Page 16 of Mine to Keep

I grab my keys and my wallet, then rush to my car. On the way, I dial my assistant to help me with my newly formed plan.

“Hi, Mr. Sinclair. You sure left in a hurry.” Nadine chuckles nervously. “Did I miss an appointment on your calendar?”

“Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day.”

“But it’s not even eight thirty yet. You have a full schedule,” she protests.

“I’m sorry, Nadine, but I don’t have a lot of time. I need you to book me on the next flight to Chicago. I don’t care what airline or what seat you put me in, just get me on a damn plane. Book a private flight if you have to. I need to get there as soon as possible.”

“Oh! Okay, um… I’ll make it happen, sir.” Her tone lacks confidence but she’s never failed me. That’s why she’s been my assistant for the past four years.

“I’m counting on you, Nadine. This is important. And have a private flight on standby ready to bring me back to New York this afternoon.”

“This afternoon?” she questions, but I’ve no time to explain.

“If you can make this happen for me, I promise to buy you that Hermes bag you’ve been looking at for months.”

“How did you?—”

“I’m the CEO. I know everything.”Not true.I actually overheard her talking about it with some of the other women in the break room. I make a point to listen to the people around me, and that’s how I’m able to give the best gifts. “I’m headed to the airport. Just send all the details to my phone. See you when I get back.” I end the call and speed to LaGuardia, breaking about fifty traffic laws on the way. I’ll gladly pay for a million tickets if that’s what I have to do to get Kate back.

Landing in New Yorkhits me like a punch to the gut, but it’s all for her.Everythingis for her. I half-jog through the private airport with a single-minded focus as images of her smile and the sound of her laugh echo in my mind.

Nadine went above and beyond and had a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for me as soon as I returned. I think that warrants me buying her a wallet to go with her new bag, because she’s a damn good assistant, and I don’t mind rewarding her. The drive home is a blur, and before I know it, I’m under the steaming-hot spray of the shower in my penthouse, washing away the last six hours I’ve spent on two different planes, travelling between two cities.

Dressed sharply in a charcoal suit that fits my muscular body just right, I scrutinize the man staring back at me in the mirror. Is he worthy of her?

He fucking better be, because I can’t afford to fuck this up.

I grab the keys to my Audi R8 and slip out the door with anticipation zinging through me like electricity. When I arrive at Kate’s building, I sign in at the main desk, and the receptionist directs me to the sixteenth floor. The elevator dings and my heart stutters when I step into the sleek lobby of CyberTech Communications. Her colleagues’ heads turn as I move, their whispers sparking into a wave of murmurs. They’re either gossiping about my face or the giant bundle of white roses I’m carrying. Either way, let them talk. It’s not the first time people have gossiped about me and I’m definitely about to give them something good to talk about.

There’s a large, frosted-glass desk straight ahead and a well-dressed older woman stands as I approach. “Thomas Sinclair to see Kate Roush,” I announce, my voice steady and confident.

“Thomas Sinclair…” She repeats my name, mulling it over as she tries to place where she’s heard it before. Then her eyes go as wide as dinner plates. “Thomas Sinclair of Quantum Investments?”

I give her a debonair smile. “That’d be me.”

“Oh! Well, alright then.” She clutches her pearls while gathering her composure. “One moment, please.”

It takes all I have to remain rooted in place and not dart past her to find Kate myself. The old dear doesn’t keep me waiting long, though, and quickly escorts me to the woman I’m looking for.

She keeps glancing back at me as I follow behind her through the maze of cubicles surrounded by several glass offices along the walls. I give her a wink, and I swear she blushes before turning back around with an extra sway to her hips. She’s a charming older woman, I’m sure, but no one exists for me other than Kate.

After walking through several corridors, we come to a quieter area of the massive office space, and I finally see my girl. There she is, sitting in the midst of her domain, her fingers flying across her keyboard as she stares at three computer screens.

“Hi, Kate. You have a special visitor,” my escort announces.

“Thanks, Martha. Who is it?” Kate chuckles, as my face is hidden by the four dozen flowers I’m holding.

“I think I’ll let you find out for yourself,” Martha muses before pivoting on her sensible heels and heading back to her desk.

Kate peeks around the massive bouquet, and shock contorts the features of her pretty face.

“Hi, honey,” I begin, my voice filling the space between us before we’re interrupted by several of her coworkers whispering across their cubicles.

“Who’s the hottie in the suit?”

“Shush! I can’t hear them!”

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