Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
LUKA
T here was a wall of windows along the east side of the top floor. I swore I could see the entire Mississippi River from this view. Other than sunlight streaming through the glass, there wasn’t much other than construction dust and exposed wires and beams. Brick pillars stood every twenty feet. It was a huge open space full of potential.
I could see it. The full picture. A backdrop with our names. An office staffed. Adjoining suites. It was right here in this space. The future of the Novikovs and Amara Amato was going to happen in this building.
After my lunch with Mikhail, I was confident I could make it happen. Things were falling into place. I called Roman and he had booked a flight to New Orleans.
I would have four Brigadiers in the city and with Mikhail at the French training grounds I could return our manpower to the levels it used to be. I had learned something from Amara’s approach to business. Not all of it had to be done in the shadows and in dark, damp warehouses. She had amassed power, wealth, and prestige with office buildings and reputable businesses to front what she did below the city. There was no reason I couldn’t do the same.
Today was the start of a new way of Novikov business. The Brigadiers could stick to the shadows while I ran the city from this exact spot.
I checked the ice in the champagne bucket.
She’d say yes, I knew she would.
I heard the elevator doors. I looked up just in time to see the most gorgeous long legs walking across the debris-strewn floor.
“You made it.” I grinned.
“Did I have a choice?” She twisted her lips together playfully.
“I see the elevator key worked.”
She spotted the silver champagne stand. “Luka, what’s going on?”
“This is the big surprise.” I stepped back.
“An unfinished building?” She looked at me skeptically. “This place needs a lot of work.”
“It’s not just any unfinished building. It’s going to be our building.”
“What are you talking about?” Her voice climbed an octave.
“I’m talking about this place. This is where we join Novikov and Amato organizations into one company. We’re going to merge into one organization. Finally.”
She blinked. “You’re kidding.”
“No. Dead serious.” I reached for the champagne bottle. I remembered her favorite from Marguerite’s. I’d had it delivered for the occasion. “Watch out,” I warned, positioning my thumbs at the base of the cork. It shot across the room. The champagne flowed into the first glass. I handed it to Amara.
“I have no idea what you’re up to.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Think about it.” I filled the second glass. “We convert this into our joined space. We run our projects together here.”
“Our projects?” She hadn’t even attempted to bring the champagne to her lips. “Since when do we have projects?”
“It doesn’t work when we’re on opposite teams. It never has. Look at the Crescent Towers. The Vieux Carre. The distillery.” I rattled off examples that made us enemies. “If the last two days taught me anything, it’s that we’re much better together than we are fighting each other. We can run New Orleans together. We are stronger. More powerful. I have the forces that run the city. You have amassed the wealth.”
I snaked my arm around her waist and drew her toward me. Her lips were only inches from mine. Her breath floated across my cheek. I was dangerously close to causing her to drop the champagne glass.
“I already run New Orleans.” Her eyes lit with fire. “I don’t need a partnership to gain more power in this city.”
“That’s not true and you know it, kotyonok. You are mine.”
She quivered in my hold. “Luka, that’s different,” she whispered.
“It’s not. You belong to me. Now. Always.” I smirked. “You can either compete with me, or work with me. This is what works.”
“I could take my chances,” she whispered. “With what you still owe me, you won’t be a threat for a long, long time.” She raked her teeth over her bottom lip. Our eyes locked on each other.
“Oh, I have a plan for that. Something that will make us equals very soon.” I wanted to tell her, but the plan had to be laid out in steps. There was a method I couldn’t deviate from today.
“Really, what’s that?” she asked.
“A surprise.” Our noses practically touched. “I’ve already had the plans drawn up for our suites,” I whispered in her ear. “There’s a hidden room in the middle that only we have access to.” I kissed behind her ear. “Mid-day meetings are essential.”
“You’ve made a lot of assumptions rather quickly.” Her head leaned backward, allowing me access to her throat.
“What’s this?” I stopped. There was a bandage on the side of her neck at the top of her shoulder.
She quickly covered it with her hand. “Just where I had the tracker taken out. Like you wanted.”
“Let me see.” I removed her hand and lifted a corner of the Band-Aid. “Looks like that might have hurt.” I was proud of her for listening to me.
“It’s nothing. Just a little scratch from Ciro.”
My eyes widened. “You had Ciro remove it?”
She nodded. “He wasn’t happy about it. But it’s out.” She smiled. “I took your advice over his. How does that make you feel?”
“Like we both know what’s best for us.”
“And what’s that?” she tested.
“Each other,” I answered, knowing it was true.
“Is that what this merger is about?”
“I know what I want. I know what you need. Why wait?” I dotted her skin with kisses. She grinned.
“Because I haven’t agreed to any of the terms,” she responded slowly. “This is a big merger. We need to think through every detail. Analyze every angle. There’s nothing simple about it.”
I traced my finger over the pearl dangling from her neck. “You’re wearing it again.”
She nodded, straightening her neck into an upright position. “I’m sorry for the way I left it in the suite at the Vieux Carre.”
“No. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the tech company. You were angry, love.”
I hadn’t released my hold on her waist. It felt too good holding her close. She didn’t wiggle away. We both wanted the proximity. We worked best this way. The merger was perfect in many respects. A true blending of Italian and Russian strengths. We would be unstoppable.
“Are we going to drink the champagne?” she asked.
“Are you going to agree that this is our new office space?” I taunted.
“I can’t agree to anything like that. You know we have to talk about it. Sort through it. I need to discuss it with Barbara. What does Viktor say?”
“He works for me. He does what I tell him to do.” Viktor was going to work a lot of overtime now that I was back.
Her lips brushed lightly over mine. “I don’t know if I can work with someone so bossy.”
I chuckled. “One mid-morning meeting and I think you’ll be begging me to boss you around that office every hour on the hour.”
She moaned slightly, more purr than whimper and our lips collided in a blistering kiss. She wrapped her free hand to my neck, carefully holding the champagne to the side. Our tongues twined. I moved my mouth against hers. Damn. She had already made me forget why we were here. She nipped and sucked at the corners of my mouth.
“Luka,” she whispered.
My hand rounded to her ass, squeezing her curves through the silk dress. “Mmm?”
“Give me the tech, and I’ll agree.”
I froze in mid-squeeze. I had a full palm of delicious Amara ass in my grip.
“No.”
She stepped away playfully, turning on her five-inch heels, drinking the champagne. I let go of the silk reluctantly. “I thought you wanted to merge everything?” she toyed. “Combine our assets.” She walked to the wall of windows. “You listed the distillery and the Vieux Carre. Why not add in what you have? I want the tech as part of the deal. Throw in the grapes in France while you’re negotiating.”
Damn it. She was going to force my hand. I strolled next to her. There were a series of barges pushing cargo along the river. From this far above the city we could make out small forms of tourists on the street.
Her green eyes tilted upward toward mine. “What? You don’t want to negotiate now? Too much risk? You don’t like giving up the most valuable asset you have?”
“The tech isn’t on the table, yet.”
“Ahh. I see.” She drank more champagne. “When exactly are you ready to add it to the deal? I don’t know that I’m interested in talking about any type of merger until I know the tech is safe.”
“You have stock in everything my father owned. You have enough.”
“And I want the tech,” she responded. “No tech. No deal.”
I was amazed at how quickly the hot and sexy woman could chill in front of my eyes. How did she do that? It was like she flipped a switch. I had to remember I knew her. I knew the vulnerable Amara. This was an act. A good one, but still an act that had worked on many men in this city.
“How do I get you off the tech?”
“You can’t.” She smiled.
I laughed. “Let’s see about that.”