Total pages in book: 224
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1079(@200wpm)___ 863(@250wpm)___ 719(@300wpm)
I follow her to the door and I’m just behind her when she exits, stepping to her side in time for my brother—impeccably dressed in a blue pinstriped suit, to saunter in our direction. “We need to tighten security,” I say, and not quietly.
Gabe laughs. “True. They let you in.” He stops in front of us and gives Carrie a warm stare. “You must be Carrie West. I remember you from the auction. You looked stunning then and now.”
“Thank you,” she says.
“I’m Gabe, Reid’s brother. I’m only here to show added support in the meeting, without any planned participation, but if you need anything, I’m at your service.” He winks. “Reid and I do the good cop, bad cop routine well. I’m always the bad cop, as I’m sure you can tell.”
She laughs, a soft sweet laugh that has my cock twitching and my anger at Gabe for being so damn charming, spiking. “Obviously,” she replies, casting me a teasing look. “I can’t imagine why anyone would see Reid as the bad cop.” She scrapes her teeth on her lips, amusement dancing in her eyes, and I know she’s thinking about those damn cuffs. And so am I.
Sallie rushes toward us. “Everyone is accounted for. We’re ready when you are.”
Carrie sucks in air, a nervous reaction that wipes away her smile and I answer for her. “We’re on our way,” I say, lifting a hand.
Carrie turns to me. “You didn’t tell me what you’re going to say.”
I glance at Gabe, who nods and walks away. I step closer to Carrie and lower my voice. “I’ll follow your lead.”
“You’ll follow my lead? We both know that isn’t how this goes.” She grabs my arm and closes one of the two steps left between us, the unexpected contact, along with those fierce green eyes locked on mine, tightening every muscle in my body. “Do not embarrass me in there. I’m sorry about the cuffs, okay? But that was private. Punish me in private. This is—”
“If I want to punish you,” I say, wrapping my fingers around her arm and maneuvering us so that my back is to the door, blocking Carrie from prying eyes, “it will be in private and that pretty little backside of yours will be mine.”
Her beautiful green eyes flash with defiance. “You will never own my backside, whatever that even means.”
“Words that would mean so much more if I hadn’t already licked your—”
She points at me. “Don’t even say what you were going to say,” she hisses, and it’s all I can do to not tangle my fingers in her hair and drag her mouth to mine before I demand, “What are you thinking right now?”
“That you’re making me crazy.”
“Then maybe I should amend my prior statement. Maybe you do need to think about me between your legs, instead of creating a problem that doesn’t exist. Yes, you left me in that hotel room, Carrie, and by doing so, you denied us both what we wanted in the name of misplaced revenge, but right now isn’t about that. Right now, we’re walking into that meeting and it’s about making money together. I’m not going to hurt your ability to make that money. We are not enemies.”
“You’re just an asshole?”
“Yes. It works for me. And since you cuffed me and brought me here, you need to make it work for you. Let’s go do this.” I step back and to the side. She inhales and steps forward and I fall into step with her.
We arrive at the glass doors that separate the executive offices from the rest and I reach for the door but pause to glance over at Carrie. “Your father’s failure will be seen as yours. Standing with me outside your father’s circle to better your financial resources means job security to your staff. That’s what we want to give them tonight before the stockholders’ meeting goes public.”
“I know. I put all of that in the copy I gave you.”
“You included everything but a direct statement about your father’s failure. That will be discussed in the stockholders’ meeting. If you don’t address that elephant in the room, they’ll whisper about it later.”
“Right,” she says again cutting her gaze but immediately meeting my stare again. “He did fail. I don’t understand why he made those decisions. I don’t know how to explain that to the staff.”
“Don’t. Keep it simple. Mistakes were made. We’re going to make up the hit for those mistakes delivered in triplicate.”
“Right. I understand.”
I study her a moment, and I find steel in her jaw that settles in her eyes. Satisfied, I open the door and allow her to exit first because I might be an ass by design, but my mother taught me to open a damn door for a woman. It was another woman that taught me never to get close to anyone. It’s not a lesson Carrie West is going to make me forget.