I snorted. “That’s a drop in the bucket for both of us. At least make it interesting.”
“A thousand then.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “And if he does, I’ll give you the same.”
I extended my arm, intent on shaking on our deal, but she slapped my hand away. Her touch lingered on my skin like a phantom, warmth creeping over my entire body.
“I don’t need your money,” she said, gathering her things and heading for the door. When she reached it, she looked back over her shoulder at me. “Whenhe gives you the go ahead to partner with me, you do it. No questions asked. No negotiating terms or fighting either of us on it. We take a fifty-fifty split, and you signon the dotted line.”
I sighed, knowing there was no simple way to get out of this—and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to. I had to hope Cal vetoed the idea outright so I could avoid whatever shit I was about to step into.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll let you know by Monday.”
Delia chuckled as she walked away, as though she was in on a joke I hadn’t figured out the punchline to yet. Her laugh echoed through my office long after she’d disappeared.
I was so fucked.
Once she left, I wasted no time calling Cal and telling him to get his ass to my office. I had a lot to wrap up before the weekend, and I didn’t want this potential partnership with Delia hanging over my head while I tried to unwind. For once, I wasn’t passing my weekend holed up in this office, and I didn’t want to spend a single second of my cabin getaway worried about work. The sooner I got Cal in here to discuss, the better.
Cal had only been working for me for about a week, but I had to admit, we’d fallen into a routine easily. I supposed it helped that he’d been my best friend for the better part of the last five years, and he was extremely good at his job.
By the time he knocked on my open office door, I was practically crawling out of my skin, ready to dump this on him and pray he agreed with me. I felt a bit like a child waiting for a parent to swoop in and make it all better.
“What’s up?” he asked, dropping his messenger bag on the floor and sitting down on the couch—right where Delia had been a half hour ago.
I grabbed the proposal she’d given me and handed it over.
“I met with Delia this morning,” I explained.
“The meeting Amara bribed you into?” Cal asked with a chuckle and a raised brow.
“The very same,” I grumbled. “Anyway, she…surprised me. Came fully prepared with this, admittedly amazing, proposal. And offered to let us build on her land instead of the piece I was going to buy from Delatou, Inc., which is admittedly better. I checked. Still, I’d be stupid to turn her away, but I also think I’d be stupid to agree.” I removed my ball cap and hooked it over my knee, dropping my head into my hands and burying my fingers in my hair. A slight tug at the roots had my scalp stinging, but I welcomed the pain. Welcomed the brief distraction from the turmoil in my chest.
“I need your help,” I mumbled to Cal.
“Why, exactly, do you think you’d be stupid to partner with her?”
“Because she’s…Delia,” I said dumbly. “A total wildcard and not someone I should be getting into be—business with.”
I almost used the colloquial “getting into bed with” but damn, I did not needthatimage in my head. Didn’t need the thought of those long legs wrapped around my waist, her hair around my fist…
Goddamnit, Lawless. You had to go there.
I thought of all the ugly things I could. The photos of burn victims my brother Crew had shown me. Same with the car accident victims from Lane, the cop. The birth of calves on the ranch. The one time growing up when my dad attempted to cook chicken while Mom was out of town and tried to feed it to us with the center still raw.
The last one did the trick, and I swallowed down a gag as the blood diverted away from my cock.
“So what do you need from me?” Cal asked. “You can make your own choices, O. I’m not your keeper.”
“I need you to tell me it’s financially irresponsible to partner with her.”
His brows rose. “And if it’s not?”
“Just…take a look at the damn proposal,” I said, gesturing to the papers in his hands.
With a slight shake of his head, Cal did as I asked. While he studied the figures and thoroughly examined everything Delia had brought me, a restless energy settled on my bones. Unable to sit still any longer, I stood to pace the length of my office.
I didn’t do well with silence.
