Page 23 of Own Me

As if on cue, Lux walks up to Bill and me.

I glance at Ayanna when she stops and sits at the bar's lower end. Her scowl deepens as she glares between Lux and me.

"Excuse me," I say to Bill and Lux and make my way over to Ayana.

"Wait. I need to talk to you privately," Lux calls out to my back.

I ignore her. I have one sole purpose, and that's to talk with Ayana.

She stares at me when I sit beside her on the barstool.

"Hey."

She scans the room, avoiding my stare.

"Hello, I'm Shayla,” the pretty woman says. “I'm Ayana's best friend. She's more like a sister to me, really. You must be Ayana's boss, and I guess mine too. I work at Mid-tech, the company you took over.”

"Ah, I see. Well, it's nice meeting you, Shayla. I hope you don't mind if I steal Ayana for a moment. I need to discuss a business matter with her."

"That's up to Ayana." Shayla glances at her friend, then back at me with an unsmiling face. I detect her friend doesn't like me very much.

"I thought this party was all about fun. That is the email I received that you had Lux, your beloved assistant to send out,” Ayana says.

I grin at the dry sarcasm of her voice.

"Well, you're my assistant too. Party or not, I need your opinion on something.”

Ayana bites her lip as if to keep in a retort. Finally, she turns to her friend and says, "I won't be long." She stands and follows me out of the room.

I lead her to a balcony through a set of double doors. The night is pleasant. Autumn leaves crunch under our feet as we walk into the cool night and the edge of the balcony. The balcony is dimly lit, but the cloudless starry night adds additional light. Even in the dimness of the cloudless, starry night, I can see the displeasure on Ayana's face. I hate to upset her more, but I wanther so badly at this point, I’ll do anything necessary to make her mine.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Ayana asks in a breathy voice.

I delight in how her full lips part. I'm fucked. I want Ayana, and I need her to like me enough to quit. But instead, she watches me with a mixture of anger and disdain.

The desire for her rushes through my veins, and my heart rate increases. She must be mine one way or the other. My plan has to work.

"I want to show you something."

She tilts her head and squints at me. "What do you want to show me?"

I reach inside my front suit pocket and retrieve a small flat box. Ayana's gaze follows my movement as I flip the box open.

"Do you like it?" I ask, showing her the glittering symmetrical pattern of diamonds and gemstones of the bracelet connected by a thin white gold chain.

She gasps and glances back up to me. "Of course, I like it." Her fingers trace along the precious diamonds. "It's beautiful! What woman wouldn't like it?"

“That's great to know. I'm presenting it to Lux tonight for a job well done." I snap the box close and replace it in my suit pocket.

The smile that was blossoming on Ayana's mouth slips away. Disappointment settles in her stare.

Then, she turns without one word, and I watch the sight of the woman I've fallen in love with walk away. I feel like a total ass, but I am confident she will be mine. Sooner rather than later, I will do anything to make things right.

CHAPTER 14

Ayana

Istorm into my office, seething with anger and frustration. Sterling, my demanding boss, has once again pushed me to my limit. I can’t believe how I allow this man to get under my skin like this. A man who treats me like this – who treats me like I’m an expendable pawn in his little power game.

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