Surrogate : Complications (18+) BOOK 2 (*ON HOLD *)

| 2 | Fleeting Fantasy ||

 "What do you mean by complications?" Liam turned toward the window in his office with the phone pressed against his cheek. He loosened his tie and exhaled feeling exhaustion from the past several days settling in. His flight landed early that morning from Texas where he was with Chuck getting acclimated to two accounts there. He had a trip to Miami the following week to meet with one, potentially two accounts down there as well.

"I don't pay you for excuses, Jack. I pay you for results." He had very little tolerance for news that wasn't in alignment with his desired outcomes now more than he might have before this switch over from a principal to co-owner. Things that weren't in alignment meant there would need to be yet another thing on his plate to do.

He massaged his temple. Traveling had always been a part of his job and he never minded it, but the constant go, go, go and Frida scolding him for being away when he was actually home made him feel like there was no place that he could just be. It all made him rather bitter, or rather irritable as Morgan put it.

"You know, bureaucrats, Liam. We'll shake something loose soon."

"Sooner rather than later, yeah?" He pulled the tie off and discarded it out of sight somewhere.

"I'm your guy."

Liam rubbed his forehead after hanging up the phone and rested his elbows on the desk.

Chuck's announcement at the Gala set into motion a series of events that had been rapidly unfolding. Being named Chuck's successor wasn't, however, the highlight of that evening. He looked up from his desk but didn't see his familiar office around him. He saw instead the dress that Penelope was wearing that evening form with pristine clarity in his mind's eye. Custom made for her offset by the beautiful necklace Frida bought. That moment standing at the bottom of that balustrade had never left his mind. Life was normal as he waited impatiently for Penelope to be ready. He checked his phone and was irritated because they were going to be late if they hit traffic. The moment that he looked up it was like a light came on in a darkened space and everything was clear. Nothing mattered in that moment, not time, not being late, not even the pending announcement that dictated his now.

He didn't believe in magic; but if he did, he'd venture to proclaim that moment a manifestation of it.

He was typically neutral about events like that, he'd been attending them for so long, but seeing Penelope's awe, excitement and insistent smile made him see it all for the first time too.

He inhaled a deep breath when his chest tightened at the memory of her smile. It just lingered there like pausing a video. The way the light reached her eyes, the way she gazed up at him like he were a brilliant sunset over the ocean.

He leaned back in the chair, a slight smile betraying him as he allowed the illusion to bring on that same soft, pleasant comfort that being around Penelope in any capacity seemed to bring. The look of admiration on her glowing face that night when Chuck made the announcement that he, Liam, was meant to be the next co-CEO of the company made the most buoyant, lightness float just above his breast bone. He could remember it with unmatched clarity. Her deep brown eyes focused on him, the slight tilt of her head, her lips slightly pulled up at the corner as she gazed up at him.

"Whatever has you in such a good mood tonight, Mr. Rogan, I like it. A smile looks good on you."

He blinked out of his thoughts and a frown marred his rather light disposition. He could feel the disdain for the interruption though he knew it wasn't Morgan's fault per say. Could no moment belong to him? Could he not have time to--

"Sorry I interrupted." Morgan cleared her throat, the humor quickly leaving her face as she sat a report in front of him. "In preparation for your meetings next week, I took a look at the data sent over for the Rophman account."