Chapter Four
CHAPTER FOUR
Malcolm should have been thrilled. He’d stopped the deal going south. By the skin of his teeth, but what mattered was that it was done. The deal was back on track and destined to be a big winner in his portfolio. He and Genevieve had worked their butts off to reassure Kieran. He only hoped they wouldn’t have to fly to New Zealand to finally close the deal.
All he could think about, however, was Josie. Was she settling in all right? Had she gone to take a nap? Or was she having dinner with Mari and Owen?
It was surprisingly easy to imagine himself sitting at Mari’s kitchen table with the three of them, even though he rarely had a chance to do that. He was always working.
Thankfully, he’d saved this deal right before heading off on a week’s break. His executive assistant, a stern and serious older woman named Mabel, who he knew had a secret soft spot for him, asked him if he really intended to not work for an entire week.
Her question had been rhetorical, of course. They both knew he’d be chained to his laptop and cell phone wherever he happened to be, like he always was in London.
Now, he was waiting at the bar of what was currently the most exclusive restaurant in Notting Hill. Katrina had told him she would meet him there because she was coming from an appointment in Milan, the center of the fashion world. She was an entrepreneur with her own new fashion house, which made sense, as she had come out of the industry as a model.
How many models had he dated? He couldn’t count all of them on two hands. Drinking his vodka martini, he couldn’t help but feel like a cliché—the billionaire businessman with the model girlfriends.
What’s more, all of his recent late nights at the office, working on the deal he’d just closed, had finally caught up with him. He usually didn’t need as much sleep as everyone else, but right at this moment, he felt as though he had jet lag. The thought of crawling into his cozy bed on his houseboat filled him with surprising longing. And he couldn’t honestly deny that picturing Josie there with him wasn’t making it seem even more attractive a possibility…
A part of him felt guilty for having thoughts about Josie while he was still with Katrina. But he had a feeling this would be their last night together once he told her he wouldn’t be going to Thailand with her. Partly because he wasn’t ready to get serious about anyone. But also because seeing Josie again had sparked a feeling inside that he now realized Katrina had never inspired, regardless of her flawless outer beauty.
Katrina was certain that her new business would be a huge success. He hoped it would be, and he wished nothing but the best for her. But they’d taken their relationship as far as it could go. Tonight would be the end of it. And he had a feeling Katrina might not take it well. Which was why he had chosen to end things in a public place, to up the odds of her not scratching his eyes out in fury.
Yet again, his thoughts went back to Josie. She seemed like such a gentle soul, and even when she’d recognized him as the jackass who had treated her so poorly back in high school, she still seemed to go out of her way to make the best of things. On top of that, she had clearly created a career that she cared deeply about. A job that made her excited to wake up in the morning.
Picking up his martini glass and watching the liquor roll like a wave inside it, he thought about his own career. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being an entrepreneur who put together franchises. His work was usually interesting, like an ongoing game of chess where you never knew what would be on the board the next time you looked at it, because every deal was different.
He wouldn’t use the word passion , though, to describe his feelings about his career. He used to be hungry for nothing more than the next deal, just to know he was winning and climbing higher and higher in the business world.
But that had gone stale a while ago.
The atmosphere around him changed suddenly. He knew Katrina had entered by the hush in the room as everyone craned their necks to stare at her. She hadn’t been on a runway for five years, but she hadn’t lost any of the magnetism or beauty that had made her a top model.
With a sigh, he put his drink down and turned to her just as she said, “I had a hell of a day. Bloody manufacturers. Why can’t they follow simple directions for a simple little black dress?” She didn’t wait for him to respond before signaling the bartender. “A cosmopolitan.”
The bartender barely remembered how to do his job, he was so busy drooling over Katrina. And he certainly didn’t seem to have noticed that she had left the word please off her drink order.
Malcolm studied her in what felt like a scientific way. Yes, there was no denying that she was stunningly beautiful. But when he really looked closely, it was abundantly clear that she was missing that special glow—the light that Josie had. One that came from the inside. One that came from saying please and thank you . One that came from someone who didn’t expect the world to shower her with riches and adoration simply because genetics had given her a face and body that were the epitome of today’s version of beauty.
He tried to shake the thoughts about Josie out of his head. After all, he was here with his girlfriend, even if she wouldn’t be for much longer. While he wasn’t going gaga over her like every other man in the room, he didn’t feel right about disrespecting her. After all, he’d been brought up to treat everyone with respect, no matter who they were or where they came from. And apart from that horrible night at the high school dance in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, there weren’t many times where he could look back and wish that he had behaved better.
Katrina narrowed her gaze on him, almost as though she could read his mind and knew that she wasn’t having her desired effect on him. He found himself suddenly thinking about their sex life. How she would pose, as if she always wanted to present only her perfect angles to him.
But sex shouldn’t be about perfect angles. It should be about having a damn good time and forgetting everything else.
Thinking back, he wasn’t sure they had ever had that good a time together.
“You look like you have something on your mind,” she noted.
He shrugged. “A big deal almost fell through, but thankfully, I pulled it off at the eleventh hour.” He picked up his drink and downed the rest of it, gesturing to the bartender for another.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re king of the business world. What would it matter if you lost a deal?” She didn’t wait for his response. “Not that you ever would. Everybody kowtows to you, the great Malcolm Sullivan.” She put the word great in air quotes, already angry with him about something, even before the breaking-up part of their evening. “The whole world is always at your feet.”
Yes, he thought as they both got their drinks and the ma?tre d’ approached to take them to their table, there was definitely a bitter edge to her tonight. Almost as though she sensed impending doom. He brightened inside. Maybe she was planning to break up with him. That would be a sweet relief.
They were led to a table in the middle of the room, the prime spot to see and be seen. But Malcolm was sick of always having to be on what felt like a stage. What he wouldn’t have given just to be seated in a quiet corner. To have a conversation without everybody looking. To sit and listen in on other people’s conversations. Or to just quietly eat his meal and drink his drink without anyone giving a damn who he was or what he could do for them.
He almost laughed out loud at his thoughts. Between his attitude at the airport and his current mood, he was certain playing the grumpy-git card today. His mother would tell him off, and rightly so, while his father would suggest he go for a run to let off some steam.
That was exactly what he’d do tonight. After dinner, he’d go back to his place to change into his running clothes, and then he’d hit the dark streets of London as hard and fast as he could. Until there were no more thoughts, just the press of breath moving in and out of his lungs and his heartbeat pounding like a bass drum in his ears.
“I still need to pack for Thailand,” Katrina said after they’d ordered.
She’s chosen a plate of undressed greens topped with a tiny piece of something vegan. He’d ordered a steak, which had prompted a very disapproving look. She wanted him to be vegan. He respected vegans, whatever their reasons for eating that way, but he didn’t want to be one.
“Are you packed?” she asked.
He paused before answering. He didn’t relish this part. Even though Katrina had a hard edge to her, her emotions were as real as anyone’s. His mother had raised him to care about other people’s feelings, even if sometimes it didn’t seem like he did.
“About Thailand—”
She cut him off, irritation already written all over her face. “Are you canceling the night before we are supposed to leave?”
“You’ll have a better time without me.”
Her artificially plump mouth tightened, and her brow would have furrowed if not for her regular Botox injections. “Don’t I mean anything to you? I thought this trip signified a change in our relationship.”
“When we booked it,” he said slowly, “I thought that might be the case. But you can do better than me.”
Her nostrils flared. “You son of a bitch. Stringing me along. Letting me think you were serious when I could have been with anyone.”
“I am sorry, Katrina.”
“I don’t care if you’re sorry. I don’t need your apologies.”
“I can transfer my ticket over to one of your girlfriends, if that would help at all.”
She was silent for a long moment. “Actually, I will take you up on that offer. But the ticket won’t be for one of my girlfriends.” Her eyes were like daggers as she said, with no small measure of satisfaction, “You can transfer it into my lover’s name.”
He nearly laughed at that point. He hadn’t expected her to bring up a lover, hadn’t actually guessed that she’d been seeing anyone but him for the past couple of months. But at the same time, he wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, he wasn’t around much. He canceled their dates frequently for work. He didn’t care about the world of fashion. And she’d made it clear that spending time with his family wasn’t high on her priority list. All of which meant they had very little in common.
“Do I know him?”
Her smile grew even more self-satisfied. “The hotshot new lawyer I brought onto my team from America is a demon in bed.”
Again, it took great self-control not to laugh. But although she was clearly trying to get a rise out of him, he understood that laughter wasn’t the reaction she was looking for.
“Sure,” he said. “I can put his name on the ticket. Happy to do it.”
Her eyes widened at his easy acquiescence, then narrowed again as she put her hands flat on the tabletop and leaned in. “You really don’t care about me, do you?”
“I’ve had a good time with you,” he replied as gently as he could, “and I’m sorry if I’ve let you down along the way.”
“Let me down along the way?” Her voice pitched higher with every word she spoke. “I’ve never had anyone cancel on me as much as you! And I’ve never had anyone pay me as little attention as you do! You’re a billionaire, and Smith Sullivan is your cousin, so there were some sacrifices I was willing to make, if only to have him attend our wedding.” She shoved her chair back as if to storm out, then paused. “Actually, before I go, I want you to call the airline and get that change made.”
He called the global concierge who took care of these things for him. Five minutes later, it was done. Katrina and her new lover were going to have a great time together in Thailand on Malcolm’s dime.
As soon as he put down his phone, his now ex-girlfriend stood. She picked up her drink, and he saw the intent in her gaze a beat before the cool, sticky liquid of her untouched cosmopolitan splashed all over him.
This time, he let himself laugh. At which point, she picked up his drink and doused him with that one too.
Without needing to look around the room, he knew that everyone in the restaurant was enjoying the show. And this was the perfect cherry on top. Malcolm Sullivan, London billionaire, with not one, but two drinks splashed in his face.
He wouldn’t be surprised to see a photo gracing the tabloids tomorrow.
Katrina stalked out of the restaurant just as the waiter appeared with Malcolm’s steak and her salad. “Sir, here are your meals.” He put them down before asking, “Is there anything else I can do to be of assistance?”
“How about a towel?”
To the man’s credit, he barely even blinked. “Of course. Happy to be of service.”
Twenty minutes later, Malcolm left the restaurant, pleasantly full from a damn good piece of red meat. In lieu of taking a taxi, he decided to walk to his flat. There was a slight breeze, but it was a nice London night. Elderflower Island was his favorite place, but central London wasn’t half bad. Endless amounts of history. Plenty of outdoor space. River sports. Great proximity to the rest of Europe. Top-notch restaurants and shops.
In any case, he was looking forward to getting back to his flat and showering off the sticky drinks that had dried on his skin and hair.
When he rounded the corner to his building, he was surprised to see a host of maintenance trucks. Several of his neighbors were grumbling on the sidewalk.
Ralph, the doorman, walked over to him. “Mr. Sullivan, I’m afraid I have bad news. I tried to call you several times, but there was no response.”
Malcolm had been ignoring his buzzing phone in his pocket, figuring it was probably Katrina calling to curse him out again. “What happened?”
“The building flooded. In fact, it’s bad enough that I won’t be able to let you into your flat tonight.”
Malcolm’s eyebrows finally went up. “I can’t get inside?”
Ralph shook his head. “Not until the water company has determined exactly what it is that’s flooded and if it is clean water or—” The man cleared his throat, not needing to finish the sentence for his intent to be perfectly clear.
Malcolm laughed again. What else could he do, given how this night was shaping up? Even though he could smell the cosmopolitan on his skin and hair, and he’d just found out his flat was flooded, he felt wonderful. Katrina was out of his life. The fact that she’d been cheating on him took away any guilt he’d harbored about calling things off with her. “Thanks for letting me know. I’d appreciate it if you could give me a ring once you know more.”
“Thank you for being so understanding about it all, Mr. Sullivan.”
Malcolm glanced over at a younger couple who looked to be raising quite a fuss with the building’s manager. “Having trouble with the others?”
“I’m afraid I can’t say,” Ralph said. But he did raise his eyebrows as if to confirm that yes, they were having quite a bit of trouble with some of the other tenants in the building.
“Don’t let it get to you, Ralph. It’s not your fault. And good luck.”
“You too, sir.”
Malcolm headed back toward the river. The simplest thing to do would be to call his global concierge again and arrange for a hotel room and some new clothes to be delivered to it, along with a laptop so that he could log in for work.
But he wasn’t in the mood for a fancy hotel. Not tonight. No, tonight the only place he wanted to be was his houseboat, even if he knew there was no way he could spend the night with Josie there.
He did, however, have some extra clothes and shoes on the boat. He could crash in his grandmother’s back cottage, where Owen lived. Especially since he knew Owen rarely slept there anymore now that he and Mari were together.
Just the thought of going to Elderflower Island tonight put a spring in his step. He arranged for a driver and two minutes later was in the backseat, heading out of central London toward the island.
“My wife, she loves Elderflower Island,” the driver said. “She’s always getting on me about buying a cottage there. Not that I could afford it.”
“Things on the island are pretty pricey,” Malcolm said. “I’m lucky that I’ve been able to spend time there since I was a child. My grandmother has a cottage near the boathouse.”
“You lucky sod,” the driver said, grinning at him in the rearview mirror.
“I am lucky,” Malcolm agreed.
It was good to be reminded of that. Everything he had, everything he did, was because he had chosen it. Tonight, he’d made one big choice already—to change his relationship status from half a power couple to single. And then he’d made another choice—to leave central London for Elderflower Island. Both excellent choices, if he did say so himself.
Malcolm settled back into the seat and enjoyed the knowledge that he’d be in his favorite place within the hour.