“What? I’m sorry, Gray, I don’t mean to hurt Claude’s feelings…”
“You’re not,” I interject.
“You do,” Gray says at the same time, and I look up at him again. “Claudia Cooper is one of the smartest, most dependable women I know. I have no doubt she would have no trouble running a Fortune 500 company if she wanted and do it amazingly.”
“Yes, well… I think you might be exaggerating a little, Gray. But maybe we should just agree to disagree and make it to our press conference,” Cammie says.
“You do realize you just made me sound like a Volkswagen or something, right?” I chastise Gray, because honestly, his words blew me away. Unlike Cammie, I don’t think he was trying to get laid or just defend me; I think he truly believes them—and believes in me.
He kisses my forehead and laughs. “Always busting my ass, Cooper. You own my dick now. I think you get that to me, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“To you? So you’re saying other men wouldn’t do the same?”
“Jesus,” he grumbles, shaking his head.
“I think I’ll just meet you at the meeting. I can tell you’re not in the mood to listen to anything logically.”
“No, he’s leaving now,” I tell her, but all my focus is still on Gray.
“I am?”
“Yeah. I’m thinking of calling Apple. Their stocks fell last quarter. I’m going to pull them out of their dark tunnel and show them the light.”
“I’m going to spank your ass when I get back,” he grumbles, giving me a quick kiss and then walking to the door with Cammie following him like an obedient little dog.
“I’ll look forward to it, Lucas.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Cooper,” Gray says over Cammie’s exaggerated huff of breath.
“Go knock ‘em dead and leave me to my financial planning,” I tell him. He winks and then closes the door as they leave. I just stand there watching the door with a sappy look on my face. Then, I do something every teenager does when the boy they like picks them for the prom—or what I imagined they did, because I was never that girl: I run to the bed and jump on it, squealing.
“What are you doing?” I ask Cammie once the press conference is over. It went really well, I suppose. I’m always kind of lost at these things. Since CC, honestly, I’m getting kind of bored with it all. Golf isn’t even fun anymore; it’s a means to an end. When did that start? Once I get this tournament behind me, I think I may take a year off. Hell, maybe I’ll buy that farm across from Blue. Would CC like to live on a farm? Would she be willing to let go of her garage? I could live in Kentucky. I wouldn’t hate it, though it wouldn’t be my first choice. Still, if I get CC in exchange, I could live there happily. Decisions… I need to make some decisions.
“Texting father some information he needs to know. He asks that we meet him in the south banquet room for lunch with the stockholders.”
“I need to get back to CC, then I will. She’s probably hungry, too…”
“Father was called away on business, Gray. Surely you can go make an appearance and then go find CC, right? So they aren’t left alone?”
I frown, wondering if Cammie is up to something, but since she’ll be glued to my side, I figure it’s safe.
“Fine,” I tell her, and I know I sound like a sulking child, but the last thing I want to do is spend more time with Cammie Riverton. I really want to get back to CC. My phone rings and I look down at the number and grin. “I need to take this. It’s my manager,” I tell Cammie, already answering the phone.
“Fine, I’ll meet you over by the door,” she says, but I’m already turning away from her to grab the phone.
“Manager? Fuck that shit,” White says. “I ain’t wiping your ass, doesn’t matter how much the job pays.”
“Always great to hear from you, brother, and the day you have to wipe my ass better be the day they put me in the ground.”
“Same goes. How the hell are you?”
“Great, fucking great.”
“Still pussy-whipped over that sexy piece from Kentucky?”
“Sewn up, signed, sealed, and delivered,” I tell him with a grin.
“It’s nauseating how quickly you’ve fallen. Shit, you’ll be like Green before you know it,” he says. The reminder of my brother and his situation cuts like always.
“That won’t happen. We all know what a piece of work he married. CC is nothing like Marissa.”
“Sure as fuck hope not. You know that bitch had the nerve to ask him for money last week?”