My CEO Boyfriend Kept Me Secret and Gave My Promotion Away novel · Chapter 19 of 24

Chapter 19: Say It Out Loud

"Not in a stairwell," I said. "Not behind a door. Here."

Porter looked past me at the floor.

Some people had gone back to their desks, and some hadn't moved, and nobody was pretending anymore.

"Tamara, please. Can we go somewhere private?"

"For twelve years we were private. That's the problem."

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them, they were wet.

I had seen him cry once, at my father's funeral, and I had thought it was grief.

"I was afraid," he said. "That's all it ever was. My father told me the day after the funeral that a girl like you would sell the shares to the first man who asked. He said the board would eat you alive. I said I'd take care of it."

"And you did."

"I meant to tell you. Every August I meant to tell you."

"Twelve Augusts."

"Nor."

"You put a pen on a page and said it was a tax form."

"I know what I did." He took a step toward me. "I'll give it back. All of it. Marry me. Not on a stage, not with a ring from the company. Quietly, anywhere you want. We run it together. You be the chair, I'll be your number two, I'll say it in front of anybody."

It was a good offer.

For one second, it was nearly the offer I had wanted for twelve years.

I thought about the Maybach and the curb and the blue pen mark on my finger.

"No," I said.

"Tell me what you want, then. Anything."

"Three things."

I held up one finger.

"The money. Twelve years of dividends, with the statements, handed to the auditors tomorrow with nothing missing. The lawyers priced it at twenty-six million. You'll pay me five points of your eight percent, at the price on the books."

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