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He stood to greet us. Deep brown hair, long on top and short on the sides, swept down over whisky colored eyes. Like Rian, he wore a button-down shirt over jeans, and like Rian, he filled it out well.
I pasted a perky smile on my face and held out my hand to shake his. “Benedict, nice to meet you. I’m Ginevra Russo.”
Ford’s smile was lopsided as he shook my hand. “A pleasure. Rian, it’s good to see you again.”
When Ford would have pulled out a chair for me, Rian jokingly elbowed him aside so he could do it himself. Except I knew it wasn’t a joke, not really, and so did Ford. I hated how much I liked the small display of possessiveness, as if he were growlingmineand marking me as his in front of the world.
Ford waited until I sat, then embraced Rian in that particular way of men, pounding his back with his fist. “It’s good to see you.”
Rian’s smile was easygoing. “It’s been a while. Too long.”
We ordered, and the men caught up on mutual acquaintances. Slowly, the conversation turned to business. Benedict owned real estate up and down the east coast, as well as a relatively new construction firm. He’d outfitted several luxury buildings in DC and wanted to expand his empire to the north.
“So you want to invest in the building, and then contract out the work to yourself?” I interjected, annoyed with the verbal dance he and Rian had engaged in for the last fifteen minutes. Was this my decision or not?
Ford blinked. “To put it baldly, yes.”
Rian followed the first rule of business my father had taught me—never put your own money on the line if you don’t have to. With or without this infusion of cash from Ford, we could walk away from the building, now that my father no longer had the threat of Russian violence hanging over his head.
Ford took my measure, and I took his. Like me, it was clear he’d made his decision before we sat down. He trusted Rian, and he liked me. I trusted Rian too, at least as far as business was concerned.
“Are you going to fuck me over, Benedict?”
He blinked again. “I’m not sure I follow, Ginevra.”
He said my name like a caress, and Rian bristled beside me. I bent forward and traced my finger down Ford’s hand, understanding he was playing a game as much as I was. “My father almost lost everything, including his family, because one of his investors, the Russian mob, thought he should pay out on the risk with his family’s lives. Is that the type of business you do?”
I could feel Rian’s tension radiating out of him, furious that I touched Ford, but he continued to let me take the lead.
Ford took my hand in his, warm and large. He met my eyes, his gold irises shining in the dim light of the restaurant. “It is, typically.”
“But?”
“But Rian took a bullet for me, once upon a time, when we were younger and stupider. Your husband is fiercely loyal, and I intend to repay him for that.”
I drew my hand out of his. “Let’s do it, then.”
Ford frowned, looking at Rian to validate my decision. My husband shrugged. “She’s the boss.”
Never had I liked Rian more than in that moment. I leaned back in my seat, smiling with satisfaction. Our lawyers would negotiate terms and conditions, but I knew I had him locked in. “A toast then, to new partners.”
We raised our glasses and clinked them together. Maybe this could work.
Maybe.
24
CORMAC
Ginevra held up the dress Rian bought for her, wrinkling her nose with disgust. “I’m not going to wear this.”
I stalked over to her, pushing her backward until her ass rammed against her door. She didn’t seem surprised at my aggression. “You’ll wear it. You’re going to show everyone at the club what a slut you are.”
I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, only that the fight in her eyes was calling out for discipline, whether she knew it or not.Hm.Carefully, I removed the dress from her hands, doing my best not to snag the sequins on her hair.
“Cormac, I don’t have time for this,” she said, her eyes growing wide as she divined my intentions.
“Shouldn’t have sassed me then, you slut,” I whispered. Her whole body shivered as I traced my lips over the shell of her ear. God, she was so fucking responsive.
