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Jacob stands. “The deal’s off.”
Again, a look from Clarissa.
“You hear that?”
Jacob walks off to the side of the room to the door next to the bar. He slams his fist against it so heavily the entire wall seems to tremble. The door creaks in the frame like it’s about to burst off the hinges.
“The deal’s off,” Jacob growls, slamming his fist harder.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Jacob
I hit the door so hard it flies open, the lock snapping with a harsh metal grating noise. I’m not sure what I expect to find, though I know there will besomething. Clarissa may have been an excellent journalist once, but she’d make a terrible spy. She kept looking over here, visibly touched by anxiety when I lied about the recording. It was a test, and she failed.
As the door swings open, I realize my mistake. I should’ve brought backup. Trent stands in a small storage room with three men crowded in with him. The lean CEO looks like a scared kid standing with the security guards, each of them wide and muscular, one of them as tall as me. The tall guard has a tough face with a scar zagging from the corner of his mouth to under his eye.
“I’m impressed, Trent,” I growl. “I didn’t expect the personal touch on something as seedy as this.”
“Don’t come any closer,” the scarred man says, his hand near his hip.
I ignore him, locking eyes with Trent. “It could make a man suspicious, all this secrecy and sneaking around. And the blackmail, Trent… it’s enough to make a man think you want to rush the deal through before I find more nasty crap. More than burying stories about mistreated dogs.”
Trent doesn’t know what to say. There’s nothing hecansay. Finally, he forces out some weak words. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
“Save it,” I growl. “We’re too far along for that. Let’s talk.”
“You don’t have to do anything, sir,” the scarred man says, shifting on the spot.
I finally turn to him, looking him right in the eye. “Are you his babysitter?”
The man bristles. “It’s my job to protect his best interests.”
“You should’ve told the editor to be more casual. She’s looked at this door about ten goddamn times since we arrived. Trent, come on.”
I return to the table, but I don’t sit. I stand behind Madison’s chair, as close to her as I can get without giving in to the temptation. Even now, it’s there, a track in my mind separate from what’s currently happening. It’s a song I can’t forget and neverwantto forget. Touch her. Kiss her. Hold her. Fuck her. Claim her. For life.
Trent emerges, hanging his head with his security walking just behind him.
“It’s the prodigy,” Trent says, glancing at Madison.
“Keep your tone respectful,” I snap.
He flinches and nods. He doesn’t sit either. Instead, he lingers behind Clarissa.
“Aren’t you going to blackmail me?” I say.
Trent runs a hand through his hair, looking like a schoolboy in the principal’s office. The scarred man keeps glaring at me.
“Don’t be shy,” I go on. “Clearly, that’s the point of all this. Jesus, Trent, this was a clumsy plan. Get some photos of me and threaten to use them to hurry the deal along. The only thing the photos will affectisthe deal.”
“You don’t think it will look bad?” Trent replies. “You with this…”
He waves a hand at Madison, and I have to clench my fists tight to stop from leaping at him. It’s the dismissive tone of the gesture, as though she’s an add-on to this meeting. She’s the only person in this room I care about.
“Woman,” he says, meeting my eye and reading the fire there.
“Maybe some people will give a damn,” I snarl. “Maybe they’ll think it’s their business, but I’m not ashamed of my girlfriend. I don’t care if there’s an age gap. We care about each other. We’re proud of our relationship.”
