No response. Raising her hand to knock again, it suddenly—finally—opened.
“Portia?” The surprise and pleasure in Aleks’s voice warmed her, but she ruthlessly forced the soft feelings down. That wasn’t what she was here for.
She pushed past him into the suite, ignoring the tingle of electricity that raced through her where they touched.
“Please, come in.” She caught the humor in his voice as he closed the door. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
Her laugh was harsh. “I’m sure you didn’t. You’ve been too busy trying to steal my company out from under me.”
Aleks shrugged and she reminded herself not to be distracted by his shifting muscles under the t-shirt he wore. “I told you I was in town on business.”
“Yousaidyour employers wanted to meet Dizzie,” she reminded him.
His lips curled into a faint smile. “I believe I also mentioned that they were looking to expand into the city.”
“But you didn’t say that they planned on buyingmycompany for that expansion.” She knew her argument was ridiculous, but it felt so good to get it out. To have someone to yell at, someone to fight with.
Even Tommy hadn’t fought with her. He’d teased and cajoled and charmed her out of her anger, but he’d never fought with her.
Aleks, though. She was sure he’d fight back, not that she understood why that should matter.
She couldn’t yell at her employees, even when they brought her bad news or annoyed her.
She didn’t have friends she could vent to. Besides, complaining made her sound like a spoiled little rich girl.
“You can’t be that naive,” he drawled in that accent of his. “I tried to warn you. My employers hate everything about the Tremaine Corporation. If they could, they’d burn it to the ground in a heartbeat.”
“They sound like Killian,” she muttered.
His brow rose. “Oh? I was under the impression that he wouldn’t sell.”
Sure he was laughing at her, she turned and wandered deeper into the suite. It really was a nice hotel. Beautifully decorated in blues and greens and more neutral colors that evoked the natural beauty of Puget Sound. Art—tastefully abstract but with a hint of the avant-garde that encouraged you to look closer—dotted the walls.
“Please sit.” Aleks had come alongside her and gestured to the sitting room.
Too agitated to sit, she continued to prowl around the room. She whirled around to face him. “You won’t get my company. There is no way the Solveigs will get their grubby hands on my business. You should tell your employers that and go back to where you came from.”
The smile that blossomed on his lips took her breath away. She could only describe his expression as delighted.
And it was directed ather.
Warmth pooled in her belly. No one had ever looked at her like that. Not even Tommy. He’d looked at her with love and kindness and friendship and passion. But never as if she just delighted him.
In that moment, she understood that Aleks was dangerous to more than just the Tremaine Corporation.
“Did you fuck me as part of the job?” The words slipped out. Her stomach roiled at the thought, but she had to know.Had to.
“No.” His response was steady and strong.
Was that relief or disbelief that she felt? Still not satisfied, she lashed out. “Then you must be really bad at your job, because there was no way you didn’t know who I was.”
He took a step closer, his smile sad. “Oh, I knew who you were. I knew everything about you. But until that moment, you were just a name, a face, in a dossier.”
Her laugh was harsh. “Bullshit. You knew nothing about me. It was all some scheme to get closer to me for your employers.”
“Oh, Portia.” The way he said her name made her shiver. “How wrong you are. That night at Razor Jack’s? Almost everything I told you was true. I am in town for business. I had just arrived. I was restless from my flight and I was curious about the bar that you’d become a regular at.”
She sucked in a breath. Did her own people even know she was a regular at Razor Jack’s?
