

“Again, purely selfish. I remember your headaches, and if I can help before it gets out of hand, I want to do that. If you’re going to bed in a dark room for the next few days, I want to be there with you.”

“If you want to help Beta Kappa Phi, you can do it without my involvement.”

“I won’t,” I answered matter-of-factly.

“That’s why you’re confusing, Damien. One minute you’re summoning me here. The next you’re ordering me lunch. Then you’re back to being an asshole.”

Asshole.

“Most people refrain from calling me an asshole to my face.”

“That doesn’t mean they don’t call you that.” She let her hands fall to her sides. “Do you want to tell me about this idea for Beta Kappa Phi, or was it all a ruse to get me here?”

“Not a ruse at all. Van and I met Sunday for breakfast…”

We both retook our seats at the table as I explained the premise of the coalition. The idea wasn’t mine or Van’s. It was his wife, Julia’s, the CEO of Wade Pharmaceutical. Big Pharma had always been a danger to smaller companies. The sheer size made them less vulnerable and more influential. The coalition brought multiple pharmaceutical companies together in basically a super PAC. Combining our efforts gave us more clout.

In less than fifteen minutes, Johnathon arrived with Ella’s chicken salad and raspberry tea.

I continued talking as Ella ate. “The best part of Julia’s plan was not to combine competitors. The point was to bring in each company with a strong reputation in one or two particular drugs or pharmacological formulas, to work together in a non-competitive manner.”

“Mr. Sherman’s wife set up the coalition?” Ella asked.

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