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I step in closer, so close that she’s forced to tilt her head up to meet my eyes, close enough that my suit jacket brushes against her blouse. Her soft lips are parted, and I want to bite them.
“You would, little liar.” I whisper the words directly into her ear, and she sways on her high heels.
“Don’t call me that.” Her voice is high and reedy.
She smells so fucking good. Like shampoo and soft skin, moisturizer and woman. My pulse is hammering under my jacket and fuck, I hope she can’t see how she affects me.
“You are a little liar.” My lips are so close to the lobe of her ear. Just one movement would have me kissing her neck, lower still. And hell, I want that.
“I’m not lying,” she huffs. “I was looking for an employee handbook. But I did look through your files earlier. It’s my job. And you should have thought about that before you hired me.”
My blood runs cold. “I knew it.” I no longer want her. Instead, I want to ruin her. My body disagrees, because her nearness still makes my collar feel tight and my hands itch to span her waist.
“Then you shouldn’t have given me access to your files.”
I step away, anger flaring. “You shouldn’t be snooping.”
“Make me stop, then.” She lifts a brow. “Give me the million now and get rid of me. I’ll be out of your hair faster than you can say Kings Lane.”
“Not happening.” I shove my hands into my pockets. “You’re going to regret this.”
She laughs. She actually fucking laughs. “You sound like a bad movie villain. Do your worst, Jonah Crown.” She shakes her head and walks out, leaving me wanting more. My brain is buzzing, my body feels tight. I want to drag her back in here and press her up against the wall. I press my palms over my eyes. No fucking people who plan to betray you. Especially since sex with me would mean multiple orgasms for her, which she certainly doesn’t deserve.
Callie Thompson needs to pay. And not with pleasure.
I press my lips together in a grim line and call our lawyers.
“Jonah. Good to talk to you.” Aiden answers without pleasantry, which I appreciate.
“You too, Aiden.” He’s is whip smart and dedicated, a former colleague of Jason’s, and someone I actually trust.
“Any update on that paper I asked you to investigate? The one we bought.”
“Yeah.” He shuffles some papers. “I’m actually preparing some documents for you now. You’re dissolving it, right?”
My pulse speeds. Here it is. The reason it’s so satisfying to be me. One word and I can ruin her business. Do you want to do this? Of course I fucking do. She’s planning to ruin us. She’s snooping. She admitted she was going to publish articles about us while she’s here. She stole my revenge right from under me.
“What does dissolving it entail?”
“We can take a few courses of action. As you know, the paper is owned by the LLC you purchased. The LLC has a few assets. The trademark for the paper’s name, the website, a printing contract, some debt. There’s also a press pass issued by the City of New York. We can cancel the contract, shut down the website, pull the printing pass. A little leverage on the mayor’s office will help you get it done faster. The trademark will take longer, and there’s an appeals process. She’ll need to be involved.”
I stare out the window at the Hudson while I consider Aiden’s words. If I do this, there’s no going back. Callie will get nothing at the end of this. I press a hand to the glass. She deserves it. She came after me. She came after my family. But I still need to use her against Dylan. And who knows how long that will take? Better to have her paper intact.
The discomfort lodged in my chest dissipates. It’s the logical choice. I’m still acting from my head, not my confused body.
“Prepare the papers. But wait to file them.”
“Very good,” Aiden responds.
We hang up and I stand at the window for a long while, admiring the sea of buildings, the streets below. I read an opinion piece once that said living and working up in the sky made it impossible to care about the people on the ground, who appear as so many ants. Not true. My fingers curl on the glass. I don’t see ants. I see problems. A messy world and messier people. At least up here, everything is simple. I control this world, and nothing happens without my approval.
One determined reporter is not going to change that.
When I finally have the courage to look at Callie’s chair, it’s empty. I frown. She’s supposed to be here when I’m here. Even if it’s getting late.
I hit Tabitha’s number and she picks up on the first ring.
“Yes, Mr. Crown?”
