Page 33 of Big Bossy Billionaire

Not on my watch.

Not if I could help it.

With a slight shake of my head, I turned my attention back to the papers on my desk and pushed away all thoughts of Meghan to the back of my mind.

Later that day, after responding to the last of my emails, I got up from behind the desk and powered off my laptop. Then I stepped out of the office, into an empty hallway and made a beeline for the elevator. On the way past, I issued a series of instructions to my assistant before the doors pinged shut behind me. Downstairs, my driver was waiting for me by the curb, his usual polite expression on his face. In silence, he dropped me off on the other side of town, in front of a club with a neon sign out front. A group of people were already gathered and forming a line that stretched out to the other side of the street.

As soon as I got out of the car, the bouncer greeted me by name.

I ducked inside, one arm tucked into my pocket, and the other hanging limply by my side. The smell of alcohol hit me first, followed by the scent of tightly packed bodies. Overhead, loud music played from the speakers and bright lights came on and off. With a smirk, I picked my way through the crowd until I saw a group of my friends gathered on the floor upstairs, overlooking the crowded dance floor.

A cheer rose through the crowd when I reached them.

Someone handed me a glass of whiskey, and I downed it all one gulp.

“It’s about time you made it.” Jack clapped me on the back before lifting the beer bottle up to his lips. “We were beginning to wonder if we were going to have to recover your body.”

“Some of us have to work for a living,” I reminded him, with another smirk.

“Some of us don’t have a stick up their ass,” Jack replied, pausing to give me another thump on the back. “You used to be fun.”

I exhaled, and my eyes darted around the dimly lit floor, filled with well-dressed men and women nursing their drinks. A few of the women kept shooting glances in our direction, but I ignored them. The music grew louder as conversation rose and fell around me. When I was done with my drink, I signaled for another.

A redhead in a tight dress and brightly colored nails, who stood opposite me, kept shooting me suggestive smiles. I ignored her and focused on my drink, letting my friends’ voices wash over me. Now and again, they tried to draw me into a conversation, but I couldn’t muster up enough energy to care. Instead I continued to stand there, wanting to be anywhere else.

Once the redhead came to stand in front of me, she placed a hand on my chest. She leaned in, whispered something in my ear, and her sickly-sweet perfume washed over me.

“I can show you a good time in the back room.”

I frowned, removed her hand from my chest and took a step back. “Why don’t you try my buddy Jack over there?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the surprised and confused looks my friends exchanged.

By now, I usually had a woman draped all over me, lavishing her attention on me. On any other night, I would’ve taken the redhead to the room in the back and spent the rest of the night losing myself in her. Tonight, I was filled with thoughts of Meghan, and how much I wanted her, making everyone else pale in comparison.

With a slight shake of my head, I finished off the rest of my drink and made my way to the door. In the brisk night air, I scanned the parking lot and found my driver standing next to the car, a cigarette dangling from his lips and puffs of smoke rising through the air. As soon as he saw me, he let the cigarette fall to the floor, and he ground it out with the heel of his foot. I approached him, and he held the door open for me.

I spent the ride back to my apartment staring at Meghan’s name on my phone.

My ears were still ringing when I got out of the car and pushed my way through the double doors. In the elevator up to my apartment, I rubbed my temple, trying to figure out how I got myself into the exact mess I was trying to avoid. As soon as the elevator doors pinged open, I stepped out and hurried across the carpeted hall. The door to my apartment clicked open, and I stepped in, groping for the night lamp by the door.

It illuminated the apartment, giving it a warm, ethereal glow and casting long shadows across the wall. I kicked the door shut with my foot, looked around at the pristine, untouched apartment and frowned. Then I went over to the mini bar in the corner overlooking the terrace and poured myself a generous drink.

What the fuck was the matter with me?

Why couldn’t I stop thinking about Meghan and how much I wanted to be with her?

I sipped on my drink and stared down at my phone, imagining what it would be like to have her here. I wanted to hear the sound of her voice as she berated me, and I wanted to trace the furrow between her brows that formed when she was annoyed with me. The longer I stood there, alone in the middle of my apartment, the worse I felt about being there without her.

Finally, I lifted the phone up to my face and dialed her number.

It rang a few times before it went to voicemail.

A hard feeling settled in the pit of my stomach as I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call. With a frown, I set my glass down and went into my bedroom. There, I threw myself face first onto the mattress and fell asleep with my clothes on.

All of my dreams were of Meghan smiling at me and holding her hand out.

12

MEGHAN

---