He wanted Dallas in every possible way. The gauntlet had been officially thrown. Greer would win their race and steal Dallas away in the process.
“He’s always been able to read people like that.” Kailey’s whiney voice had him cutting his gaze her way, but he tightened his grip when Dallas tried to pull his hand away. Greer held on for only a second or two longer, letting Dallas know his intentions.
Greer let go of the breath holding him in place, and stepped back, speaking to the group. “You need to be sure you all want to work together like this. I’ve had my sister here since the beginning of EnviroCapital. It may have been the worst decision of my life.” Greer grinned his most charming smile, all for Dallas’s benefit, and pivoted around, heading for the conference room door.
Dylan laughed out loud. “On that note, take me to my plane.”
“Thank you, Mr. Reeves,” Ducky said as Dylan rose. They all expressed their thanks as his sister took over the final moments of the meeting.
“Gentlemen, take a seat. We have coffee and danishes. Let me see when Mr. Hainer has time for you. Give me just a minute.”
Greer left them there, making his way to his office for his cell phone and keys. It was ridiculous how happy he was, and how he had loved every single moment of their meeting.
=?=
“I like the way Greer’s clothes fit him,” Ducky said from the back seat of Donny’s compact car. Dallas, who sat in the front seat, let the words bounce around his head. He cast a questioning glance at Donny who already gave him a what-the-hell-was-Ducky-talking-about side-eye. “If my clothes fit me like that, I’d wear those kinds of clothes too.”
“You’re a dipshit,” Donny muttered, switching lanes, following the directions from the GPS.
“I bet he makes bank.” This time, Dallas turned as far as the seat belt would allow, looking back at Ducky whose thumbs worked furiously over his phone screen.
“Of course, he brings in a haul,” Donny said. “His clothes look like that because they’re made to look like that, which is something I’m gonna have when we start making some real money.”
“He’s a venture capitalist,” Ducky added, turning the phone screen toward Dallas to show a professional shot of Greer looking stylish yet sophisticated. He had the same sparkle in his eyes he always did. A humor of sorts. A teasing of how life was nothing more than a game to him.
Dallas quickly scanned the caption underneath the photo. Of course, Greer was a venture capitalist. It all made total sense. Well, everything except why someone like Greer had lowered themselves to the level of Club Indigo then into being the DD who’d gotten him home safely.
He pushed back in his seat and dropped his elbow on the window’s edge, placing his head in his hand. He’d been fighting all these feelings for a sexy hot, game playing venture capitalist. Greer didn’t like labels. What a laughable thought. Someone like Greer could afford not to label himself.
“His company works with private environmental projects,” Ducky explained, making Dallas’s derogatory thoughts seem condescending and petty. “I guess that’s why his offices had the solar panels. Greer bought that property and remodeled it into a living building. What’s that mean?”
“I’m not sure. I think it has to do with all those plants. But that BMW’s an expensive hybrid sports car,” Donny added, exiting the highway.
“He’s the real deal. He can help us. Dallas, you gotta let him win,” Ducky said, shifting forward in his seat to stick his head through the center opening to look at Dallas.
“He’ll know and won’t like it,” Dallas muttered. He trained guys like Greer all the time. Their drive to win had an innate understanding of what it took to fight the battle. “He’ll know if I go light.”
“Dallas’s right,” Donny said, taking the turn the GPS instructed. “It’s better to be honest. And remember, lots of those guys are so in debt they aren’t really worth what they say.”
“If you think so…” Ducky said with doubt lacing each word as he dropped back in his seat.
“You’re being quiet.” Donny knocked Dallas in the belly with the back of his hand. He then executed a sweet maneuver, swinging them into the parking lot of Hainer and Associates before he missed the turn.
“Things are about to change.” Something deep inside Dallas knew the changes weren’t going to be what they had expected. Maybe not even what they wanted.
“Yeah, you think?” Donny mocked and pushed open his car door. “It’s what we wanted. We did it.” Donny got out of the car then happily ducked his head back inside the opening before Dallas or Ducky could make it out. “Look, Lockhart’s helping with an independent review of the contract. That has to mean he’s on the up and up.” Donny stood, taking several steps backward. His arms spread in a king-of-the-world motion as he excitedly yelled, “We did it. Fuckin’ A, we did.”