Page 35 of One Night with the Billionaire Boss

Titus puts his legs down and sits up. Victoria stares at me. “What the fuck?”

“Across the face.”

Her jaw drops. Mack gives a short, humorless laugh. “Jesus.”

“Apparently she pushed him through a plate-glass window and put him in hospital. I guess that’s a suitable punishment. I still want to break the bastard’s legs, though.”

“Too obvious,” Titus says. “Let’s tamper with his brakes.”

“Poison for me,” Victoria adds. “We should put cyanide in his whisky.”

“Fucker,” Mack says. “What is it with men who hurt women? They should be fucking castrated.”

“Yeah, I’m with you there. So anyway, that’s why she’s reluctant to date again—not just me, anyone. But I’m working on it.”

Mack meets my eyes, and for a moment I think he’s going to berate me for being so dumb, but he just says, “Okay, let’s move on. I want to talk about the calendar in March—Victoria, can I book a table for ten in the restaurant on the fifteenth? I’ve got an Australian company coming over and I thought I’d bring them for dinner here.”

The conversation moves on, and I listen and type notes and add my two cents, although inside my heart’s still beating faster than normal. I can’t think what else to do. The words ring in my ears. I know this is my last chance to get with Elizabeth. If I don’t jump tomorrow, it’s over. She’s right—I can’t turn my monthly request into harassment. If she’s determined to say no, however much I think she’s wrong, I’m going to have to accept that’s her decision and bow out.

Two o’clock approaches, and Victoria closes her laptop. “All right, I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Yep. Thanks, guys.” Titus gets up. “Good luck tomorrow, Hux. Let me know how it goes.”

“Will do.”

Titus and Victoria head out, and the door swings shut.

Mack rises and puts his laptop back in his bag. We head toward the door together, but as we reach it, he puts a hand on it, stopping me from opening it.

“You’re really going to do this?” he says.

“I have to.” I study my shoes. “She’s been saying no to me for years. I didn’t think she was interested. But we kissed on Valentine’s Day. And she asked me to take her back to my room.”

I lift my gaze back up at him. He looks surprised. “Shit.”

“I didn’t. We were both drunk. But she definitely wanted me to. I didn’t realize… All this time I thought she wasn’t into me. She’s terrified of getting hurt again though. I get it, after what happened with Tim and Steve. But I know I contributed to her broken heart. I put the first crack in it.”

He sighs.

“She doesn’t think I’m serious,” I continue, “and I need to make a grand gesture.”

His lips curve up. “By jumping off the Sky Tower?”

I give him a pained look. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He chuckles. Then he says, “You want me to come with you?”

I hesitate. “Does it make me a wuss if I say yes?”

“Elizabeth can wait at the bottom to celebrate with you when you land. Best she’s not at the top while you’re waiting, eh?”

He knows how hard this is going to be for me. “Yeah.”

“What time?”

“Ten a.m. I made it early because I couldn’t bear to wait all day.”

He grins. “You’re meeting Elizabeth there?”

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