Page 62 of The Damaged Billionaire's Obsession
“No, Ethan is coming to you, okay? He’ll be there before your presentation starts, and he’ll make it right. He wrote it, remember?”
Oh, God. Ethan’s coming to L.A. to clean up the mess I made. That’s the best and the worst thing I’ve heard all day. He’ll be livid. And smug. And a sight for sore eyes.
“Okay.” I sniff.
“Come on, Bonnie, you’ll be fine. Are the others okay?” He’s referring to the three interns and two staff trainees I brought along with me for training and exposure.
Ha! Good thing they’re not seeing me now.“They’re good. I only told them that I needed to sort something out.”
“Okay, cool, hang in there then, he’s on his way.”
Oh, God. Zeus is coming.
It’s seven-thirty.
The conference started one and a half hours ago, and I still don’t see Ethan. I can’t sit. I’m at the back of the hall pacing. I’ve had to admit to my team what happened, and now everyone is worried, which has made my anxiety worse.
I catch myself biting at a hangnail and stop. It’s a nervous habit I’d kicked many years ago but often rears its head again.
Of course I’ve unblocked Ethan, but that doesn’t mean he’s texted or called. I’m too scared to call him, but would it really kill him to send a reassuring text to say he’s on his way? I’m dying of panic here.
I approach one of the organizers again. He eyes my skinny jeans and white crop top, which I’ve thrown a black leather jacket over. My outfit isn’t much different from what the others are wearing, so I’m not sure what he’s staring at.
“Hey, do you know when Dreadlite is on?” I ask.
He checks his mobile tablet. “Should be around 8:30, okay? Not much longer to wait now.”
He thinks I can’t wait anymore. I wish. “Okay, thanks.”
Where the hell is Ethan? In one hour, I’ll be up, and I’ve got nothing to present.
I wonder if the audience would be happy to accept a kickass PowerPoint presentation instead and put aside the VR goggles they’d been given specifically for Dreadlite? They’ll probably throw me out and ban Acercraft in future submissions.
I suppose I’ll have to try something else. I return to the back of the hall heading to where my things are and pull out my laptop.
Maybe if I could do a mockup and re-animate the characters…
“Bonnie!”
I whirl at the sound of his voice, and sure enough, it’s Ethan, in the flesh, striding towards me. I can’t stop my sob of relief.
“Oh, thank God you’re finally here!” I sag against him, throwing my arms around his torso. Damn, he smells so good that I bury my nose in his chest and breathe him in. “I’ve been out of my mind panicking, and I know I didn’t listen to you. I realized it too late…”
I notice he’s silent, frozen in place, his arms hanging out by his sides. He’s not hugging me back. It dawns on me that we’re in a large, crowded exhibition hall. I push away awkwardly from him, embarrassed. Does he always have to be an ass? Would it kill him to offer a small hug, a pat of reassurance?
“The new program’s all set up.”
“But—you just got here now.”
“No, I’ve been here for close to an hour, the jet arrived ahead of schedule.”
“And you couldn’t think to let me know that? I’ve been dying of anxiety here.”
“Didn’t you block me?” he murmurs. His mouth lifts in an annoying smirk.
“Obviously, I’ve unblocked you considering the events of the last few hours.”
“Why, Ms. Russo, since I’m not omniscient, I didn’t get that particular memo.”