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Rolling my lips to hide my smile, I gave him a small wave before heading inside. I had to repeat my mantra in my head over and over again as I rode the elevator to the top floor.I can and I will, because I’m Rebecca freaking Sloan.
* * *
Knockingon the door to the office, I blew out a slow breath. I can and I will. I can and I will.
“Come in.”
Fuck.
Dread sat heavily on my shoulders as I pushed open the door and made my way inside. It was just Liam this time, the other desks empty. Since the sun was out today the office had less of a creepy domineering feel to it and the view made the room a little more appealing.
I stepped up to his desk, forcing the words past my throat. “I have some things I’d like to discuss with you about the contract, Mr. O’Connor.”
He didn’t even glance up at me. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t, Miss Sloan. Have a seat.” He pointed at the lone chair in front of his desk, his frown deepening as he looked over whatever paperwork he was handling at the moment.
Sitting, I crossed my ankles and tucked them under the seat. I could almost hear my mother’s voice demanding that I sit like a lady but that wasn’t why I did it. I did it because I was so anxious, I knew my knee would start jiggling if I didn’t. At least with my feet under my chair, he couldn’t see the nervous gesture and think I was going to let him push me around.
An irritated look flashed over his face before he shoved the paper away and finally looked up at me. We sat staring at each other for a moment and he raised an eyebrow at me.
“You said you’d like to discuss some things.”
Wincing internally, I nodded. “Yes, there were a few things in the contract that I’d like to clarify and only two that I’d like removed completely.”
He nodded, holding out his hand. I offered him the contract and the notes I’d written and he scanned them while I explained my reasoning.
“While I agree that I will be the one representing you, I would like a more concise explanation of how far that goes. With some clients, they feel comfortable giving me full freedom as long as things pan out in their best interest while others are more comfortable having me run things by them before I do anything.”
He scrubbed at his jaw, his eyes narrowed. “I don’t have the time to be bothered with every little thing but after the last lawyer, I’m reluctant to give full reign to someone I don’t know.”
“How about this then? I will act in your best interest in all day to day matters, and all paramount issues will be run by you in a timely fashion.”
Things stayed simple after that. Going over the contract with him was easier than I expected. He was pretty open to the changes and only a couple times did we get stuck trying to clearly write out what we wanted from the contract. He’s a smart man and I didn’t need to hold his hand through every explanation, which was refreshing. The longer I spent with him, the less terrified I was. If I ignored all the rumors about how dangerous he is, he seemed like every other client I’ve worked with.
ChapterSeven
We had almost finishedup with the contract before I finally summoned up the courage to ask him what I’ve been wanting to ask since the day I got the call that he wanted to work with me.
“I was wondering… Why is it that you chose to work with me? I’m sure there are plenty of people in the city who could do this job who don’t have a direct tie to a rival family. Why me?”
It drew his focus from the contract in his hand up to me and I laced my fingers together and squeezed to hide the shaking. Having any mafia boss’s full attention on you was almost never a good thing. But he didn’t look angry at the question. More thoughtful and a little suspicious if I was to give a guess.
“From what I heard, you no longer have ties to your family.”
Pursing my lips, I nodded. “Technically, that’s true. I ended my relationship with my father a little over a year ago. But I’m still his daughter. I can’t say I won’t run into him. My sister is getting married… he’ll be there and apparently I’m supposed to be there too.”
He regarded me for a moment before glancing back down at the paperwork. He’s a busy man and I haven’t seen him take a break for even a moment. If I was writing down the changes to the contract, he was looking at other documents. Did he ever stop working?
“I’m not expecting you to cut ties with your family, Miss Sloan. But I will require a non disclosure before you leave today. There will be an office provided for you downstairs and during your time working with me, you’ll be expected to work here exclusively until the contract is finished. I’m sure you understand why.”
I nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s to be expected. I have no problem doing that. But–”
“But you want to know why I chose the daughter of a known rival instead of someone off the streets. The glowing recommendation from Ramirez wasn’t enough for you?”
Normally it would be, if he were anyone other than Liam O’Connor. When he glanced at me, he sighed, leaning back in his chair.
“I chose you because I heard what happened between you and your father. I know what your goal is and I have no problem helping you get there. But I will also thoroughly enjoy rubbing it in his face. I’ve read up on you, he had a golden egg sitting in his lap and he disregarded you merely because of your gender.”
I made a face. “Don’t most mafia dons only care about gender?”
