Part 2 (2/2)

”Not much. I was going to see if you wanted to go with me and Hannah to the movies on Sat.u.r.day, but...uh oh.” Chase paused and he noticed Sloane wasn't listening to him as he cut into the pie. ”What's going on?”

He knew her too well. ”Gates is in town. And I don't think I can keep Brayden from him anymore. And of course Avery won't get off my back about it.” Sloane rolled her eyes as she referred to her aunt's persistent badgering. She continued to push the food around on her plate then glanced at Chase.

”Yeah, Liyah mentioned 'Mr. Infamous' was in town. What're you going to do?” She could see the concern on Chase's face as she struggled to give him some kind of answer.

”I honestly don't know.”

”Well, you could always tell him the truth.” Most of the time she was very thankful for his bluntness, but today was not one of those days.

”It's not that easy. I can't very well just walk up to him and say 'hey in addition to the hospital I want you to build, here's your son'.” She put the fork down, sat back in the chair, crossed her arms and stared at Chase.

”Well, you could, but it might not go that well,” Chase laughed, sitting beside her to dig into the pie. ”You got any ice cream to go with this?”

”Thanks for the support, Chase.” She quipped as he continued to laugh. ”It's not funny.” Getting up from her spot, she opened the freezer and plopped a box of vanilla ice cream in front of him with a spoon.

”I'm just saying. You don't have many choices at this point. What do you think is best?” He scooped ice cream onto the pie before sitting back to see confusion consume her face.

”I don't know, but I've got to come up with something, and fast.”

”I postponed the meeting with the Reyes Foundation.” Gates said, tapping the end of the Mont Blanc he held in his hand against the hard wood of the mahogany desk. He had purposely scheduled a meeting with Sloane and Liyah, only to postpone it. It was part of his diabolical scheme to make Sloane squirm. In doing so, he'd sent Evan back to New York to touch base with Angelica, but he also wanted to give him time to be with his family. People could say a lot of things about Gates, but saying he didn't understand the value of family wasn't one of them. His family hadn't been close and he'd been practically taken in by Evan's family. He'd learned how important it was to spend time with the people who cared about you. And, even though his wasn't the most ideal and loving family, it was still his. It hurt when his mother died two years ago. Elizabeth Gates McCall loved her children and was happy being a mother. But Victor was jealous of her love for them and wasn't about to share her with anyone, not even his own offspring. She was the only thing he valued as much, or more than, his beloved company. So, when Elizabeth died, a part of the old man died with her and his health began to fail, leaving Gates in charge. Once Victor was gone, it was only him and his older sister, Bailey, left. She lived in London with her husband and their three children and had no interest in running their father's business. She'd practically signed over her share of the company to him before the old man had time to get used to his dirt surroundings.

”So, how long are you going to be there? I can come back if you need me.” Gates shook his head as he listened to Evan. His friend never ceased to amaze him. Evan was dedicated, but what was most touching to Gates was the fact he was so dedicated to him.

”I'll be here a couple of days. I want to talk with Tom from D&S and I guess I'll be nice and give Sloane and Liyah a chance to present their proposal.” Gates plotted as he stared out of the window. He still couldn't think straight. Since he'd run into Sloane in Antony's office, he was having the hardest time concentrating on anything. Thoughts of her consumed every waking moment of his life. Her soft skin and the inimitable scent of her perfume and the way it threw his insides into a tizzy. It was enough to drive him insane and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to go through with any of this.

”Gates, you're taking this too far, you know that, right? You sure you don't need me?” Gates heard the concern in Evan's voice and he was thankful for having a friend like him. Evan had always been there for him through every good and bad decision he made and Gates trusted him more than anyone.

”Stay at home with your wife, Evan. I know what I'm doing.”

”Do you? Gates, I really feel like I need to be there to run interference between you and Sloane. Dammit, she's not the same girl she was a year ago.”

Gates scowled at the frustration he heard in Evan's voice. He knew his friend knew him well enough by now to know he wouldn't back down from a challenge, nor was he going to walk away from the opportunity to get under Sloane's skin. ”Well, I guess we've both changed then, because I'm not the same man I was then either.”

”Look if you need me, I'm on the next flight.”

”I know. Thanks. Tell Kelsie I said h.e.l.lo.”

Against her better judgment, Sloane decided to give Gates another call. She was a little worried when he decided to postpone their scheduled meeting for the week. Plus, the torture she received from Liyah day in and day out about hanging up on him had her more than a little bit nervous. She knew he was being difficult and only delayed their meeting because she'd hung up on him, but she was determined to do what it took to make sure the hospital was built. Taking a deep breath, she waited for him to answer.

”Gates McCall.”

Her body automatically went into s.h.i.+ver mode as his voice resonated through the receiver. Yep, there go the chills again. She could feel the tiny hairs on her arms stand at attention and she swallowed hard to remove the cotton from her mouth. How can his voice still throw my heart into arrhythmia? ”Gates, I really need to talk to you about the other day.”

”Meet me at Elijah's at seven.” His quick retort caught her off guard and she paused for a moment to comprehend his reply.

”What? You're in town?”

”Yes. You heard me. Meet me at Elijah's. It's on Ann Street.”

She regained her composure and frowned at his abruptness. ”I know where it is. I do live here you know.”

”Good. Then you shouldn't be late. I'll see you at seven.” Click.

Pulling the receiver from her ear, Sloane looked at it in disbelief. Did he just hang up on me? Who was he to bark out orders to her? The nerve of this man, she seethed. Gingerly hanging the phone on its base, she sat back in her chair and shook her fists in the air. ”Ooooooh, he makes me sick.” Picking up the stress ball on her desk, she flung it across the room. It barely missed Liyah as she opened the door and ducked as the small pink pig sailed over her head.

”Que diablos?” Startled by the UFO, Liyah looked from Sloane over to where the innocent little pink pig came to rest on its side.

”Oh Liyah I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-” Sloane pressed her hands to her mouth and her eyes widened as she watched her friend stoop to pick up the stress ball.

”It's fine. But are you okay?” Liyah asked as she shut the door behind her and tossed the pig back to Sloane.

”He is so arrogant and so, so...ugh!”

”Gates?”

”Who else?” Sloane slumped in the chair and leaned her head back. She was so frustrated, but at the moment she wasn't sure if she was more frustrated with Gates hanging up on her or the fact she'd created this entire mess.

”So? Did he postpone our meeting because you hung up on him?”

”Yes. No. I don't know, but I plan to find out. He wants me to meet him at Elijah's at seven.” Sloane's eyes popped open and she sat forward noticing Liyah's eyebrows inching their way up her forehead. ”What?”

”Dinner, huh?” Liyah sat down across from Sloane and giggled.

”Stop it. There's nothing between Gates and me anymore but a whole lot of animosity and a huge secret. I don't need this right now, Liyah.” She groaned, throwing her head back again and looked at the ceiling. She wondered if this was her punishment for keeping such a sordid secret.

”You sure about that?”

”Liyah, I'm serious. Gates does what he wants. He always has. I hate the fact he can push my b.u.t.tons.” Sloane was trying her best to show Liyah she had no interest in pursuing a relations.h.i.+p with Gates anymore. He was over her and had moved on and she was doing the same. At least, she was trying.

Laughing, Liyah stood and walked to the door. ”I know. No one gets you more riled up than he does, but you should probably get a move on. I want you to look really good so you can convince him to build our hospital.”

Looking down at the outfit she had on, Sloane bit her lip. Liyah was right. If she left now, she'd have just enough time to shower and change and make sure Brayden was settled before meeting Gates. ”I guess it wouldn't hurt to change. Look, I'll call you later tonight.”

”Hopefully you'll be too busy letting him push a few other b.u.t.tons. Just call me tomorrow.” Liyah winked as Sloane shook her head.

”Whatever.” Picking up her purse and keys, Sloane followed Liyah through the doorway.

Making sure she wouldn't be late, Sloane hurried into Elijah's. She'd gotten Chase to watch Brayden for her since her Aunt Avery had returned home to Charlotte. She looked around and realized she'd beaten Gates to the restaurant and she breathed a sigh of relief. As she followed the hostess to a table, she tried to quell the nerves building up inside of her. She was glad she took Liyah's advice to change. The little black tunic dress hung loosely on her svelte figure, stopping above her knees to show off her beautiful legs. The sheer kimono split sleeves left her beautiful arms half exposed. Taking a breath, she took a quick glance at her make up in her compact before putting it away and sipping her water. ”Okay, this is crazy, Sloane. Stop fidgeting.” She was about to go to the restroom and check her make up again in a bigger mirror but stopped when she caught a glimpse of Gates crossing the restaurant toward her. She lost all ability to move and just stared at his gracious presence. d.a.m.n. His tailor-made suit fit every inch of his body perfectly and she couldn't take her eyes off of him as he sauntered to the table. The man commanded attention without trying and it seemed all of the action in the entire restaurant had stopped.

”Sloane.”

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