Page 54 of Mr. Billionaire's Second Chance

Chapter Sixteen

Preston

I ran my fingers over my stubble, twirling the scotch in my glass as I answered a few dozen emails. The sun was starting to set over the Manhattan skyline and I kept glancing over at the time, knowing I had to leave soon for dinner with the board. I was hoping that the stories would’ve died down by now, giving me room to breathe, but it was like everywhere I turned, there was something new to worry about. I sighed, downing the rest of my drink, hearing my cell phone buzz in my pocket.

I stared down and smiled as Katherine’s name flashed across the screen.

“Hello, Kat.”

“Hey, Preston. I uh, I don’t know how to ask you this, but since you made dinner for me last week, I’d like to return the favor,” she said. Even though we’d grown so close in such a short amount of time, I could still sense the nervousness in her voice, and I imagined that was because she felt guilty for misjudging me. I chuckled, remembering how lovely that dinner between us really was.

“I have dinner with the board tonight, but I can come by afterward for a midnight snack, if you’re up for it,” I teased.

“That would be perfect.”

I couldn’t wait to kiss her again, to taste every inch of her, while we both got lost between the sheets. It was the only thing getting me through the night. It made the ride to the restaurant that much sweeter knowing where I’d be once I wrapped up business for the evening.

I entered Per Se, adjusting my tie before making my way over to the large table set out for us. Everyone was already there, chatting, clinking their glasses together, and they all quieted down the moment they laid eyes on me.

“Preston, it’s so nice of you to join us. We were just talking about the future of Kingsman Enterprises, post-scandal,” said William.

I tried to stay calm, watching Bart’s eyes shifting around the room, landing on me when I took my seat.

“Well, let’s discuss. Shall we?”

Everything seemed to be moving along smoothly until I heard the sound of heels approaching from behind me. I turned around, catching the sight of a familiar blonde with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail and a smile that made me grit my teeth in anger.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, Bart.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell are you doing here, Leighton?”

“Bart invited me. I know you boys are going to be talking business tonight, but we have plans to head out after,” she said, waving at him.

I saw the look in his eyes that told me exactly where their night was going and I sighed. I grabbed Leighton by the arm, pulling her back towards the bathrooms so we could chat in private.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? I thought I made myself clear when I told you to get out of town,” I told her.

“See, that sounded more like a suggestion to me. You weren’t too keen on giving me what I wanted so I decided to find someone who would. Where’s the harm in that?”

She smirked at me, and it was taking every ounce of energy not to completely flip out in the middle of the restaurant. I shut my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before I tried to reason with her again. It’s like talking to a damn wall.

“You have until tomorrow to leave. Pack your shit and get out.”

“No. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my dinner date is waiting. I can’t wait to hear all about Kingsman Enterprises' future plans.”

“If you don’t do as I say, I’m going to ruin you, Leighton.”

“Right back at you,” she said, through her teeth.

I remembered the look on her face when I shut her out of my penthouse, the tears that were nearly streaming down her face, and at that moment I really thought I’d won. I should’ve known that she had a backup plan. She’s always a few steps ahead, looking for the next opportunity to completely fuck my life up.

We both headed back to sit down at the dinner table, and we managed to get our orders in before Leighton took her time cozying up to Bart. He was eating it up, and I downed two glasses of wine hoping that it would drown out the way I felt right now, but it didn’t. No, for something like this, I need hard liquor.

“Now that we’ve had time to eat, I think we should talk about what’s next for Kingsman Enterprises. As you know, William has been doing a good job of handling things while we ride out this scandal, but I think it’s time we make it a little more permanent,” said Bart.

“There’s no way in hell that’s happening,” I responded.

He turned to look at me, so disappointed, while Leighton hung off of his arm, giving me the fakest sympathetic look I’d ever seen.

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