Chapter 41 Cole #2
A blonde woman with a ponytail joined us at the elevator.
“Honeymoon?” The blonde smiled. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. We’ve had a wonderful time. Shame it has to end.” I kept my expression relaxed and my tone casual. Nothing unusual here. Just a happy coincidence. Completely innocent. “Actually, I was hoping to bump into you again. Do you have time for a quick coffee?”
Gabe’s football team filtered into the small space. Their excited chatter bounced off the walls. He hoisted his duffle bag higher onto his shoulder.
“We’re about to start a training camp out here. I don’t have time to put my business hat on. And I wouldn’t want to deprive you of time with your wife on honeymoon.”
A bead of sweat ran down my neck despite the air conditioning. “Just a quick chat over coffee. My wife’s popped out this morning. She won’t mind.”
Gabe’s gaze drifted to the blonde at his side. Was that a hint of skepticism? Shit.
She gave him a friendly nod. “Fine with me. You can’t disappoint a man on his honeymoon.”
Gabe blew out a breath and glanced at his Rolex. “Fine. Let me unpack, and then I need to be on it with the team.”
My father could be lurking anywhere. I had to get in first. “No. Now. It has to be now.”
His eyebrows shot up.
Too pushy. Dial it down. I forced a chuckle that I could only hope was disarming and didn’t make me look too much like a sociopath. “It’s just that I have to be somewhere. I’m supposed to be meeting my wife later for lunch.”
“Then let’s do it another time. When we’re back in England. We both have places to be.”
The elevator doors opened. He got in. Fuck it. I squeezed in after him, and so did half his football team. My heart pounded in the cramped space.
“My team has been trying to schedule a meeting for a while now. We can’t seem to get hold of you,” I said.
He flashed a faint smile. “I’m a busy man.”
An elbow nudged my hip. Bodies pressed too close in the elevator. My chest felt tight. I couldn’t let him leave here without pinning him down. “What he’s offering you? I can beat it.”
“Not everything is about money.”
Gabe’s wife lifted her eyebrows and gave him an amused look, as though sharing some private joke.
The mirrored walls were closing in around me.
My arsehole-ish face everywhere. I had a sick, exposed feeling, like the horrible words on my Wikipedia page were painted above on the ceiling for everyone to read.
“It’s business. I want this hotel. You can’t let him have it.
Whatever my father has told you about me is a lie. ”
A tense silence descended. The elevator music grew loud. Gabe flattened his lips and scanned the crowded space. “You want to do this here?”
My breath came hot and sharp. This fucking elevator was giving me vertigo. “You can’t trust him.”
“And I can trust you? I’ve heard how you do business. One of my HR managers used to work for your company. She said it was an unpleasant working environment.”
“I have high standards.”
“She said you threatened to sack everyone because they threw you a birthday party.”
I loosened my tie. The bloody thing was tighter than a noose. I was sweating now. Shaking. “Not everyone. Just the people at the party. And it’s because I hate surprises. Any normal person should. And if you think I’m a problem, then you’re going to be in trouble with my father.”
The blonde at Gabe’s side shot him a worried look. “What’s wrong with Philip?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it under control,” he murmured.
“No. You haven’t. He might want you to think that, but you haven’t. Philip will always have the upper hand. He lies. Constantly. He’ll tell you anything you want to hear.”
The doors slid open. The team filtered out. Some of them shot me curious looks. Most went out of their way not to look at me at all. I was embarrassing myself. This was humiliating, but I couldn’t let him win. I just couldn’t.
Gabe gave me a dark, layered look. “I don’t appreciate being ambushed. If you want to talk, do it in office hours.”
A snap of irritation sharpened my voice. “Then answer your fucking phone. I can’t get hold of you in office hours. You’re screening my calls.”
He pressed his lips together. “So you turn up at my hotel on your honeymoon?”
“I don’t see what choice I have if you won’t take my calls. You can’t sell this hotel to Philip Thorner.” My voice cracked, low and raw. “Are you fucking crazy?”
My outburst rattled in the stillness. Gabe’s expression shifted to unease, and he took a step back. I couldn’t blame him. This wasn’t me. I’d completely lost control.
“You’re too late. I’ve already made up my mind.
It’s not for sale. Not to you, anyway. Please don’t bother me about this again.
” He grabbed the blonde woman’s hand and shielded her protectively as he stepped past me.
Discomfort flared in his gaze, but also something much worse: pity.
He patted me lightly on the shoulder. “If I were you, I’d forget about whatever is going on here and move on.
It’s not worth this. I hope you enjoy the rest of your honeymoon. ”