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Instant relief—thank God she had friends that understood her. She may even have a better Dom, since apparently Porter had kept her from making an ass out of herself. “Nice. Enjoy yourselves. Make sure you take lots of pictures.”
“Will do.” Ella’s voice softened in the sweet way it always did. “We’re planning to have a party when we get home to show everyone the trip.” She paused. “Oh, that’s Kyler calling me. Okay, got to go, girl. Have fun while I’m gone and be safe; I always worry about you.”
“I’m fine, Ella, seriously. You guys have fun. Bye.” Kenzie hung up the phone, knowing she had told a white lie. Nothing about today was going to be fine. All the same, she hoped this situation with Adrik would finally be over and she could put this shit behind her. And somehow get control back into her life. Ready to make that happen, she jumped out of bed and opened the bathroom door, spotting Porter’s luscious naked body through the glass shower.
That’s when she decided to join him.
By ten to eleven, the hot shower sex she’d had with Porter was no longer on her mind and her body had gone cold, as she sat next to him in the waiting room. The office was much like the man she had met, with its glass walls, as if everyone in this space had nothing to hide and nothing could touch them.
Sawyer sat on one side of her and Porter on the other, and Kenzie focused on the receptionist behind the white desk with PETROV ENTERPRISES written in bold silver letters behind her. Apprehension almost choked her as she thought of the impending conversation. She had no idea how Adrik would take being cornered, but she felt safe that Porter scheduled the meeting at Adrik’s office. A public place was a good thing. Her leg started bouncing, as she wanted this conversation to start now, so that she could be forever done with Adrik Petrov.
When her leg started bouncing faster, Porter pressed his hand against her thigh, pushing her heel down against the marble floor. He said with a stern voice, “None of that.” There was hardness in his features that she wasn’t used to seeing in Porter. He tucked a finger under her chin, raising it up. “More of this.”
Next to Porter, Sawyer nodded.
She drew in a deep breath, reminding herself to be calm and be that strong woman she always had been in Club Sin. Adrik couldn’t intimidate her today. This was her chance to watch him burn, and she instantly forced herself to quit it with the nerves. She gave Porter a smile that felt tight. “I’m ready for this.”
“You are,” he said with conviction. “Don’t forget that.”
She stayed locked on his eyes, as there was something so potent about how he examined her. She liked, maybe more than anything else, that Porter never saw her as a victim. She’d seen the way some people watched her growing up, with pity in on their faces. Yet Porter never once looked at her like that, not even for a passing moment.
“Mr. Petrov will see you now.”
Kenzie turned to the brunette dressed in the black pantsuit, reeling in thoughts over Porter. How stable a man he was. How true he was to his word. How powerful and commanding he was, even now, as he faced a hardened criminal. That strength fueled hers, and she realized there was not a single person in the world she would rather be here with her than Porter.
She went to follow him and Sawyer, but Porter pushed her in front of them, making her walk in first. The point it made to Adrik was clear cut—she was not afraid of him—though her heart rate spiked in reluctance as the assistant led the way down the hallway, past office after office.
Kenzie couldn’t help but wonder if all these people knew the type of man they worked for. Were they all they criminals in some way or just so desperate for a job that they worked for someone like Adrik? With each step she took, her heart raced a little faster, and she drew in sharp breaths, controlling herself. There was an odd scent in the office, a mix of cleaner and flowers. Her nose scrunched, as she hated the smell as much as she despised facing Adrik.
When they reached the end of the hallway, there was a set of black doors and the assistant stopped, gesturing to the door. Kenzie inhaled deeply, regardless of the smell, and entered the office. She first noticed Adrik standing in front of the wall of windows by his desk, and then she noted the man who had attacked her at the bookshop.
Kenzie stiffened in the same second that Porter’s reassuring hand pressed against her back. She didn’t look to him, not wanting to seem weak in front of these men. She stared ahead, holding the goon’s glare, and he gave her a crooked smile that was as deadly as his grip had been. Forcing herself not to react, she moved with steady steps to the chairs positioned in front of Adrik’s desk, when Adrik turned and smiled at her. It wasn’t friendly.
He kept his focus firmly fixated on her, ignoring both Sawyer and Porter, gesturing to the chairs. “Please have a seat.” His Russian accent was just as she remembered it, his cold stare exactly the same. “I admit I was intrigued by your phone call.” Amusement shone in his features, yet it was a dark kind of enjoyment. The type of amusement that came from a stone-cold killer right before he took your life. His gaze lingered over Kenzie’s shoulder to Sawyer. “Porter Marshall?”
“No,” Porter cut in, as he took a seat next to Kenzie. “That’d be me.”
Adrik gave Porter a fleeting glance and then focused on Sawyer again, and Kenzie became aware that he stayed by the door, holding the same position as the other man in the room. Alone, Kenzie had felt small when she encountered these men. Porter and Sawyer commanded this space, taking over any power Adrik or the goon had once held.
After a long stare-down with Sawyer, Adrik finally took his seat, leaning back as if they were meeting on friendly terms. “No sense pissing around,” he said to Porter. “I know who you both are, a PI.” He jerked his chin at Sawyer. “SWAT.”
Fear exploded in Kenzie, hitching her breath, as she hated that she had to involve both Sawyer and Porter in this. She wished that Adrik knew nothing about them. Though Porter’s voice was cool and collected when he replied, “I’m glad you saved us the time of explaining our identities.”
Adrik snorted; he sounded bored. He leaned across his table, his brow furrowing over his black eyes. “Why have you called this meeting?”
“I have received your blueprints for the casino you’re building,” Porter replied.
Kenzie’s mouth dropped open, shock flickering right down to her bones. Porter had never told her he’d obtained the blueprints, and she had no idea what his next steps were. Before she could dig further into it, Adrik asked, “Might I inquire how you obtained such documents?”
“No” was Porter’s hard reply.
Adrik smiled, not kind but deadly. “Go on.”
Porter reached into the briefcase resting by his feet and pulled out the blueprints. “You’ll be glad to know I have saved you the trouble and I’ve had the casino redesigned.” He offered the documents to Adrik, who didn’t accept them. “Kenzie’s store and the apartment above will remain as is. The tattoo shop has been moved from the left side of the casino to the right, which puts a good distance between Kenzie’s store and the main entrance of the casino. Though as you can see, the tattoo shop fits nice and snug against her shop and then your casino can be built from there.”
Adrik’s eyes narrowed into slits; yet seemingly not bothered at all by how intimidating Adrik was, Porter continued. “If you have issues with the front of Kenzie’s store, I’m sure she will be agreeable to your contractor redoing the front so that it matches the theme of the tattoo shop.”
Kenzie had to force her mouth closed. Not only would her store be saved, but the tattoo shop would likely bring in more customers. Plus, was Porter really suggesting to Adrik that he would pay to get the front of her store revamped?
