Page 45 of Tender Offer
Facedown.
On my side.
In the air.
Touching my toes.
The sex was immaculate, but the intimacy extended beyond eternity.
I reach deep to snatch the scraps of my restraint, though my inner heaux is ready to edge temptation.
This can’t happen.Wecan’t happen.
“Preston,” I sigh. “We’ve been down this road before. It’s a dead end.”
“Not like this. Let’s use our time together to get to know each other again,” he says. “The real us.”
I ready a rebuttal but pause at Tammi’s reminder. Her call to forgive and stop courting bitterness.
“Let’s be friends,” he says, like it’s the obvious choice. Maybe it is.
When the time is right, try to make amends.
“Okay.”
“Good. Now I can stop texting random shit just to talk to you.” I snort at his lame attempts. He gets an A in persistence. “I have a day’s worth of meetings to get through, to run my empire, as you say. Thank you for taking my call, Puff. I miss talking to you.”
So do I, I don’t confess.
“As for whatever’s got you down, I’m eight hours into your future. I promise it’s bright.”
“Good luck today.”
“Sleep tight, Puff.”
Chapter 24
Preston
“Key performance indicators suggest our average daily rate is steady with flexible pricing options. Revenue per available room projections are high, as are occupancy rate trends.” The screen switches to more graphs and charts. “We’re outperforming last year’s Q1 across properties.”
A smile finds its way through the iron curtain I wear in the boardroom. I don’t make a habit of showing anything more than contentment or disappointment. Too much emotion gets used against you, even at the hands of my own father.
William slaps the table, his face split into a grin. He sweeps over the results of a year’s worth of work showcased in bold black letters with a nod.
“We fucking did it,” he says. “The board would be foolish not to support your vision based on these projections.”
“Ourvision,” I correct.
My eyes skate over the presentation before landing on the source of our future victories. KD studies me under long lashes. Her focused stare would scare off the strongest men, who’d crumble under the weight of her brilliance. The firm lines in herset jaw release her stone mask enough for a half smile to peek through.
“Thank you,” I say.
She traces the necklace I gave her for her birthday ages ago. “Thank you” comes in a smooth, even tone.
Since becoming CEO, I’ve fought to get her a position on the board. Me and William’s shares are no match for the misogyny upheld by decades of tradition. Women have never had a place on the Donnelley board, and that includes the first woman CFO, whose own fucking father gave his son the shares reserved for her.
Hugh still holds a grudge that I chose his daughter as CFO and not Michael. KD and I have been friends since we were kids, but she earned her position and proves it time and time again—despite her father’s lack of support.
