Read BREATHE: A Billionaire Romance, Part 3 for Free Online

going to be late!” I growled, nervously looking out the tinted windows at the traffic.
    “Doubt it… the stagehands and actors will be late too…” He was amused by it, and I was unamused by the fact that he was amused. “Don’t worry…” he laughed. “Seriously, there are hundreds of plays going on tonight in this city, and everyone knows New York traffic sucks.”
    I growled at him.
    “Maybe I should have been scared of you instead of the dog…” He was smirking and I could tell that he was trying to ease my spirits. All the while, I was treating him like an asshole.
    I sighed. “Maybe you should have been.”
    I meant for it to sound like a joke of equal light-heartedness, but it came out sounding more like bitterness.
    I cringed, especially when I noticed how tense the air around us got, and noticed that everyone else was quiet.
    “We should be there soon, Ms. Zoe,” Fredrick said sweetly from the front seat. I smiled. The man’s voice was the epitome of kindness. It was like talking to Santa Clause. He was jolly, kindhearted, and above all, he was compassionate.
    I really envied Derek for having such a kind man in his life, but I was also glad for it. He needed that. Especially during such a difficult point in his life.
    And he was right.
    They were all right.
    I had no reason to be uptight. Everyone had somewhere to go. Even if I missed curtain, I would still see her perform.
    I knew better to worry. I just felt so damn bad about it. But instead of saying anything else, I sighed and looked out the window. And just as I did, I noticed that we were turning into a bright illuminated parking area, an old-school theater’s roof radiating just beyond it.
    “Wow…” I mused, noticing how nice the theater was. It was far from Broadway; but I was proud that it was at an actual playhouse; and not just any playhouse… a nice one.
    Hell, even the ticket booth seemed to be lined up a lot farther out, with a lot more people occupying the line than I would have thought for something that Polly was in.
    I squealed out in delight and ignored everyone’s snickers to my sudden noise.
    I didn’t care.
    It was all such a pleasant surprise. I was happy for her.
    And, I also squealed for another reason; the fact that there were people outside buying tickets meant that—with any luck—that the play hadn’t started.
    And it also made me feel thankful. Not just for Polly and her pending success; but also because the flood of people made me realize how incredibly lucky we were to find a parking spot. When I looked around at the circling vehicles, that thought was reiterated. I knew as I watched several vehicles drive around and around, that had we just a moment or two later, we may not have been so lucky.
    “We need to get in there before it starts!” I whined, flopping my seatbelt hurriedly off of me.
    “Zoe, you’re going to have to calm down,” Derek sighed.
    “Yeah, you’re being a little uptight,” Jim agreed.
    “I’m sorry guys,” I apologized, taking a breath, as I looked around at all three men and the small girl standing in front of me as soon as I exited the town car.
    “It just means a lot to me,” I sighed, slamming the car door.
    “You’re just going to have to take deep breaths,” Abigail’s sweet voice reassured, as we walked towards the large theater.
    I sighed deeply and straightened the skirt of my dress; I needed to compose myself a little bit better. I needed to be sane and just enjoy the show.
    We were there.
    I had to stop being an uptight psycho.
    Derek’s arm draped over my shoulder, and he led me towards the theater’s entrance. I took a deep breath, and before I knew it, we had already made it to Will Call and grabbed our reserved tickets.
    A rush of relief washed over me when we were immediately turned over to a small-bodied, baby-faced, young man so that he could usher us to our seats. I always hated trying to find where I was supposed to go in a theater—especially one as