On your knees, Mr. Billionaire

009

Dominic Blackwell

~•~

A delivery arrived at my office at twenty minutes past six.

I knew because I’d been watching the clock. It wasn’t because I was eager to leave, but because I had a seven o’clock with Adrian and Ryan and they wouldn’t take it well if I was late. I also hated being late.

Patricia, my assistant, knocked twice before entering. “Courier delivery, Mr. Blackwell.” She set the envelope on the edge of my desk. “Personal. No return address but the seal is Hargrove Events.”

Hargrove? Dylan Hargrove? What was he inviting me for this time? And since when did he start sending invites to my office? “Thank you, Patricia. That’s all for tonight.”

She nodded and was gone, closing the door shut after her.

I reached for the envelope. There was a cream card inside, an invitation to Jocelyn’s engagement party. Of course, it was Dylan’s daughter instead. She, like everyone else, always thought it was more efficient to reach me through work. She was right.

The event was two weeks away and I quickly texted Patricia to add it to my schedule even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to attend yet.

The only events I preferred to attend were the ones that would bring me new connections. I was certain I already knew everyone who would be present at Jocelyn’s engagement party.

I dropped the invitation under my phone and resumed work.

By the time I was done, it was almost seven. Patricia was gone when I stepped out of my office. Back when she first started working for me, she preferred to wait until I was done before she left despite how many times I told her she could go as soon as the workday was over. She quickly learnt that I could spend twenty-four hours working and not flinch.

She hadn’t looked back ever since.

I arrived at the bar ten minutes past seven and found them already at our usual corner in the VIP section. Adrian was nursing a glass of whiskey, and Ryan had scotch on him.

“He lives,” Ryan announced as I sat down.

“Barely,” Adrian said, looking at my suit jacket. “You came straight from the office.”

I loosened my tie and signaled the bartender. “I had work to finish.”

“You always have work to finish.” Adrian scoffed. “When’s the last time you left before seven?”

I didn’t answer because I couldn’t remember. By my standards, I left work early today.

“That’s what I thought.” He picked up his glass. “You’re going to die at that desk, Dominic. They’ll find you face down in a report and nobody will be surprised.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ryan said. “I’ll be surprised. Devastated, even.” He didn’t look devastated. “I’ll give a very moving eulogy.”

I nodded at Ryan. “I appreciate that.”

My drink arrived. I took a sip and felt my shoulders start to relax. Maybe I was working too much after all.

“I got an invitation from the Hargrove family today,” Ryan said.

“I got one too.”

“The daughter’s engagement party. I heard she has very pretty friends.”

“Mine arrived yesterday,” Adrian said, ignoring Ryan’s comments about the pretty friends. “Genevieve already RSVPed for both of us.” Genevieve was Adrian’s wife. He turned to me. “You’re going?”

“I haven’t decided.”

“We are all going.” Ryan declared.

“I said I haven’t—”

“You’re going,” he repeated. “And before you list your reasons for not going, let me tell you something.” He set his drink down and faced me properly. “Your mother called me.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Vivienne Blackwell,” he affirmed. “She called my personal number, which I have never given her. I don’t know how she got it.

“What did she want?” I asked, even though I already knew.

“She wanted me to talk some sense into you.” He picked his drink back up. “I’m quoting her directly.” He cleared his throat and adjusted his voice before speaking again. “Ryan, that boy is going to work himself into an early grave and die without giving me grandchildren and I need you to do something about it.”

Adrian laughed. “Are you making this s**t up, Ryan? She called you, a devoted bachelor to talk your friend into getting married.”

“She did.” Ryan was defensive. “She thinks I’m influencing his decision because I’m single and she wanted me to talk to him.”

“Well you can’t advise me without coming across as a hypocrite, so save it.”

“It’s different for us, Dominic. I chose to be single. As for you, you’re single because you’re still hung up on your ex-wife. One would think you’d move on after you sent her away, but here we are.”

My jaw tightened. The conversation had drifted to a topic I wasn’t particularly interested in.

“Six years, Dominic.” Ryan wasn’t done apparently. “Six years of nothing but work. No dates, no—”

“I’ve dated.”

“Twice. And both of them were blind dates your mother pushed you into. You ended up scaring both women by talking about your ex.”

This was why I kept things to myself these days because they were only going to use it against me. “I can’t force myself to like them, Ryan,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m fine like that.”

“You’re not fine,” Adrian shook his head. “Ever since everything blew up, you’ve been working yourself to the ground. Do you even have anyone to leave all these to when you die?”

My lips thinned. Were we really discussing my death right now?

“Go to Jocelyn’s party,” Adrian said. “I know you’re not considering it because it won’t increase your net worth, but you should do something that isn’t work.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” I asked dryly.

“It’s one evening,” Ryan added.

“I’ll think about it.”

Ryan opened his mouth to speak again.

“That means yes,” I interjected before he could continue his complaint about it being six years. “It means yes, stop talking.”

He closed his mouth and smiled, flagging down the bartender for another round.

They were right. It was only one evening and I didn’t mind going if it would get everyone off my back. Did they really think I was going to find a girlfriend at Jocelyn’s engagement party?

They had a lot of faith in me, didn’t they?