“You asked me when we were last together what I want from you.”
She nods, her eyes widening as though she’s surprised the conversation is taking this direction.
“Ryan, the man you met the other night? Kasey’s father?” I begin. She nods and waits for me to continue. “He’s also my business partner and my father’s old friend. He took something from me a long time ago, and it’s time he paid for what he did.”
“What did he do?” she asks softly.
“The less you know the better. He’s a bad man. He has no idea what I have on him. I’ve held it close to me for fifteen years.”
“Why now, then?” she presses, sitting forward. I study her face, looking for any indication that she knows more than she’s letting on. Her wide eyes and innocent expression aren’t fooling me. I know she knows about my situation. There isn’t a soul in this world who doesn’t associate my name with what happened to my family.
“Because fifteen years is long enough to hold onto what I have.”
“Is this…is this about your parents?” she asks softly. My head jerks in her direction.
“What do you know about my parents?” I ask, struggling to keep my voice even. Talking about this always gets my guard up, even when it’s me leading the conversation.
“N-not much,” she stammers, her face coloring. “I mean, what happened is public knowledge. But I only know what I’ve read in the newspapers, which wasn’t much. You did well making sure the media didn’t run away with the story.” She pauses and exhales, her cheeks flushed. I watch her closely, not sure what to make of her behavior. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Forget I said anything.”
My eyes don’t leave hers, even when she looks away. This is making her much more uncomfortable than I was expecting. It’s almost like she’s hiding something.
“All you need to know is that Ryan is not a good person. Are you with me on this? Because if not, you may as well leave now.”
She swallows, her expression torn. I’m bluffing about her leaving, but there’s no way she’d know that from my expression. I’m a master at masking my feelings.
“What do you want me to do?” she asks nervously.
“I need you to gain his trust.”
She snorts and I raise my eyebrow. Her jaw drops.
“Are you serious?” she gasps.
“Do I look like I’m joking, Charlotte?” I deadpan. “Don’t try to seduce him, because he’s too smart for that. All I need is for him to believe you’re working against me, and I’ll handle the rest.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” she says with a laugh.
“I don’t know, by lying to him?” I reply, an edge to my voice. Anyone would think she’d never told a lie in her life. “Tell him what he needs to hear to believe you.” She glances down as my hand moves over her thigh. “You’re a bright young thing, Charlotte. You’ll figure it out. While I have you here…”
My voice trails off as my fingers move under her skirt, resting between her bare thighs. Her body responds to my touch, tensing as I creep closer to her warmth.
“Come here.”
I wrap my fingers around her wrist, tugging her forcefully over to me until she’s straddling my lap. I raise her skirt so her ass cheeks are exposed, digging my nails into her soft skin. She groans, pushing herself up against me, her body grinding against mine.
“What do I get if I do this for you?” she asks suddenly.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused. I’m already paying her to fuck me, and now she wants more? I’m both impressed and annoyed by her nerve.
“Not this.” She blushes, her gaze falling. “What you’re asking me to do to Ryan. What will you give me in return?” I drop my hands to my sides and stare at her, wondering if she’s serious.
“How about the salary I’m already paying you?” I say drily. She at least has the decency to blush again.
“This isn’t part of my job description,” she argues. Her gaze holds mine, refusing to waver. As pissed off as I am that she’s fighting me on this, I’m actually impressed at her spark. It takes a lot to stand up to me, and she’s doing it consistently.
“Your job is to do whatever I ask you to do,” I fire back. “What do you want? Am I not paying you enough?”
“No, it’s not that,” she hesitates. “I want more of you. You have all these girls….I want you to use only me.”