AllFreeNovel
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Pyotr, my younger brother and Dimitri’s twin, would fare no better in the art of the deal. He barely speaks to any of us as it is—he’s never been much of a conversationalist—so I can’t imagine him having enough charm to sway Young into signing a contract.
And last, but not least, there’s Luka. I know as well as anyone that my youngest brother would rather work behind the scenes. It’s what he’s best at, after all.
So, by process of elimination, the job is up to me. There’s a reason I have a closing rate of 100%, and Mr. Young is about to find out why first-hand.
I move through the penthouse suite with an easy air, paying no mind to all the bare skin on display. I, too, am stripped down, save for the black mask over my eyes provided to me at the door. A few guests and servers opted not to reveal their full birthday suit; they’re dressed in sheer lace lingerie to cover themselves—though it leaves little to the imagination.
Credit where credit is due, Priscilla Kelp has an excellent security system in place. All her email invites were encrypted, information about her guests kept under lock and key… But it wasn’tquitegood enough to keep Luka out. He managed to break through her cybersecurity in under an hour, which gave him more than enough time to make a last-minute adjustment to her guest list. With over a hundred guests, it was unlikely she’d notice my name being added.
I don’t really understand what’s going on here. It’s supposed to be performance art, but I’m not entirely sure what Priscilla is trying to say. If there’s some deeply poetic meaning behind asking everyone to embrace their exposure, then it’s totally lost on me, as I’m sure it is on many of the other guests here. Judging by the lingering gazes and curious stares, the people here are more interested in their own exhibitionism than being a part of an art experience.
“Hello, handsome,” a woman’s sultry voice floats into my ear. She strokes my arm while wearing a mischievous little grin, a tall glass of champagne in her other hand. Her green eyes roam the expanse of my body as she nibbles her bottom lip, clearly appreciative of the view. She stands tall and proud, her whole body on display. “How are you enjoying the show? Feel like joining me at the refreshments table?”
While the woman is very pretty, I’m not here to mingle. I only have one person on my mind, and he just so happens to be seated on the couch in front of the penthouse suite’s electric fireplace. Young is alone, contently sipping a glass of red wine. He sits there like he’s a fucking king, much too proud for my liking. This is the perfect opportunity for me to strike. I pretend not to hear the woman and keep going, taking a seat next to Young on the couch.
“Business dinner my ass,” I grumble, looking about the space.
“Excuse me?” he bristles. Young’s eyes widen when he realizes who I am. “Antonov? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Lower your voice before you make a scene.”
My unsuspecting prey shifts uncomfortably in his seat, his hands falling awkwardly to his lap to cover his indecent exposure. All his charm and bravado has suddenly flown straight out the window, and I have no doubt it’s in part because he’s seated next to me. I’m tall, cut, and hung like a horse. By comparison, I make the poor man look pathetically stout, chubby, and necessitating the use of a magnifying glass.
“What do you want?” Young asks sharply. He averts his gaze, clearly caught out.
“A meeting,” I state simply.
“Here? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I offered to take this meeting at Jean-Georges, but you kept dodging my calls. This is on you.”
“How did you even know I would be here?” Young scoffs, his cheeks a vibrant, humiliated shade of crimson.
The corner of my lip tugs up into a smug smile. “It wasn’t difficult. I hacked into your private calendar.”
“Why the hell—”
“—would I do that?” I interject. “To prove a point, Mr. Young. YouneedCyberFort. Clearly the deal you have with your current company isn’t working. If I can gain access to your private information, imagine what your business rivals could achieve. They could tank your stock portfolio in an afternoon. Hell, maybe a couple of hours if they feel ambitious. Sign on as my client, and I guarantee no one will be able to breach your confidential data ever again.”
“You son of a bitch.”
His insult slides right off me, but I’m nowhere near finished with him. If I’m going to close this sale, I need to apply pressure where it hurts.
“Imagine if your information were to leak onto the web,” I continue casually, watching the artificial flicker of red and orange flames on the electric fireplace before me. It pumps out heat steadily to keep the party’s underdressed guests from being uncomfortably cold. “I bet it’d make the front page.Jonathan Young, Caught with His Pants Down. I wonder what your wife will think.”
He presses his lips into a thin line, his hands clenched. “This is going too far, Mikhail. It’s blackmail!”
“Blackmail,” I echo, mildly amused. “I prefer to call it business.”
“I’ll go to the press,” he insists. “I’ll call the cops.”
“If that’s what you want. I won’t stop you. Although, I wonder what they’ll say when they learn about your whereabouts. I’m sure they’ll have a lot of questions as to why you were here of all places. Good luck explaining your way out of that.”
Young pauses. I don’t think he’s breathing. “All of this just so I’ll sign a contract with your company? You’re insane.”
I shrug, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. Maybe I am.
“What are your terms?” he grumbles bitterly.
