Ashton Scott

It’s a bad move because today she’s opted to wear the tight black leather pants I love on her and stilettos that may keep me hard all day. The mental image of fucking her in nothing but those shoes will be difficult to remove from my mind.

When I meet her gaze again, I’m pleased to see heat there. She might be telling me no with her mouth, but her eyes and body are telling me exactly what I want to know. “Stan’s looking forward to working with you. Don’t disappoint him by backing out now.”

She continues to glare at me. “I’m not backing out, but I’d like you to reconsider your involvement. Unless you’re planning on a silent investment?”

“I don’t ever invest silently.” Our hands almost touch when I step closer to her. Again, my movements are deliberate when I don’t allow any contact. That will come later, once I’ve worked her up to it. “I’m not reconsidering. This is a good investment.”

Sienna coughs. “I’ve got an appointment, Lorelei. Are you good, babe?”

Lorelei’s eyes don’t leave mine as she answers her friend. “You go. I’ve got this.”

I fight the smile forming on my lips.

She’s going to give me one hell of a chase.

Sienna says her goodbyes and leaves us alone.

I note the exhaustion in Lorelei’s eyes. “You didn’t sleep last night.”

“I was busy.”

I quirk my brows. “Playing with the toys I gave you?”

“No. Planning a holiday.”

“For when?”

“I leave in a week.”

“Where to?”

“I’m going on a cruise to the Pacific Islands.”

“That’s your way of playing offence? Running away?”

Her glare returns after easing for a few moments. “I’m not running away. I haven’t had any time off in ages and I want to get away from everything, so a cruise is perfect.”

Stan interrupts us. “Good, I see you two have met.”

With one last glare, Lorelei turns to greet him, a smile fixed on her face. “We have.” Gesturing for him to take a seat, she adds, “I didn’t realise you were bringing Ashton on board.”

As we all sit, Stan replies, “I was as surprised as you, Lorelei, but when he phoned this morning to discuss it, he solved some problems I was having.”

Her eyes widen as she looks at me. “This morning, huh?”

Stan glances between the two of us before settling his attention on her. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it was about half an hour after my other major investor pulled out, so Ashton saved my ass. After I promised you I had everything sorted, the last thing I wanted to do was attend this meeting and have to tell you I didn’t.”

I lean forward, checking my watch. “Can we get started? I have another meeting after this one.”

She purses her lips. “Absolutely, Ashton. I’d hate to hold you up.”

While Stan runs through his presentation, I watch Lorelei. And listen to her. She’s smart and asks the right questions. The way she handles Stan impresses me and I realise where her talents lie. Lorelei is good with people; she’s firm, yet knows when to be soft, and she has this ability to direct a person to her way of thinking while allowing them to believe they came up with it by themselves. In the process, it makes them feel confident not only in themselves but also in the idea—the idea she wanted to make happen.

We discuss our next steps and then Stan summarises everything before saying, “I think this is going to be one of the best developments I’ve been involved with. You two have a wealth of experience behind you and the fact we all agree on so much should help this run smoothly.”

Lorelei glances at me. The glare she started the meeting with has disappeared. “I don’t have anywhere near the experience that Ashton does. I’m looking forward to learning from both of you.”

I stand and shake Stan’s hand. “Contact Jessica if you need anything. I’ll get the ball rolling on what we’ve discussed.”