Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
KAI
I really didn’t need to be here early, especially not this early, but here we are. In a full suit, I helped the staff put finishing touches on the event and basically ran around doing anything to keep my mind occupied.
One positive, though, is that I’ve been here to be able to greet every single one of my employees and their partners.
This isn’t something I’m able to do much, especially since I’ve only been in this position for a short time.
It’s weird, though, because today is full of conflicting emotions.
It should be Dad sitting here saying hi to everyone.
Not only have I taken that spot, but now, I've also fired his last hire, and here I am, hoping tonight, I can convince that same person to not hate me.
The wasps in my belly have turned into cicadas, screaming with all the possible ferocity they can muster in their little bodies, and I might actually throw up.
It’s been at least thirty minutes since people started arriving, and I know he isn’t here yet.
I’ve been standing at the front door, which doesn’t help the trepidation filling me.
I’m pulled away soon enough, being asked about something and then needing to prepare for the opening speech.
I answer questions and pull out the flash cards that were prepped by none other than Jax himself, running through what I need to say. I’m not super confident about my public speaking skills, something Jax knows about me, so in his off time, he made these little pointers for me.
I close my eyes, running through the lines in my head again, walking a little path back and forth, when I suddenly hit something.
Fuck, I must’ve walked too far. The cards fall out of my hand, and I immediately bend to pick up the slew, all of them upside down and all kinds of out of order.
The back of one of them catches my eye. A note?
You got this. Don’t be worried. Imagine everyone is in their underwear…except me. Wouldn’t want everyone to see a hard dick. Talk about embarrassing. Anyways. Go get 'em.
- Jax
Tears well in my eyes again as Becca announces my name. I climb the few stairs to the stage, waving to everyone as they clap. This feels a little excessive; I get that I’m the CEO, but damn. Is all this needed?
When I get the crowd to quiet, I start my spiel—thanking everyone for being there, talking about how much we all miss Dad, and how, despite his absence, the company has continued to run without a hitch, words of encouragement for the future, praises over what we were able to accomplish since the last party, yada, yada, yada.
My eyes continue to scan the crowd, hoping to be able to find a set of green eyes within the crowd. Like I summoned the man himself, I can hear his laugh, and my sentence is cut short. I’m trying to not strain to see him, but I know he’s back there.
Fuck the rest of this speech. This isn’t all necessary, right?
I make sure to thank Becca for putting on such an amazing party, make a promise to come back later for a giveaway, and then leave the stage.
As much as I want to, I can’t just make a bee-line straight towards him, especially when he’s talking to a bunch of colleagues. I don’t want to embarrass him, and I’d hate to embarrass myself if this doesn’t turn out the way I want.
Instead, I grab a drink and pick a smaller group of people not too far from him. I want to keep an eye on him, wait for the perfect moment to be able to scoop him up and put my plan into action.
As soon as there’s a break in the conversation, I step away from my group and insert myself into his.
I pay attention to the woman speaking, but out of my periphery, I see Jax take a big gulp of his drink.
His eyes drag along my form, and I can’t help but pull at the bottom of my jacket.
Anything to look as good as possible for him.
“If you’ll excuse me,” he says, breaking away as I do the same, catching up in only a couple of strides. He may have tried to move fast, but my long legs have given me some advantage.
I grab ahold of his bicep, appreciating the muscle there before he whirls around and shoots me a glare.
“What do you want, Kai?” He says my name with a snarl, and it takes everything in me to not drag him to the closest closet and spank his ass red. We’ve never even discussed spanking, but something within me says we should.
“What I want is to admire you. What I want is for you not to fucking ignore me all night. What I want is for you to be mine.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, look over there. It’s the board of directors for Williams Weekly. Come on, let me introduce you.”
I don’t give him any time to register my words as I pull him to the group I mentioned.
I introduce them one by one, allowing Jax time to shake hands.
I tell him about how long everyone has been working there, how long they’ve sat on the board.
We share a few stories about Dad, about how different it is this year without him jumping around in a Santa suit after the initial speech.
That is one tradition I will not be continuing.
“So, Jax, what do you do? Did I hear you’re Kai’s personal assistant?”
I turn to Jax slightly, watching him chew on that damn lip again before I interject.
“He was, but we mutually decided that wasn’t going to work anymore.”
“Oh? And why not?” Another man asks.
“Well, because he’s my boyfriend.”