22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dominic
We’re quiet on the hour drive to the office this Monday morning. Shadow is driving us, as usual, and Tucker is following several car lengths behind us. Sophia is snuggled up to me, her head in the crook of my shoulder, and my arm is wrapped protectively around her.
Shadow and Tucker didn’t take the day off yesterday like I instructed. They met with the FBI team and covertly got everything set up for today. Part of me is glad the meeting isn’t until the end of the day so we have time for any last minute preparations. Or time to change my mind and get Sophia as far away from here as possible.
Another part of me wants to get it over with as soon as possible so that this fucking black cloud isn’t hanging over our lives. We should be enjoying every moment of Sophia’s pregnancy. Our only concern should be what color to paint the nursery and what decorations Sophia wants to buy. My every thought should revolve around my promise to make her the happiest woman in the world.
I shouldnothave to worry that she’ll die today. That shouldn’t even be a remote possibility. I just got her back in my life, in my arms, and in my bed. Leaning my face down, I place soft kisses on her forehead, nose, and then on her lips.
“Are you scared?” I ask her.
“I’m scared something will happen to you.”
“I’ll be fine,My Angel. Don’t worry about me. I’ll crush him with my bare hands if I need to,” I assure her. She doesn’t look pleased with my response.
“He won’t fight fair, Dominic. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Promise me you’ll stay in your office and won’t come out until I come get you.”
“I promise,” she says and then raises her eyebrows at me.
“I promise I will be careful, baby,” I concede. “Hey, remember last night? I’m looking forward to doing that again tonight.”
Her cheeks fill with the beautiful shade of blush pink I love to see on her. There were no whips, restraints, or clamps last night–it was slow, intimate, and full of love. We were in sync, insatiable, and connected on more than a physical level. The thoughts of losing her plagued my dreams again, of not getting to her in time, of seeing her being stripped from my arms, so I woke many times during the night. Each time, she awoke to find me ready to make love to her one more time, and she accepted me with open arms.
Once inside the office, I find it harder to let her go than I anticipated. “Sophia, we’re bringing your laptop to my office. You can work in there with me today until it’s time. It’ll make me feel better.”
“Sounds good to me, Dom,” she replies with a relieved smile.
The day goesby too quickly and before I know it, five o’clock is approaching. Everyone is set up in the next room, the video cameras are rolling, and Sophia is safely tucked away in her office. After a lengthy fight with the FBI SAC, I finally had to relent on my demand that Tucker stay in Sophia’s office with her. There are too few here, and because of legalities, we can’t supplement them with more Steele Security personnel. Tucker has been deputized by Shadow so he’s under their command for this operation.
Our guest of the hour,Sebastian Montoyashows up right on time and Dana shows him into my office. Standing, I refuse to move out from behind my desk to greet him. I’m sure if I do, I will rip him limb from limb. He extends his hand to me and I glare at it for several seconds before returning the gesture.
“Mr. Powers. Thank you for seeing me today,” his Latino accent is thick, but it’s his demeanor that makes him sleazy. His fake smile doesn’t reach his cold, black eyes. He’s close to my height but he’s not nearly as thick and muscular as I am. His black hair is slicked straight back off his face. “Is your lawyer joining us?”
“No, she’s not. I prefer we settle this like men.”In more ways that one.
“Ah, you are much like me, no?”
No, I’m nothing like you.His insulting question doesn’t deserve an answer. “Have a seat,” I gesture toward the chair.
“Mr. Powers, I will get straight to the point. As you know, this case would be best settled out of court. The damage to your reputation, and by extension, your company’s reputation, if the embarrassing details of your…proclivities…were to reach the newspapers, would be catastrophic.
“My client is wiling to accept a settlement of fifty million dollars as compensation for pain, mental anguish, lost wages, and her extensive post traumatic stress disorder. Surely you can understand that the abuse you inflicted upon her has caused long-term psychological issues. She will require therapy for many years to come.”
It is taking every ounce of my considerable self-control to not launch myself across the desk and choke him out where he sits. As he drones on and on about the abuse I’ve inflicted upon Sophia, he has no idea that she sits in the office down the hall, working directly with me again. He has no clue that she’s pregnant with my baby, living in my house, and sleeping in my bed. His surveillance team has simply kept tabs on her coming and going from the building to make sure they can pull off this scam on me.Idiots.
That gives me hope that he’s not after Sophia at all. With Cortez as the head of this scheme, the others will likely disappear when he’s taken down. Cut the head off, the rest scatter into the wind.
“Fifty million dollarsfor pain and suffering? You can’t be serious,” the sarcasm and disdain is not hidden in my voice at all. “There’s no way anyone has suffered mental anguish to the tune of fifty million dollars.”
He sneers, “Part of that amount is to avoid your own mental anguish over the downfall of your company. Imagine how your investors will react to the news and bad press you’ll receive over this lawsuit.”
What an idiot. DPS is a privately owned company. I don’thaveinvestors.
