Page 21 of Slipperless 5

“It’s just… I’m so sorry my life is such a mess. If I weren’t in all of this financial trouble, you wouldn’t have to ask me these questions. I feel terrible you had to do that. I know how difficult it must have been.”

“Fiona,” I said, as I angled my body further in her direction. “What you did—the way you stood by your grandmother and cared for her—it was a wonderful, noble thing. This is not your fault. You are just in a position where questions have to be answered and nothing more. Believe me when I say that I never suspected you were involved, not for one moment.”

But my reassurances fell on deaf ears. Fiona wept at an inconsolable rate. Remembering Holly used some bar napkins earlier, I hustled over and grabbed a few, passing them to Fiona as I stood above her.

She took them from me and thanked me, but her emotions had gotten the better of her. Smearing away the tears as fast as they flowed, Fiona looked up at me through a grimace of ugly sadness and said, “I’m so sorry, Gabe. I’m so, so sorry.”

I moved my body close to her, wrapping my hand around her head and pulling it to my waist.

“Fiona,” I said, in as calm a voice as I could. “Our attorneys are working around the clock to file an injunction. All we’re dealing with is a temporary distraction. I promise. You don’t need to worry about any of this, okay?”

As I finished speaking, I knelt down, getting on one knee and moving my head until our eyes met.

“I need you to listen to me.” I said, as I arched my eyebrows in an expectant manner. “All right?”

Fiona sniffled and smeared away the remnants of her tears. Nodding, she looked back at me through watery eyes. “Okay.”

I spent the next several minutes reassuring her that under no circumstances would she have to answer any other questions about what happened. The only thing I needed her to do right now was to focus, complete her work, and get things ready for the presentation in St. Barth’s.

As the minutes wore on, it appeared as if she’d settled down. I reached up to her milky white, tender skin. As I caressed her cheek in the palm of my hand, Fiona angled her head towards me.

“Everything is fine, okay? I promise you.”

Without a word, Fiona nodded at me, pasting a sad smile on her face as she did.

“Finish your work,” I said, as I released my hand from her face and gently stroked her hair. “Make it the best work of your life.”

Fiona remained silent for a moment or so before clearing her throat. A look of determination overcame her features.

“I will, Gabe. I will.”

FIONA

Less than a week after my conversation with Gabe in his office, everyone gathered in the islands once again. Gabe’s line of questioning caught me by surprise and for a period of time after, it affected me more than I suspected.

Yet, because we had to spend a considerable period of time preparing for the presentation, I realized he was being genuine and didn’t suspect me. I probably should have accepted what he told me as truth, but my emotions being what they were in the weeks since my grandmother’s death, I felt as if I did the best I could.

The good news was that since my personal life had been in such a state of upheaval, I’d almost reached a point of relief when it came to the presentation. Nevertheless, as the evening grew near for me to deliver it, I struggled with a bit of anxiety and butterflies.

Gabe and I stayed in the same suite we had before, which did add to my comfort level a bit. Putting the finishing touches on my makeup, I mentally rehearsed the highlights from the presentation over and over in my head. As I stood in front of the mirror mumbling my lines, I noticed Gabe’s reflection appear behind me.

Even in St. Barth’s, he’d insisted on a black tie affair.

As I drew my eyes up to meet his, I felt my breath catch in the middle of my throat. He stood there in a custom-tailored tuxedo, looking every bit the CEO of Hawkins Biotech. With his hands in his pants pocket, Gabe leaned his upper body against the wall in a casual pose as he looked at me.

“Wow,” he began, as he moved his eyes up and down the length of my body for several seconds. “You look… seriously fuckable.”

A rush of heat and a flash of red came to my cheeks in the wake of his unique compliment. I leaned in towards the mirror, painting my lips a dark crimson and smiling at him.

“You’re never at a loss for words, are you?”

“Not the ones that matter,” he said with a wink. “Just about ready?”

I slid my lipstick into my clutch and snapped it shut. Turning back to face him, I nodded and said, “Yes, I think so.”

He hesitated for a moment and using his shoulder, pushed himself off the wall and walked in my direction.

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