Billie Bossa Nova

48.

Two hours passed.

Three.

Four.

A meeting or two. Some zoom call with a Japanese investor. The substitute assistant brought in some coffee. Coffee he couldn't drink because it didn't come from her. Another thirty minutes passed. The longest of his life. Focusing on work only went on for little under an hour before she popped into his head again. He'd try to push the thought of her away, but she just kept coming back. When he decided to actually use his break instead of using it to spend more time working like he usually did, it got far worst.

What is she doing right now?

Kai's coffee was already cold. He didn't want it when it was first brought in but now he did. Billie always brought it at the right time.

Should I call her?

He hadn't heard her voice since this morning. This morning when she mesmerized him with all but her touch, sending him into a trance of thoughtless jumbles. Where his logic disappeared and he forgot what it meant to be a man and assert dominance where it needs be. Where he forgot that his word was final and nothing could alter it. Around her, Kai felt weak and strong at the same time.

Why isn't she calling?

Surely, she had to be thinking of him as well. If not, then there has to be some sort of spell that she put on him. Or perhaps she couldn't. Perhaps something happened. Maybe Taz and Ryker lost sight of her and Kayden's men tried to hurt her to exact revenge on him.

Almost mindlessly, Kai opened his laptop and called the only person who could free him of his worries.

“Mr Rivera.”

A bulky man stared back at him at the other end of the screen. “Who has eyes on Billie?” Kai asked, forgetting to greet. He internally slapped himself on the forehead before saluting the man with a nod. “Good day, Ryker.”

The man, with the screen so close to his face, one could see clearly up his hairy nose replied, “Taz is closer to her.”

Kai got through to the man in question, a good friend of Kai's from a bodyguard agency who technically laughed at Kai's face and called him a lost cause when asked for the special favor.

“Let me see my girl, Taz.” Again, he forgot to greet. But this time, he didn't redirect his mistake.

Taz was dressed in a baseball cap and a brightly pink hoodie, holding an ice cream. If he wasn't so keen on seeing Billie, Kai would have asked what on earth was going on with him, but his anticipation disregarded it.

With a chuckle, Taz turned the camera in the direction of what looked like a carnival. Kai frowned as he searched for the blonde, catching sight of her and Lula standing by a jewelry booth. They were making conversation with a young lady who appeared to be in tears. Kai assumed they found Lula's sister, because the girl walked out of the booth and gave Lula a long tight squeeze which she returned.

Kai grinned at the sight of Billie smiling at the pair in front of her, head tilting in adoration. “Give me a closer look, Taz.”

“When did my job come to this?” Taz muttered as he narrowed the scene enough for Kai to get a better look of her expression. The carnival was crowded and noisy so Kai couldn't hear what she said when her lips started to move. The need to hear her made him pick up his phone and dial her number. With his eyes fixed to her as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, Kai pressed the device against his ear, listening to the monotonous buzz of the tone of the dial.

Billie looked into the screen, rolled her eyes and then shoved her phone back into her pocket. Kai, thrown off, dropped his eyebrows and tightened his lips.