“Oh, and Paige?”
I spun to face him.
“Colin Davis is due here in ten minutes. I haven’t had a chance to review his terms yet and can’t make our meeting. Please go tell him we’ll have to reschedule.”
“Terms?”
“He’s been after me to sublet one of my slips to him in the New York port.”
“Is this connected to the Jes Frolos deal in London?”
“Separate deal.”
“Why do you have qualms about this deal, and not the one in London?” I asked.
“Because I trust Jes Frolos. And I’m looking to purchase outright from him. Colin wants to use something that’s mine and will remain mine.” His eyes took a quick, intense sweep of my entire body.
“I see,” I said a little breathily, forcing my focus back on business. Since I was still new to shipping, I was curious about several things. At the risk of looking like a moron but hoping to gain some knowledge, I asked, “Is there a good reason to help your competitor?”
Leo smiled. “What do you think?”
“I would need to think on it. I’m sure there could be some benefit, however the notion seems risky.”
“Ah, that’s the politics in you talking. You must have dealt with competitors all the time. Enemy number one right?”
“Something like that,” I said. And yes, he was right. It was always a race. Always good versus bad. Bad versus worse. Winner and loser.
“There could be some advantage to subletting a slip to Davis, but I haven’t dug into it yet,” Leo said.
“Well, there must be something special about your slips if you have the competition gunning for them.”
“Well, of course.” He smiled. “Haven’t you heard the number one rule of real estate?”
“Location, location, location?”
He scoffed. “No.” Leaning in, he wiggled his brows. “It’s all about the size, Red. And size matters.”
With a wink, he leaned back in the chair and returned to reading documents. I, however, fought off a wicked case of the blushes.
“You can let the others back in and relate my apologies to Davis but I’ll contact him when I’ve gone over his terms.”
“Will do.”
I headed out and tried for the millionth time not to let Leo’s words, charm, or those amazing eyes turn me into a ball of buzzing need.
“Good morning, Mr. Davis,” I said c
onfidently as I walked into the board room on the first floor of the Main House. Colin looked surprised to see me.
“Miss Levine.” His eyes raked over me and left a familiar slimy tremor. It was the same tremor I got when I’d faced down Bill in the past. “You look beautiful today.”
I smiled tightly. While I got a gut instinct that working for this man wasn’t my path, keeping a bridge open and unburned was smart. In the meantime, creepy glances aside, I’d just keep my eyes forward and do my job.
“We never got a chance to finish our conversation at the gala,” he said, taking a few steps toward me.
“Was there more you wished to discuss?”
“Just wanted to get to know you better. I’ve also heard rumors about Harris planning a big buy into Savas Shipping. I’m a little jealous. If you can work that kind of magic, I’ll have to up my game in persuading you to come work for me.”