Page 22 of Reluctantly Yours

“Oh.Excuse me.”Gesturing to the page in front of me, I offered a dry laugh.“There’s no stopping me once I start poring over legal jargon.”

A soft laugh rose over the room.Another thing money could do.None of them were sincere, but I wasn’t particularly interested in sincerity at the moment.Not with so many ugly, shocking images running through my head.Of all times for that to come up.I went out of my way to avoid thinking about him, about the past.At times like this, though, with so much on the line, it made sense for him to rear his ugly head, even if it was only in my subconscious.

“I want to talk executive staffing of our New York offices,” I announced, pulling my shit together, reminding myself who I was.My own man, someone who had built a company and was on his way to creating an empire.Something to be proud of, something true, something built on hard work instead of being propped up by lies, payoffs, and scandals.

“You think you’re so much better than me?”I could hear his laughter now, ringing out through the years, sending a cold chill down my spine.“You think you would be anywhere in this world if you didn’t have my last name, you pompous little prick?”

“If it’s the name you're concerned with, you can have it,”I spat.“I would rather go through life as Travis Jones than let anyone think I’d have anything to do with a pompous, cheating bastard like you.”

I sat up straighter, fighting to keep my focus trained on the present instead of drifting toward the past.The middle-aged woman sitting to my right, Nancy Lewis, slid a stack of folders from the center of the table directly in front of me.“We’ve already compiled an impressive list of candidates,” she explained.“All of them have strong backgrounds in shipping, logistics, and management.All are well-traveled, possess excellent educational credentials, and are ready to go.All we need to do is hire them.”

“Of course,” Frank Jeffries, another one of the Board, pointed out.“We’re more than happy to take any candidates you’re interested in into consideration.This isn’t a one-way street.And after all, you are the boss,” he concluded with a soft, almost self-deprecating laugh.Pretty soon, that laughter spread, meaning I had to force a pleasant expression.

Nothing irked me worse than fake laughter.It probably had to do with witnessing so many of my father’s sycophants kissing his ass over the years.He could’ve taken a shit in their open mouths, and they would’ve thanked him and asked for more.Who could respect someone willing to embarrass themselves that way?And for what?Pleasing the boss?Potentially earning a raise?Was that worth handing over dignity in exchange?

I had also witnessed him callously, almost gleefully, tossing those same people aside.There was always an excuse.They were mouthy, or they thought they knew better than him, or he wanted to shake things up, get some new blood circulating, the way a shark would.

“There is one point we wanted to discuss today.”Looking up and down the table, Nancy waited for everyone to nod in agreement before she asked, “Have you given any thought to the amount of time you plan on spending in your new offices?I ask because we’re trying to get a sense of the management you’ll need here.How many positions are left to fill, etcetera.It would be helpful to get an understanding of how hands-on you would like to be.”

“Oftentimes in cases like this…” Frank pointed out, “…relocation is involved.At least for the first six months.It would make sense,” he added, the others grunting their agreement.“Especially if and when there are meetings required in, for instance, London or one of your other European delivery ports.”

He had a point, and it was one I had considered.A very large indignant part of me wanted to ask exactly who these people thought they were talking to like I had graduated from business school a week ago.“I’ve been giving it thought,” I explained.“Of course, as you know, I also have my daughter to consider.Any decision I make needs to involve what’s best for her.”

It would mean spending a lot more time here, and there was no way I could leave her in LA for that long a stretch.Not with Penny or any other nanny, no matter how much I trusted them.Even flying back on the weekends would mean missing too much time, time I wasn’t willing or ready to give up.It wouldn’t be forever, but this was a critical age for her.These were the days she needed me the most.

I was never what I would consider a micromanager, but facts were facts.I wasn’t about to leave something this big in the hands of a stranger.I would need to carefully vet my prospects if there was any chance of taking a hands-off approach or at least avoiding constant commuting back and forth.

“Thank you very much for compiling this information.”I gave the files a cursory glance.“I’ll be sure to review this carefully and discuss it with my advisers.We have roughly five months to nail this down, and while that isn’t exactly a generous timeline…” I added, “… that doesn’t mean we are cutting corners or taking shortcuts.I want this done right from the start, no excuses.I hope I’m making myself clear.”

Frank nodded.“Of course, Mr.Knight.All of this is entirely hanging on your word.”

Hanging entirely on my word.It sounded good.I couldn’t pretend otherwise.So long as we were all on the same page when it came to my word being law around here.

We wrapped up the meeting with me thanking them for taking the time to come out and tour the new facilities before we dispersed.I realized as I went through the niceties of chatting with a few of them that I was almost desperate to get back to the hotel.There were people waiting there for me, people I wanted very much to see.

By the third day of the trip, after spending countless hours sitting in rooms like the one I was leaving now, all I wanted was to do exactly what Penny and I had first argued about back at the house.I wanted to take my daughter sightseeing.Even if she didn’t remember this trip years from now, I would.And I had already missed out on so much, no matter how present I tried to be.I looked back now and could laugh at myself while simultaneously kicking myself in the ass for thinking I was doing enough.

Then again, was there ever enough when it came to being a parent?

The question still rolled around in my mind during the ride to The Plaza.It was a mild, sunny day, perfect for lacing up a pair of sneakers and exploring.I laughed to myself when I imagined how surprised Penny would be.Strange, but it was her reaction that came to mind first.So long as she didn’t remind me that she told me so, we would get along fine.

All things considered, though, I would take her playful snark over a negative reaction after what happened the other night.It seemed like I was destined to spend this trip questioning myself, looking back at my actions and hoping they didn’t ruin anything.Personal feelings aside, Penny was too good with Sofia to risk losing her because I couldn’t get my dick under control.It was unacceptable, not to mention the way it left me ripe for a hell of a lot of trouble if she decided to turn the tables and somehow blame me for coercing her or something like that.

She seemed like a levelheaded sort of person, yes, and she was sure as hell into it both times we fucked each other senseless before passing out.Still, there was no predicting what a girl with student loan debt would do if there were a chance of a little blackmail in the mix.A man in my position was prime for it.What if she decided to wipe out that debt by accusing me of sexual harassment?It would be her word against mine, and I held all the power in our relationship.In this day and age, I couldn’t imagine anyone not immediately taking her side.

Would she do that?

Doubtful, but I couldn’t afford to be naïve, no matter how her tight, sweet pussy gripped me like a vice.My eyes drifted shut as the driver cut through Manhattan traffic, my thoughts drifting back.There was something unspeakably sweet about sinking deep into her tight heat.Sweet enough that I could easily develop a habit.Who would’ve guessed that under all that cheerfulness and almost guileless enthusiasm, there was a volcano waiting to erupt?I had taken her there, taken her past the point where she had any control over herself.There was no rush in existence that could possibly top it.

And I wanted more.

That desire pulsed through me with every step I took once I climbed out of the car and crossed the sidewalk, entering the lobby of the busy hotel.Riding up the elevator to the top floor seemed like it took an eternity.I was in that much of a hurry.

As soon as I walked through the door and into the living room, Sofia jumped up from the couch and ran at me, arms extended and curls bouncing.“Daddy!Daddy’s here!”She almost took my legs out when she crashed into me, throwing her arms around them.

“Careful there.”I laughed, picking her up.“What have you been doing today?”

“We made it a quiet day.”Penny was on her way into the room with a bottle of water in each hand.“We’ve been catching up on all kinds of movies and shows.”

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