Chapter 12
Christian
Vanessa had turned me down.
Me.
I’d reread her words at least five times and nothing had changed.
She’d. Said. No.
The beautiful woman with a vivacious personality who’d surrendered to my every need had pulled a fast one.
I could not fucking believe it. Her email was the first one I’d seen when I’d walked into my office early that Monday morning. Very early. She’d left the email on Saturday. I’d sat back, staring at it. Short, sweet, and to the point.
Since then, I’d been fuming.
Why hadn’t I bothered looking at the company email until Monday? I could have spent the weekend… Doing what exactly? I rubbed my jaw, more annoyed than I’d been in a long time. No one turned me down.
What the fuck was the issue? The money? Fine. Maybe all her sweet and innocent bullshit had been just a perfectly orchestrated act and she’d played me. I’d fallen into her trap so easily she would consider it child’s play.
I jerked up from my chair, trying to figure out how best to handle the situation. I wasn’t going to beg her to work with me. What I needed was leverage. The woman was hiding something and I was determined to find out what that was.
Call it principles.
Call it being furious because I never lost. No one dared deny me. Why her?
Hissing, I stared out the window at the bright sunshine and for the life of me, I wasn’t certain why her refusal bothered me as much as it did. But here I was so angry I couldn’t breathe normally.
The light knock on my door was met with a snarl. “What?”
Michael laughed when he walked in. “I can see you’re in a worse mood than before. I didn’t think that was possible.”
“She turned me down.”
The corners of his mouth upturned. “The girl’s got moxie.”
“That’s not what I’d call it.”
“You’re practically foaming at the mouth.”
“So the fuck what?” I noticed he had a folder in his hand. “Tell me you found something.”
Now he seemed hesitant. “Please tell me you’re not going to use what I discovered to hurt her, but only to try and convince her to change her mind.”
“Why would I want to hurt her?”
“Because I know you too well. Remember?”
Gritting my teeth, I walked closer, trying to snatch the file from his hand, which he jerked away.
“Promise me,” he demanded.
“Fine. Just tell me what you found.”
“Okay. First of all, she has a brother.”
“Don’t we all. As if I wanted to admit I do. That’s nothing.”
He grinned. “Well, he was arrested on Saturday.”
“For what?” Now it was getting more interesting.
“Selling drugs. He’s been in trouble before, but this time, the charge is likely to stick given the amount found in his possession. The authorities also charged him with intent to sell.”
I half laughed even as a small part of me felt sorry for her. “Ouch. Is he still in jail?’
“Nope. Guess who bailed him out?”
My grin widened. “It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Find out everything you can about her brother. I mean everything. The information could prove to be very useful.”
Michael sighed. “I debated telling you and I’m starting to think I did the wrong thing.
My guess is she’s not in a very good place right now and from what you’ve told me, the two of you are oil and water.
Add a little gasoline and you’re combustible.
She doesn’t need you bringing a flamethrower to the party. ”
“Yeah? So what? She started this game.”
“Did she really?”
I shrugged.
Michael grimaced.
“Fine. I’m not done yet.” As Michael threw out the carrot, I glared at him.
“Just get on with it. I need to make some decent decisions.”
He chuckled as if he was holding a great secret. “Ms. Blair has a family.”
“We all fucking do.”
“Not like this one. Her father is Jonathan Blair of Blair Development.”
It took me all of five seconds to comprehend what he was telling me. “You’re shitting me.”
“Nope. Blair Development, by far Elliot Enterprises’ greatest competition and if I had to guess, the company who might be whispering in several pairs of ears including Barchella Hotel Group, suggesting they are the firm to handle this job.
Maybe the meeting this week wasn’t as innocent as your father would like to believe. ”
Fury funneled inside of me. While there was no chance she’d been sent as a spy, my guess was that when the lovely Vanessa had learned who I was, she’d gone straight to Daddy, who’d fed her details of exactly what to do to gain information and leverage.
What surprised me wasn’t her attempt at subterfuge, but that she’d suddenly bailed on the possibility of a very lucrative contract.
I laughed and adjusted my tie, thinking about the very moment I’d had my fingers wrapped around her long, lovely neck. “That juicy information changes everything.”
“How so?”
“She will enter into a contract with me.”
“And just how are you going to make that happen?”
I took a deep breath, savoring the moments I would share with her as a business partner and as perhaps as something else.
“She’s going to begin to understand the punishment she’ll receive for crossing me.”
“Be careful, Christian. Jonathan is powerful. He also holds the attention of several influential corporate moguls and a number of politicians up and down the East Coast, including in Florida. You don’t want to cross him.”
“You underestimate me, my friend. I’m like a dog to a bone.”
He shook his head. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Get the contract ready, Michael. For this afternoon. I will have several additional clauses buried deep within.”
“Why the rush?”
As a smile crossed my face, a feeling of satisfaction settled in. “Because I’m soon to be married.”
My grip on the steering wheel was tight. My mind was active. My pulse skyrocketing. No one turned me down, let alone attempt to extort or otherwise play any kind of game with me. I was damn good at playing all of them.
Chess.
Poker.
Roulette.
And much more salacious games.
No one won against me. And here she was, pretending she was sweet, her morals preventing her from partaking in a slight charade.
What a joke. She was the ultimate game player.
I’d spent a full hour checking on her father’s activities.
He’d made more than a few overtures toward various resorts, both statewide and abroad while also contacting various city officials in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Fort Myers.
It would seem Blair Development had their sights set on invading Florida.
Over my dead body.
They’d asked questions quietly, even managing to obtain permits in Tampa already. But their bread and butter would be in Miami and the surrounding area. Our home turf. No one to date had managed to override our power or influence and it wasn’t going to happen now.
It had taken me years to convince my father we should move from dismantling companies to building resorts. In his mind, the new venture, albeit now ten years old, was risky and ridiculous. That’s why he so enjoyed holding the international contracts over my head.
This was an impossible situation, a loss so significant unacceptable.
My choice of how to handle the task of breaking down every defense she tried to hide behind? Use every avenue and resource available to me to crush her armor, exposing her lies.
Even using the lovely if not mischievous Vanessa against her own father if necessary.
Yes, I was an evil man when push came to shove.
I’d yet to determine how to use the information obtained about her brother.
Every idea was crasser than the one before.
What little Michael had learned suggested Jonathan Blair thought of his son as an embarrassment.
Nowhere had Michael discovered evidence they were close.
The fact Vanessa had bailed him out further fueled my thought that Donovan Blair was the black sheep.
A dirty little secret.
I rolled my finger across my bottom lip as I pulled into the parking lot of her office building.
The element of surprise was always the best way.
Keeping her off guard would allow me to see her true reactions without the benefit of time and practice.
I did so love this part of my job. It was how both my father and I had managed to take down so many companies from right under their owners’ noses.
Collect information. Learn every secret. Find out their greatest weakness. Develop a plan then strike. All in a day’s work.
I pulled into a parking space, taking a deep breath as I killed the engine. I sat where I was for a few minutes, no longer surprised every thought about the woman brought immediate arousal. She had a way of getting under my skin. It was time to rip off the masks and perhaps the bandages.
Keys in hand, I exited my car, shoving them into my pocket. I took a moment buttoning my jacket as I glanced at the building. Was she expecting me? Did she have any clue her entire life was about to change?
Was she craving the touch of my fingers and my lips as I brought her to a sweet orgasm? Or was she merely hungry for my dick to drive deep inside her tight pussy? Chuckling, I adjusted my cock as the position was becoming highly uncomfortable.
As I strode into the building, I realized I was whistling. I never did that. Maybe because it was rare I was in such a good mood. I leaned against the elevator wall, eager to see her beautiful face. I was a devious man, but it was why I’d been so successful.
When the doors opened, a wider smile crossed my face. Today was going to be a very good day.
I hit the door heading into her office with my palm, my patience waning.
The woman inside jerked her head up, immediately narrowing her eyes. “Mr. Elliot. What can I do for you?” She was wary, quickly glancing toward Vanessa’s open office door.
“I need to see Ms. Blair. Now.”
The girl folded her arms. “She’s unavailable. If you remember, which I’m certain you don’t, I’m Amelia Stokes, Perfect Pairing’s office manager. I can try and assist you.”