by K. L. Ramsey
“Do you want me to pick you up for our dinner meeting or can I trust that you’ll actually show up?” Finn asked.
“No need to babysit me,” Damion spat. He stood from the sofa and crossed the spacious office. “I’ll be there. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said. “I have a meeting to get to. You joining me for this one or am I good to go it alone?” he asked. Yeah—he was being a douche, but he didn’t give a shit. It pissed him off that Finn thought that he needed a keeper.
Finn, on the other hand, seemed to find the whole thing amusing. “Nope,” Finn said. “I trust that you can handle closing the deal with the Tysons. I’m pretty sure that none of them is your type—you know, blond, legs for miles, sexy as hell.” Finn was perfectly describing Nixon Ryker. He laughed as Damion pulled the office door open, making a hasty retreat, not finding any of this as funny as Finn seemed to.
“See you at seven, fucker,” Damion called over his shoulder, slamming Finn’s office door behind him. He could hear his friend’s fits of laugher peeling from his office, even though the closed door. Yeah—his friend was a first-class fucker.
Nixon
Her only saving grace was the fact that she played the sympathy card and had seemed to have gotten Finnegan Envy on her side. If he hadn’t given her another shot at a meeting with Damion, she’d be in deep shit with Rock. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell him that she had blown the meeting with Damion when Rock was counting on her to make the deal happen. She knew that he was depending on her to join the Pride, Envy, and Greed family Syndicates in a business deal that would make the rest of the families squirm.
If she was being completely honest, she liked the idea of the three families joining forces. If they did, it would make it easier for her to come out as a Lust and possibly work with them to secure her place in the Syndicate—but that was wishful thinking on her part. Rock Greed would kill her if he knew her real last name. He wouldn’t let her live to see tomorrow if he knew who her old man was. No, telling anyone that she was a Lust would be signing her death certificate and she knew it.
Nix spent most of the afternoon avoiding Rock, trying to buy herself some time to figure out how to tell him that Damion Pride walked out of their meeting. Maybe she’d just lead with the whole thing about having a dinner meeting with Pride and Envy tonight and leave out the part where Damion all but dismissed her earlier that morning. Her boss had been asking around the office for her all afternoon and she knew that it was only a matter of time before Rock tracked her down to start his inquisition about her meeting with Pride.
“Well, there you are,” Rock grumbled, walking right into her office.
“Here I am,” she sassed. “You found me in my office—imagine that,” she teased. Rock smiled and sat in the chair closest to her desk. She knew that he was gearing up to ask her question after question about her meeting, so she decided to beat him to the punch.
“I have a dinner meeting with Pride and Envy tonight at seven, so I’m going to cut out a little early. I’ll need to run home and put on something—” she looked down her body and back up at Rock, “less appropriate,” she said.
“Look who’s being a team player,” he said. She knew he wasn’t teasing, even though his tone sounded light and carefree. They had just had this conversation earlier that morning. She accused him of being a sexist pig, demanding that she use her, “Feminine charms,” as he liked to call them, to get Damion Pride to talk to her. Rock even went as far as to say that she was just his nephew’s type, and she hated that she was reduced to using the assets that being born female afforded her. She was more than that—she was better than that. The joke was on Rock though because she wasn’t Pride’s type. In fact, he downright hated her. But, she’d keep that little bit of information to herself. If Rock thought that she wasn’t capable of closing the deal, he’d pull her and put another pretty face on it. She had worked too hard, for too long, to be put back on the bench.
“Well, I went for a run at lunch time and I think it might be best if I grab a quick shower and freshen up before the meeting.” She wrinkled up her nose and Rock chuckled.
“Fair enough,” he agreed. Rock stood and crossed her office to leave. “I’ll see you in the morning, bright and early, for a full report of how tonight’s dinner meeting goes. Close this deal, Nixon. I need to know that the Pride, Envy and Greed families will be working together. I need to know that my Syndicate is safe from the other family’s threats and a partnership with my nephew and Envy is the only way to ensure that happens. Don’t fuck this up for me, Nix.”
Of course, she was running late. She had done everything right—left work early, given herself plenty of time to shower and get dressed. She even had extra time to do her make-up and fix her unruly hair. Nix was ready to leave when she realized that her two front tires were flat. She debated on whether she should call AAA and wait for them to come out to change her tires or if she should just call an Uber. Nix checked the time and decided she could deal with her flat tires after she got home from her meeting. Right now, she needed to get to the restaurant, not wanting to give Damion any reason to walk out of this meeting, like he had the one earlier that morning. She was sure he was probably looking for an excuse to ditch their appointment and she wasn’t going to give him one.
Nix had the Uber driver drive up to the back entrance, so she could slip into the back of the restaurant. That way, she’d be able to scope out where the guys were sitting or if they had even arrived yet. As soon as she stepped into the back of the restaurant, she found Damion Pride sitting at a table by himself. Nix quickly looked around to see if she could spot Finn but found no sign of him.
“Hello,” a waiter said. “May I help you find a table?”
“I’m meeting that gentlemen right over there,” she said, pointing to Damion. “Is there another man who came in with him?” she asked. The waiter looked over to the table where Damion sat and shrugged.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “That isn’t my table but I’d be happy to ask him for you,” he offered.
“No,” she said, “it's fine. I’ll go over and join him in a moment. I just need a second to catch my breath.” He nodded and left her standing in the corner. Damion checked his watch and she knew that her time was about to literally run out. Nix was already late for their meeting and Damion Pride was an impatient man. If she kept him waiting much longer, she’d fuck up their meeting again and she couldn’t let that happen. Rock was very clear—she needed to make this deal happen, or else.
Nixon took a deep breath, “It’s now or never,” she whispered to herself, starting for the front of the restaurant where Damion Pride sat.
“I’m so sorry that I’m late,” she said, pasting her most pleasant smile on her face. Ever the gentleman, Damion stood and shook her hand.
“Not a problem,” he lied. She could tell from his sour expression that he was downright pissed at her. He was damn near pouting at her. “I’m sorry to say that Finn won’t be able to join us.” Ahh—so, not mad at her, but angry with his best friend.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. She was too. Out of the two men, Finn Envy was the one who’d probably listen to reason the most. He seemed to be the open-minded one of the two and Nix worried that she was going to have to go back to Rock empty-handed again, and that probably wouldn’t bode well for her.
“He called me when I first got here and made his apologies,” Damion said. He pulled out the chair next to him for Nixon to sit down in, and she slipped into it.
“Thank you,” she said. “I hope that Mr. Envy is all right,” she offered.
“I’m sure that Finn is fine,” he grumbled, slipping back into his chair. “I have a feeling that this was his plan the whole time. He knew that I wouldn’t have shown up if I believed he wasn’t going to be at this meeting tonight.”
“Ahh, spending time with me is that offensive to you, Mr. Pride?” she asked. If she had feelings, they’d be hurt. But she didn’t give a shit what Pri
de thought about her. Hell, the only person’s opinion that mattered to her was her own.
“Not at all, Ms. Ryker,” he lied.
“Keep in mind that I heard the comment about me being a she-devil earlier,” she reminded.
“Yeah—sorry about that,” he apologized. “I’ve had a shitty day, but that’s no excuse, really. I shouldn’t have said what I did. Please accept my apology,” he said.
“Done,” she agreed. The waiter came by and took their drink orders. She knew that she shouldn’t drink hard liquor—this was a business meeting, after all. But when the waiter looked at her, the words, “Whiskey, neat,” came out of her mouth faster than she wanted them to. Damion surprised her by ordering the same drink and when the waiter walked away, the two of them sat awkwardly at the table, in silence. Her only reprieve was when the waiter quickly returned with their drink orders and took their food orders.
“Are we to just sit here in silence then, Mr. Pride?” she asked.
“I’m just waiting for you to tell me that you have some sort of business proposition or deal that my uncle wants to make me, Ms. Ryker. That is why we’re both here, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” she honestly answered. “But, it’s not as bad as you believe, Mr. Pride. Mr. Greed wants your help.”
“I’m sure he does,” Damion grumbled. “He always wants someone to do the messy work and get their hands dirty. Rock doesn’t do messy or dirty, so he usually calls a Pride to do it for him. So, tell me, Ms. Ryker, what messy, dirty deed does he want me to do for him?”
“I can’t say if what Mr. Greed has planned will be messy or dirty,” she lied. Usually, when Rock came up with a plan, it was both of those things, and worse. Damion threw back his head and barked out his laugh, his dark hair falling over his forehead and she could see his appeal. All of the women in their world flocked to him, practically throwing themselves at him. He and Envy were quite the pair, and women would give everything they had just for a chance at one night with either of them. Well, most women, but Nixon had proven time and again that she wasn’t most women. She wanted more than to be a notch in his bedpost—she wanted a partner, one she could share her life with, and Damion Pride wasn’t that man. No man had measured up to who she was looking for. Maybe she was trying to find someone who didn’t exist, but Nix couldn’t help but compare most of the world’s male population to her father. He was gone now and she was sure that no man would ever measure up to him for her.
“That will be a first,” Damion said. “Rock Greed asking for help and it won’t be messy or dirty? I’m not calling you a liar, but I don’t quite believe you, Ms. Ryker.”
She sighed, “I wish you’d call me Nixon,” she said. She always hated using her mother’s maiden name. It didn’t feel like it suited her, but it was a necessity. She needed her anonymity to stay alive and using her mother’s name gave her just that. Still, every time someone called her Ms. Ryker, it made her think about her mother. Her Ma would have laughed her ass off if she could see her now—pretending to be someone else just to survive. It was the world that she and her brother, Carter, were left with after their parents were killed.
“Okay, Nixon,” he agreed. “We can go back to a first-name basis with each other, but I’m afraid that won’t make me want to agree to whatever my uncle sent you here to propose to me.” She felt disappointed that he was refusing to even hear her out. It wasn’t just her job on the line if she showed back up to Rock’s office in the morning without a deal in place, it could very possibly be her life and her brother’s for that matter. She and her brother had hidden away after their parents were murdered. She changed her name, even though her brother refused to. Still, he was living in another country until things were safe for him to come home. Nix hated being so far away from Carter, but if he came home before she could get this deal in place, the Gluttony family would have him killed, just like she suspected they had their parents murdered. Nixon couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t lose the only person she had left in this world and all of their hopes and dreams depended on Damion Pride agreeing to Rock’s proposal.
“Listen, Damion,” she said. Nix sat back in her seat, trying for casual even though she felt anything but. “We both know that the Gluttony family controls the Syndicate, no matter how much the other families say otherwise. They might all believe that it’s a seven-way split of power, but we all know that just isn’t the case.”
“Six,” Damion breathed.
“Sorry?” Nix questioned.
“It’s a six-way split; the Lust family is out of the Syndicate.” Yeah—his statement felt like a knife to the gut. She just needed to remember that he didn’t know her or her family. He was just pointing out a fact—the Lust family was out of the picture.
“Okay, six-way split. But, you and I both know that the Gluttony family is the one in control of the Syndicate, Damion.” He nodded and for just a minute, she thought she was breaking through to him.
“Ahh—our food is here,” he said. The waiter put their food on the table and by the time he asked if they needed anything else and brought them each a drink refill, even she had forgotten where they were in their conversation. At this point, she wasn’t going to get this deal closed at all.
“Damion,” she breathed, pushing her plate back.
“Is something wrong with your food?” he asked.
“No, I’m sure it’s fine,” she said. “We were in the middle of a discussion and you’re dismissing me.”
“Not at all,” he said. “I’d like to eat my meal without talking about my uncle or this Syndicate. I’m just asking for a small reprieve while we enjoy our meals.” Nix thought about telling him to choke on his dinner and go to hell. The words were on the tip of her tongue when a man stopped in front of their table. Her heart sank at the sight of her old boyfriend. He was her past standing square in front of her and the thought of him outing her was terrifying.
“Nixon Lust,” he breathed, “how the hell are you?” Nix tried to figure out what she wanted to do. She could play things one of two ways. Nixon could pretend that she didn’t know him at all, even though they had gone to senior prom together. Or, she could play it cool and hope that Damion didn’t pick up on the use of her last name.
Deciding to go with her second option, Nix crossed her fingers and plastered on her best smile.
“I’m good Bruce,” she said. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well, I’m in the area visiting family.” He cringed, “I was sorry to hear about your parents. Were they ever able to pin it to one of the families?” Shit. Bruce was going to blow her cover. Damion sat next to her at the table, eating his meal as if he was oblivious to their conversation, but she could tell that he wasn’t. He was listening to every word, probably even taking notes.
“Where are my manners?” she questioned. “Bruce, this is Damion, a business associate. Listen, I’d love to catch up but this is a business meeting.” Bruce pulled his business card from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Well, I’d love to catch up some time—give me a call when you’re free.” She nodded and slipped his card into her handbag. “Good seeing you, Nix,” he breathed. He nodded to Damion and before she could even get another word out, Bruce was gone.
“He seems nice,” Damion said around a mouthful of food. “Old boyfriend?” Hopefully, that was all he took away from their awkward conversation, although she doubted it.
“Yes,” she said. “We dated in high school. In fact, he took me to prom. I’ve known him since I was a kid.”
“So then, he should know your last name, right?” Damion asked. Yeah—he picked up on that.
She laughed and rolled her eyes, “You would think so, right?” she teased, playing it off.
“Mmm,” he hummed. “Why did he call you Nixon Lust?” Damion asked.
“No clue,” she lied. “I guess he just got me confused with someone else.” Damion looked her over and took a sip of his drink, pushing his plate back.
&
nbsp; “What happened to your parents?” he asked.
“My parents?” she questioned, playing dumb.
“Bruce said that he was sorry to hear about your parents. What happened to them?” he asked.
Nix shook her head, trying to figure out her next move. Could she trust Damion Pride with her secret or would he out her to the Syndicate and possibly end up getting her killed?
“Nix,” Damion breathed. He leaned forward in his seat as if he was about to share a secret with her. “I can be a powerful ally if you let me,” he promised. “Are you a Lust?”
She couldn’t help the tears that were freely falling down her face. It had been so long since anyone besides her brother knew who she was. “I’ve had to pretend to be someone I’m not for so long now,” she whispered.
“So, it’s true then?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s all true. I’m Nixon Lust and the Wrath and Sloth families killed both of my parents, under the command of the Gluttony family.”
Damion
He couldn’t believe what she had just admitted. He had heard stories about the Lust family being dissolved. His father told him about the other families in the Syndicate banding together to kill off the head of the Lust family. He even heard that the Gluttony family had gone the extra mile and even killed Lust’s wife and kids.
“Shit, Nix,” Damion breathed. “Does Rock know who you really are?”
