Carter Reed

“Shut it, Noah. If I hadn’t said anything, she might not have come out…I don’t care…” Her voice grew clear again. “I’ll see you later, Emma. See you tonight!”
    It wasn’t long until my phone lit up again. This time it was Carter.
    I answered, “Calling to do damage control?”
    He sighed, “No, but now I am. You’re angry with me?”
    “Were you sitting right next to her?”
    “I’m in the back of the jet. They’re in the front.”
    “But how did you—”
    “I had the intercom open on her end. I could hear everything she said to you.”
    He didn’t even sound apologetic. “You were eavesdropping on her.”
    “Yes, I was. And I’ll do it again and again when it comes to you. I’m starting to realize that you have no idea the lengths I have gone and will go for you.”
    I shut up and sat back. Then I surrendered, “You weren’t in New York for me.”
    “No, I wasn’t, but I was in Chicago because of you, for you. I was in New York today for a friend of mine that asked me a long time ago to buy into his hotel so he could start up his idea. It was a good proposal and I invested. It was smart on my part, one of the first decisions I did independent from those my reputation associates me with. That decision and that money have allowed me to further expand and I am very close to becoming fully independent of those previous associates. Are you understanding me?”
    I gulped. Oh yes. I was following along. I was suddenly a starving person given their first morsel of food in months. I was hungry for more. “You’re coming back with them?”
    “I’m coming straight to you.”
    Desire lit inside of me. The flame grew to a fire. “Hurry.”
    “I am.” The raw need in his voice had me breathing hard. “Are you still angry with me?”
    I grimaced. “I was never angry at you, not really.”
    “Good.”
    I glanced at Mike, who was studying his window with an intensity that told me he was very aware, and uncomfortably so, of our intimate conversation. I lowered my voice, “I have some things to tell you when you get here.”
    He hesitated on his end before he said, his voice husky as well, “As do I.”
    My heart picked up. My hand grew sweaty around the phone. “Okay then.”
    He chuckled. “Okay then.”
    “Did you get me kicked off the account?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why?”
    “Because it wasn’t safe for you. I didn’t want you in New York, not right now. You’re safer there and in my home. And it wasn’t ethical. Noah shouldn’t have put you on that team in the first place. He knew I was on the board. He knew about my relationship with you. He was trying to manipulate me.”
    I was confused, again. “What are you talking about? He didn’t think you were going to approve the product?”
    “No. My previous associates have another product that would be its competitor.”
    “But you did approve it?”
    “Of course I did.”
    My head was swimming. “This makes no sense to me.”
    He chuckled again. “This is my excuse to step away from the other product.”
    My chest felt constricted. “They’ll let you…step away?”
    “Yes, they will. I have done very well for those associates. They’ve known about my wish for independence and with a venture I insured for them over this past week, I have fulfilled any obligations they might’ve had for me to the family.”
    “Are you saying…” No, it couldn’t be. People didn’t walk away from that life.
    “Yes, Emma. I’m free now.”
    I couldn’t talk. My chest was heaving. My eyes were watering and I gripped onto that phone like my life depended on it.
    “Emma.”
    “Yes?” I wrung out.
    His voice dropped even more. “That’s a good thing, right?”
    “Yes,” I breathed out. “That’s a very good thing.”
    “Good.” His voice broke for a beat. “We’re almost there. I’ll be home soon.”
    I couldn’t say anything. I should’ve said good bye or safe travels, something, but the magnitude of what he had just told me hit me like a truck. I was bowled over at what that meant for both of us.

It was five hours later when I got his text. Something came up. I’m sorry. Will meet you at Octave tonight. The men are notified. They will drive you there at ten.
    I didn’t text him back. Maybe I should’ve, but my entire body was humming. I had been waiting for him and now this. It wasn’t long after that when I got a text from Theresa. Meet you at Octave! So excited!
    I spent the next hour choosing what I was