“To be honest, your fuck-up yesterday is the least of our worries.”
I look at Kane and Ashton again. Raw emotions paint their faces. And I start to wonder whether something else happened when I left yesterday.
“General Owen Lewis, our contact in the pentagon, is coming back to New York,” Kane continues.
“He’s coming here? So then, maybe I can just meet him here. I will do my best to impress him. You know I can do that, Kane.”
The CEO shakes his head. “He’s coming back because his only daughter is missing.”
“We want to be sympathetic of his woes,” Ashton finally butts in. “We really want to. But as you know, this deal that we want to make with him is extremely time-sensitive. So it has to be brokered soon. You know our timeline. A lot of time and money is riding on this.”
Guilt crushes my chest again. “I’m really sorry that I was not able to meet him yesterday I was already on the plane when this seeping anxiety set in and—”
Kane grabs my shoulders and shakes me. I would find this scary and threatening if Reese, his wife and my best friend, hadn’t told me that Kane usually does this to get her back to reality.
“Sloane. When will you finally see how this is affecting us bigger than it affects you,” he sounds annoyed. Still, I think he really is more pissed off with the circumstances than me because he would have told me otherwise.
I sigh, then take a deep breath. Finally, I look at Kane and nod.
Kane lets go of my shoulders and adds, “Start thinking about the company and what we can do for it now.”
A moment of silence passes by. I tune to my own mind to think of how we can best solve this problem. We have to both sympathize with the General’s situation and make him see how urgent this meeting is.
I’m about to begin telling them about my plans when the door opening interrupts me. I turn to the front of the office and see Joanne hurrying in. A man follows her, and he is flanked by two others. My annoyance at the disruption turns into surprise.
Well over six feet tall, with sharp cheekbones and a jawline that could belong to a model, the stranger’s presence fills up the room. However, it’s the light-blue eyes that I remember most.
Why the hell is he here?
“I’m sorry, Mr. McKenzie,” Joanne starts, “but General Owen Lewis says it is urgent to meet you, and I—"
“Thank you, Joanne,” Kane interrupts her. “You may leave now. Please close the door behind you.”
Joanne nods nervously and leaves.
General Owen Lewis, his name sounds so sexy in my mind. I wonder if he recognizes me from our intense night at the club. Then I shake my head. It’s impossible.
“Yes, Sloane? Are you saying no to this emergency meeting?” I suddenly hear Ashton asking.
Oh shit. “No. I mean, yes, I am okay with having this meeting now. I think the conference room is free for us to use.”
There is no way that this tall hunk recognizes me. I always wear a mask at the Dark Club. And I have never taken it off for anyone, even during sex. Even when this General asked that I remove it for him, I said no.
As I remember our night, my insides begin to feel electrified — the satisfaction and bliss that I felt in my heart and pussy after we came together. The playful banter. The way he commanded me.
General Lewis looks at me as if waiting for me to say something else. But, instead of saying a word, I smile at him as the urge to break into his perfect orderliness tickles my mind.
“No,” I suddenly hear Kane say. Then, he turns to the General, “I hope you don’t mind having the meeting here.”
The General shakes his head. “It’s perfectly fine.” The tall military man takes the chair in front of Kane’s desk and motions for his assistants to stand at the back.
Ashton gets his chair and pushes it next to Kane’s chair. The only empty seat in the room is the one next to the General, and I have no choice but to take it. This close, I can smell his cologne. I can feel the heat of his body—a body that was pressed against mine so recently.
Kane begins typing on his computer, perhaps to write the minutes of this meeting because he hasn’t called Joanne in. Then, he turns to us and explains that he’s ready to start.
Chapter Seven - Owen
I fidget in my chair. I want to stop because I know how disappointed my previous commander would be in me if he ever found out that I am anxious. But, I cannot stop thinking about Myah. Is she safe? What if someone picked her up on the street?