Page 7 of The Pact

“I might not be into guys, but I can objectively say he’s the definition of male hotness.”

Fucking A. The man was indecently sexual. No lie, he could tempt a nun—I was certain of it.

There was something so very magnetic about Dax. He gave off charisma like pixie dust. He was just so smooth, so personable, so incomparable. He dragged people into his orbit easily—particularly women.

He was also a superhero in the bedroom.

“You know, he’s the only one of your exes I don’t dislike,” said Sabrina as she lifted my nameplate and began idly twirling it. “He was good to you. Protective.”

“I don’t know if ‘ex’ would be the right word. We weren’t actually dating.” Though our families were acquainted, he and I hadn’t officially met until a mutual friend had introduced us when I was eighteen. Dax was twenty-three back then. We’d had a casual fling during the gap year I’d taken between graduating from high school and going to college.

He hadn’t sweet-talked his way into my pants, he’ddirty-talked his way there. I hadn’t told him I was a virgin until the moment we were both naked on his bed, ready to roll. He’d been shocked, but not put-off. And when he’d thrust inside me the first time, there’d been a pinch of possessive triumph in his eyes.

Due to us having a mutual friend, Dax and I had come across each other often over the years. But we hadn’t become friends ourselves. We had too much zing between us to have a platonic relationship. But we were friendly. Polite. Civil. Also a little distant, though.

Neither of us had acted on the aforementioned zing at any point throughout that time. We’d learned during our fling that we didn’t want the same things from life—more specifically, parenthood didn’t appeal to him.

“He might not have been your boyfriend,” began Sabrina, “but he treated you with more respect than some of youractualboyfriends did.”

Sad as it might be, it was totally true.

“I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’d seek to hire Sapphire Glade, given how well we’re doing. And you two are neighbors now, so—”

“I wouldn’t call us neighbors. He lives at the opposite end of Oakengrove from me.” He’d only moved into the little man-made village a month ago. A village he’d purchased in that exact same month. In addition to running several businesses, Dax owned a lot of real estate. “It’s like a twenty-minute walk away.”

It seemed inevitable that we’d bump into each other at Oakengrove, but it hadn’t happened thus far. I’d caught glimpses of him from a distance now and then, though—usually when he was talking with the people who ran the various businesses in the village, since they now technically worked for him.

In terms of how he treated people, he was nothing like the business tycoons I’d come across over the years. One of said tycoons was my father. Dane Davenport was a content man, but his smiles were as rare as rocking horse shit. Also, he didn’t make much of an effort to be social, likeable, or approachable. He tended to lookthroughpeople and very rarely greeted them unless he was networking. Many of his business associates could be described the same way.

Dax, however, was different. His lips often settled into charismatic smiles. He spoke to every one of his employees, from cleaners to PAs, treating them all equally. More, he addressed them by name and asked after their families.

I knew from speaking to these people that they loved having that recognition and respect. But it also made them nervous, because it meant they weren’t mere cogs in his machine who could hide behind teams and managers if they fucked up. No, if a mistake was made, he’d know exactly who was responsible, and he’d know where to find them.

I would bet it was all very deliberate on his part; that he knewexactlywhat effect his behavior had on them. It was a very devious, albeit effective, way to keep people in line.

“Well, whatever his reason for seeking out Sapphire Glade, I’m glad for it—handling an event for him would berealgood for business,” Sabrina said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Any kind he threw would involve a guestlist of wealthy or, at the very least, influential people.”

“It would,” I allowed. Dax was a true powerhouse. Not merely in the business world, but in general. He wielded so much social power it was nuts. He also had connections everywhere, some of which were the definition of unsavory.

Not all his dealings were legal. Everyone knew it, but no one could prove it. He wasn’t knee-deep in organized crime or anything, but he was not a guy who had an issue with subverting the system or bending and breaking rules. He lived life by his own code. In that, he was his father’s son.

Given all that, people generally strived to stay on Dax’s good side. They didn’t merely fear him, though; they respected him. He might have his hands in some illegal pies, but he’d done a lot for the community—organizing fundraisers, donating to charities, arranging holiday food drives, and sponsoring small businesses and youth sports’ teams.

“Also, he’s hardly likely to want a low-budget event,” said Sabrina. “Our rates would be chump-change to him, which would allow us to be seriously creative and go butt-wild.”

“Indeed.”

Her brows pulled together. “Then why don’t you look excited?” She lowered my nameplate to the desk.

I rubbed at my temple. “Maybe because my hormones never fail to fall at his goddamn feet.” Back when we’d had our little fling, I hadn’t realized that that type of insane chemistry was rare. It was something I hadn’t experienced with anyone else before or since. “My libido snaps awake so fast it’s dizzying.”

Sabrina unsuccessfully tried to stifle a smile. “Does this mean you’re planning to not take the job?”

I dropped my hand to my lap. “No, I’ll always do what’s best for Sapphire Glade and, as you said, throwing an event for Dax means big money and lots of exposure. I’m just not looking forward to seeing him again, since I know my hormones will react like idiots.”

“Dax seems to have that effect on most women, if it makes you feel any better.”

It didn’t. “Hmm, I’ve noticed.” He tended to have tall, slim blondes hanging off his arm. Also the occasional redhead. Female specimens who were, in fact, very much dissimilar to me. I had dark hair, a curvy figure, and was average height. “I’ve realized over the years that, though we had major chemistry, I’m not actually his type.”

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