Chapter 19 Pressure and Pulse
PRESSURE AND PULSE
Archer
Matt didn’t pity me in the slightest, rattling off meetings I was supposed to take before the new year. He’d have me working nonstop if I didn’t monitor my calendar once in a while.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We have to cut this down. I can’t be away from—” I caught myself before saying Penny. “I just want to take some time off for the holidays. Is that a crime?”
“No, sir.” He shuffled through dates like a Vegas dealer. “Apart from meetings already noted, you also have a site walk in Portland, a budget review in Chicago, a hotel opening in Dubai, and the Lupine Resort wants you in the Bahamas before their grand opening to bless the cabana layouts.”
“Apparently, cabanas don’t provide shade without my blessing.” I rolled my eyes and took the last swallow of espresso. My pulse ticked faster with every sip, but I needed the boost. “Cluster the travel. A week tops, nonstop, one day in each city.”
“That’s rough on you, sir—especially the recovery time.”
“I’ll deal with it.” I coughed, tugged my tie loose. The office suddenly felt twenty degrees warmer. “Turn the heat down a notch, would you?”
Matt hovered, making notes. “I’ll pencil out a schedule and see what I can come up with.”
“Good.” I dropped into my chair, muscles heavier than they should’ve been.
Probably sore after such an amazing weekend with Penny.
I kept my cocky grin contained. She was the only thought keeping me human amid the spreadsheets on my desk.
“Actually, make the Bahamas trip a few days of vacation and tag it personal. I’ll bring… a friend.”
Matt’s eyebrows shot up. “A good friend?”
“A ‘date-who-shall-be-named-later’ type of friend.”
He grinned. “Do I get to know who?”
“Presently? No.” I forced a breath that didn’t quite reach my ribs.
“Bahamas: three days with Date TBD.” He typed it in bold, underlined it, and left. “I’ll report back with the revised plan.”
“As always, thank you for your efficiency.”
He tucked his tablet under one arm to leave. “Oh—and before I forget, Dr. Kramer’s office called again. You missed your follow-up last month.”
I waved a hand. “Reschedule it.”
“They said that was the reschedule. The doctor wants you to call today so he can go over your last round of bloodwork with you personally.”
“Fine. I’ll call.”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me.
“Close the door.” As soon as it clicked behind him, I checked my watch. I hadn’t done my usual morning office walk-through to be present among the staff, but of course also to receive the casual hello from Penny, and eye her outfit of the day.
Sometimes she’d meet me in the kitchen and hand me an espresso and flash that smile that made my day start right. I lived for those stolen moments here at the office. I still held the fantasy of splaying her out on my desk and having my tongue engage in a lengthy meeting with her sweet pussy.
I really should call my doctor. But Penny first.
Me: Good morning. What are you wearing?
Penny: A red sweater dress and boots.
Me: The high-heel ones? My favorite. I’d like to talk to you before lunch.
Penny: Me too. I have something serious to discuss. Can we meet somewhere outside of the office?
Me: It can’t be more serious than mine, Ms. Fair, because I’ll be firing you. Again.
Penny: No, really. I have something serious to tell you.
My brows knit. Before I could call her, my phone buzzed again—Holden.
Me: Meet at my penthouse at noon. Gotta go. Holden’s calling.
“Holden. Good to hear from you. Tell me you’re ready to let Bellamy’s redesign your lodge. We’ll make it better than Aspen. Period.”
He laughed, then didn’t. “I’m calling because I respect you, Archer. So I’ll say it straight.”
“What’s this about?” I rubbed my jaw.
“I’m keeping the mountain-lodge project in-house. Nothing personal—you and your team are brilliant. But I’ve got bigger plans. Expansion out West. My real estate guy has already identified two more ski resorts I could rescue. I need a team with me directly under my umbrella. I hope you understand.”
A band cinched under my sternum. I rubbed it away and stared at the skyline outside my windows. It was for the best; Holden could be a complicated client. A blessing disguised as a loss. Still, the millions it would have brought my company would have been nice.
“Your call,” I said evenly. “No hard feelings.”
“I haven’t hired a manager yet, but I’ve been talking with someone—Maya. She’s impressive as hell.”
The band pulled tighter. “Maya is my employee, the last I checked.”
“I know. That’s why I’m telling you. No poaching behind your back.”
“But you’ll do it in front of me? Great.” I snorted and rubbed my temple. My pulse drummed in my ears.
“We’ve been friends for a long time, Archer. I hope this won’t change that.”
“Have you made her an offer?”
“Informally. Giving her a few days to think about it. Oh—and thank Penny for me, will you?”
“Excuse me?” My brain tripped a gear. “For what?”
“She warned me about Bree—Brianne. Saved me from a disaster.”
What the hell? “Penny called you about…?” The room tilted, like a floor settling under a heavy load.
“Yes. She connected the dots for me. If I’d known Brianne was your ex, I’d never have gone near her.” He sighed heavily into the phone. “Anyway, look, because of our friendship, I didn’t want you to find out about my plans from anyone else. No hard feeling, okay?”
He wrapped up politely and hung up, rendering me speechless and staring ahead, heartbeat hammering faster, like I’d sprinted a mile.
Matt knocked. “Everything good?”
“No, get Maya and Penny. My office. Now,” I seethed.
My jaw pulled tight, collar damp. Holden, Maya, Penny… Brianne? My Penny, calling Holden behind my back? I’d give her the benefit of the doubt and get down to the bottom of this, but my trust cracked like glass under pressure.
Tension tightened under my ribs, sharp enough to make me wince. I straightened, forcing air into lungs that didn’t want to cooperate.
Penny appeared in the doorway first, worry etched across her face. The sight of her should’ve steadied me. Instead, everything inside me kicked harder.
Maya followed, guilt written on her face.
“You first.” I pointed at Maya. “I’ll deal with you after, Ms. Fair.”
Penny deflated and stepped back.
Maya entered, composed as ever, stepping right up to my desk. “You wanted to see me?”
“Holden called. You’ve been talking to him?”
She didn’t flinch. “He told me about his desire to bring a team in-house. I listened. I find the position… attractive.”
“I have high hopes for you here. Was it the Caleb situation? I know I made the wrong call there. Give me time to fix it.”
“I haven’t accepted the position with Holden yet. I was going to talk with you today about it.”
“He beat you to it.” The pulse in my throat ticked faster. I cleared it, massaging my chest. “What’s he offering?”
“Creative director. Double my salary. Freedom to build something from the ground up.” She met my eyes. “You taught me to recognize opportunity.”
“I meant within Bellamy.” I kept my expression neutral even as heat crawled up my neck. “You’re important here, Maya. If it’s about money, I’ll match it.”
“Archer, it’s more than—”
“I’ll match it,” I cut in. “Comp, title, staff. You want a satellite team under your name? Done. You want control of your projects? Done.”
She blinked. “That’s generous.”
“I’m serious.” I yanked off my tie—it felt like a noose—and used it to mop my brow. “You matter here.”
Her gaze sharpened. “Are you okay? You look pale.”
“I’m fine.” My left arm buzzed with a dull ache. Probably stress. “Just tell me you’ll think about it.”
“I will. But if I leave, it’s not because of you—it’s because I want the career challenge.”
“Noted. And you’ll have that here. I promise.” My voice rasped. A hot line ran from my sternum up into my throat like a hot poker. I leaned against my desk for support. “Take a day. Two. Think about it.”
“Archer, what’s wrong?
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I managed. But chest aches and a bout of dizziness sent me swaying. I leaned my palm on my desk. I landed with a thud on the floor instead.
“Archer!” Her voice sharpened, coming around the desk to help me up.
“Just stress. Coffee…” My words broke on a gasp. My fingers clawed at my shirt buttons. Air wouldn’t come.
“Oh my God. Matt! Penny! Call 9-1-1!” she screamed. I didn’t flinch at the sound. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Bodies swarmed around me. I searched through them, fighting for a familiar face.
For a moment, this was insulting—ridiculous. “Stress… Coffee…” I repeated, my words broke on a breath I couldn’t catch. No one would listen. This was nothing. I was fine.
“Archer, stay with me. It’s Penny. I’m here.” She came into focus—terrified, tear-streaked.
I wasn’t fine.
My light, my Penny, held my hand. But wait… she did something I didn’t like. I couldn’t think straight enough to recall what it was.
“Please, baby, stay with me.”
The pressure in my chest spiked, radiating outward, and my left hand went numb. Help! I hated the word help. I built structures to withstand storms and earthquakes, yet my frame failed me, collapsing in my office, the one place I always felt untouchable.
“The ambulance is three minutes out,” Matt shouted somewhere above me.
I nodded—barely. Words were too expensive, a luxury I could no longer afford when hanging on by a thread.
Penny’s fingers locked with mine, her voice low and constant. “I love you, Archer. Stay with me.”
Love…
For one jagged heartbeat, I let go of denial. Let her voice and that word anchor me like a plumb line—straight, pulling me back to center.
Multiple hands suddenly appeared, and worked around me—shirt torn open, wires pressed to skin, voices blurring. Emergency crews worked on me. Penny was the only thing grounding me.
“Stay with me,” she whispered again, breath trembling. “I love you.”
As they rolled me out of the office, the frosted Bellamy logo on the glass door slid past in slow motion—my name gleaming back at me in silver letters that suddenly felt like they belonged to someone else.
“I love you…”
Penny’s worried and fragile voice was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.