In the heart of the Sullivan empire.
I’ll be close enough to uncover the truth, but more than that, I’ll be close enough to strike.
Ronan Sullivan thinks I’m the weak link, but marrying me will turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
Chapter Seven
RONAN
There’sa lot of work that goes into making deals, and the main one is deciding on the right location to set the tone.
For our meeting with Ciara and Callum, I decided on one of my favorite restaurants in Soho because of its private dining room and discreet staff. The last thing I need is for some waitress to go mouthing off to the press when she hears of the deal I’m about to strike.
I swirl the whiskey around in my rocks glass as I fight the urge to spread my thighs just so I can brush up against Ciara, who’s sitting beside me. Though from her posture, she’s anything but happy about the seating arrangement.
Her legs are crossed beneath the tablecloth, and her arms are folded across her chest, which, considering the fact she’s wearing a very short and tight black dress, not only shows off a lot of thigh but also makes her tits look incredible.
I’m starting to wonder if she wore it just to torture me because that’s what it feels like.
She hasn’t looked at me once in the ten minutes she’s been here, though she’s been more than willing to offer Brennan a smile, which grates on my nerves.
She might think she’s coming across cool and indifferent, but she doesn’t know I have a keen eye for detail. I see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes when she thinks I’m not paying attention, or how her jaw tenses every time I take a sip of whiskey.
From the looks of it, she’s either seconds away from stabbing me with her butter knife or storming out of here in a rage. And if I’m being honest, I’m not sure which would turn me on more.
The moment she walked in and I caught sight of her shapely legs and killer curves, my cock hardened. Add in the bright red lips and soft bouncy blonde curls, and I’ve got the perfect recipe for a night spent with my cock in my hand and her on my mind.
Kieran sits beside me and lets out a sigh as he taps his empty whiskey glass against the table.
“Are we boring you?” I hiss under my breath, and Kieran rolls his eyes.
“I was bored even before we got here.”
Considering the fact that our father died less than forty-eight hours ago, Kieran is acting like the entire ordeal never happened. Brennan and Lorcan are playing their parts well as they sit in on this meeting, the only evidence of their grief being the dark purple circles under their eyes.
“So, are those the contracts?” Callum nods toward the stack of papers in front of Lorcan.
Ciara’s brother sits beside her, wearing a cheap-ass suit and what smells like even cheaper cologne.
Christ, the McCarthys really have fallen from grace.
Lorcan claps Callum on the shoulder. “We can get to all of that after dinner. I don’t know about you, but I can’t do business on an empty stomach.”
Ciara tenses beside me at the mention of business, but still, she stays quiet.
I turn my attention to Callum. “This place has the most incredible steak.”
“Great.” He looks anything but pleased as he glances anxiously at Ciara.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I stop myself from smiling.
I’m not sure why Kieran was so worried about Callum when it’s clear the poor guy is seconds away from crumbling.
Ciara, on the other hand, is going to be harder to crack.
I keep my voice just loud enough to cut through the low murmur of conversation. “You know… You’ve been sitting there pretending I’m invisible for ten minutes now, princess, and I’m starting to think you’re playing hard to get.”
She slowly turns her head to face me, her eyes cold and piercing as she looks at me. “I’m not playing anything, Sullivan. I just happen to be good at pretending garbage doesn’t exist.”
