“Ask me when we’re going to start again.”
Hope and fear fill her big brown eyes. “When are we going to start again, Matthias?” “Now, darling. Right now.” I take her hand and pull her into me, crushing her lips with mine.
She presses into my body, mouth giving way for me.
And everything else fades away.
“I missed you so much, darling. I missed you so fucking much,” I say, only once we’re both gasping for breath.
Her hand comes up to touch my face, like she’s wanting to make sure I’m there. “I missed you so much, Matthias.”
“What were you doing standing out here?” I ask, remembering the way my heart jumped when I saw her there.
“I was waiting for you,” she admits with a smile. “My-Linh texted to tell me to turn the TV on. You were all over the channels.”
I slide my arms around her back, hugging her. Tight. Possessive. Protective. “Did you hear what I said?”
She nods. “Did you mean what you said?”
“Every single word. You need to know I’ll never walk away from you, or push you away ever again. But I’m ready to take things slow. I’ll wait for you, forever.”
She leans back, giving me a look that fills me with a calmness that only she can give me. “I love you. And what if I want forever to start today?” She grabs my shirt and yanks me against her, and I pin her against the windowpane, kissing her until I’m dizzy from happiness.
Finally, she looks over my shoulder and shakes her head.
“Quite the romantic gesture.”
I grin and give them a wave. “Any for you, darling.”
“Me and everyone in the tri-state area!” she teases.
I nuzzle my face against her neck, taking deep breath after deep breath. Never wanting to be far from her scent ever again.
The flash bulbs go crazy again and I chuckle against her temple.
She shakes her head and laughs. “You can’t do anything without causing a scene, can you?”
I give her a grin like no other. “Guilty.”
MATTHIAS
A
fter the reporters and the crowd disperse, I follow Clarissa inside to be alone so we can be alone for a moment.
We kiss for what seems like forever, trying to make up for lost time. Her lips taste like… her. I’ve spent months trying to place what the flavor is, but there’s nothing like it in our existence. They just taste like her.
“I have to go,” I say, resting my forehead on hers. “I have to go to the board meeting. And possibly get fired.”
She grimaces. “I hope not.”
“Me, too. But with your father gone, it’s anyone’s guess about what’s about to happen. And I need to be there. It’s my company.”
She brushes her cheek against mine with a little purr. “I know. And I’m coming with you.”
I think about telling her no, and then I realize I don’t want to. I want her there. And if I want her to share every aspect of her life with me, then I need to do the same for her. “Let’s go.”
***
My brothers, My-Linh and Kiara, are standing outside the conference room when I get to Baxter Tower. The women’s eyes light up when they see Clarissa, but she steps in behind me, hiding. I reach for her hand and whisper, “It’s okay. They want you to be here.” Only then does she give them a little wave hello.
“What’s going on?” I ask my brothers. The response I get is three very serious faces staring back at me. “That good, huh?”
“We said that we weren’t going to start the meeting until you were here. If they want to talk about you, then it’s only fair that you’re here,” Kingsley explains.
Keeping one hand still gripping Clarissa’s, I reach for Kylian, and give him a one-armed hug. He looks more worried than the other two put together. Sometimes he still really is our baby brother.
“Well, I’m here now. So, let’s go do this.”
I step into the conference room first, with my brothers following close behind. We take our seats while everyone watches us with what can only be described as morbid curiosity.
When we sit, the vice-chair, Leonard Applebaum waves his hand for silence. He was the second longest serving board members, before Terry resigned. Now he’s the one who’s been here the longest. An ally to my grandfather when he was alive, he neither likes nor dislikes us.
“Gentlemen. To expedite proceedings, while we were waiting for you, the board voted for me as interim chairman. Until we can put the chairperson position to a proper vote, I will be in charge of running today’s meeting.”
The four of us glance at each other. This is probably the best outcome, for now. Kingsley gives Leonard a nod, signaling that we will not oppose it.
Leonard, seated at the end of the conference table, stands. “This meeting has been called due to extraordinary circumstances. One is the recent resignation of Terry Masters. And the other, being the conduct of our director of the America region of Baxter Enterprises. Some of our members have argued that recent events have clearly violated the morality clause of Matthias’s contract. It has been raised that Matthias be suspended from his position until a general shareholders’ meeting is held. I’d now like to invite statements from members of the board.”
For the next hour, I sit and listen as people I’ve sat with on this board for over ten years, debate my character, my work, my intentions, my failings.
I hear things that aren’t real, that are merely perceived, that are plain lies. I listen while others speak with tears in their eyes about my contributions to the company and the city of New York.
Through it all, I look each person in the eyes as they’re speaking. I don’t interrupt them to argue, and I don’t take notes. I’ll remember every last word that is said in this meeting and how I’ll conduct my relationship with each person when it’s all done.
When it’s my brothers’ turn to speak, they talk about the person I am.
They talk about what was always most important to my grandfather when he left this company in our hands. They talk about why I was born to do this. And they talk about the detriment to the company and its standing in the region if I’m removed.
And when Damien seems like he’s almost done, he pauses, taking a second to look around the table.