Page 98 of Corporate Escapades

“Me? I’m the stubborn one?” asked Paris.

“Yeah,” said Chase. “He keeps trying to talk to you, and you keep shutting down.”

“You should go over there and talk to him right now,” said Mya. “Before it’s too late.”

“Fine,” huffed Paris. “I’ll call him in a bit. Now, where’s that damn drink we came here for?”

Chapter nineteen

Monday morning, Mya rolled out of bed and headed for her closet, only to realize she wasn’t in her apartment. The grogginess was still hanging over her when she heard Cristo stirring from his side of the bed.

“Morning,” he said sleepily. “You're up early. What is it, five?”

Mya turned around and rubbed her eyes to try to adjust to the dim light. “I slept so well I forgot where I was,” she replied.

Cristo propped himself up on one elbow so he could get a better look at her. “Is that good or bad?” He hoped it was good. It should mean she felt comfortable, but this whole sleepover thing was new to them both. He was still in shock that she wanted more, and he found himself silently praying that she wouldn’t change her mind. Mya was an angel among humankind, and he never thought she’d choose him, but then again, he never thought he’d fall for someone so much younger than he. “Are you okay?” Mya hadn’t responded, and the pause was beginning to fill his empty stomach with knots.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” she said. “It's a good thing, I think. I feel safe with you.” She smiled, then, walking over to the bed, she leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips. “I'm anxious to start this day. I need to know that Vic and Paris are going to be restored to their former glory. I can’t take much more of this crazy rollercoaster ride.”

“You know they’ll be fine. Obviously, it comes down to what Mikel and Dom decide, but we all put in our two-cents.”

“We should get moving. I could definitely use some food, and by the sound of your stomach, so could you.” Cristo's stomach had been growling throughout their entire conversation.

“Yeah, I think you burnt up all my fuel last night.” Winking, he said, “I'm open to another round if you like?”

“As wonderful as that sounds, I don't think I have the focus at this time. Let's allow the desire to build a little. Get your lazy butt out of bed. We need food, now!”

“Okay, okay.” Cristo rolled out of bed and wandered to his closet, where he pulled on the first clean suit he found. Mya helped him put on his tie, though he didn’t actually require any assistance. After, she wandered to the bathroom to freshen herself up and dress. She was surprised at how great it felt waking up in his bed. It felt as if she belonged there next to him. “I’m gonna grab a coffee and some toast to go,” said Cristo. “With today's meeting, I should probably arrive early to discuss the final details with the rest of the board. You’re welcome to stay here until you need to head over.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly. “This place feels more like a home with you in it.”

When Cristo arrived at the boardroom, Mikel was already there, staring out the window as he often did. “Hey, Mikel. How’s it going?” he asked. The other board members filed in behind him.

Mikel turned toward Cristo with a contemplative look on his face. Shaking his head, he said, “For the life of me, I don’t know how things got so out of control?”

“We own one of the largest companies in Nevada and we suffered a catastrophic loss that thoroughly shook our families. You need to give yourself a break,” said Cristo.

Narrowing his eyes, Mikel said, “But how’d we miss the situation with Tom and Angela? How could we not realize our own children were being used?”

Nikola walked over to Mikel and hugged him. Pulling away, she looked into his eyes and said, “It makes me sick, too. Thankfully, Molly was in the right place at the right time, or this could have been much worse. When you’ve worked with people for as long as we have with Angela and Tom, you don’t see the knife until it’s being pulled from your back.”

Jessamine took a seat at the table, tears flowing from her eyes. “I feel like a terrible mother,” she sobbed. “Our children have been emotionally assaulted. We punished them instead of protecting them.”

“Darling, you’re a wonderful mother, but none of us saw this coming. We’re human,” said Dom, as he ran his fingers through his goatee.

Closing the distance between herself and Jessamine, Nicola placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. “Look at me,” she said softly. Her voice full of compassion. “Our children needed tough love. It took a strong action to pull them out of the terrible grief they’ve been drowning in. Paris overdosed. They were both arrested. If we’d done nothing, they could have ended up doing serious time, or worse, dead.” Grabbing a tissue, she handed it to Jessamine. “Dry your eyes, darling. Our children are alive, well,and thriving. Our family is finally beginning to feel whole again.” She smiled.

Jessamine nodded. Moving on, she said, “It’s getting late. We should probably take our seats.”

“Okay,” said Mikel, “Let’s get down to business and discuss the future of ADG.”

Reaching for her phone, Paris let out a sigh as she dialed Vic's number. She’d been calling him all weekend, but he refused to pick up the phone. This time, it rang once and went to voicemail. He’d rejected her call, yet again. A tear ran down her cheek. What was wrong with her? Why didn’t she talk to him when she had the chance?

She was lying upside-down with her feet propped up on top of her settee, passing time before her meeting, when she heard a knock at the door. The blood slowly flowed into her head. Part of her hoped she’d pass out and forget anything had ever happened between herself and Vic, but she knew that scenario would never see fruition. The knock sounded again, and Paris flipped herself around, nearly toppling over from the head-rush. “Just a second,” she called out as she knocked into her coffee table.

Paris swung the door open to find Jack standing on the other side with Mya and Chase. Jack was holding a large bouquet of wildflowers, and Mya had a balloon that said 'Good Luck!' in large, brightly colored scrolling letters. “Wow,” she said. “For me?”

“Of course, silly!” Mya handed Paris the balloon, and Jack and Chase followed her into the condo. “We couldn't let you go into that meeting without a positive sendoff,” she replied excitedly.

“Do you have a vase for these?” asked Jack, as he waved the flowers in the air.

---