Jack nodded to his sister, who was poised to hit the record button on her phone. When he reached the stage, he said thank you, and took the microphone.
“It’s a pleasure to be here, and an honor to be able to contribute and give back. When my sister and I started this company several years ago, we had a simple mission—bring pleasure to people. Bring happiness to people. Make them feel good. I’ve learned a lot running it. I’ve had some amazing times, and I’d like to think we’ve done some good things, and brought many orgasms to women everywhere. Some men tell me I have the best job in the world. They’re right,” he said, and took a beat to look out at the sea of faces—employees, donors, charity supporters and many more.
The hall was packed with women in evening dresses and men in tuxes, who stood for the same things, who wanted the same things—a world with more pleasure, less pain. The lights in the ballroom were bright, and he took a moment to imprint this scene in his memory, even though his sister was capturing it all on camera. He’d remember the din of the plates being cleared, the sound of footsteps from the waiters circulating, the rustle of fabric as women crossed and uncrossed their legs, waiting for him to say more.
“I do have the best job in the world. But it’s also not everything, and as of now,” he said, stopping to look at his watch, “I did have the best job in the world. Now I have something else that I want more, so I’m announcing tonight that I’m stepping down as CEO of Joy Delivered. My sister, Casey, will be taking over. She’s already the brains and the beauty and the heart behind this company. I trust you’ll all be in good hands.” He gestured to his sister, who was beaming and crying happily as she held up her phone.
“Come up here and say your first words as CEO,” he said.
She walked up the steps, and he walked down, and they stopped to hug along the way.
“I’ll send it in fifteen minutes,” she whispered.
“Thank you.”
He loosened his bow tie, and walked out the back door of the ballroom, quickly racing to the front door to hail a cab. He stopped at his home first to pick up something he needed, then headed back to Murray Hill for Michelle. All the problems she’d encountered had come from his job. All the trouble she’d suffered, the losses, and the collateral damage had been because of him. He could do this one thing for her.
* * *
The flashing light on her phone made her flinch. A knee-jerk reaction, and one she didn’t know she’d get over anytime soon. Most messages were friendly, but Michelle didn’t know that she’d ever look at email, or texts, or her phone as anything but a potential point of violation again.
Davis raised his eyebrows as if to say, Is everything okay? She was at Speakeasy with him and Jill, who was in town for only a few days before she had to return to London for the opening night of her play. Julia was behind the bar, and Clay was here too, chatting with his wife as she poured a drink for Sutton. Nearly all her friends were here, and she was glad to be surrounded by the familiar. They were all part of why she was completely content with her choice to stay. She had friends, she had family, she had love. She was a lucky woman, indeed.
Her wish in this moment was simple—that this note on her phone be from a friend, not a foe. When she saw Jack’s sister’s name on the email, she felt a sense of relief. She opened the note.
Jack wants you to see this. I think you’ll like it.
Her curiosity took over and she clicked on the link for the video, hitting play. It was all of fifty-three seconds, but by the end tears were streaming down her face, and her hand was on her mouth, and her shoulders were shaking. She didn’t know what to do next. Was she supposed to find him? Was he going to call her? And was this really, truly all for her?
“What is it?” her brother asked as she wiped a streak of tears from her cheek. He stood up and moved closer. “Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay,” she managed to say, and thrust the phone at him, hitting play on the clip. She watched Jack’s speech again, and she watched her brother’s reaction, thrilling at the way his blue eyes shifted from inquisitive to delighted.
“I told you, you should take the job,” he said playfully, then tapped the screen. “He’s calling.”
He handed her the phone. With shaky hands, she answered it. “Hello?” she squeaked out.
“It’s me. I’m at your apartment, but it doesn’t seem that you’re here.”
“I’m at Speakeasy. It’s nearby,” she said, giving him the address.
As she waited, her phone was passed around, and then Sutton threw her arms around her in a hug, Jill bestowed a kiss on the cheek, Julia toasted happily, and Clay beamed. But they weren’t the ones she was dying to see. She couldn’t take her eyes off the door. Every time she heard it open, she swiveled around, hunting for him. These five minutes were the longest of her life.
Soon enough, the most beautiful sight greeted her. Jack, entering Speakeasy, and walking towards her with the biggest grin she’d ever seen on his beautiful face.
He took long strides to reach her, his eyes on her, only her.
“I didn’t expect to see you so soon. It’s only been an hour,” she said.
“It seems I have a lot of free time now,” he said. He dipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket and took out a small gift, handing it to her.
She unwrapped it to find a sapphire-blue perfume bottle. She gasped when she saw it.