I shove my hands in my pockets, lost in thought when I hear the buzzer on the intercom.
“Mr. Hayes, there’s a Mr. Dorsey on the line for you.”
I turn and walk back to my desk. “Thank you, Olivia,” I say into the intercom before picking up the receiver.
“Warren.”
“Haven’t heard from you, Graham. You avoiding me?” The raspy voice of Warren Dorsey instantly puts me in a bad mood. If I really were Bruce Wayne, Warren Dorsey would be the super villain in our version of Batman.
“Just busy, Warren. You know how business can be.” Not many—or really anyone for that matter—can intimidate me or make me uneasy, except Warren Dorsey. We’re both powerful men with more money than most, but unlike him, I’m not willing to wield my power and funds for evil. This man has no qualms whatsoever about destroying someone, even me.
“Thought you might be backing out of our dinner on Thursday.”
“Well, I never actually agreed to go to dinner if you recall. I said I’d consider it. I have to admit, your demanding text message made me bristle a little at the idea of actually attending.” The line is silent for a moment.
“Fine, thirty percent shares,” he says.
I grip the phone in my hand tightly. Fuck. I shouldn’t even consider being in bed with a man like Dorsey but I’ve been wanting to diversify my portfolio and expand my empire. Walking away from an opportunity like this is the kind of business decision that could haunt you.
“I’ll be there,” I say, even against my better judgment.
“That’s my boy.” The phrase turns my stomach. “Oh and we changed it from Morton’s here to in Manhattan on their turf. Figure it makes ’em think they’ve got a leg up on their own turf.”
And with that, the line goes dead. I hit the intercom button and summon my assistant, Olivia.
“Yes, Mr. Hayes?” She walks through the double doors of my office, iPad in hand.
“I need you to call the airfield and make sure my plan is set to fly to Manhattan Thursday morning, returning Friday morning. Also, arrange my usual penthouse suite and car.”
“Absolutely, sir.” She taps on the iPad.
“That will b—” I’m about to dismiss her when the sound of Eleanor’s high-pitched laugh interrupts me.
I stand up and peer over Olivia’s shoulder down the hallway to see Eleanor and Margot hand in hand, walking toward my office.
“Knock, knock,” Margot says as they enter.
“Oh, hi, sweetheart. Do you remember me?” Olivia crouches down in front of Eleanor. “My goodness, it’s been nearly two years since I’ve seen you.” Eleanor looks up at Margot, gripping her hand.
“Eleanor, say hello,” Margot says to her and Eleanor gives her a big smile and a wave.
“Hi!”
“Miss Silver?” I try to keep my composure as Olivia and Eleanor chat. I glance down at Olivia, giving her a stern look that she understands.
“Why don’t we go out to my desk. You can tell me all about your new kitten and I can show you pictures of my puppy. How does that sound?”
“Okay,” Eleanor says, placing a hand-drawn picture on my desk before grabbing Olivia’s hand and following her out of my office.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t think it would be a big deal for us to stop by. We were downtown to go to the aquarium and Eleanor mentioned that she forgot to give you that drawing for your office.”
“This is a place of business, Miss Silver, and I really don’t understand why I have to explain to you that it’s no place for children.” I place my fingertips on the surface of my desk as I lean forward, enunciating my words.
“She just wanted t—”
“No. Don’t blame Eleanor here.”
“I’m not blaming her!” Miss Silver straightens her back, that red blush creeping up her delicious neck again. “I’m simply telling you why we stopped by, but clearly it’s unwelcome so we’ll just be going!” She turns on her heel and I lunge around the desk to grab her arm.
“Daddy, be nice!” Eleanor appears in the doorway, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “You have to say sorry.”
I stare at her, letting out an exasperated sigh before turning my attention back to Margot. I give her a forced smile. “My apologies, Miss Silver.”
She nods and opens her mouth to speak, but Eleanor interjects again. “Now kiss her.” I snap my attention back to Margot whose face is a bright, glowing red.
I walk over to Eleanor and crouch down in front of her, placing my hands on her arms. “Now, sweetheart, why would you say that?”
“Miss Margot said that when Daddy and Mommy fight, they kiss to say sorry.”
I slowly turn my head to look at Miss Silver. Her hands are now cupping her flaming cheeks. She’s staring straight ahead.
“Well, while that is true, Eleanor, and I am your daddy”—I choose my words carefully—“Miss Silver is your nanny, not your mommy, and that wouldn’t be appropriate for me to kiss her.” I glance sideways to look at Margot, but she’s still refusing to look at me.
“Okay, sweetie. I think we should let your dad get back to work,” Margot says as she turns and puts her hands on Eleanor’s shoulders to usher her out of the office. Eleanor walks through the double doors, but I reach out and grab Margot’s hand, jerking her backward a little more forcefully than necessary. She stumbles a little but rights herself.
I get my face close to hers. “We’ll finish this conversation at home.”
“Damn, who was that?” Garrett, my CFO, whistles as he steps into my office, his eyes trailing Margot as she walks down the hall toward the elevator.
“Nobody,” I mutter, not looking up from my computer.
“Well, is nobody available? I’d like to sink my tee—”
“What do you want, Garrett?” I snap.
He eyes me suspiciously for a brief second before placing a stack of documents on my desk. “This quarter’s financials,” he says, followed by a snicker.
I grab the papers and look up at him. Why is he still standing here?
“Something else?” I ask, leaning back in my chair as I pretend to read the report. It’s no use; my brain is solely focused on Margot.
“Nobody, huh? Sounds like you might have a little crush.” I drop the report and look up at him. He raises his hands and gives a look of it’s none of my business before walking out of my office.
“Go home to your fiancée,” I say after him and he just waves.
I keep staring at the clock for the rest of the day, counting down the minutes and seconds before I’ll be in her presence again. I know I overreact toward her. I wasn’t actually mad that she brought Eleanor by my office. It was because seeing Margot, knowing I can’t have her pisses me off more than anything.
By the time five thirty p.m. rolls around, I’m beyond amped. I feel frazzled, A word I rarely use and a feeling I hate.
I detest not feeling like I’m in control.
I join Eleanor and Margot for dinner. Eleanor does most of the talking. I watch Margot out of the corner of my eye as she pushes her green beans around her plate like she knows something is coming. I wait until they finish eating dinner before saying anything.