Page 14 of The CEO's Revenge

Robert had met her first… wanted her first.

Then I turned up at the bar and she made it clear she wanted me. Though I had briefly harbored a feeling he resented the fact she had chosen me over him, I slapped it away as unworthy of either him or me. He was my best friend, and he himself had assured me nothing could, or would come between us, especially not a mere woman.

In those days Robert went through women so fast I could hardly keep up.

Naturally, I believed him when he told me she would have been just another fling for him. He asked me if I was really serious about her. I told him I was not really serious, I was totally and utterly smitten. Head over heels. She was my life. She was everything to me. He hugged me tightly, wished me well, and told me he was happy for me. One day, he said, he too would find the woman he wanted to marry, and keep forever.

Fool that I was, I made the classic mistake of judging him by my standards. Because that is what I would have done for him.

I took stock as calmly as I could. The past was the past, and unchangeable, but that was okay. I was no longer interested like the love-struck boy I was. Now, I was only interested in the future. As far as I was concerned, Robert and Savannah could go to hell together. And I would happily pay for their ticket there.

I thought about the two accounts BB Tech had already snatched away from Robert this week. That was just the beginning.

I turned away and walked in the opposite direction as fast as I could. I grabbed a snow cone to cool off. As the ice slid down my parched throat, I felt my eyes once again begin to search the crowd for Savannah.

I found her easily.

She was conversing with a group of children. She had always loved children, and I couldn’t help remembering the times we had talked about having kids. She wanted six, but said she would settle for three if I didn’t want that many. I laughed and told her she could have thirty-six if she wanted. She made a face I will never forget.

I circled a few more times, always keeping her within sight. She seemed to be on the move, throwing glances over her shoulder every once in a while.

She was avoiding me.

The fairgrounds started to empty. It was now or never. I saw her stop to talk with another staff member at the Ferris wheel. She stayed and the other woman left. My feet moved of their own volition.

I heard her clear voice ring out as she loaded the ride and I stood still, placing myself somewhat in her line of vision. She was laughing at something someone said and her face swung upwards and met my gaze. Her laughter died on her lips and her body stiffened. Time seemed to stand still in that instant. The feeling from when I had first seen her across the field started to sweep over me once more. My feet took a mind of their own and started to move towards her. Just as I was closing in on her she suddenly took flight. I stopped and stared at her retreating form. Well, well, so that was how it was going to be? She was going to keep running away after inviting me here?

I realized I enjoyed having her run. She should run.

For another half hour or so, I played her little game of ‘chase Savannah’, knowing I was unnerving her each time I popped up in her line of vision. I watched her watching me watching her. She managed to keep away by virtue of the crowd, which was to her disadvantage thinning pretty fast. But when it would be only her and the staff left then what?

Would she have security escort me off the field?

Closing time was approaching fast. I had to make my move. And the opportunity came when she became so engrossed with some staff members, she failed to see me slip away from where she was keeping an eye on me. I circled around behind tents, catching glimpses of her as she looked around frantically. I came up behind her stealthily and stood a few feet away. One of her staff members, facing me, noticed me first. Her eyes widened, which told me Savannah had discussed me. She looked at Savannah and winced. I saw Savannah’s shoulders stiffen before she turned slowly. I stepped within arm’s reach.

“Hello, Savannah.”

She swallowed and licked her lips nervously. “Uh… hello.”

“I came.”

“I see.”

I deliberately let an awkward silence between us grow as the other staff wandered off. From the corner of my eyes, I could see them throwing curious glances our way. Savannah kept her gaze fixed on me. I was close enough to see the gold flecks in her hazel eyes. Her eyes were the things I first noticed about her. They were incomparably beautiful. I’d never seen eyes like hers before.

My mind went back to the last time I had seen her that weekend before her birthday. I felt a rush of warmth wash over me as I remembered that last time we made love and had an instant erection. Thank the fuck I had not tucked my shirt into my jeans. My physical reaction spoke volumes about the hold she still had over me and it was intolerable.

This was Savannah, the bitch, who turned her back on me, and betrayed me with the man I thought was my best friend. My sweetheart, who had not called me after my arrest, thought to visit me even once while I was awaiting trial, or even show enough curiosity to turn up at the courtroom. This was Savannah who, instead of reaching out to me as the man she loved, had hooked up with the man who had framed me and put me behind bars.

Running through her sins killed off my erection and I reminded myself that this was no lovers’ reunion. This was a face-off and confrontation. I watched as she bit her bottom lip and reached around to fish her braid over her shoulder, all telltale signs she was nervous.

I smiled tauntingly. “A little nervous?”

“M-Me? N-Nervous? No, I’m not.”

I took another step closer and was extremely pleased to see her immediately take a corresponding step backwards. I chuckled almost maniacally. It was nice to know I made her as uneasy as she did me. I saw her lick her lips and I licked mine in turn. If the circumstances had been different, I would have drawn her curvy body tightly to mine and devoured those juicy lips greedily.

“Youarenervous, Sav. I’d say you’re as nervous as a mouse in a room full of hungry cats. I wonder why, though. Have you done something to make you jumpy around me, the love of your life? The man of your dreams who you left to suffer alone for four fucking years. Hmmm, Sav? Is that why you’re nervous? Perhaps you were hoping I wouldn’t show up?”

---