Damnit, Cassius, did you really have to fucking pop in now?
“No bullshit answer,” I said, drawing a sigh. Fuck, I wish I had a drink. “No bullshit? Delilah, I am here because you have an effect on me like no one else.”
Her eyes went wide. Opportunity, I thought. Opportunity to pry her open, make her more vulnerable, and go for the kill.
And, even weirder, an opportunity to understand her better and know her better.
“Most other women, after what happened at my penthouse, I’d just shrug off and say I would never see again. I certainly would not have shown up at their offices. But there’s something about you, it’s like sparring on an intellectual and verbal level. I can’t tell you the last fucking time I had a truly interestingconversation with a woman. Your refusal to bend to me, your unwavering honesty, and your hardass attitude? That’s fucking interesting to me.”
“It’s just me doing my job,” she said.
Except now it was my turn to call out the bullshit.
“I don’t believe that,” I said.
Delilah’s eyes widened. Two could play this game, I thought slyly.
“You say it’s just you doing your job, but you also know that some sources are a waste of time and energy. You know that if you really wanted the clear picture of the Morrils or even of our family, you’d work to get other sources. You’ve written plenty of stories in which the main subject wouldn’t even go on the record, right?”
“Of course. It’s probably the norm.”
“Well, there you go,” I pressed on. “Maybe with most sources, you agree to the in-office meeting we had at my place. Fair enough. But you don’t go up to their penthouse. You don’t, upon their arrival here, take them to a private conference room—a place, I might add, where you know we can do anything and no one will ever know.”
Delilah’s expression remained unchanged, but her face began to blush. Perfect. I had her exactly where I wanted.
“You said you don’t want a smartass answer? You don’t want to play games anymore? Reasonable enough. But I don’t play games where I’m at a disadvantage. Only ones where the terms are even or I have an advantage. So I ask you, Delilah Reyes.”
I smirked. I almost stood up, the better to lean over her, put my face by hers, give her the opportunity to kiss me and then…
Not yet.
The psychological thrill was increasing.
And, somehow, in the back of my mind, genuine attraction was also going up. Not just the “get my dick wet” attraction. But something more.
I wasn’t yet sure if I liked it, but at the very least, I didn’t dislike it.
“Why do you keep giving me chances?”
CHAPTER 14
Delilah
This was something I had no idea how to handle.
Which meant that it was almost certainly the biggest trap yet.
Except that I wasn’t even sure if that was the case.
When other rich men tried to seduce me, even when they went as far as Adrian and tried to act “normal,” they never cared about Delilah Reyes, the person. They just saw me as a mouthpiece, a way to affect their reputation or destroy others. Sure, they would feign nice, touch me, even offer me extravagant private flights or stays at luxurious hotels elsewhere, but none ever cared to probe deep into my motivations.
Adrian’s question had put me on edge, and I didn’t like it.
Well…
That wasn’t quite true.
I did like the game that we were playing. My body clearly did have strong feelings about the game, especially in that Adrian seemed genuine about wanting to know me. But still; this was Adrian Value, King of Diamonds, a Vale billionaire. Such men did not so easily just hand over their interest in power for women.
