“Obviously, the check is ceremonial. I thought you might like to commemorate this first sale. The funds have been deposited directly into your bank account,” Daniel added quietly.
Bianca had always had access to money, but she’d never earned her own. Her parents paid for her home and upkeep and the credit cards they’d always provided had no limits, as far as Bianca could tell. She’d never used more money than was required to meet their expectations and keep herself reasonably entertained. She figured she deserved the compensation, given her volunteer labor for the charity and the other general indignities of being under Pack Bonnycastle’s thumb. Still, she’d never been legitimately recognized for her efforts.
It was a strangely exhilarating feeling.
When she lifted her gaze, she found Daniel eyeing her warily. He was obviously prepared for a flippant remark or a vicious tongue lashing, and normally that’s exactly how Bianca would’ve responded. But for once, she wasn’t angry, didn’t want to lash out, and didn’t want to suppress her emotions behind a mask of boredom or indifference. Daniel had listened to her, had shown repeatedly that he valued her intellect and opinions. He and Pack King had reminded her again and again how competent and capable she truly was, even when she was mean and hateful in return.
Just this once, she could show him how much that meant to her.
Biance stood on tiptoe and flung her arms around the big alpha’s neck. He let out a grunt of surprise but immediately lifted her from the ground and wrapped her in a hug that smelled like chocolate and butterscotch and contentment. Bianca melted against him.
“Thank you, Daniel. This really means a lot to me. Not the money, but what it represents,” she whispered into his neck.
Daniel’s arms tightened around her. “I know, sweetheart. And I should be the one thanking you. I never would’ve thought about selling my work if it wasn’t for you, and I damn sure wouldn’t have sold my first custom nest for thirty thousand bucks.”
Bianca laughed. It had been so easy. She’d simply posted about Daniel’s bed in the omega brunch group chat, with some idle musings about the elegance of truly bespoke nests, and the private messages had poured in. Alicia was willing to pay premium to be first in line, and she’d immediately boasted about her purchase to anyone who would listen. Bianca had already started a waitlist that would keep Daniel as busy as he wanted to be for the next several years.
“If I’d known I was earning a commission, I would’ve gotten her up to forty thousand.” Bianca sniffed and wriggled free of Daniel’s embrace. “Also, my fee is forty percent. This is my personal circle, and I’m vouching for your work. My reputation is at stake and that comes at a price.”
Daniel laughed and shook his head. “You are a force, woman. Thirty-three percent. A third of the profit for ten percent of the labor seems pretty fair to me.”
Bianca smirked. “With the prices I intend to negotiate, thirty-seven percent is a steal.”
“Thirty-five,” Daniel countered. “And I’ll wire the rest of this first commission immediately.”
“Deal.” Bianca felt another thrill of exhilaration.
She was going to make Daniel a very wealthy man. As soon as Alicia could decide on the best angles and catchiest captions, she’d post about her new nest all over her social media and then Vanguard would be flooded with requests. They should patent the design as soon as possible.
Bianca would ask Chloë for recommendations for a good web developer. Vanguard needed an elegant website, with a distinct identity fromthe main King’s Guard brand. For that matter, the King’s Guard website could use some upgrades. And they would need to sync calendars across both businesses so that Daniel would still have time for his classes and the occasional security gig. They’d already decided that King and Dante would rotate teaching duties with Daniel, but they might still need to hire additional instructors.
“You’re plotting again.” Daniel interrupted her thoughts with a lopsided puppy dog smile. “Add your thoughts to our running notes and we’ll talk them over in the next team meeting. I’ve got to go cut your check.”
“Get used to it, poppet,” Bianca retorted, lifting her chin proudly. “You’ll be doing it a lot from now on.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Daniel answered in a confident voice that made her chest swell a bit more. He backed down the hall, as if he couldn’t bear to take his eyes off her, still grinning like a fool. “You’re unstoppable.”
Bianca rolled her eyes and turned away, her steps lighter than before. She still might not sleep much tonight, but her mind would be wrestling with ideas instead of worries.
“BB!” Daniel called and Bianca looked over her shoulder to find him still watching her. She lifted a brow and he smiled at her like she was his favorite person in the world. Her stomach flipped again. “You know I would’ve given you fifty percent.”
Bianca let herself smile back. “And I would’ve done it for fifteen. Good night, Daniel.”
She didn’t look back again, but she knew he watched her walk away.
Chapter twenty
Bianca
Time, which had often felt tediously endless to Bianca, suddenly began to race. Hours, days, and weeks flew by in a thrilling busyness she’d never known. The fundraisers and board meetings that had punctuated her days were now mere rocks in a constant stream of pleasant activity. Bianca shrewdly brokered Daniel’s furniture sales, tirelessly handled the daily tasks of the security business with Dante, brainstormed and argued new ideas with King, and became the de facto project manager on the building’s many renovations. The contractors were terrified of her.
It was delightful.
However, she didn’t spend all her time working. In an unforeseen development, Dawn Fairmount asked her out to lunch a few days after the Fair Weather Manufacturing fundraiser, and Bianca was surprised to find that she wanted to say yes. So, she did. Before long, they’d also had brunch, visited an art exhibit, gone out for drinks, and suddenly they were almost friends.
As if that wasn’t bizarre enough, Chloë followed through on her dinner invitation and Bianca spent a sidesplitting evening enjoying Chloë’s adoring mates and the broody/bubbly dynamic of the Clifton-Merriwether siblings. (Bianca didnotinvite her bodyguards to join them, but Dante was on duty and Callum flirted him right into the dinner conversation anyway.) Afterward, Bianca and Chloë started texting each other regularly and even talked business over coffee a few times.
And then there were Callum and Pack King. The best part of Bianca’s newfound social life was also the part that made her hate how the weeks were flying by. Her so-called last hurrah had undeniably become something more—something delicate and addictive and terrifyingly hopeful. She tried not to think about how soon everything had to change again.
