Chapter 6. When We Meet

Six Years Later

As the sun's rays filtered through the curtains and fell on his face, Shawn slowly opened his eyes. His surroundings were unfamiliar and he scanned the room, taking in his nakedness. He was in a hotel room, which could only mean one thing - he had been with someone last night.

Shawn let out a sigh and rubbed his temples as a headache throbbed. This had been his routine for the past six years. Sleeping around with women in an attempt to forget about Cheryl and move on, but it never seemed to work.

His phone interrupted his thoughts, and Shawn reached for his pants to retrieve it. He answered without checking the caller ID. "Shawn Antonio here," he said.

"Boss, where are you? Something came up at the office," his secretary's thick voice echoed from the other end of the line.

"What happened, Jeff?" Shawn asked, his voice betraying his concern.

"It's over, boss. The Romanos are going to pull out from the deal. I got a call from Mr. Rio's secretary earlier this morning