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“That makes sense. I understand.”
I look at her then. Meet her gaze and truly look at her.
She does understand.
And she heard me.
She truly heard me.
“Thank you, Skye.”
“For what?”
“For hearing me. For finally hearing me.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Which hotel are we staying at?” Skye asks in the limousine carrying us from the airport.
“We’re staying in my Manhattan penthouse,” I say.
“You have a Manhattan penthouse?”
“Does that surprise you?”
I don’t know why it should. Big businesses almost always have ties to New York City, and when I’m here, I need a place to live.
“Manhattan is my home away from home,” I say. “There are things I do here that I don’t do in Boston.”
“What kind of business can’t be done in Boston?”
“I’m not necessarily talking about business, Skye.”
She cocks her head. “What are you talking about, then?”
“I’m not sure you’re ready,” I say.
“Ready for what?”
“The situation with this contract has…muddled things a bit for me personally.”
I regret my words as soon as they leave my mouth. Skye and I were coming to Manhattan tomorrow anyway, and I’d already decided she wasn’t ready for the club yet. But now? When I have a major deal on the line?
All I can seem to think about is Skye in my private suite at the club. Bound, legs spread, lips parted.
“What the hell are you talking about, Braden?”
“There are things I do in New York that I don’t do in Boston. Things I’d like to share with you. When you’re ready.”
“Maybe I’m ready.”
I shake my head. “You’re not.”
“How do you know if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about? And why do you only do these things in New York?”
“Boston is my home. Where I grew up. Where my father lives. I keep certain aspects of my lifestyle out of Boston.”
“If this is about what you like in the bedroom, Braden, I already know all about that.”
I shake my head. “Oh, Skye… You don’t even know what you don’t know.”
Skye glances at the chauffeur’s head through the tempered glass. I can’t help a sly smile. She’s no doubt concerned about him hearing us.
He can’t. I always make sure of that.
“I know there’s more,” she says. “I remember that suspension thing hanging from your ceiling.”
“I no longer indulge in that kind of play. I’ve told you.”
“What if I’m interested in suspension?”
“It’s not a hard limit for me. If you’re truly interested, we can look into it. But not without proper and well-built equipment.”
“Hold on. What do you mean it’s not a hard limit for you?”
“A hard limit is something I won’t do, no matter what.”
“Oh? What are your hard limits?”
“I only have one.”
She lifts her eyebrows. “What is it?”
I drop my gaze. “I don’t talk about it.”
“Don’t you think I should know? So I don’t bring it up?”
“Trust me, Skye. You will never bring it up.”
I’m not even remotely worried about her bringing up my one hard limit. With her need for control, she’ll never want to indulge in that kind of edge play, and that’s fine with me.
I learned the hard way, and I’ll never put Skye in danger.
“Why haven’t we talked about hard limits before now?” she asks.
“Because you weren’t ready. But this contract…”
“Changes everything. So you’ve said. What I don’t understand is why.”
“I wasn’t planning to bring you to my penthouse quite so soon.”
“Then don’t. Book us a suite somewhere. How about the Waldorf Astoria?”
“I need to be in my penthouse. That’s where I conduct my international business.”
“Not in an office?”
“Black, Inc. has offices in Manhattan, but this negotiation is special.”
“Too special to deal with in an office?”
“It’s easier for me to get what I need to get done here in the middle of the night. I have even better security at this penthouse than I do at the office building.”
“I see.” She pauses a moment. “Braden, are you doing anything illegal?”
Damn, Skye…
I breathe in slowly, let it out. Calm down, Braden.
It’s the middle of the freaking night, I’ve got a negotiation problem that could affect the bottom line—not just for me but for people who truly need to be paid—and no way am I getting into a shouting match with Skye over something she probably didn’t think about before she said.
I inhale again. “No, Skye. I can’t believe you would ask me that, but since our relationship is still new, I’ll indulge you and say this one time and one time only. I do not engage in anything illegal in my business. You said you trust me.”
“Braden, I—”
“The discussion is over. Either you trust me or you don’t.”
“I trust you.”
I believe her. Scratch that. I believe that she believes what she’s saying. Does she truly trust me? I’m not yet sure. But I’m too exhausted, and my mind is obliterated with this deal. I’m not going to push the point. Not right now.
“Thank you,” I say. “Breaking the law is a hard limit for me.”
