Chapter 8
My cock twitched at her words. She was feisty as hell and didn’t back down from anything. That was one of her strongest attributes, except when she was doing it to annoy the hell out of me. Though, Elin had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. We were partners.
Mentally cursing my best friend for giving his share to his bitch of a daughter, I offered, “Let me buy you out, then. Two million. Cash in the bank by the end of the week.”
She was staring at her father’s chair as she turned it toward her and, after a moment, let out a heavy breath. Sitting down, she pulled up to the desk and responded flatly, “No.”
What? There was no way she was this stubborn. “You’re going to turn down two million in cash that easily?”
“Password?” It was as if she hadn’t heard me or didn’t give a shit about what I’d said.
My blood boiled at the sheer disrespect she was showing me.
With a snap of my fingers, I could end her life.
I could pull the gun at my waist, press it against her temple, and, with a flinch of my finger, revel in the way her blood would also paint this room.
I shook my head to dislodge the fantasy, knowing it would only cause more paperwork and I was already buried in it with other things.
“Your father’s birthday.” I watched as she typed it in, and the home screen popped up.
I had to admit that I was impressed. She immediately changed the log-in password then went through the files on the desktop, and the fact she hadn’t responded to my offer had me on edge.
I was never ignored. Rage soared through my veins, and I slammed my hand down on the desk. “Answer me.”
Elin simply looked down at my flattened hand before turning back to the computer. “Throwing a tantrum won’t change my answer.”
“You didn’t answer me.”
Her attention swung up to me, and I tried to hide the catch in my breath.
The intelligence in her eyes and the way her hair hung over her shoulder like pampas grass waving in the breeze had me captivated.
Why had I not noticed just how fucking stunning this woman was?
She was fucking beautiful. “I thought, as your father’s second, you would be proficient enough in reading between the lines.
Thought you would understand that my nonanswer and asking for the password to the laptop would be answer enough.
Obviously, you aren’t as smart as you claim to be.
” Turning her attention back to the screen, she scoffed.
“Fucking idiot. You sure you don’t need to head downstairs for a release to let the blood return to where it needs to be at for this conversation? ”
Grinding my teeth, I forced myself to not think of creative ways to shut that smartass mouth of hers. “So, you’re going to stay in business with someone you hate?”
She clicked on the most current operating statement and glanced over the numbers before closing it and bringing up the club calendar.
Elin had been given the last quarter’s figures, but she hadn’t seen the most current set of books.
The fact that was the first thing she’d gone to piqued my interest. What is she looking for?
Is she legitimately looking at the business records or something else?
She continued in silence, bouncing between the calendar and the financials.
I was leaning on the edge of the desk next to her, and I couldn’t help but notice the determination in her dark blue eyes and the way her nose twitched when she saw something interesting on the screen.
It was adorable, really, but then there was that mouth of hers.
It was a problem. She wasn’t under our protection.
The assignment of her father’s assets to her included a full NDA on any and all matters connected to the family, but she had no loyalty to us.
“I can smell the smoke burning,” she grumbled.
“Well, stop thinking then.”
Elin leaned back in the chair and looked up at me with a droll look. “What are you? Two?” When I just stared back at her, she rolled her eyes and continued, “We need to discuss the event scheduled for next month.”
For a moment there, it was like talking to Joel.
The way she would go from giving me shit to business in a flash reminded me of many of my and Joel’s conversations over the years.
Circling around to the front of the desk, I sat in one of the two matching leather chairs and put my feet up on the surface, lacing my fingers together over my stomach. “What do you want to know?”
“I read the synopsis in the report that was emailed by your second, but I want to hear your expectations and plans for it. What, other than money, are you hoping it will do for the business? For Paradise, not the family.”
Leaning my head back onto the edge of the leather chair, I smiled at her, pure arrogance and control. “Everything is about money for the family. Money and power.”
“Power is an illusion.” Elin let out an irritated huff, and her lips thinned as she pressed them together.
“I also need to know when invoices are modified to cover shit for the family.” I glared at her, but she didn’t turn her gaze to me before continuing, “I don’t need to know the why, but I need to know when so I’m not expecting something to be available for the club, only to find out that it was just a cover.
” Her attention flitted across the screen as her fingers worked quickly with the mouse pad to get something else to pop up.
The light from the laptop brightened her face, her eyes reflecting it, and I swallowed when my cock twitched at how it enhanced her beauty.
Enhanced her beauty? What the fuck am I thinking?
“I know that you and my father had a CPA to cook the books, and I don’t really give a fuck about that. I just want to make sure I receive my fair cut each month and have realistic expectations. Now, I’ve read the reports and seen the lists, but tell me about the party.”
“We’re hoping to bring new blood into the club. Increase membership.”
“Membership is at an all-time high, unless you’ve cooked those numbers as well. Is it about increasing revenue? We could look at upping the monthly fee.”
I shook my head. “I’m open to that, but it’s not specifically about short-term revenue. The average age of the membership is rising. We need to bring in the next generation to keep from phasing out. Guests keep coming in, but memberships are holding steady.”
“Alright. I don’t see any notes about increased security.
” She was studying the screen, clicking on what I assumed to be a few different tabs just to verify her statements.
“With so many non-vetted persons coming in, we will need to make sure there are more people on hand to ensure things don’t become out of control. ”
I ground my teeth. “The family has it covered.” Elin raised her eyebrows, making me let out an irritated sigh. “Or should I say, a private contractor will be in attendance.”
“It will need to be on paper for the tax write-off.” She sat back in the chair and was readjusting her hair into a messy knot as she stared at me.
“You know that can’t happen. These guys are on the Azzaros’ payroll. They have to stay off the club books. You would know that if you knew anything about the way the family works.”
Her eyebrow lifted in defiance, and for some reason it was enduring on her.
Did she really have no fear of me? “I know that you bully people into doing what you want. You do what you want, when you want, not giving two shits about how that can affect anyone else. The family has no loyalty, even to its own.”
Elin knew nothing. Obviously, she was talking about how we’d killed Joel, but she—
Interrupting my thoughts, she continued, “You should learn quickly that I’m a dominant woman in my own right and won’t take your intimidation. Now, testing is still required for the event, right? I won’t have STDs running rampant because we let someone slip through.”
Pulling my feet down, I leaned forward on my knees. Now she was just being insulting. “Of course.”
Closing the laptop, she leaned forward on the desk, matching my body posture, and stared at me. I narrowed my eyes at her before saying, “Do you think I want them spreading here? Even I’m tested monthly, same as any other member.”
I must have given her the answer she wanted.
Elin’s shoulders relaxed some as she let out a low breath, picking up her phone and typing away on it.
“Good. I’ll make sure I am too, even if I don’t partake in the club’s benefits.
I ask because while I would hope you wouldn’t want STDs to spread here, it isn’t like all your morals are pure white. ”
Once again, I saw pieces of her father in her thought process. While we did kill and hurt people on a regular basis, on the legit side of things, we didn’t want the legal trouble that would be associated with disease and death within the establishment. “I’d never kill a business partner—”
“Except that you did.”
I felt the punch to the gut as she hissed the words.
I swallowed, and in an effort not to go down that road, I continued, “—even if she does piss me off and makes me want to throttle her.” What I didn’t say was that there was a part of me that also wanted to push her against the wall and show her that having me as a partner had other benefits.
Ones that would contain multiple orgasms and her screaming my name.
I shook my head, once again trying to banish those thoughts.
What was it with this woman? She was arrogant, pushy, and was wedging herself under my skin.
My father expected me to keep a cool and even head.
That was usually the situation no matter what, but with her, my fingers twitched to toss her over my knee and spank the defiance and arrogance out of her.
Now, though, my voice came out in a low growl.
“It’s out of the respect I have for your father. He was devoted to the family.”
“Respect? Do tell, Mr. Azzaro, how murdering my father and the love of your sister’s life showed any fucking respect.” Shaking her head, she glared at me. “Despite your efforts, pitiful as they are, I’m not one of your little minions.”
The way this bitch didn’t back down was insulting—and fucking hot. I hated how hard it made me. “You know who I am, right?”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “I do. I just don’t really give a shit.”
I tried to tap down my agitation and took a breath, trying to push down the urge to give in to the previous fantasy of painting the room with her blood.
Yet, every time she pushed, the need to pin her to the wall and fuck it all out of her became stronger.
“Who do you think you are, coming in here, talking to me like this?”
“An equal, fifty-percent owner of Paradise Pleasure, LLC.” Her hands folded together as she leaned on the top of the desk. “And you are going to treat me like one, instead of using your family name to compensate for your micro, pencil dick.”
“Get over yourself. What is it with women assuming that because a man tells her to stop being bossy, it’s because he's compensating for things? So, unless you want me to show you exactly how much I’m not compensating —”
“I’ll do what I want, when I fucking want.
” She stood up and strode around the desk, her hands on her hips.
I had to admit the fire in her eyes, the way her fingers gripped her hips, and the way her shirt pulled across her chest was fucking sexy as fuck, but she was going to have to learn her place.
“You will treat me as an equal partner. I recognize that in your world, women are to be locked in some mansion, popping out heirs for you, and being there for you when you get home all bloody and need to fuck out your emotions. It’s too fucking bad for you that I’m a woman unwilling to play by your ancient, misogynistic fucking rules. ”
Thrusting myself to my feet, I stood inches from her, glaring down at her defiant face.
Those deep blue eyes glowered at me, pulling me into her.
The only sound in the room was my heartbeat in my ears.
Gritting my teeth in frustration, I felt more blood flood my cock the longer I stared into the depths of her eyes.
I took a step toward her, our chests a mere inch from each other, but of course Elin didn’t back up.
She held her ground as I said through my teeth, “I’m going to destroy you. ”