Dare Me Tonight (The Knight Brothers 3)

“Ian!” He was so presumptuous and pushy. But wasn’t that why she was here? So he’d help her make decisions?

“The school would have assigned you to someone anyway. This way you get someone I trust. Ethan Knight’s company gives major donations to the school and to this program in particular,” he went on, ignoring her outburst. “He’ll take you to the formal the first night and give you an upscale tour of Manhattan the next day. By the time you leave, you’ll have a good idea of whether the program is right for you. No pressure. And I know you’ll be in good hands,” he said, sounding very pleased with himself.

She sighed. She’d grown used to Ian’s dominating personality. All the Dare siblings had, legitimate and illegitimate alike. “Fine. But can I get a flight to New York this late in the week?” Today was Thursday. She’d have to be there on Saturday.

“The corporate jet is fueled and ready for you. Any other concerns?” Ian asked.

A broad smile pulled at her lips. Now that he’d laid it out for her so simply, the weekend seemed more like an adventure than a chore or something that would make her feel coerced.

“I suppose I ought to go pack!” She bounced up from her seat, suddenly eager to check out Manhattan and experience this weekend, starting with the private jet. Her father, the hotel magnate, didn’t fly them that way despite his wealth.

Sienna was all about new experiences. She supposed it had to do with nearly losing her life at such a young age. Although making permanent decisions about her future felt overwhelming, the easy things, like changing her hair, which she knew what it was like to lose, or going to check out New York City by herself, were exciting.

And she was looking forward to meeting the donor who would be her escort for the weekend.

* * *

Ethan Knight needed a break. Hell, after the year he’d had, he deserved one. But as luck would have it lately, shit was piling up in every way.

His billion-dollar project for the Miami Thunder Football Stadium was a pain in the ass. The schematics for the deliverables had changed several times, and if a situation could go wrong, it did. His company, Knight Time Technology, KTT for short, supplied high-tech security for smart buildings and state-of-the-art corporate parks, and now, thanks to Ian Dare, a brand-new stadium. If they nailed this project, many more sports complexes and technology projects could come their way.

Needless to say, keeping Ian Dare happy had become a full-time job. The man was as hands-on as Ethan. Two demanding CEOs and Ethan had to do his best to accommodate the other man, not butt heads with him.

“What’s up?” Sebastian, Ethan’s brother, who also worked for KTT, asked.

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” Ethan strode to the window in his office overlooking Manhattan and groaned.

“Try me,” his youngest brother said.

Ethan shrugged. “Ian Dare’s youngest sister is coming to New York this weekend. You know the Weekend Scholars’ Social that Columbia hosts and we send a representative to in order to induce the brightest to attend their business school?”

“So we can hire them after? Sure do. I used to be the guy who attended on the company’s behalf, remember? I was more than happy to turn that job over to people on our management team.”

Sebastian shuddered at the memory, which didn’t do much to make Ethan feel better about the upcoming event.

“Ian wants me to escort her personally,” Ethan said.

Sebastian burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s rich. Mr. Antisocial is going to make small talk with a graduate student-to-be.”

Ethan turned around and faced Sebastian, leaning against the window, annoyed by his brother’s obvious amusement at Ethan’s expense. “She’s twenty-three, almost twenty-four according to Ian. Not that much of a child.” Just enough to get on his nerves with chatter, compared to his ripe old age of thirty-one. Lord knew, after all he’d been through, he felt ancient.

Still smirking, Sebastian said, “Maybe it’ll be good for you. You know, get you out of the apartment and mingling with actual human beings. People who aren’t family or minions that you can’t yell at all the time?”

“Wiseass.” Ethan ran a hand through his overly long hair.

“Well, the Thunder Stadium is priority one, so make sure you show this woman a good time. Smile a little. Maybe cut your hair?” Sebastian cocked an eyebrow.

Ethan scowled, annoyed. His brothers had been giving him shit about the length of his hair for a while now. Almost a year, to be precise. He used to be so meticulous, suits and ties pressed just so, hair cut every month by a ridiculously expensive guy at a salon, and he thought he was pleasing his wife.

Well, considering the wife had died of a self-induced accidental drug overdose and had also been undermining and stealing from his company, working with a supplier on a huge project to use substandard material and pocket the difference so she could support her drug habit, Ethan figured it was time for a lot of changes.