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I nodded—she wasn’t wrong. I knew what she’d been paying as rent, then as a mortgage, before some kindbenefactorhad paid it all off. Free and clear.
“I had to get my hands dirty, and while I might like some things dirty . . .,” I trailed off, smirking when she flushed. “So, as I see it, we have a problem. I want this building. You don’t want anyone to know you’re having an affair with a Senator. Or, should I say, the Senator doesn’t want anyone to know he’s having an affair with someone young enough to be his daughter . . .”
If my voice turned into a growl at that point, then it was because the notion of her spreading her legs for that old bastard just turned my stomach.
Fuck, this woman, the thoughts she made me think.
Because I was startled at the possessive note to my growl, I ran a hand over my head. I kept my hair short for a reason—ease. I wasn’t the kind of man who wasted time primping. It was an expensive cut, so I didn’t have to do anything to it. Even mussing it up had it falling back into the same sleek lines as before—a man in my position had to look pristine under pressure. And very few people could even begin to understand the kind of strain I was under.
The formation of igneous rock had less volcanic pressure than Aidan Sr.
She licked her lips as she stared down at the photos, then back up at me. “And you want me to sell the place to you, even though this is my livelihood and the livelihood of all my staff, and then sleep with you?”
Her squeaky voice, putting suspicion into words, had me crossing my legs at the ankle. “We wouldn’t be doing much sleeping.”
Another shaky breath soughed from her lips, then, those beautiful pillowy morsels that would look good around my cock, quivered.
“This is crazy,” she whispered shakily.
“As far as I’m concerned, all of this could be avoided if you’d just sold to me a few months back. Now you have to pay for my time wasted on this project.”
“By spreading my legs?”
Another squeak. I tsked at her question, but in truth, I was annoyed at her using those same words I had to describe her with that old hypocrite of a Senator.
I didn’t move, though. Didn’t even flex my arms in irritation, just murmured, “Small price to pay. And, even though it’s ten percent above market price, I’ll stick to the last offer Acuig gave you. Can’t say anything’s fairer than that.”
She shook her head, and there was a desperation to the gesture as she cried, “I need this business. You don’t understand—”
“I understand that some very powerful and very dangerous businessmen want this building demolished. I understand that those same powerful and dangerous men want a skyscraper taking up this plot of land. I understand that a four hundred million dollar project isn’t going to be put on hiatus because one small Irish woman doesn’t want to go out of business . . .” I cocked a brow at her. “You think I’m coming in hot and heavy? These kinds of men, Aoife, they’re not the sort you fuck around with.
“Take my check, and my other offer, before you or the people you care about are threatened.” I got to my feet and straightened my jacket out. “This suit? These shoes? That briefcase and this watch? I own them because I’m damn good at what I do. I’m a financial advisor, Aoife. Take my word for it. You’re getting the best deal out of this.”
She staggered back, the counter stopping her from crumpling to the floor. “You’d hurt me?”
“Not me,” I repudiated. Not in the way she thought, anyway. “But the men I work for?”
Her gaze dropped to the one thing she’d retained in her hand—my card. “Acuig,” she whispered. “Five in Gaelic.”
My brows twitched in surprise. She knew Gaelic?
“The Five Points.” Her eyes flared wide with terror. “They’re behind this deal.”
I hadn’t expected her to put one and one together, but now that she had? It worked to my advantage.
Nodding, I told her, “Any minute now, there’ll be a team of housekeepers coming in here to clear up for the night.” When she gaped at me, I retrieved the contract from my briefcase, slapped it on the table, and handed her a pen as I carried on, “I suggest you let tonight be your last night of business.”
What I didn’t tell her, was that my suggestions weren’t wasted words. They were like the law.
You didn’t break them, and, like any lawmaker, I expected immediate obeisance.
***
Aoife
So,the beautiful man just happened to be an absolute cocksucker of a bastard.
Still, this couldn’t be real, could it?
