Billie Bossa Nova

19.

He had barely heard anything that the board was saying even though he may have nodded his head a few times during the conversation. He pinched his eyes, trying to regain his concentration. If he allowed a woman to invade his mind so much, Luna International would go tumbling down to crumbs.

He straightened up. "Excuse me, what was that, Tyson?"

The man at the other end of the table among five other filled seats frowned. "I was talking about you quitting our alliance with Klide. Since Adan was so keen on keeping the alliance standing, I don't think it's a good idea."

He sighed. It was inevitable for some of his decisions to be questioned, he had only started almost a month ago. The board was insistent on the fact that he was still too young to make any rash decisions, at times, speaking to him like a five year old to explain th consequences of breaking something that Adan had built. Such as now.

"Kayden Klide is a criminal. Adan may not have minded, but I intend to build Luna International on a righteous basis. It's mine now, and I would like it run my way." He paused, looking at how the men showed expressions of concern. "Do we have a problem?"

"Adan's not happy. He would like to speak to you," Tyson said.

"Has he spoken to my assistant?" He looked to the woman sitting at his left very briefly. He mentally waved off the thoughts of his assistant creeping into his now seemingly teenage brain that seemed to forget to tune into the professional environment.

"Not that I know of," Billie replied with a frown.

Her voice soothed the atmosphere, but conflicted his internal environment. He looked to Tyson, who shook his head.

"I don't think he has. But I'm sure he'll contact you."

"Fine. However he chooses to do it. Anything else?"

One of the other directors said, "Mr. Rivera, I would advise you against this decision. Klide has been working with us for years. He will take some sort of action if you choose to break the alliance."

"Thank you for your advice, Wayne. I believe we're done?"

He looked between the men. They all glanced at each other, some sort of secret he didn't know of being exchanged between them. He waited for them to confirm that they were done. He didn't want to hear more about Klide, and everything was covered, but he would respect their platform and let them have their say.

"That's it, sir."

"Thank you, gentlemen. You're all dismissed. Keep me posted on the Storm Stallions project."

They mumbled thanks and pleasantries before leaving, Eilish included. He returned to the solitude of his office in hopes of peacefully getting work done. But he had walked behind Eilish while she was on her way to her lunch break and he could barely get the sway of her hips out of his head. Not after the memory of them between his hands as he gripped her on his lap.

He fell onto his chair, letting a long breath out. He had no idea when he became like this. When a woman started to invade so much of his head space that there was no room for other things. But everything about her became more alluring the more he got to know her.

Before he could so much as move, his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out, settling it onto his desk and putting it on speaker.

"Mijo," Adan said into the phone.

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose and released a breath. "What do you want, Adan?"

"What makes you think you have the damned right to break something that I have so effortfully built? The fucking nerve of you..."