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“Thank you, Giana.” He looked at both of us expectantly. Stephen and Andrei were stationed at the front door, checking people as they entered the building. Viktor and Ivan were outside the meeting and Misha was with us. Adrik said he wanted to know immediately if anything felt off, so he wanted Misha close. He wanted to get me out of there right away if Misha had the slightest feeling that it was going to go badly. It definitely made me feel more comfortable having both of them with me.
The men that Mando was meeting with were much older. They looked like hardened businessmen but were completely taken aback to see a woman walk into the meeting and sit down across from them.
This should be fun.
Armando made the introductions. He had given both of us fake names for the meeting. After, they got right down to business. There was a lawyer, an investor, and a politician in the meeting. Armando was most worried about the politician since he’s the one that had screwed him out of a deal previously. I could see that the politician was nervous even before we sat down. His skin was moist, like he was sweating but trying to hide it. The other two were bigger problems from what I could see.
The lawyer kept looking at me like he was undressing me with his eyes. I could feel Adrik’s temper rising next to me. I slid my hand to his leg under the table, trying to calm him. He glanced sideways at me, Yep, he was definitely angry at that man looking at me that way. I could see it all over his face. I squeezed his leg, hoping to reassure him that I was fine.
The investor wasn’t much better but was more discreet. I was sure they both had very dirty thoughts running through their minds the entire time. Once Armando had finished his presentation on the project, they had questions for him. This is what I was waiting for as I could figure out what their intentions were as they spoke.
The politician was hiding something, but I couldn’t tell what. It was almost like he feared either Armando or the two men he was with. He would nervously wipe his forehead periodically. The investor was mostly quiet but would smirk when the politician spoke. The lawyer was slimy. As the meeting progressed, he got more blatant about staring at me. I could feel the heat coming off Adrik as he watched this gross old man looking at me. I kept my hand on his leg, trying to keep him calm. After one particularly long stare, Adrik simply reached over and pulled my chair closer to his, placing his hand on my leg across my lap. It was so hard not to smile at the lawyer’s face.
Did he just publicly claim me?
I heard Misha clear his throat behind us, knowing that he was struggling to not laugh as well. The lawyer’s tone changed after Adrik moved me closer to him. He was being overly nice in the beginning. It wasn’t genuine in the least. He was covering for something. As soon as Adrik stopped the reel of dirty thoughts going through his mind, he no longer tried to play nice. Everyone noticed the change.
Armando had missed Adrik pulling me closer, as he was speaking with the investor when it happened. He was somewhat taken aback at the change. The lawyer was suddenly demanding unreasonable percentages of the project, as well as making unreal timelines for construction. Armando was getting frustrated with trying to come up with a solution. Anytime the lawyer spoke, Adrik would look at me. I shook my head no discreetly, indicating that he was not being entirely forthright. The same for the investor. I leaned over and quietly whispered, “The investor is lying. He’s been lying this whole time. The politician is scared to death and the lawyer is a slimeball, but he’s got ulterior motives. I doubt they’re his own. Most lawyers work for somebody and he is most definitely not working for this investor.”
Armando was getting frustrated trying to find ways to satisfy their demands when Adrik interrupted him. “Gentlemen, let’s cut the bullshit. This project will help this city. It will create jobs, it will create new tax revenue, it will benefit the people of this city greatly. And yet, you’re more worried about how much money it will make you personally. Judging by your suits, I’d say you already have plenty of money, which means you’re just being greedy.” He looked at the investor. “You, sir, haven’t been truthful this entire time.” He then looked to the politician, who looked even more nervous that Adrik was addressing him. “And you, sir. You’re scared. Either of the men you’re sitting with or of us. Given that we’re the ones trying to make this city better with this project, I would bet it’s the men you’re with that you’re scared of.” Lastly, he looked at the lawyer. “You,” he paused, trying to contain his anger. “You’re working for someone else, aren’t you? Behind the scenes? Given how you conduct yourself in front of a lady, I’d dare to guess that you’re not the brightest man in the room, so I doubt these demands you’ve come here with today are your own. You can go back and tell whomever it is you’re working for that they can either come to us themselves or they can find another project to partner on.”
There was a visible flash of fear across the lawyer’s face for a brief moment, but it quickly changed to anger. The politician looked like he might vomit, and the investor didn’t look much better. They were speechless. Armando looked to Adrik, surprised but thankful for his words. I placed my hand on top of his, as his arm was still protectively across my lap as he spoke to the three men across the table.
Misha cleared his throat once again behind us. I glanced back to him. He shook his head no once. I tightened my grip on Adrik’s hand. He didn’t even look at me, he just stood up, adjusting his suit jacket. He glared at the men across the table, causing them to shrink back. “I think we’re done here, gentlemen. My men will see you out,” he said, motioning toward the door.
The three men stood, gathered their things, and walked out quickly. Viktor and Ivan had been listening through Misha’s earpiece the entire time. They were expecting them. Andrei and Stephen were as well. Adrik followed them to the door, keeping the intimidation factor high. He closed the door behind them, cursing under his breath, running a hand through his hair. I knew he was still angry. I stood from my chair, happy to have a moment to stretch. My hip was somewhat sore from sitting. Or from the heels. Or both. Adrik walked quickly to me. As he closed the distance, I could see his eyes searching mine, wondering if I was okay. I smiled at him. He put both hands on either side of my face, his lips crashing to mine. I knew he was trying to calm himself. I smiled against his lips. “You’ve been wanting to do that for like an hour now, haven’t you?”
“You have no idea, solnishko,” he groaned. I heard Misha laugh quietly behind us. We both turned to look at him.
“What? I wouldn’t have been able to wait until the meeting was over with that guy looking at you like that. You have more self-control than I do, Boss.”
Armando was puzzled, as he was blissfully unaware of everything that had happened during the meeting. “Somebody tell me what’s going on here.”
“The politician was terrified of the other two men. That was the first red flag. The investor was lying the entire time, just like Ghost said. And the lawyer spent most of your presentation thinking about all the dirty things he wanted to do to me. After Ghost completely destroyed his fantasies, that’s when he switched to full-on asshole. Lawyers are always working for someone else, so there’s another player behind the scenes that you don’t know about making all those unrealistic demands. The temperature of the room changed after Ghost called them out, which is why they were escorted out quickly,” I said.
Armando sat down, somewhat in shock. “I missed all of this. I was so focused on trying to make this project work that I missed everything you just said.” He put his head in his hands, thinking about what had just taken place.
Adrik spoke. “I think the investor might be an actor. If you investigate who he is, I doubt you will find someone wealthy enough to be able to afford an investment into this project. The bigger question is why the politician was afraid of them and, most importantly, who the lawyer is working for behind the scenes.”
Armando stood and walked to the phone at the other end of the table. He pressed a button and his assistant answered. “Giana, could you come to the boardroom, please?”
She walked in soon after. Armando was still standing. “Ah, Giana, can you get me everything you can find on the three men that were just here? I want to know everything. Use whoever you need to, but I want to know everything. Who they’re working with now, who they’ve worked with in the past. All of it.”
“Right away, sir,” she nodded to all of us as she left the boardroom, her eyes lingering on Misha as she walked past. I caught his eye, raising my eyebrows several times and smiling. His cheeks flushed as his broad smile stretched across his face. He just shrugged his shoulders.
Armando walked to me and Adrik. He extended his hand to Adrik, who took it. “Thank you, sir. You’ve saved me quite a few headaches today.” He looked to me, opening his arms, “And you, my dear, you have a gift. I’m going to need you for all my important meetings,” he said embracing me. “Come, I must take you to lunch. It’s the least I can do.”
“I will happily take you up on that offer,” I said, stepping back from Armando, only to feel Adrik’s hand on my back pulling me to him.
He whispered in my ear so only I could hear, “Tell me if you get tired or you want to go back. You won’t offend him. He understands.” He kissed my cheek.
“I’ll be okay as long as we don’t walk too much. My hip is not agreeing with these shoes.”
He smirked at me, “Ivan has your sneakers with him.”
“Shut up.”
“He brought them just in case you had issues.”
