“Oh please. You have always been so naïve. This is every man for himself. And you know the saying. When it’s every man for himself…”
“The devil takes the hindmost.” I finish the quote for him.
“Exactly. And you, my friend, today are the hindmost.” He laughs.
“No, I’m the devil. And you are fucked.”
“Oooh, I’m shaking in my boots.” He makes his voice shake in mock fear. “By the time you catch up with us, it won’t matter. The deal will be done.”
“Funny, then, that I’ve been at the chateau for thirty minutes, and your little stagecoach is still almost an hour away.”
“I’ve told him about you and the little spy you brought. He won’t give you the time of day.”
“Well, I think your father is going to be a lot less worried about my relationship status when he reads what I gave him. Especially the part about you and Mr. McWorrel.”
“No way. The cocks she’d need to suck to get that information are on the other side of the channel. Stop bluffing. Whatever you think you know, you don’t have proof.”
“Well, apparently those cocks are really long 'cause she managed to get this without leaving her hotel. Let me read you a sample.
‘Liam, All good. Decks cleared. No choice but to accept your price.’
“You sent that three hours ago. May want to update him now.”
Dina snickers.
“It’s illegal. You can’t just hack my emails.” He’s speaking in a hushed, harsh whisper now.
“Maybe. But not more illegal than embezzlement and fraud.”
“You won’t win.”
“Oh, grow up. I already did.''
I hang up.
“I’m exhausted. Can we sleep the rest of the day?” Dina asks as we climb back into the chopper.
“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
* * * *
I dropped Dina off at the hotel and went for a run and then worked for a few hours. I took as a good sign that she asked when, and not if I’d be back, when I left her. But now that I’m walking to the hotel, I’m exhausted and concerned that I haven’t heard from Dupont.
I’m prepared either way. I spent the day working up a new plan for the European expansion that gets us where we want to be without them on board to share with my mother on Monday.
My phone vibrates inside my coat pocket. I slide it out to decline the call and see it’s my mother. I brace myself for whatever she’s going to say and answer my phone. “I was just thinking about you.”
“Well, after the call I just had with Dupont, I’m not surprised to hear that.”
“What did he say? Complained that I brought a woman into his office?”
“No. He called to say he has reconsidered his position and asked for a letter of intent from us by the end of the week.”
“He accepted my proposal? He’s not asking for changes?”
“Why do you sound shocked? He emailed me your proposal. It’s excellent.”
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about the changes I made,” I admit, relieved as hell.
“It doesn’t matter how I feel. It makes sense, and it’s good for the company. You’ve exceeded my expectations on this one. Good job.”
I feel like I’ve waited my whole life to hear those words but can’t accept them as my due.
“Dina is the MVP of this weekend.”
“I knew you two would make a good team.”
“You weren’t wrong.”
“Tyson—” She says my name with a hesitation that’s out of character.
“Yeah, what’s wrong?”
“I wanted to tell you. I’m posting the COO position today. If you decide you still want it, I’ll write the letter of recommendation myself.”
“Really?”
“If you want it.”
“I do.”
“Sleep on it, you must be tired, too. We’ll talk more on Monday.”
“I’m on my way back to the hotel. We decided not to stay at the chateau.”
“Well, I hope you do something nice today.”
“I think the nicest thing we could do is sleep. We worked all night. But tomorrow, maybe.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. It’s her birthday today, and I feel bad that she didn’t even get to enjoy it.”
Guilt tugs at my chest, and I pick up my pace.
* * * *
The suite is shrouded in darkness when I step off the private elevator. The only visible light is the one that seeps under the door of the bedroom. Relieved that she’s still awake and hoping that means I can start making my apologies tonight, I walk into the room. “Dina…”
My words die on my lips. The lights are on, but she’s not awake. She’s curled up on the right side of the bed, the cream comforter pulled up to her chin. On the left side of the bed, she’s turned the corner down in invitation. I know she’s naked under there and that if I get into that bed, I will spend the next few hours tasting her, fucking her mouth, her pussy, and her ass. And she would let me. Because she and I are the same kind of animal, and we don’t waste opportunities when we find them.
She wants to fuck me because she knows as well as I do that when this trip is over, the lines will unblur, and this gray area will go back to being starkly black and white. Her job matters as much to her as mine does to me, and so if we’re going to do the thing we both want so badly, this is our last chance.
But fuck me. I like this woman. More than that, I feel things I don’t want to but am tired of fighting.
I’m ready to wave my white flag and tell her that. Because I would be a fool to let her go without at least trying. She’s perfect for me. And we make a damn good team. But I want her to welcome me into her bed, not in spite of the way I made her feel but because of it.
Just like everything else I’ve ever worked for, I know the best things are always worth it. And I want to earn it.
So I turn out the light and make my way to the other bedroom in the suite, turn on the light, and lie down. I pull out my phone and send my assistant an email telling her what I need. It’s late, but the reason I brought Fatima is because she’s the kind of assistant who doesn’t let things like that stop her from getting things done.
I’m going to give Dina a day she’ll never forget, and when I’ve earned it, I’ll feast until I’m full.
16
Birthday
Tyson
“Tyson? Is that you?” Dina’s voice rings out as soon as I walk back into the suite. She runs concerned eyes over me. “Where’d you go?” She’s dressed in a flimsy, washed to the point of transparency romper, and her hair is caught in two long pigtails. She looks good enough to eat.
I hold up the brown paper bag and the cup of coffee. “I went for breakfast.”
Her expression brightens into a smile, and she walks over to take them from me. “Oh. I woke up and you were gone, and I thought…”
“That I wasn’t coming back?”