Page 31 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

“I don’t want you to worry about everyone else, Kat. Right now, the only two people that matter are you and me,” I said.

She inched closer to me, and I caressed her cheek, kissing her softly. It was taking every ounce of my damn self-control not to lay her on my desk and fuck the life out of her.

“Do you have plans tonight?” she asked.

Her face softened and I watched the worried look she’d been earlier completely dissipate.

“I, unfortunately, have dinner with the board tonight. Though, tomorrow night I can show you another one of my hobbies if you’re up for it,” I teased.

“What could be more exciting than that fantastic art collection of yours?”

There was a glimmer in those hazel eyes of hers, and I could tell that she was finally starting to trust me again. I tried not to think about the board, Leighton, or the state of my company right now. All I wanted to do was take Katherine into my arms and remind her just how good we were together. Tomorrow. Just get through tonight and you can have her all to yourself tomorrow.

“Oh, you’d be surprised.”

“Tomorrow it is.”

She leaned in, kissing me one more time before she took off for the night. It took me a while to get out of the office, and before I knew it, William was calling me with the details for dinner.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, and as discreet as possible.”

“Which restaurant is it at?” I asked.

“It’s not. I decided to have a last-minute catered dinner at my home. It will give the board a chance to feel comfortable and you won’t have to worry about being seen with Leighton. That is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“You could’ve hosted it at my place, William. I have far more space, and it would’ve looked better considering they’re an inch away from wanting my head on a chopping block.”

“It’s a little too late to change things now, Preston.”

“No, it’s fine. Leighton and I will be there,” I said, giving in.

I hung up the phone, heading down to the town car that was waiting for me. I need a drink.

I took a long sip of the whiskey in my hand before I heard a knock on my front door. I grabbed my suit jacket, making my way over to answer it. I opened it up to find Leighton standing there with her hair perfectly tousled, her lips painted a shade of red, and a dress that didn’t fail to get my attention. I sighed, not looking forward to the evening at all, and she crossed her hands at her chest, pouting.

“That is no way to greet your date for the evening,” she said.

“If I had it my way, you wouldn’t be coming, Leighton. I need you to be on your best behavior tonight because if I don’t fix things with the board right now, it’s only going to make things more difficult in the future. Do you think you can do that?”

“I can, but it’s going to come at a cost to you.”

I should’ve known that she was going to hit me with some ridiculous move like this. Now it’s too late to get anyone else to take her place. Fuck.

“What do you want?” I asked through my gritted teeth.

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch, Preston. All I want is for us to spend a little more time together. I’ve been back in town for a while, but you’ve been doing everything in your power to avoid me. Now, you’re going to answer my calls and take me to lunch when I ask, okay?”

I stood there, feeling the anger rush through me like a tidal wave. I glanced down at my watch to see that if we didn’t leave right away we were going to be late.

“Fine, Leighton. Let’s just go. Now!”

We rushed out the door, heading down to the lobby, and I just hoped that no one was going to spot us together. My heart was beating loudly, nearly drowning out the sound of Leighton’s incessant talking, but once we were in the car together, there was nothing I could do to escape.

I pulled out my cell phone, texting William to let him know we were on our way, and that’s when I saw a text from Katherine.

I hope you have a nice time at the board dinner tonight, Preston. Looking forward to ours soon. - Kat.

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