Page 108 of Diego

Her nose scrunches. “Mingle?”

“I thought you would object to ‘fuck,’” I say quietly, moving to close the distance again.

Her hands stay firm on my chest. And in fact, this time, she pushes me away.

“Diego.”

I lean one shoulder against the wall opposite her. “And as soon as this sale goes through, I will no longer be your client.”

“You own Meridian.”

“I am one of the owners of the parent company.”

“That distinction is not as distinct as you seem to think.”

“It is still accurate.”

She folds her arms over herself, which only draws my attention to the vest again. I force my eyes back to hers.

“I also have no need to purchase another property,” I add. “So unless you intend to start selling me houses I do not want, this particular professional relationship has an expiration date.”

Blair looks toward the doorway, clearly checking that no one is coming back.

Then she turns on me again. “You cannot just decide the problem disappears because the paperwork closes.”

“I didn’t say every problem disappears.”

“You’re acting like this is simple.”

“I think it could be.”

She gives me an incredulous look. “You own the company I work for.”

“You keep reminding me.”

“You have influence over my career.”

“I have no intention of using it.”

“You say that now.”

I narrow my eyes. “You think that'll change in the future? That's what you think of me?”

“I don't know anything about you,” she hisses.

“You seem to know me well enough to know exactly where I want to live.” I gesture to the penthouse around us.

“That's different.”

“Only to a certain degree,” I say. “You know more than you give yourself credit for. You figured out what mattered to me before you ever met me. And that was only through some research.”

“That’s my job.”

“And you’re very good at it.”

Her expression shifts slightly, but she does not lower her arms. “Flattery is not going to make this less complicated.”

“I’m not flattering you.”