"Maybe you just haven't met the right people," he murmured as he pulled me closer and kissed me. "You never know."
I lay there in his arms long after he'd drifted off to sleep. It felt good to be this close to someone, but it also scared me. I fell asleep telling myself not to be so afraid.
Billionaire on Fire Volume 3
Chapter Seventeen
Cam
I waited until Alex was asleep to leave. I wanted to stay, but after hearing Alex's thoughts on people with money, I knew I couldn't tell her about CSC or anything related to the money I was making in that venture. Besides, I had left Tesla home alone and needed to get back to her. I looked around for something to write on and ended up pulling a sheet out of one of Alex's notebooks. I thought about what to write for a few minutes and settled on:
Alex - Thank you for the great evening. Had to get home to let the dog out. I'll call you later. -C.
I read it
over thinking it sounded too impersonal, but I figured I'd get a chance to explain later. As I was walking to the truck, my phone rang. It was Leo.
"Cam, I need to talk to you," Leo said, sounding a little anxious.
"I'll drop by in an hour," I said.
"Make it quicker if you can," Leo replied before hanging up.
I stopped by the house and let Tesla out while I showered and changed. I wondered what Leo wanted and worried that his news wasn't going to be good. My thoughts shifted to Alex and all the things she'd revealed the night before. There was something different about her; something that attracted me in a way that I hadn't been attracted to any other woman since Quinn died, but there was also a huge barrier in our way and I had no idea how to lower it and let her in.
An hour later, I walked through the front door at CSC and greeted Becky with a smile and a bag of fresh donuts.
"You're going to ruin my diet, Cam." She smiled as she accepted the gift and tipped her head toward Leo's office. "He's in a state this morning. I have no idea what's going on, though. He won't talk to me."
I nodded and walked down the hallway toward Leo's office. I could hear his voice through the closed door, which was not good. I knocked and entered.
"Gotta go. Call you later," he said as he abruptly disconnected from the call he was on and looked at me. "We have a problem."
"What is it now?" I asked.
"Metzler wants us to be present at his announcement," Leo said. "He said he wants to show that he's got the support of a wide range of business owners in the community, and if we're going to sign a contract to provide security, then we need to be there."
"Absolutely not," I said, shaking my head. "If you want to be there, that's fine, but I'm not doing a dog and pony show for that guy."
"Cam, when is this going to stop?" Leo asked, holding his hands out as if to surrender. "I can't run this business on fumes. You need to decide what you want to do about it and either get in or get out. We are at a point where we need the publicity if we're going to attract more business!"
"I don't want my name in the papers!" I shouted. "Dammit, Leo! You know that! Why do we have to keep going around and around about this shit?"
"Because you won't give in and let me run the damn business!" Leo yelled. "I've done things your way since we started this company, but now it's time for you to shit or get off the pot! I need to actually run the business!"
"So, what are you proposing?" I asked. "You want me to sign things over to you and walk away? You just want to take control and run it?"
"No, I want you to come out of hiding!" Leo pleaded. "Jesus Christ, Cam! It's been ten years! It's time to move on with your life! This whole secrecy thing is part of what's keeping you trapped in a life that belongs in the past."
"Oh, I see; you want me to let go so you can run the business," I said, eyeing him suspiciously. "It's convenient for you, isn't it? You tell me to let go so you can get what you want. Brilliant."
"Fuck off, Connor," Leo said. "I'm not telling you anything you don't already know."
"Nice, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I shot back.
"Cam, listen to me," Leo said, dropping his voice and pleading with me. "You have to let go, man. She's gone and she's never coming back. It doesn't mean that you have to live in limbo. Let go. Start over and live your life. Quinn would be heartbroken if she knew that you had shut yourself off like this for so long."
I looked at Leo for a long time as I felt the emotions I'd held back begin to rise to the surface. He'd tapped a place in me that I'd let scar over -- or at least I thought I had. Now the scar was being sliced open and the pain of it felt like it might be more than I could bear.