Billionaire’S Possession
...KATE...
...It was 6:15 p.m., and the lobby...
...of Price Industries...
...office tower...
...was emptying even as I crossed...
...the polished marble floor...
...toward the line of elevator...
...doors....
...The interview wasn...
...'t what...
...made me nervous, though a lot...
...was riding on it going well....
...No. It was the elevator ride....
...My claustrophobia was...
...unpredictable and ranged from...
...mild to severe....
...Hitting the "up" button to callthe nearest elevator, a cold...
...sweat broke out on my back...
...and forehead. My heart began...
...to race as I dabbed my makeup,...
...afraid it would smear....
...Don't sweat. Don't panic....
...Shit....
...With a friendly ding, the...
...elevator doors opened,...
...revealing a completely ordinary...
...interior...
...The enclosed space was what I...
...couldn't handle....
...It felt like walking into my own tomb ....
..."Kate, get your shit together," I...
...said and forced myself to step...
...inside....
...The doors tried to shut, and I...
...cried out, jumping back into the...
...lobby....
...I could breathe easy again once...
...I was out of there, but what I...
...needed was on the top floor....
...That's where Taylor Price's...
...office was. He was Price...
...Industries' CEO. A billionaire....
...A titan of industry. A recluse....
...This was the second effort I'd...
...made to get the interview; his...
...secretary had just notified me...
...that he'd accepted our request...
...for another....
...The first time, he'd canceled on...
...me at the last second....
...Arthur, my editor at The Daily...
...House, was not happy that that...
...opportunity had slipped away....
...It wasn...
...it my fault, but results...
...were the only thing Arthur...
...wanted....
...Well, if I didn't get in this...
...elevator, the result would be...
...missing the interview and...
...losing my job. And then...
...basically my life would fall...
...apart....
...My Nana was the only family I...
...had in all of Philadelphia--in...
...all of Pennsylvania, for that...
...matter. It was just the two of usever since my parents had died...
...when I was twelve....
...And now. Nana's life was...
...overrun with doctor's...
...appointments, prescriptions,...
...and treatments. She suffered...
...from severe arthritis and...
...osteoporosis, and the bills were...
...always piling higher....
...I needed this interview, and to...
...get it, I needed to get in the...
...elevator....
...And to do that, I needed help....
...I wiped a drop of sweat off my...
...brow and peeled my eyes open....
...The elevator dinged and the...
...doors were open....
..."Ah!" As fast as I could, I...
...jumped out....
...The huge windows beside me...
...looked down on an epic top...
...floor view....
...Immediately, my heart began to...
...return to normal. That didn't...
...help with the sweat or what...
...must have been a makeup...
...disaster on my face, but I'd made it....
...A huge smile broke out across...
...my face. Rick was the best. I...
...owed him big time for this....
...I pulled out my compact mirror...
...and saw my garish reflection; I...
...gasped....
...Damn....
...I found a ladies'...
...room and...
...washed off the Rorschach test...
...that had been my makeup....
...I checked myself out in the...
...mirror....
...The girl with the amber eyes,...
...dimples, and a shock of red hair...
...that seemed to always catch...
...people's attention....
...I gathered myself as I walked...
...out to the reception area....
...I found a blonde, petite, doll-...
...faced girl in her early twenties...
...sitting behind a desk and...
...cleared my throat....
..."I'm Kate Dawson from The...
...Daily House. I have an...
...appointment with Mr. Price...
..."Oh, of course,...
...» the...
...receptionist said, frowningslightly. Evidently I was not...
...what she had expected. "Please...
...come this way....
...- 99...
...She led me through a large...
...minimalist hallway that reeked...
...of power. At the end was a large...
...mahogany door....
..."Please have a seat, Ms....
...Dawson. I'll inform Mr. Price...
...that you are here."...
...After Taylor Price had...
...rescheduled our first interview,...
...Arthur had not been pleased....
...He had even threatened to fire...
...me if another newspaper got the...
...exclusive before we did...
...Nobody had ever had thechance to interview Taylor...
...Price face-to-face; it was as if...
...the man didn't exist....
...It was either that or he simply...
...didn't want to make his life...
...public property....
...So this was a once-in-a-lifetime...
...opportunity. One that I could...
...not afford to mess up....
...Stop it, I ordered myself. Eves...
...clear. Head in the game. You...
...got this....
...I watched as the secretary...
...knocked on the mahogany door...
...and entered the room. My...
...palms suddenly felt sweaty....
...I caught a glimpse of Mr....
...Price's shoes before the door...
...had closed. They were pitch...
...black and almost looked like...
...they were…sparkling....
..."Of course, sir,...
..." I heard right...
...before someone emerged from...
...his office....
...I stood up, a smile spreading...
...across my face....
..."Mr. Price, I'm...
...oh"...
...But it wasn...
...it Taylor Price....
...Another woman emerged from...
...his office. I swallowed down...
...the rest of my words....
...Feeling inexplicably self-...
...conscious, I tugged lightly atmy black, high-waisted skirt....
...The woman was beautiful. Too...
...beautiful to be working here....
..."Ms. Dawson, I presume?"...
...«Yes,...
...» I nodded....
..."But I was...
...expecting Mr. Price?"...
..."Yes, I'm Kristen, Mr. Price's...
...PA. I'm sorry, Ms. Dawson, but...
...Mr. Price will have to...
...reschedule."...
..."What?!" I blustered....
...disbelieving....
...«But I made it up...
...here-...
...-I mean, why?"...
..."Unfortunately, he has another...
...meeting scheduled.”...
...My hands coiled into fists. My...
...nostrils flared....
..."I'm very sorry, Ms. Dawson-...
...Kate-...
...-but I'm afraid there'...
...nothing more I can do...
...except...
...for suggesting a different day...
...«You don...
..." understand....
...3 T...
...fumed. "This is my career he's...
...playing around with. If I go...
...back with the same story, my...
...boss will fire me."...
..."Please, Kate,...
...» Kristen shook...
...her head. "Mr. Price does not...
...take kindly to office scenes....
..."I am begging. Two questions...
...one! Anything, please."...
..."Please take the rescheduled...
...appointment I dan't want tohave to call security."...
...I threw on a sarcastic smile and...
...hooked my bag over my arm....
..."I'll leave, but please pass Mr....
...Price this message for me. Do...
...you have a pen? Please tell him,...
...from me: **** yourself you....
...fucking ****!"...
...I turned and stormed out,...
...throwing open the door to the...
...staircase, forgetting I'd taken...
...the elevator, forgetting I'd have...
...to hike down thirty-seven...
...floors, forgetting everything....
...All I could see was red....
...All 1 could see was red....
...I'd just told the most powerful...
...man in the world to ****...
...himself....
...Arthur was going to fire me....
...I'm done for....
...TAYLOR...
..."She said WHAT?!"...
...I sat behind my big antique...
...desk, brows knitted together...
...into a thin line, while a flurry of...
...activity and conference calls...
...and emails and texts cut...
...through the air of my crowded...
...office....
...Kristen stood before my desk...
...with the trace...
...m amusedsmile on her lips....
..."A. Fucking. ****. Her words,...
...Taylor. Not mine....
...No one, apart from maybe my...
...father, had spoken to me like...
...that. At least not to my face....
...My tolerance was limited, and...
...my name far too reputable to...
...allow anyone to tarnish it....
...It wasn...
...It my fault that business...
...had gotten in the way....
...It's not every day the...
...opportunity to take over...
...Jameson Enterprises occurs. I...
...had just managed to snatch it...
...from under Grayson's nose.A ruthless act?...
...Maybe....
...There would have been hell to...
...pay, but everybody who ever...
...dared to come up against me...
...knew better; no matter the...
...circumstances, Taylor Price...
...always won....
...A lesson I intended to teach Ms....
...Dawson....
...Kristen said,...
..."Leave that poor...
...girl alone."...
...You know how I feel about...
...journalists,...
...»I said. "And if...
...she's brazen enough to call...
...99...
...me....
..."A ****"...
..."Yes. That. Where does it end?'...
...I was an incredibly busy man,...
...and my time was valued...
...somewhere around $90,000 an...
...hour. Who did she think she...
...Was?...
...I should have just left it there....
...But that wasn't my way....
...I'd pay the price to teach her a...
...lesson....
...A wave of dread surged through...
...me....
...I have devoted my life to my...
...job...
...at the expense of...
...everything else....
...My only friend and family was...
...Nana, and she depended on my...
...job even more than I did....
...Now, thanks to a big rich boy...
...with a bigger ego, everything...
...I'd worked so hard for was at...
...risk....
...I'm going to get fired....
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