Page 19 of Tiebreaker

As it is, I'm struggling to breathe half because I'm so nervous and half of it is because he's right here, so close. It feels like my skin is on fire.

“So it's about time that we found her, and I'm very grateful we did,” the man says as he sits at the head of the table with a low grunt, before glancing around. “King not arrived yet?” He asks. Everett rolls his eyes.

“He's not gonna be here,” he says, derision dripping from his tongue.

“I wouldn't be too sure about that,” Kai says and when I look up, he's staring at me still, his head tilted to the side. As his gaze drops down my body, my cheeks heat and I glare at him. He isnotallowed to undress me with his eyes. Not after what we shared. Not after what he did to me. A little thrill of anxiety and panic rolls through me again. And I stare back up the long boardroom table at the dark haired man. Silver threads, at his temples, glint in the light. He sighs.

“Well, that's frustrating, we'll have to start without him,” he says. He slaps both open hands on the tabletop, making me jump in my seat. He leans forward. “Olivia Jane Copper,” he says, “welcome to the family.” Everett scoffs under his breath, rolling his eyes and Kai breaks out into a wicked large grin.

“I trust the lawyer went over everything with you,” he gives me a brief smile and then taps on the desk surface. I realize there's a remote or touchpad built right into it because behind him a screen kicks on, projecting on the wall.

“This organization has been run by me for the last 30 years-“

“30 years,” I whisper, under my breath. There's no way that he's only 50 years old. He'd have to have been in his 20’s when he started. I look closer and notice the faint hint of crows feet at the corners of his eyes. And now that I’m looking, his hair is obviously dyed. It's been dyed so that he doesn't look his age.

“I am going to be moving on to a new phase in my life,” he continues, “and for that reason we sought you out, Olivia, because it's time for you to take your place, as one of the controlling owners of this company.”

I stare at him, shock hitting me like an electric current.

“Me?”

Eight

Olivia

My fingers tremblearound the glass of water as I stand by the water cooler. It makes a blubbering noise as air bubbles rise to the top of the bottle.

I'd asked for a minute. And Lansing said that was fine. I could tell he knew I was shocked. And he looks a little irritated that the lawyer hadn't fully explained things to me.

I don't know how to tell him that it's actually me, that despite my degree (in art history) I have a bit of a listening problem. As in, I don't listen, that is. I scooted outside and the secretary told me where to go to get a glass of water. And so here I am, standing and trying not to hyperventilate. This day is going from bad to crazy.

With Kai walking in, and scaring the shit out of me, and Everett being a huge dick, and now I'm one of the managing, controlling owners of this company. My head swims and I feel like I'm going to collapse. The whole weight of this entire skyscraper is bearing down on me. All 50 or 60 or 40 floors. I didn't pay attention when I was coming up in the elevator.

And who is King, this mysterious other partner? Taking a long sip of cold water, I steady myself. I can do this. I can walk back into that room with a man that I had the best-worst sex of my life with, and the guy who’s a total asshole, who seems put together on the outside and totally crazy on the inside.

I can facedown whatever this is, even if it must be a mistake. It has to be.

My legs feel wooden, but I start to move, going back to the board room. I turn around the corner, paper cup in my hand and nearly run into Everett.

He strikes, lightning-fast. He grabs me by the shoulders and grips me tight. Holding me there, a squeak escapes my mouth as he looms over me.

“I want to get one thing straight to you,” he says, the pure angry vitriol in his voice cutting me right down to my bones. I can barely breathe. I’m staring up at him. “You will never own me. This company is mine. And I will destroy you before I see you side with either of the other two. You are going to agree with me on everything and cast your vote with me when I tell you to.” He leans in close. “You got that?”

When I don't answer him, shock numbing my tongue and making me unable to speak, he shakes me. Water sloshes over my hand and splashes down onto my feet below. That breaks the spell and I jerk backwards. Everett’s face, handsome or not, contorts and he looks furious reaching for me again.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” A voice stops him short, and I freeze. I know that voice. It rescued me in one of the worst moments of my life.

No way. There's no fucking way it's possible. The universe could not be this cruel. I look up. And there he is, the man from the alley who saved me from those guys.Vince.

My heart is throbbing so hard, I feel like it's going to explode in my lungs and my vision is going dark at the edges. I reach for the wall and brace myself against it.

“I need to sit down,” I mumble.

“What was that?” Everett asks, snapping at me.

“I need to sit down,” I repeat myself. And then my knees crumple. Before I can hit the floor, he grabs me, one arm scooping under my thighs and the other bracing against my back.

I don't want him to hold me. But it feels like my muscles have all turned to water. I’m a puppet with cut strings.

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