The Dictator (Banker 2)

“I’m not keeping an eye on you,” I snapped. “I just want to keep those gold-digging skanks off my man.”

The second I used the possessive phrase, his eyes narrowed farther and his eyebrows rose. He held my gaze for a long time, still digesting the statement. A second later, approval entered his gaze. “Your man?”

“Yes.” He was the man I slept with every night and the father of my child. To say I was possessive of him was an understatement. Even if Cato turned down all their offers, I didn’t want them to have the opportunity to make a pass to begin with.

“Then let’s go.”

I recognized the building because I’d seen him walk into it several times. When I had been gleaning as much information as possible, I’d followed him to various locations to determine his schedule. It was interesting to actually walk inside when I’d only stared at the front doors.

The second Cato was in the building, everyone waited on him hand and foot. The secretaries all greeted him with a smile and over-the-top enthusiasm, and the other employees inside the bank went out of their way to say hello and compliment his tie or his watch.

We moved to the top floor, which seemed to be a restricted area just for Cato. It was two enormous offices along with two assistants. Cato checked in with one of them, received his messages, and then introduced me. “Shelly, this is Siena.” Then he headed to his office.

Siena? That was it? I didn’t consider myself to be his girlfriend or his wife, but I felt like I was more than just my first name. I followed behind him and entered his office. “That’s it? I’m Siena?”

He sat behind his desk and got to work, hardly looking at me. “She already knows who you are.”

“Which is?”

“The woman I’m fucking.”

And that was it? “Does she know we’re expecting?”

“She has eyes, doesn’t she?” He grabbed his laptop and typed in a few passwords before he finally accessed it. “I have a lot of work to do, so no more talking.”

I raised an eyebrow.

He didn’t need to look at me to know I looked pissed. “You wanted to come, Siena. I told you I couldn’t entertain you.” He stared at his screen and then his fingers hit the keyboard fast. He was typing at lightning speed, better than a typist. Then he flipped through his stack of folders and made notes.

So this was what a billionaire did all day?

The door burst open, and Bates walked inside. “I’ve got another live one—” He halted when he saw me, and his horrified expression quickly turned into a livid one. His eyes burst with rage, and it seemed like he might strangle me right then and there.

Cato looked up from his work and examined his brother. “You were saying?”

He couldn’t take his eyes off me. “What the fuck is she doing here?”

Cato quickly matched his hostility. “Shut the door if you’re going to act like a maniac.”

He slammed it shut and then spoke louder. “What the fuck is she doing here?”

“She wanted to come,” Cato said. “We have that meeting tonight, and she wanted to be the woman on my arm. You know, bug repellent. Apparently, I have a jealous woman on my hands.” He tried to stop the corner of his mouth from rising in a smile, but it was too hard to ignore.

“Or a bitch that’s just trying to learn everything she can. I told you what she was after, and you still don’t believe me.”

Cato rose to his feet. “Enough with the bitch bombs, alright? And no, that’s not what she’s doing.”

“Really?” he snapped. “Open your damn eyes. She saw an opportunity and took it. I used to think you were the smartest guy I’ve ever known, but now that I’ve seen how far you’ve fallen, I don’t even know you anymore. This business is everything to us—and you’re throwing it away for her.” He walked out and slammed the door again.

Cato stared at the closed door for several seconds before he sighed.

I didn’t realize how much my presence would ruin Cato’s day. “I’m sorry…I should have stayed home.”

“No.” He looked back at his computer. “He’s just unhinged. Don’t worry about him.”

I’d seen the progression of their relationship, from their strong alliance to their broken friendship. Now they were falling apart right in front of my eyes. Cato had few family members, and the last thing I wanted him to do was lose another. “I have an idea.” I rose from the chair and walked to the desk.

“Yes?” He leaned back in his chair and looked at me.

“If Bates is that concerned about me plotting to take your business, then let’s give him some reassurance.”

“And how do you propose we do that?”

“Legal paperwork.” I’d never done anything like this before, but I assumed it existed. “We meet with a lawyer and draft up a contract stating that I will never have any ownership claim to this company. Even if we married and you died, your share of the company would return to Bates or would be passed down to the baby. We can indicate in every way imaginable that there’s no possibility I can ever get my hands on it.” If that was what Bates needed to sleep well at night, it was fine by me.