AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Even as an expert poker player, I couldn’t get a read on him. I couldn’t get an answer from my gut to know if he was bluffing or not.
And if I called, and he wasn’t…
But I wasn’t about to bend over and take it.
“Let me ask you this,” I started, folding my arms over my chest. “How do you think the public would perceive this if word got out that your company was trying to blackmail a decorated, Naval officer, into selling a significant portion of the business his deceased father created? A man who was not only one of the best fighter pilots in the world but was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his service and bravery during the Viet Nam war.”
I suppressed a smirk as the haughty smile sagged from Henry’s face.
“You may think you have ammo, and hey, maybe you do. But I have something better. With a snap of my fingers, I can rally support that a slime ball mogul like you can only dream about. I’ve given my life to this country, and I can guaran-damn-tee that if I need their support, I’ll get it. So, you can drag me to court, and I’ll drag you through the media circus that nightmares are made of.”
I braced my hands on the table and leaned in to give him my final piece of advice. “I told you from the moment we met…
Don’t.
Fuck.
With.
Me.”
I shoved off the table and stalked from the room, letting the door slam behind me as the period on the end of my statement.
10
My battle won; I drove back to Holiday Cove. I headed straight to Harvey’s Bar and Grill, my favorite little dive for those nights I needed a bottle of American beer, a pile of deep fried food, and a bevy of hot, semi-drunk women who would be all too happy to take my mind off my troubles.
Or, in the case of tonight, celebrate well into the wee hours of the morning.
Walking through the front doors was like a homecoming, and half a dozen cheers landed on me, some from regular patrons in addition to the two bartenders holding down the happy hour crowd.
“Hey Stacy,” I drawled, dropping my ass into a seat at the long bar. Stacy and I had hooked up months back, but she was the type of girl who didn’t care when she didn’t get a call back the next day. She smiled as she set my favorite brew in front of me and I smiled gratefully at her.
“How’s it going, trouble?”
I shrugged as I took a long pull from the ice-cold bottle. The foam slid over my tongue and loosened the last hints of stress from me. “Couldn’t be better,” I answered.
“Hungry?”
“Not yet,” I took a look over my shoulder to survey the room. “At least, not for food.”
Stacy scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. “All right, Rosen. I’ll keep 'em coming till you find new entertainment.”
“Excellent.” I winked at her and spun all the way around, propping my elbow back on the bar to keep myself steady as I lounged on top of the stool, drinking and checking out the assortment of ladies.
A good fuck was exactly what I needed to clear my mind of all the bullshit with Henry.
My attention landed on a top heavy blonde who was shooting pool with some guy who was clearly several leagues below her.
Not that it stopped him from checking out her tits every time she leaned over to line up her shot.
I smiled and shook my head.
“You took my advice,” a familiar voice purred.
I turned and found myself eye to eye with Talia. She’d slithered into the seat beside me without so much as a sound. I groaned and threw back the rest of my beer. I sat the empty bottle on the bar and signaled to Stacy for a new one.
“What are you doing here?” I looked around the room. “A little out of your neighborhood, wouldn’t you say?”
“I followed you here. From the meeting.”
“I should have known.” I gave a hollow laugh. “Damn. You’re really something else, you know that?”
“Aaron, please—”
I held up a finger, silencing her. “Does Henry know you’re here?”
She shook her head. “No, he doesn’t. We haven’t spoken in…a while.”
“Tragic.”
She scoffed and tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. She stared ahead for a moment. When she shot a sidelong glance at me, I had to fight off a guilty feeling at the sad look in her eyes. “I’m done with him.”
“I still don’t even know what you were doing with him in the first place. You haven’t exactly been open about that.” I took another swig from the bottle in my hand. “Not that it matters now, I guess.”
She turned in her seat, her knees pressing into the side of my thigh. “I was his…beneficiary…”
