My skin prickled and I realized I had an audience. As I slowly turned to face the door, I felt round two of the boxing match with Vanessa about to begin. “Not this time. Although I do play to win.”
“I’ll email you everything you need. And my buddy will be authorized to send you the bill for his services.”
“Uh-huh. Whatever.” As soon as I ended the call, Vanessa walked into the room, her arms folded across her chest as if hiding something.
Like her perky nipples.
Damn if my mouth didn’t water all over again.
“You heard,” I said after another few seconds of silence. I had to admit, the tension between us was getting old.
“I heard.” She was dissecting me with her eyes, the lack of trust in them easy to see.
Not that I could blame her.
“I’ll make a call to Rosewood so there won’t be any issues with Donovan’s admittance.”
Vanessa’s sigh was heavy. She obviously had something on her mind. I could also feel the tension from where I stood a few feet away. This was a very difficult time in her life. I gave her credit for keeping a cool head. Even my brother Carson had enjoyed nights spent high on cocaine or crack, unable to function for shit the next day.
Yet after he’d wrecked two vehicles and my father had been forced to bail him out of jail, Carson was still considered a golden boy.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Do you ever get tired of simply snapping your fingers and making everything happen the way you demand?”
For some reason, the question unnerved me. “The truthful answer is no. Money wields power.”
“The bending of wills. I know how it works. I need to talk with Donovan today. I hope that won’t bother you. He’s not very keen on strangers with attitude.”
“At some point, you’ll need to tell him about our impending marriage.”
“Why bother? If he stays for the entire eighteen months, he won’t need to know a damn thing about our fake marriage and splashy divorce. Will he?”
This time, Vanessa was prepared to end the conversation on her terms. This was like a tennis match with no one set to win.
“If you need help with Donovan, let me know. You have my number.”
She jerked to a stop as if I’d hit her. I could instantly tell by the hard swing of her body that I’d struck a nerve. I never said I had the capacity for compassion. Quite the contrary.
Her head barely tipped over her shoulder, only half her beautiful face exposed, but I could feel the contempt sweltering inside in the sweat beading off the back of my neck. The word formidable wasn’t strong enough. She was a lioness, not a wildcat.
“My family is my business. Not yours. I can handle Donovan.”
“Fair enough. I won’t interfere. I’ll leave you the details about tomorrow’s proceedings on your email. I’ll be heading to the office. When I return, we need to talk about Friday.”
“Of course we do. Dress code? I assume they’re in the instructions you left me.Daddy.”
My fucking God, I wanted nothing more than to bend her over the back of the couch, fucking her until she screamed out my name.
“Whatever you think is appropriate for dinner on the water. You’re perfectly capable of knowing what to wear. You have my credit card for any purchases. I also left keys for my Mercedes on the kitchen table. Feel free to use it.”
I’d be damned if she didn’t just roll her eyes.
With her arms still folded, she stuck out her long leg, her actions just begging to be fucked. “Something else you should know about me.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I never beg.”
