Lured In (Dark Paradise, #1) (20 page)

I opened the door, but Timmie had already run back to his desk. Walking over to him, I asked, “Are you OK?”

“I’m fine. He’s just so damn mean and uptight.” He handed me a large cup of hot chocolate and warm croissant with cream cheese. “Here. Hurry up and go back to your office with Mr. Mean-Ass McConnallay before he gets more upset.”

I looked at Timmie and smirked.

I walked back into my office, and Zach closed the door and continued. “Where the hell have you been, Abigail?”

I looked pointedly at my watch and said, “Meeting is about to start. Don’t want to be late.”

“To hell with that fucking meeting. You didn’t return any of my calls, texts, or e-mails. And you turned down my flowers. Why?”

“Now you know how I felt. So just go back to whomever you’ve been fucking for the past week and a half. This isn’t the place to discuss our personal problems. OK?”

“Fine. Then let’s talk about you taking leave without prior notice or approval.”

“OK. That’s fair…and I do apologize about that. I had some personal things going on in my life and I needed immediate time away from the office to sort those things out. It was very unprofessional of me to leave on such short notice, but unfortunately it happened. Sorry.”

“Where were you, Abi?”

“That’s a personal question, but if you must know, I’ve been busy.”

“Doing what, Abigail?”

“That’s sounds a bit personal too, and we agreed on professional,” I reminded him.

“I didn’t agree. You simply suggested,” he said. He came closer to caress my neck, pulling our foreheads together. “Where, Abigail? Please tell me.” He tried to kiss me, but I slapped his face and pushed him away. That slap was from my heart—for ignoring and hurting the hell out of me.

Looking him firmly in his eyes, I said, “That will never happen again. Do you understand me, Zach? Whatever we had. The pretending you care, the fling, sex, fucking, whatever you want to call it. It’s all over. Wasn’t the red flag I enclosed validating enough? If not, I hope I’m making myself clear. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend in five minutes. Do tape my resignation letter back together. I stand firm on that as well.”

Zach stood there stupefied as I casually walked out of the office to attend the meeting.

Oh, Christ! That was hard to do. He looks so sexy and handsome today. And that look on his face…Oh my God, I want to turn back around and kiss it away. Should I?

Ding
! The elevator doors opened, and I got on with my hot chocolate and croissant. I pressed the button for the fifteenth floor and headed straight to the conference room with a few minutes to spare. I sat beside Uncle Ernie, and we waited over fifteen minutes for Zach to come. Joan, his brother, and even his grandfather called his phone, but he didn’t answer. Joan was forced to start in his absence.

When Zach arrived at 8:36 a.m., he made a beeline for Uncle Ernie and whispered, “I’m liquidating the company at Abigail’s request. She resigned today.”

He handed Uncle Ernie the taped resignation letter and walked to the front of the room to take his seat. Uncle Ernie quickly turned to face me, but I kept my blazing gaze on Zach, who took over the meeting.

We were nearly finished with the meeting when Zach texted me:

Meeting is coming to an end. Are you sure you want me to announce your resignation?

I texted back:

Yes.

He texted back:

Should I also let everyone know that they can consider this their two-week notice?

Zach A. McConnallay, CEO with a BROKEN HEART, ZAM and McConnallay Enterprises

I texted back furiously:

Surely threatening the livelihoods of over 250 employees is beneath you, even if you are just a little boy who masquerades behind $4,000 tailor-made suits and a gargantuan bank account. I already know how far you can stretch your arm to make things happen, whether it’s good or bad. I’d rather you use your influence for good and not penalize everyone for my decision to end all ties with you, both personal and professional. Also, you have only yourself to blame for your BROKEN HEART. Deal with it. I sure have.

Abigail M. Winterfield, SOON-TO-BE FORMER (Nothing to You) President, First Choice Health and Wellness, Inc.

I looked at Zach as he read my last text. I could tell he was displeased from the ice-cold look and the furrow in his brow. He stood up to say, “I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to my brother, father, and grandfather for coming to the meeting today to share their plans for a state-of-the-art, thirteen-story 350,000-square-foot facility that will be available for operation in months to come. I would also like to thank everyone for coming to the meeting. Everyone, except for Ms. Winterfield, may return to work.”

I glowered at Zach as everyone quickly departed from the conference room. As I wasn’t in the mood to hide my annoyance, his brother immediately noticed my look of displeasure and whispered something in Zach’s ear. Zach, still fuming, looked at me, then back at his brother, and nodded his head. I turned to leave the conference room despite Zach’s request, but as soon as I reached the door, Zach was at my side.

“I asked you to stay behind. Didn’t I?” He kissed my right ear.

I turned to face him. “And I told you not to do that anymore. Didn’t I? Why didn’t you mention the resignation? And why would you tell Ernie that I suggested you to liquidate the company?”

“That’s not important right now. Come with me, and fix that look on your face.” Pulling me, he escorted me over to where his family stood waiting.

“This is
the
Abigail Winterfield. Abigail, this is my grandfather, Thomas; my father, Aaron; and my oldest brother, Xander,” Zach said, gripping my lower back.

“Oh yes, I remember you from the elevator this morning. I’ve heard wonderful things about you,” Xander said, extending his right hand to me. I shook his hand.

His grandfather took my right hand next, kissed it, and said, “So you do exist. I thought Zachy here was just blowing smoke. But now we all know and understand why Xander had better watch himself in elevators more often.”

I smiled, said my pleasantries to his grandfather, and looked to his father with my right hand extended.

“Abi, it is?” his father asked.

“Yes, sir. Abi it is,” I replied with a smile.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet…um…what’s that you call her, Zach?”

“My love. My better,” his brother and grandfather said simultaneously.

Zach moved his tight grip from my lower back to my right hip as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

“Yes, Zach’s love and better,” his father said gleefully, pulling me into his embrace.

I smiled, talked for a short while, and excused myself.

I sat in my office, shocked and thrilled at the thought of Zach calling me his love and better. It was all I could think of. But what did it mean in the context of what had happened the prior weekend?

I didn’t notice when Zach came into my office to sit beside me.

“Abi? Abi? Abigail?” I jumped and looked at him. “What’s eating at you?” he asked.

“You. I mean nothing. Work. Look, Zach, what do you want? I’m trying to work.”

He smiled and flaunted his perfect whites.

“What about me in particular were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t. Why are you here?”

“Because I need to talk to you before I leave for Pittsburgh.”

What the hell is in Pittsburgh?

“As long as it’s business related. Otherwise, there’s nothing to talk about.” He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

“Are you giving up on us—you and me? Do I get a chance to make it better, fix it…anything? Why did you write the resignation letter?”

“I told you. I need to explore more exciting things.”

His cell phone rang, and he cursed before looking down to see who the caller was.

“What is it, Galloway?” He looked at me and continued, “I know what time I told them to have the jet ready. Tell them I will be making this trip alone.” He ended the call, looked at me, and said, “Abigail, I really need to leave if I want to catch my flight. I don’t want to leave with us like this. I’ll be back Sunday evening, and I hope you will have dinner with me. Would you please have dinner with me? Please?”

“No,” I said instantly and firmly, with a stern look on my face.

He got up looking very sad and disappointed. Walking over to the door, he looked back at me and said, “You’re not the only person Henry hurt.”

My jaw dropped as he left the office, leaving me wondering.

For the rest of the day, I wondered what Zach could have been referring to. I wonder if Epps had hurt him. If he had, I could imagine the pain and torture he must have inflicted on him. I lost my internal battle and texted Zach late that night, asking for clarification. He didn’t reply until late the next morning:

My mother was married to that sick monster.

Zach A. McConnallay, CEO, WHO’S MISSING THE HELL OUT OF HIS LOVE AND BETTER, ZAM and McConnallay Enterprises

I called Carmen from work around two in the afternoon and told her I needed to talk to her about Zach. We agreed to meet at Sens at six so we could catch up over a drink or two.

“That will be fine,” I said. “Gabe has Gabi for the rest of the week and weekend.”

“Why does he have Gabi for that long?” Carmen asked.

“He wants to spend as much time as possible with his daughters before he flies to Europe to get a few American basketball players signed to some European basketball contracts and to sign two Italian football players to Major League Soccer contracts.”

Carmen had a love-hate relationship with Gabe. She had always praised and slain him under the same tongue. She loved and praised him for loving me when he did and for making sure Gabi and I were well taken care of. But she hated the hell out of him and could have easily killed him for how badly he’d treated me when we were together.

“I commend him for being a great father and wanting to spend as much time with his children before he travels for work, but let’s be real, Abi. He’s going to be feasting his appetite on European and Italian flesh, like always.”

We joked about Gabe at his expense and said our see you laters.

Lobby security called me at 3:12 p.m. and told me I had a visitor by the name of Mrs. Taylor McConnallay. My heart stilled.

“What did you just say?” I asked the guard.

“There’s a Mrs. Taylor McConnallay here for you. She said you were expecting her. Should I send her up?”

Oh my God. He’s married to her. He “forgot” to tell me that. He lied to me. That lying son of a bitch.

“Ms. Winterfield? Ms. Winterfield?”

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“Should I send her up?”

“Sure.”
What the hell does this bitch want with me?

Timmie escorted Taylor into my office and asked her if she would like any refreshments. She requested a bottle of water, and Timmie offered her a seat. I looked at her and she at me. She wasn’t as beautiful as I’d remembered. It must have been the drinking that had made me see her as an amazingly beautiful woman. In fact, she was just an average-looking woman who knew how to choose the right makeup and clothes. She wore a gorgeous black Alexander Wang rib knit dress that fit her body very well. She completed the sexy look with a pair of black Liya pumps. Her skin was perfectly tanned, and she had deep blue eyes with rings of light green around the pupils. Even her lips were perfectly injected.

Timmie came back promptly with her water and left. I stared at her while she uncapped her water bottle and drank. Then she put the bottle on my desk and stared me up and down.

“What do you want? I’m sure you didn’t lie about a meeting with me just to come up for a drink of water and to stare me up and down,” I asked her.

“I’m sure I didn’t either,” she replied

“So what brings you to my place of business?”

“You.”

I laughed. “I’m aware that you are here because of me. What I don’t know is why.”

“Sure you know. I mean you’re the president of this company, right?”