* * *
Old fashions were in front of us, and we had our work area set up at her kitchen table. Her overhead lights were dimmed low, the lights from the city bright enough to flood most of her penthouse. The smell of a meal wafted from the kitchen like she’d made something not too long ago.
I liked her cooking. It was better than the stuff my maid made for me.
Titan didn’t make any sexy demands, getting right to work and switching into executive mode. “These guys are smart. All dropped out of Yale their sophomore year and built their company out of a storage bin.”
“That sounds shitty.”
“We were all there once.” Her eyes scanned the computer screen, reading something. “Did you already schedule a meeting with them?”
“Right after lunchtime.”
“Perfect. They’ll be full and ready to listen.”
I wrote down my offer number and slid it toward her. “What do you think of this?”
She stared at the figure as she pursed her lips together, that brilliant brain of hers working hard. “If it were me, I wouldn’t be enticed by this. If they’re meeting with you before your father, you have to make a strong impression. Be likable. Even flatter them.”
I never flattered anyone with my offers. They could take it or leave it. Everyone knew I could turn their company into a corporation that would last a hundred years. “Just being in my presence is flattering enough.”
The corner of her lip tugged into a smile. “Ordinarily, I would say you’re right. But your father can offer the exact same thing you can offer. The only thing that can set you apart is compatibility.”
“He’s an asshole. We don’t need to worry about that.”
The corner of her lip fell. “Does he know you’re a competitor?”
“No idea. But if he doesn’t, he’ll know tomorrow.”
“Have you spoken to him?”
I never mentioned my father to Titan. She must have known about our bad blood from the web or gossip. “Not once in five years.”
She nodded like she understood, even though she couldn’t have any comprehension of it. “Are you doing okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I leaned back into the chair and stared her down hard, treating her like an enemy rather than my friend. Whenever this subject was broached, I was immediately defensive. It was in my blood now, this surge of hatred.
Titan slowly turned her head back to her screen. “I apologize for asking.” Like nothing happened, she continued on with her work.
Now I was an asshole too. I was pumped full of so much hatred for that man, it turned me into a bitter and hateful person. Whenever he was on my mind, I couldn’t think straight. The emotions were so complicated that I still hadn’t sorted them out all these years later. Brett and I never spoke about him, a silent acknowledgment of mutual dislike. But Titan had opened up to me about a lot of things, like her father and her insomnia, in addition to intimate things that weren’t confessed with words. She told me her mother abandoned her when I’d thought she was dead. She told me about her arrangement with Thorn. She still hadn’t told me about her ex who died, but perhaps that would come in time. “I’m sorry, Titan. When it comes to my father…I turn into a different person.”
She turned her face back to me, her features bathed in the glow from the computer screen. When I dismissed her, she didn’t seem cold. She took it with calm understanding. “We all have things we don’t want to talk about. You don’t need to apologize for it. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You weren’t prying.”
She drank from her glass, letting the ice cubes hit her mouth and rest there. The ice rattled as she set the glass down on the table, the condensation immediately bubbling into the wood. She was in black leggings and a gray tee, comfortable around her home but not quite ready for bed even though it was almost midnight. “Do you really want this company? Or do you just not want your father to have it?”
I stared at her.
“I’m not judging. If this were an enemy of mine, I’d do the same thing. I’d do whatever I could to remind them who they were fucking with—and that they’d lose every time.”
My defenses immediately came down. “It’s a great business opportunity. If anyone else wanted the company, I’d still pursue it as aggressively. But now that he’s the man I’m competing against, I have to win.”
Titan nodded like she understood.
“He’s not a good man… I know he’s my father, but that doesn’t change anything.” I drank from my glass, depleting it before returning it to the table.
“Just because someone is a parent doesn’t make them a good person.”
People often interjected their opinions about our relationship, saying it was unforgivable that a father turned on his son and vice versa. But people didn’t know the true story, didn’t understand how jealous and insecure my father was.
“May I ask what happened?”
No one else had ever asked me that question. They knew the topic was untouchable. “You can ask me anything, Titan.” I didn’t just feel that way because I wanted to know more about her. She’d earned my trust a long time ago. Something about her made me feel comfortable, made me feel like I could say anything. I didn’t have to be the ruthless entrepreneur who wanted to crush everyone. With her, I could just be a man—blood, flesh, and muscle. “My mother had Brett before she met my father. My dad never liked Brett. Always treated him like trash. Jax and I always got the best gifts, the best education, everything. When my mother passed away, she didn’t have any other relatives for Brett to go to…so he stayed with us. But my father was even more cruel to him. No presents on Christmas, put in the worst public school system in Brooklyn, sometimes no dinner… It never stopped. He hated Brett because my mother had loved someone before him. Took out all his jealousy on him…a fifteen-year-old. Time went on, and we got older. Brett moved out of the house and started living in a dump because he didn’t have anything else. My father gave me my start in his company…but I couldn’t take it anymore. I started helping Brett, letting him live with me, giving him a job. My father didn’t like that. Told me and Jax we weren’t allowed to have any more contact with him. He was an adult—and not part of our family. So my father made me choose. I could stay with him and work for a billion-dollar company that I would inherit with Jax someday…or I could choose Brett and lose everything. I chose Brett.”
Titan’s hard expression softened in the light of the computer screen. Her lips fell into a soft frown, and her eyes crinkled in the corners as the emotion seeped into her heart. Her hand slowly slid across the table until she found mine. Her soft skin brushed against mine in a gentle caress. Her thumb moved over my knuckles.
I stared at her hand, feeling how warm it was. Her skin was silky to the touch, and I could feel her gentle pulse. Her nails were elegantly painted with French tips. Her hands looked unblemished, even though she typed and wrote all day.
This touch wasn’t as erotic as the ones I was used to. Sometimes her nails dug into my shoulders, and she nearly cut into the skin. Sometimes her legs were wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping me in place and refusing to let me slide away. Sometimes her arms were wrapped around my neck as she kissed me—hard.
But this was my favorite touch of all.
It wasn’t the touch of friendship or the touch of love.
Something better.
Something only we understood.
I turned my hand over so our palms were facing one another. My fingers interlocked with hers, and I gave her hand a squeeze. A lot of women had come and go in my life, but they were just women. Beautiful distractions. I’d never had a woman who was a friend—as close to me as Pine and Mike.
Now she was part of my inner circle.
“Whenever I talk about the things that happened to me, people always say they’re sorry. But it never helps. It’s a strange thing to say.” She stared at our joined hands. “I want to say something like that to you now…but I can
’t find the words.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “The thought is more powerful than anything you could say anyway.”
She brought my hand to her face and kissed my fingers. She took her time, pressing each one against her soft lips. Then she cradled it against her cheek, turning affectionate. It was endearing, but more than anything else, it was sexy. She wasn’t trying to be attractive. That was the last thing on her mind. But she made it happen anyway.
I should get back to work, but now I didn’t care about tomorrow. Megaland and Vincent Hunt were the last things on my mind right now. All I could think about were those plump red lips, those soft fingertips, and that beautiful expression in her eyes.
All I could think about was Tatum.
* * *
I met with the three founders of Megaland. They were all exactly as Brett described them.
Brilliant minds with nerdy personalities.
When I asked what other plans they had in the works, they were mostly transparent in the new technology they were debuting. But they kept a few things under wraps because they didn’t have a patent on it just yet.
The conversation went well, and then I laid my offer on the table—taking Titan’s advice.
I started high, much higher than I ordinarily would.
When the guys looked at the offer, they did their best to cover up their surprise, but they didn’t do a good enough job. A slight dilation in their eyes told me everything I wanted to know.
“In addition to this, I offer an unlimited amount of investment into your company. I don’t intend to kick back and gain your profits. The opposite, actually. I want to elevate this company into an echelon that most tech companies only dream of. Not only do I have the money, but I also have the connections. I’ve been doing business for a long time. I think we would be great partners.”
Nick, the main guy, stared at the paper again before he looked at his two friends.
They would be stupid not to take it.
They whispered in each other’s ears then made some notes on the paper where I couldn’t see.
I waited patiently on the other side of the table, sitting in their white conference room with black furniture. It was open and full of space, minimalistic. It was nothing like my own office, where I indulged in luxuries and dark tones. “What do you think, gentlemen? Do we have a deal?”
Nick was the one spoke for all the three of them. “We think it’s a very generous offer. A lot more than we thought was going to be put on the table. We know you by reputation and think you’d be a great partner.”
Too many words. “Is that a yes, then?”
“Not quite,” Nick said. “We have a meeting with another investor later today.”
Vincent Hunt. I had to handle this carefully. If my dad put his offer on the table, things would get ugly. If I could seal this deal before he had a chance to step into the office, it would be a slam dunk. My father probably didn’t even know I was sitting in their office right this moment. I’d never shown interest in the tech sphere, so I probably didn’t cross his mind. “I doubt your other investor will walk in with an offer like this.”
“We don’t know,” Nick said. “But it’s always best not to assume.”
Clever. “I’m a very busy man. I’m sure you figured that out when you Googled me. I’m sure you also figured out that I’m not a man to fuck with.”
It was so quiet I could hear a pin drop.
“I acquired Bruce Carol’s company, and I’ve only had it for two weeks and its stock value has risen dramatically. When that asshole crossed me, all I had to do was tweet a message, and nobody would touch his company. I have something other investors will never have. Power. I have a lot of it, gentlemen.”
They all listened, their shoulders slackening as they visibly leaned away.
“I’m the partner you want to have.” I grabbed the paper I set on the table and pulled my pen from my pocket. I clicked the button before I scribbled a new offer onto the table. “I’ve nearly doubled my offer.” I pushed the paper back toward them.
They looked like beetles with huge, bulging eyes.
“If you choose me as your partner right now, this is how much you get.” I clicked the pen again and placed it back into my jacket pocket. “If you don’t, my offer defaults to the original one I made. So, gentlemen, you’re about to gamble. Play it safe and take this very generous offer now, or roll the dice. Maybe your other investor gives you more. Maybe he doesn’t. There’s a lot of money on the table. Choose wisely.” I rose from the table and buttoned the front of my suit. “I’ll give you one minute to talk it over.” I walked out of the conference room without looking back and shut the door behind me. Then I stared at my watch, watching the second hand speed by.
Fifteen seconds.
Thirty seconds.
Forty-five seconds.
If they didn’t take my offer, I’d be in deep shit. My father was ruthless. He would take it as a matter of pride to beat me out of the company. It would be a bloody war—with lots of casualties.
Sixty seconds.
I walked back into the conference room just as they hushed their voices and turned quiet.
I unbuttoned the front of my suit and sat down. “Hope you used your minute well.”
Nick glanced at the other two before he extended his hand. “We’d love to work with you, Mr. Hunt.”
Relief flooded through me, but I didn’t let the look show on my face. I gave them my best executive smile, the kind I showed to the cameras outside restaurants and parties. I shook his hand firmly, excited for the backhand I’d just given my father. He’d be pissed, but deep down inside, he’d also have to respect me.
And accept his defeat.
“Excellent,” I said. “Now it’s time to make you rich.”
“We’re already rich,” Nick said.
I didn’t hold back the chuckle from escaping my lips. “Being a millionaire is not rich, boys. Being a billionaire is.”
9
Titan
I was at home when Hunt called.
“Hunt.” I never greeted him with much more affection than that over the phone, having no idea who he was around at the time. Someone could overhear me if they were standing close enough, not that Hunt would purposely put himself in that position.
“Titan.”
“How’d it go?” I’d been thinking about it all day, wondering if Hunt or his father got the deal. I didn’t know Vincent Hunt, only his name and reputation, but I did know Diesel Hunt—and I believed in him. He had gifts that most men couldn’t even begin to dream of.
And not just in the bedroom.
His smile was audible over the phone before he even said anything. “I got it.”
I didn’t care about the deals my peers made. I kept track, but their successes and failures didn’t mean anything to me. The only person I was invested in was myself. But hearing his accomplishment truly made me happy. “I’m not surprised. I knew you would make it happen.” In that moment, as with several times prior, I knew Hunt was more than just some guy I was screwing. His well-being and happiness were essential for my own.
He was part of my inner circle.
“Thanks,” he said. “I gave them the large offer up front, and they bit.”
“And?”
“I told them I’d give them an even bigger offer if they took my offer then and there. If they met with anyone else, they would get my smaller offer.”
I was impressed, and that was something that didn’t happen often. “Genius.”
“And they took it. I gave them a gambling metaphor. Smart guys don’t gamble. It’s not in their nature. It did the trick.”
“Awesome.”
“I paid more than I wanted…but I’m sure my father is ticked.”
“He should be,” I said. “Not only did he lose a viable business opportunity, but he was outsmarted by a man half his age. Arrogant men always get what’s coming to them…”
“We both know I’m ar
rogant.”
“Maybe that was a not so subtle hint…”
He chuckled. “I’m coming over.”
I didn’t invite him, but I didn’t object. If he didn’t volunteer his presence, I would have just asked for it anyway. “I’ll make dinner.”
“Are we celebrating?” he asked. “I love your cooking.”
“You do?” I knew a few things around the kitchen, but I definitely didn’t have the skills to impress anyone.
“Definitely. Better than my maid’s.”
“Then you need to get a new maid,” I said with a laugh.
“Don’t underestimate yourself. You succeed at anything you put your mind to.”
“But I’ve never been motivated in the culinary arts.”
I heard him speak to his driver before he got into the back seat. “Then why don’t you hire someone to prepare your meals for you?”
“I don’t want anyone in my penthouse.”
Hunt paused for a few seconds, the quiet sound of the radio on in the background. “So you clean your entire place?”
“Yep.”
“That’s how paranoid you are?”
I didn’t appreciate that word. “I’m not paranoid. I just value my privacy.”
“What about your other places?”
“Yes, those are taken care of around the clock. But my penthouse is different.”
Hunt stayed on the phone with me until the car pulled up in front of my building. Even when he didn’t have anything to say, he stayed on the line. “What are you hiding?”
“Who says I’m hiding anything?”
He chuckled. “The richest woman in the world doesn’t clean her own place because she’s that down-to-earth…”
Yes, I did have secrets. “Okay…maybe I do have a few secrets. A few skeletons in my closet.”
“You let me come over.”
“Because you’re the skeleton.”
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