A slow heat moves through my stomach and settles between my legs, tightening everything on the way down. My pulse beats hard enough that I feel it in my throat.
I fight my body not to shift in my chair, not to bring attention to the fact that my pulse is beating somewhere else as well. Somewhere beneath the table where it has no business pulsing.
I sit very still. It’s the only way to survive it.
I keep my fingers folded neatly on top of my portfolio and pretend I am not aware of the way my skirt pulls across my thighs or the way my nipples have tightened against the fabric of my bra.
Absolutely not.
Nope. No way. That is not happening.
Except it is.
Mario’s gaze stays on mine, and something about his expression tells me he sees more than he should.
Not the specifics.
God, I hope not the specifics.
But enough to know he has unsettled me.
That makes my spine straighten.
My brain finally kicks in and reminds me that he’s a potential client. A potential client that I need. Also, at least twenty years older than me, powerful, and possibly dangerous.
This is not a man to make mistakes with.
None of it helps.
In fact, it makes it worse.
Mario Conti’s eyes drop for one brief second to my mouth.
Then return to my eyes.
My pulse gives one hard kick. Well.
That is going to be a problem.
Lorenzo, either unaware or politely pretending to be, turns a page in his folder. “Your proposal recommends a phased audit.”
“Yes.” I pull myself back into the part of my mind that can survive almost anything if I keep it focused on the paperwork.
“Phase one is a full legal and compliance assessment. We identify risk, prioritize exposure, and create a remediationtimeline. Phase two builds internal policies and reporting structures. Phase three integrates compliance into the expansion strategy rather than treating it as cleanup.”
“Timeline?” Mario asks.
“Six weeks for phase one if we receive full cooperation. Longer if documents are incomplete or leadership resists interviews.”
“No one will resist,” Mario says.
He says it calmly, but I hear the certainty underneath. Not just confidence but certainty.
In most companies, leadership buy-in is aspirational. Here, it sounds like an absolute.
“And who is leadership?” I ask, picking up my pen to make notes.
Mario looks at Lorenzo.
