Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(64)

As I fell asleep that night, I was happy that at least two of three areas of my life were now back on track. But that third area, Reed, still weighed heavily on me. I began to wonder if I was going to have to be one of those people who settled for a good job and good friends but would never really know true love.





33





Reed





When I showed up at the office the next day, I went directly to see Clive. I went under the guise of making sure that everything with him and Analyn and the team was fine, but of course, the real reason I went was for a chance to see Analyn.

When she wasn't in her office, worry took root in my gut. Had she decided none of this was worth it and had taken off? Or worse, had Gino and his goons gotten to her again?

"I was stopping by to make sure everything with Analyn Watts was okay?" I said once I entered Clive’s office.

Clive nodded from where he sat at his desk. "Yes. I brought her in yesterday and had a chat with her. For the rest of the day, it was business as usual. I can't tell you how happy we are to have the old Analyn back."

What I would do to have the old Analyn back. The one I met at the Golden Oasis. I nodded in the direction of her office. "I notice she's not in."

"Yes. She called in saying she needed to take a personal day. I know she's new, but I figured she’s earned it."

I nodded in agreement even as that worry began to sprout. Why did she need a personal day? Was she thinking about me and our relationship? A part of me liked that idea. It suggested that she was taking me seriously. Then again, maybe she was making new plans that didn't have anything to do with me. Jesus, why was love so hard?

I left Clive to his work and nearly left the building to go find Analyn. If she was taking a personal day to think about us, I wanted to be there to plead my case. Instead, I headed back to my office. I told her what I felt and thought about us yesterday. If I went barging in, I might make things worse. Besides, I had other important things I needed to take care of, primarily, Gino and Paradise Limited.

I had already called my lawyer the night before to discuss my legal options. He indicated that it would be better for me to involve the Feds, but I wanted to get this thing over fast. I wanted Gino out of my life today. My lawyer acquiesced and said he’d put together papers and have them delivered to me this morning. As promised, the papers were on my desk when I arrived.

After looking over the documents, I stuffed them back in the envelope and headed out again. "I'm going to be gone for a little while.”

Catherine looked up at me. Her expression held remnants of her annoyance from how I spoke to her yesterday. But she nodded.

I drove to the address that was on the papers Gino had given me. The building wasn’t anything special, but it appeared professional. Then again, I didn’t know what organized crime offices looked like.

I ignored the receptionist and walked right into Gino's office, tossing the envelope my lawyer had given me onto his desk.

Gino looked down at it and then up at me, a very satisfied smirk crossing his face as he leaned back in his chair. "I knew you'd come around. Have you accepted our offer? Or is this a counteroffer?"

"There's only one offer. You stop harassing me and my employees and walk away, or I will tie you up in court until you're old and gray and can only eat gruel to survive."

Gino arched a brow. "It's a pretty strong threat. What is gruel, anyway?"

“It's no threat. After talking with my lawyer, we've come up with a whole range of lawsuits, cease-and-desist orders, and restraining orders to stop you from stalking me. All that to say there will be no deals and no hostile takeovers.”

Gino leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. His expression was dark. “I don't think you understand the picture. Paradise Limited is going to have a stake in your business. You should accept that now while our terms are favorable. If not, you're going to regret it."

"I guess I can add threatening to my list of lawsuits. The thing is, why would I want to work with a company that can't become successful on their own merits? If you have to bully and threaten to get what you want, you must be the worst sort of business people there are."

A vein on Gino's head throbbed, clearly not liking being told that he was a bad businessman.

"Me, I'm a good businessman. I have a lot of money, enough money to carry out lawsuits from now until the end of time. Trust me, going after me and my business isn’t worth your time or effort. You’ll lose."

“That's not very smart."

I leaned over, pressing my hands on the desk, getting close to his face. “And if you ever come near Analyn again, I will not be responsible for what happens next." Deciding I'd said enough, I turned and walked out.

Adrenaline pumped hard through my veins, and all I could think about was seeing Analyn. Once in my car, I drove over to her condo.

I knocked on Analyn's door, ready to drop to my knees and beg. I’d just stood up to a man with ties to organized crime. Surely, I could stand up to my own employees and tell them to give Analyn the respect she deserves, and she and I would be free to be together.

As I waited for her to answer, my mind was a whirl, wondering why she took the day off, hoping it wasn't to forget me, and trying to string together coherent words that would persuade her to give us a chance.