Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 9: Well, if it isn't the best-looking boy band in town

Annoyed and frustrated, Gareth pushed his laptop away. He had looked at spreadsheets for hours but could not concentrate. All he wanted was to get his mind off of everything. A run or a swim, eighteen holes of golf, or just three holes of a woman.

He sighed. He wanted three specific holes, not random ones.

Gareth cringed.

The thought made him sick with himself. He had just thought of Mackenzie as holes. She was so much more, and that was why he wanted her. Maybe golf would be better. He pulled back the laptop and opened the golf club site to see if there were any available slots on his favorite course.

Agitated, Gareth closed the browser with a quick click of the mouse. Why was he looking at that? He already knew he did not have time for any of it. He had a charity event, and he needed to go get some stuff to bring there.

Shopping. How he loathed shopping.

He looked at his calendar one last time. Of course, his secretary had cleared the entire afternoon for him. Nina was efficient and knew how to plan for him. All he had to do was tell her, and things would miraculously get taken care of. That was what he paid her to do after all, and it reassured him to know she handled everything.

Gareth shut down the laptop, grabbed his phone and keys, and checked if he had his wallet before he snatched his jacket from the hanger at the side of his office door.

"Nina, I'll be out the rest of the day. Can you clear my schedule until noon tomorrow?"

"Naturally, Mr. Tempest." Nina, his secretary for the past nine years, looked up with a slight smile on her face. Expectantly, she waited for Gareth to leave or tell her more than he needed her to do.

"Thank you. You may leave when done. You don't have to be here before eleven tomorrow if you want to sleep in. I won't need you."

Flustered, Nina tried to find a grimace to fit and had to resort to brushing her hair behind her ear to do something. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Tempest."

Nina's big, grey eyes shone with happiness. It was not common for Gareth to say things like that. But she did not look a gift horse in the mouth.

For some reason, Gareth noticed for once. He knew he relied on Nina a lot, and maybe he did not appreciate her enough. He smiled one of his rare work smiles at her and made a mental note to get her something for her commitment.

"Ok, mall first, then the grocery store," he mumbled as he walked to the elevator, clicking around on his phone and not paying attention to anything.

He stood in the elevator, minding his own business, as it stopped at the floors below to let people in. Some of them mumbled a quick, respectful 'Mr. Tempest', to which Gareth just nodded and gave them little notice until he felt something and observed a set of dark eyes glancing at him.

"Miss Angel, just the person I was looking for. Do you have a minute?" Gareth grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the elevator, not really caring about the employees in the elevator who gawked at them.

Ok, they would gossip, what did he care?

"What the fuck, Gareth?" Mackenzie growled when the doors had closed, and she still stood on the floor she had tried to leave. She shot him an angry glare, waiting for an explanation.

"That's ten," Gareth said before she got too far into a fit. He smiled triumphantly as she blushed. 

Mackenzie knew what he had referred to.

How did he do that? Turn a situation around with ease? She was supposed to have the upper hand at that moment. As always, he dominated the situation.

"What do you want?" Mackenzie asked with a pointed stare, resting her hands on her hips while tapping her shoe impatiently.