The Runaway Girl and The Billionaire

Chapter 14: She was boxing!

Sitting in his office, Xy felt more powerful than usual, thinking back to his wonderful morning with Lana.

She was the perfect start to his day, and he couldn't stop praising himself for making the last-minute decision to go to the gym before work.

Cancelling a meeting to enjoy lunch with her was an easy decision. The two had so much fun together and Xy felt it was the first time he'd laughed so much in years. Work had taken over his life, but it was difficult to acknowledge that until he sat across from Lana.

She was what he had been missing-a connection that allowed him to relax and forget all that he was supposed to do in the office. It wasn't until he watched her walk away that he knew how much he'd missed having that special connection with someone.

What would usually seem like a full and exciting agenda, now felt more like a dreadful lists of tasks standing between him and his life outside the office. Just thinking of that concept brought a smile to his face. Was he really becoming the guy who had a reason to rush out of the office after all these years of being the first to show up every morning and last to leave every night?

It was exciting and a bit scary, because Xy had always preferred the safer bet. When it came to his career, he could estimate what would happen, when it would happen, and the impact it would have on his life. With Lana, or his personal life in general, it was a toss-up. Nothing was certain or set in stone, and that uncertainty was more alluring than he could have imagined.

While being in control had its definite advantages, there was something incredibly exhilarating about not knowing what to expect and relinquishing all control. Without any idea of what Lana truly thought of him, he was certain that he wanted to see her again, and soon.

"I'm not sure if I want to know who is making you smile that big," Akira called from the doorway, disturbing Xy as he stared aimlessly at his computer screen.

"What makes you think it's a 'who'?" He answered, trying and failing to hide his grin.

"Oh, I know the look in your eyes when we close a new deal, and I'm certain that grin has nothing to do with dog accessories," Akira teased, inviting herself into his office.

She was in her regular cheery mood, ready to pick on her oldest friend as she figured out just what was putting him in such a good mood. Xy watched her closely, afraid of how much he was revealing as she sat across from his desk in the leather loveseat.

"I saw her again," Xy started, his grin reappearing at the thought of Lana.

"Who? Lany?" Akira struggled to remember the name of the woman who had captivated her boss.

"Lana." Xy corrected her sternly, and she noticed the seriousness in his voice as she raised her hands in the air apologetically.

"Oh, Lana. Sorry, my mistake," Akira corrected herself, noting how much Xy obviously cared. She was known for referring to his girl flings by different names, and always noticed when he didn't correct her. It was a subtle test to see how serious someone was to him, and to her dismay, he had never cared before.

Until today.

There was something different about him, and the way he spoke about the woman Akira had thought would fade into oblivion without a fight. Xy was no stranger to attraction, but it typically lasted for only a fleeting time. Things would often fizzle out before he even got to know the women, so Akira was excited at the possibility that Lana could mean more to him than anyone in the recent past.