“Yeah, right,” Hugo fires back. “You want a picture of my cock.”
“Only so I can post it on an anonymous medical show to ask if that much shrinkage is normal.”
Loving our banter, Hugo laughs even louder. “Stop. Oh, god, please stop. I can’t fucking breathe. The fact you think I have a tic-tac for a cock proves what I’ve always known. Blondes aren’t known for their smar—”
“Stop right there if you want to keep your tic-tac. I haven’t brought myself to orgasm today, so you’d best not mess with me.”
That nips his laughter right in the bud. “Fuckin’ hell, Regan. Don’t say shit like that to me.”
I cock out my hip to ensure my stance matches my attitude. “Why? Worried you’ll be out of a job?”
“Nah. More like tempted to send you a real dick pic to see if you’ll follow through with your pledge. Are you apromise them anythingthey want to hear to get your waygirl? Or the one I’ve always imagined?”
I’m about to ask how he imagines me, but he saves me from shaming myself.Thank god.“Strong and sexy as fuck on the outside, but as soft and gooey as a marshmallow on the inside.”
The tension firing between us shifts. It’s flightier now, almost flirty.
My throat works hard to swallow before I force out, “You got one half of your statement right. I am as strong as I am sexy.”
An agreeing hum vibrates Hugo’s lips.
“But I’m just as hard on the inside as I am on the outside.”
His murmur comes to a complete stop. Even though I can’t see him, I can picture his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Not wanting to explain myself, I get back to the task at hand. “I was calling about a security issue at Holt Enterprises.”
Hugo groans, not liking the swift change in topics, but he’s happy to distract himself from tension that we shouldn’t have. “If that’s the case, you should be calling Hunter. He’s head of Isaac’s security team.”
“I will, after I’ve spoken to you first. This affects you just as much as it does Isaac, that’s why I reached out to give you a heads up.”
He remains quiet, giving me his full attention.
I use it to my advantage.
* * *
“So this whole time, you’ve been running your own investigation on the agents investigating Isaac?”
I halfheartedly shrug. “Not really an investigation. I’ve just been monitoring them as readily as they’ve been tailing Isaac. They have nothing, Hugo. Not a single shred of evidence.”
“Because Isaac isn’t a crook.”
An average person would mistake Hugo’s reply as a question. I’m not an average person. I know he is loyal to Isaac. He is as loyal as me, meaning he’s also aware every word I spoke is true. Isaac has connections with notorious men, but that doesn’t mean he runs his empire like they do. He has his own ideas, morals, and ethics. He doesn’t need to emulate the men surrounding him to achieve greatness; he just trusts himself and his instincts.
I push my phone closer to my ear. “Although we’re both confident Isaac will never face prosecution, we need to remain cautious. I don’t want this to blow up in our faces, Hugo.”
“That won’t happen if you sleep with him.”
My brows spike as high as my heart rate. “What?”
There is no humor in Hugo’s tone when he suggests, “If you think this guy’s issues stem from jealousy, sleep with him. Nothing lowers a man’s quest for revenge more than believing he’s top dog.”
“I’m not sleeping with him.”Again.The hammering of my heart echoes in my tone.
I hear Hugo adjust his position. “Why not? You said he wants revenge for what hethinkshappened between Isaac and you, that he’ll stop at nothing to right a wrong thatneverhappened. This is an easy solution.”
That’s easy for him to say; it isn’t his heart being put on the line for Isaac. Not this time, anyway.
