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“My? Finish the sentence, damn it.” I glance at him. He’s now looking outside the window.
“My taste for fucking handsome men like you?” I dare to finish his sentence. “Don’t worry. I won’t rob you of your virtue while you’re asleep. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”
He silently dismisses the conversation and continues looking out the passenger window. I press the gas pedal after turning on the police scanner. I make up my mind. When we arrive at the penthouse, I’m heading to my sister’s house before he gets me worked up even more.
The most uncomfortable drive ends right in front of Third and Main. Joe, the concierge, opens the passenger door and heads to the trunk when I pop it open.
“Hey, Joe.” I step outside and take my shit from him.
“Evening, Mr. Decker.” He bows his head.
“This is Tristan Cooperson,” I say, nodding in Tristan’s direction. “He’s Jacob’s business partner, and he’ll stay with us while he’s in town. He should be on the list, but if not, add him, please.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Cooperson.” Joe shakes his hand. I hand him a few bills and shake his hand too. “You’re too good to me, Mr. Decker. I shouldn’t be accepting this.”
“Take it as part of your Christmas bonus, Joe.” I make my way toward the lobby. Tristan follows me.
“That’s not for another six months, sir,” he calls after me. I wave at him and press the elevator button to go up.
“Are we supposed to tip him?” Tristan asks when we step inside.
“That’s up to you.” I press the top floor and glance at Tristan.
My gaze lingers around his full lips a moment longer than it should. I can’t help myself. My eyes trail down his body, and I immediately regret it. Tristan wearing a suit is fucking mind-blowing, but the low-cut jeans and tight shirt he’s wearing now are as tempting as the pinstripe suit he wore last Monday. I clear my throat in an attempt to reduce my lust-filled haze.
“Joe’s the best, and he has a couple of teenage kids. I like to compensate him for all he does for us while sacrificing his time to give them what they need.”
“Like you did with the airplane crew?” his smooth voice questions. I press my lips together and nod at his question. “You surprise me sometimes. You often come off as a person who doesn’t give a shit about your surroundings or others, but you do, don’t you? Who are you?”
I look at the ceiling as if searching for an answer. I have no fucking idea what it is that surprises him, but I wish I knew. Despite his detachment, I want to keep him interested.
As the doors of the elevator slide open to the foyer of my penthouse, I connect my gaze to his and say, “Stick around to find out.”
Two can play the mystery game. He might be doing it just to fuck with me, but I bet I’ll be the one doing the fucking soon.
ChapterFour
Tristan
It’slike something fate or destiny conspired so I’d be in Seattle months before I planned on doing it.
Okay, it wasn’t some divinity. I blame Jacob Decker for practically fucking up my entire existence. Do I regret our partnership? One hundred percent. If it wasn’t for all the penalties we added to the contract, I’d be getting out of it.
It was one of those too good to be true instances. I want to expand in the Northwest. He wants to start a nightclub venue in Seattle where he and other musicians can play.
Who knew he’d get married, go on a honeymoon, and leave me in charge of everything for a few months? Not me, or I would’ve told him to figure out how to be present before we became partners.
He never mentioned his nuptials or his four to six months off. Instead, he sent his brother to give me the bad news. His brother, the man I avoid the same way I avoid… well, the end of the world or my family.
So, here I am, in Seattle. I’ll be dealing with contractors, engineers, and architects for the next few months.
The meeting at Thrice was like everything in the past twenty-four hours. Messy, unexpected, and necessary. Some of the construction material is on back order, and the architectural firm we hired has internal problems. There are several issues I have to sort out before I can head back to California.
Everything is fixable, I’m resourceful. My biggest issue is Matthew Decker. Avoiding him might be impossible, but no one will blame me for trying.
Okay, maybe I haven’t tried hard enough.
After leaving Thrice, he convinces me to go for a hike with him. He says we’ll stay close by. Either he doesn’t understand the concept of distance, or he changed his mind. We drive more than an hour to a place called Dash Point in Tacoma.
