32. Dominic
32
Dominic
S he sleeps in my bed for the first time in a while. Tatiana’s body curls against mine, her breathing deep and even, one arm draped lazily across my chest. Last night was intense. The way she provoked me during that call, the way I responded. The desk. The spanking. Her gasps as she came undone beneath me.
But it’s the fact that she stayed afterward that feels dangerous. Usually she retreats to her guest suite immediately after sex, maintaining that crucial distance between us. Not last night. Last night after dinner, she came to my room, and we fucked again.
And again.
And again.
Finally, she fell asleep in my arms, and I let her.
I stare at the ceiling, acutely aware of the warmth of her body against mine. Two days. That’s all we have left of this arrangement, and then we go our separate ways. The annulment papers are already drafted, sitting in Arthur Sterling’s office, waiting for signatures. I’m just waiting for the resort deal to go through, then we can sign them.
But why does the thought of signing the annulment make my chest tighten in a way that has nothing to do with my lingering cough?
You’ve fallen for her, a voice in my head whispers. I silence it immediately.
Falling for anyone is not an option.
Not with my history.
Not with the mess my life has become.
And certainly not with a woman who deserves someone whole, someone undamaged. The memory of that night long ago flashes through my mind, and I tremble like a child.
I carefully extract myself from Tatiana’s embrace, watching as she shifts slightly but doesn’t wake. Her blonde hair fans across my pillow, her face peaceful in sleep.
Something inside me twists at the sight.
Fuck. This is getting complicated.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I grab it quickly before the noise can wake her, and then I slip out of the bedroom.
Nico’s name flashes on the screen. My stomach drops.
“What do you want?” I answer, keeping my voice low as I close the bedroom door behind me.
“Good morning to you too, big brother.” His voice carries that familiar edge, the one that’s been there since that night. “Did I interrupt something?”
“It’s 6:30 in the morning, Nico,” I say, moving toward the kitchen. “What do you want?” I repeat.
“We need to talk. In person.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “About what?”
“About our deal. About the resort. About your wife .” The way he emphasizes “wife” makes my skin crawl. “I’ve been patient, Dom. The deal closes soon, doesn’t it? Which means you’re going to be paying me?”
I clench my jaw so hard it hurts. “I’m too busy.”
“Sorry, that’s not going to cut it today.” I can hear the threat in his voice.
“Where and when?” I growl.
“Same as last time. One hour.”
“Fine,” I say, and hang up before he can respond.
I stand in the kitchen, gripping the counter until my knuckles turn white. The last thing I want to do is face him this morning, especially after last night with Tatiana.
But I don’t have a choice. I never have, really, when it comes to Nico.
I quickly shower and dress, leaving a brief note for Tatiana saying I had an early meeting. I don’t mention Nico. I don’t tell her where I’m going. Another lie of omission to add to the growing pile between us.
I call Jake as I ride the elevator down. “I need to meet my brother privately. Book a private room at Per Se.”
“I’ll see to it.”
I leave my security detail out front and enter the restaurant. Nico is already there when I arrive, waiting in the private room.
His scars catch the overhead lights, the twisted tissue along his right cheek and jaw a permanent reminder of my failure.
He smiles when he sees me, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Dom. Right on time as always.”
I slide into the seat across from him. “You said it was urgent.”
“Coffee first,” he insists. On cue, the waitress enters. “Black for me. And my brother will have a macchiato, extra shot.”
The fact that he still remembers how I take my coffee shouldn’t affect me, but it does. Little reminders of who we used to be to each other always hit harder than they should.
Once the waitress leaves, Nico leans forward. “I had an interesting lunch the other day.”
“With Morgan Weiss,” I say flatly. “I know.”
Surprise flickers across his face before he masks it. “Your security team is thorough.”
“Why are you meeting with him, Nico? He’s trying to sabotage the resort deal.”
Nico shrugs, a casual gesture that doesn’t match the calculation in his eyes. “He approached me. Said we might have common interests. He seems to think your marriage is some kind of sham.”
My blood runs cold. “And what did you tell him?”
“Nothing yet .” He emphasizes the “yet,” letting the implication hang between us. “But I’m wondering if I should. After all, knowing your little Vegas wedding is set to end as soon as the deal closes would be valuable information to someone like Weiss, wouldn’t it?”
The waitress returns with our coffees, giving me a moment to collect myself.
When she leaves, I fix Nico with a hard stare. “What exactly are you trying to do here?”
His eyes narrow. “I’m trying to understand if our agreement still stands.”
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “Nico. If you want any money at all, you have to let this deal close. Everything hinges on it. Don’t leak anything to Weiss. Stop talking to him entirely .”
He grins, and for a moment I see the mischievous little brother from before the scars, before the bitterness. “I’ll think about it.”
“What do you want?” I ask again, cutting to the chase. “More money? A bigger percentage? What will it take for you to leave this alone?”
Nico takes a sip of his coffee, watching me over the rim. “You know something? I saw her. Your wife. At the gala last week.”
This is news to me. I didn’t know Nico was at the gala. Just like I hadn’t known Weiss was there. Had they gone together? Doubtful. “You were there?”
“In the background. I didn’t approach. Just watched.” His expression shifts, becoming more serious. “She’s quite something, isn’t she? Much more impressive in person than in those tabloid photos.”
Something territorial flares inside me, but I suppress it. “Nico...”
“What? I’m just saying she’s attractive. Smart too, from what I could tell. Handling those investors like a pro.” He sets his cup down. “Tell me something, Dom. When this deal closes and your temp marriage ends, what happens to her?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“But you are getting an annulment, right? That’s the plan?” When I don’t immediately answer, he presses, “Have you changed your mind?”
“No,” I admit finally. “The marriage will be annulled.”
He nods slowly, as if confirming a theory. “Remember what you said to me at the restaurant? That you’d do anything to make things right between us?”
“I remember,” I say cautiously, not liking where this is heading.
“Did you mean it?”
The weight of our history sits heavily between us. I can feel the guilt that’s shaped every decision I’ve made since that night.
Coward.
“Yes,” I say quietly. “I meant it.”
Nico leans forward, his eyes never leaving mine. “Then I want you to introduce me to Tatiana. Set us up.”
For a moment, I’m certain I’ve misheard him. “What?”
“You’re getting an annulment in a couple of days, right? So what’s the problem?” His tone is casual, but there’s nothing casual about the request. “I find her interesting. I’d like to get to know her better.”
“Absolutely not,” I say automatically. Anger, jealousy, emotions I’d never expected to feel for her, surge to the forefront.
“Why not? You’ll be done with her soon enough.” Nico’s voice hardens. “Or is there another reason? Something you’re not telling me?”
“She’s not some object to be passed around, Nico. She’s a fucking person . A human being.”
“I fucking know that,” he says, sounding genuinely offended. “I’m not asking you to pass her around. I’m asking for an introduction. A chance to talk to her without the whole temporary marriage thing hanging over her head. I like her, okay?”
“No,” I repeat, but with less conviction this time.
Nico’s expression darkens. “So much for doing anything to make things right. I guess some promises are easier to break than others, huh, Dom?”
The accusation hits its mark with devastating precision. I’ve been breaking promises to Nico since we were kids, since the moment I...
I close my eyes.
“It’s not that simple,” I try to explain.
“It is that simple,” he counters. “Either you meant what you said about making things right, or you didn’t.” He pauses, then asks, “Do you have feelings for her or something? Is that what this is about?”
“No,” I lie, the word tasting bitter. “It’s not about feelings.”
“Then what’s the problem?” He spreads his hands. “The marriage was fake. It’s ending. All I’m asking for is a chance to meet her properly.”
I stare at my coffee, watching the surface ripple slightly from my unsteady hands. The logical part of my brain knows this is wrong. But logic has never been a match for the crushing weight of the guilt I carry when it comes to Nico.
“I could just tell Weiss the truth...” Nico warns. “About the marriage. About the whole annulment arrangement.”
“Are you fucking blackmailing me now?” I hiss, anger flaring.
“I prefer to think of it as leveraging my position,” he says with a shrug. “But if you want to call it blackmail, sure.”
I close my eyes briefly, feeling trapped. If I refuse, Nico could destroy everything. The resort deal. My company’s reputation. Tatiana’s privacy.
But if I agree, I’m betraying Tatiana in a way she might never forgive. Not that forgiveness matters when we’ll be going our separate ways in two days.
That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
It’s just an introduction.
“Fine,” I say finally, the word heavy with resignation. “I’ll arrange something. A dinner, maybe. But I’m not promising anything beyond an introduction.”
Nico’s face lights up with triumph. “That’s all I’m asking for, brother. A fair chance. We can talk about the rest of the money you owe me another time.”
I ignore that last comment and instead insist: “I need to know you won’t leak anything to Weiss. That you’ll stop meeting with him.”
“Deal,” he agrees quickly. “So when can we do this dinner?”
“I’ll set something up,” I say vaguely. “But I need time to arrange it properly.”
“Don’t take too long,” Nico warns. “Your clock is ticking, remember?”
I stand up, needing to escape before I change my mind or punch my brother, maybe both. “I need to go.”
“Already? We were just getting to the good part.”
“I have a company to run, Nico. A resort deal to finalize.”
He nods, that calculated half-smile returning. “Of course you do. Tell your wife I said hello.”
The implication that she won’t be my wife much longer hangs in the air between us.
“I’m serious about this, Dom,” he adds as I turn to leave. “I want to meet her. Soon.”
“I heard you the first time,” I reply coldly, then walk away before he can say anything else.
Outside, with my security team flanking me, the morning air does nothing to clear the sick feeling in my gut. I’ve just agreed to set up Tatiana with my brother. A man who’s using her as a pawn in whatever game he’s playing with me. A man who threatened to expose our arrangement if I didn’t comply.
What kind of man does that make me?
One who deserves neither forgiveness nor love, a voice in my head answers.
I check my phone. Three missed calls from my lawyer Arthur, and a text from Tatiana asking where I’ve gone. I ignore both for now, needing space to think.
Two days left.
Then the annulment.
Then back to our separate lives.
So why does the thought of Nico pursuing Tatiana make me want to put my fist through his head?
Because you’ve already fallen for her, that same voice reminds me. And you just betrayed her in the worst possible fucking way.
It’s just an introduction.
That’s what I tell myself.
But as my driver pulls away from the curb, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve just set in motion something that I’ll regret for the rest of my life.