“Do you want me to be honest?”
“I would expect nothing less.”
“All right, here it is…people with your kind of wealth don’t respect boundaries. They take what they want with little regard as to how it affects other people. They are often rude, selfish, shallow and superficial and those are not qualities that I admire. Frankly, they’re too much like my mother. All she’s missing is the wealth. God help us all if she suddenly came into a windfall.”
The discomfiting part was that she’d just described his family.
Well, until recently that is. Since getting married, the Buchanan cousins had mellowed.
Except for Dillon.
He remained an asshole in spite of marrying Penny, who was a curvy smoke bomb with a heart of gold.
“Well, that’s not me.”
“Oh? Tell me how you’re different,” she challenged.
“Words are cheap. Let me show you.”
And there it was.
The expertly crafted manipulation that cinched the noose around her neck without her knowledge.
He sensed her wavering. Tana was strong, independent and courageous but she couldn’t seem to resist the opportunity to prove him wrong.
“And how exactly would you do that?”
“Leave that up to me. You just have to promise you’ll come to me with an open mind.”
“This is really unnecessary,” she protested, her gaze mildly distressed. “It doesn’t matter what I think about you.”
“It does matter.”
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
His simple answer stunned her for a moment.
Victory seemed so close.
It was really unfair how talented the Buchanans were at manipulating situations to their advantage. He almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
“Well, I don’t like you,” she managed to counter but he didn’t believe her for a second.
“Prove it.”
She balked. “What?”
“You heard me. Prove to me that you don’t feel anything for me and I’ll leave you alone.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“I agree but you’ve already put the game in motion. I’m just playing my position.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip and he wanted to suck that sweet thing into his mouth but he held back.
“And just how am I supposed to prove this to you?”
“Kiss me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Kiss me.”
“I’m not going to kiss you.”
He leaned back with a smug smile. “Of course you won’t…because you know there’s no hiding chemistry when you’re in a liplock with the person you’re trying to appear unattracted to.”
“It’s no act.”
“Put your money where your mouth is, sweetheart.”
“So you’re saying that if I kiss you and it feels the same as kissing my grandfather, then you’ll leave me alone?”
“Yes.”
“Fine.” She surprised him by sweeping a hasty kiss across his lips and he laughed as he hooked his hand behind her neck, drawing her close.
“What are you doing?” she gasped, her breath a soft whisper across his lips.
“You tried to cheat. That wasn’t a real kiss at all.”
Before Tana could pull away, Reece brushed a feather soft kiss across her lips, allowing the tiniest hint of tongue.
A rush of heat flooded his groin as blood barreled down south to plump his cock as if the world depended on a rock-hard erection.
His brain warned to keep his head on straight — this was an act — but his body hadn’t gotten the message.
He wanted so much more.
Pulling her closer, he deepened the kiss, this time his tongue seeking hers.
She trembled in his grip and he answered by leaning into her, pressing her against the plush leather, his free hand cradling her face, holding her tight.
He swallowed the soft, helpless groan that escaped her lips. She tasted like heaven and felt like sin.
A combination that immediately hooked him.
The tentative touch of her tongue dancing with his was like gasoline to his fire. His own hands began to tremble as he held himself from going too fast and ruining everything.
Tana wasn’t some drunken bar chick who just wanted a quick and dirty fuck against the bathroom wall — she was the kind of woman who expected more and wasn’t satisfied with less.
She was the kind of woman that scared the hell out of a man like Reece.
He knew it was too soon but he had to know Tana’s personal scent. The unknown was driving him crazy. He wanted to bury his face between her thighs.
He wanted to hear her breathy gasps and high-pitched cries as she came beneath his tongue.
But when his roving hand encountered the button on her jeans, he bit back a groan of frustration.
Pull back. Don’t rush.
The advice was sound but it didn’t do much for the raging erection busting out of his jeans. His balls ached from the need to come.
He hadn’t lied about sending the redhead home.
And now he was regretting not allowing her to blow him as she’d offered.
Reece would give his fortune to have Tana sucking him off right now.
Hell, he’d give his right nut if he could just bury his face in her pussy.
But neither was going to happen so he needed to get control of himself.
Play to win, Buchanan.
With agonizingly slow precision, he ended the kiss, leaving them both breathing hard and covered in sweat.
Reece pulled away, pleased to see her lips reddened from his kiss, and allowed a deliberate, knowing smile.
“You, my sweet girl, are a liar.”
Tana didn’t have a ready comeback as she wiped her mouth, still recovering. The driver slowed to a stop and Reece realized they were at her address.
Unable to resist, he kissed her again — hard and fast — rendering her further speechless, which was probably a good thing.
Reece pulled away, thumbing her plump bottom lip, still wet from his kiss, and said, “I will see you tomorrow.”
He expected protests, arguments, even a slap in the face but instead, Tana just swallowed and then bailed as if he were the devil after her soul.
Because she was smart.
If she were smarter still, Tana would bar the door and vow to never see Reece again because he was playing to win.
By any means possible.
bookmark: 5
Chapter 5
z
What had she just done? Tana stood with her back against the front door, her heart hammering like a wild thing trying to escape.
Her lips still tingled, as if she needed a reminder.
She’d kissed Reece Buchanan.
Holy mother of God.
For a brief moment, she allowed her fingertips to graze her lips, still unsure of what’d just happened.
Tana couldn’t imagine why Reece was seemed so interested. But there was no denying the buzzing of every nerve ending in her body. She was practically vibrating.
Damn you, Reece for being a phenomenal kisser.
Nora, the night nurse came around the corner with a relieved smile, saying, “There you are. I was starting to worry. I know you’re a grown adult but you’re about the same age as my daughter and I hate that you work at that bar so late.”
Tana hoped her voice didn’t shake as she answered, “Sorry for being a bit late. It was hard finding a cab. Is everything okay?”
“Right as rain. He’s tucked in and has been since ten o’clock. He seemed tuckered out tonight. Did he get some extra exercise?”
Tana shook her head, wondering why Papa was so tired. “Do you think he’s okay? Should I make an appointment at the doctor’s?”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s fine,” Nora assured Tana as she grabbed her purse. “But if he seems persistentl
y fatigued, you might want to make sure it’s not his heart acting up.”
“Heart? Is that a common ailment with dementia?” she asked, worried. “Maybe I should take him to the doctor.”
Nora calmed her with a gentle pat on the shoulder. “You’re exhausted; he’s fine. Go to bed.” Then she surprised Tana when she checked her forehead with a faintly concerned expression. “Are you okay, honey? You’re a bit flushed. Are you coming down with something?”
Yeah, an extreme case of stupiditis for kissing Reece.
Tana forced a bright smile. “All good over here,” she assured Nora, not wanting the nice nurse to think she was coming down with the flu or something when in fact she was just flustered from an epic tongue wrangling with someone she shouldn’t. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“All right, honey.”
Tana locked the door behind Nora and quickly made an interior check to ensure all windows and doors were firmly latched and secured, and then found her way to her own bed.
Once tucked in, she sighed and allowed her eyes to drift close but Reece’s face intruded on her dreamtime.
What was his angle?
Why had he kissed her?
What was he after?
Too many questions.
Tana tossed on her side and plumped her pillow a few times.
Why was Reece such a good kisser?
Because he’d likely had plenty of practice.
Eww. That put things into perspective, didn’t it?
She distinctly recognized the squirm in her bones at the thought of Reece putting that talented tongue in someone else’s mouth.
Stop, already!
She was exhausted but sleep was eluding her. Her brain had a hard time shutting down sometimes.
Especially when she was all bound up with sexual frustration.
Tana had a few sleeping aides but she hated taking those things. She always felt a little punchy stupid after sleeping with Prince Valium and she had a meeting with Darren Isaacs tomorrow to discuss the potential of working together to rehab the building. She needed to be sharp, not struggling to form words.
There was one sure-fire way to knock her lights out.
Resigned, she reached into her bedside drawer and pulled out her vibrator.
“Looks like you’re going to have to do the honors,” she murmured as she shimmied out of her panties.
Eyes closed, she settled into her favorite, go-to fantasy but before she could stop it, her fantasy lover had Reece’s face, his body, and his voice.
But even as she wanted to fight it, to force him out of her thoughts, the more she pictured Reece, the faster her breathing became.
Soon, she was breathing hard, reaching her climax in record time and she had to smother her cry with a pillow to keep from waking her grandfather.
Her heart slamming, she slowly regained her breath, her body tingling in all sorts of lovely ways.
The tension flowed from her body and sleep soon followed.
Damn you, Reece.
***
Reece strode into the offices of Revitalize, Inc., smiled at the boho receptionist sporting pink and purple hair and entered the conference room where the owner of Revitalize, Darren Isaacs, and another client were deep in conversation.
“Sorry to interrupt but I have a proposition for you that I think you’re going to want to hear.”
Darren Isaacs, not much older than Dillon, but with wildly different politics, shared his client’s consternation at being intruded upon.
“And you are?”
Reece slid a business card across the table. Darren picked it up with a quick motion.
The name registered and Darren’s demeanor changed from one of annoyance to one of interest.
He turned to his awaiting client and said, “I’m sorry, can we reschedule? I need to take this meeting.”
The client, clearly unhappy stood and glared at Reece before cutting a withered look at Darren. “My time is valuable, too. I think I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
Darren accepted the man’s anger and waited until the man had left the room before turning to Reece.
“You just cost me a couple thousand dollars. This better be good.”
“Oh, it is,” Reece assured the man. “In fact, this is the easiest money you’ll ever make.”
“I’m listening.”
“According to my sources, you have a meeting scheduled with Miss Tana Brooks to discuss the restoration of her grandfather’s building, the old Tamarack hotel.”
“Yeah, what of it?”
“I want you to turn the job down.”
Darren stared quizzically. “Why?”
“You’re her last hope and I want you to turn her down. Buchanan Enterprises wants the land and is willing to pay a handsome price to have it but Miss Brooks is being sentimental and holding onto the property because she believes that you are going to save her family’s legacy. I want you to dash those hopes.”
It was a ruthless plan, one that was borderline despicable but Dillon wasn’t playing around and Reece wasn’t about to start flying coach for the rest of his life.
He didn’t know how people coped with flying economy. Those chairs were not meant for humans. It might’ve been more comfortable flying in the cargo hold.
“That’s a bit unethical, don’t you think?”
“I’m willing to offer you fifty-thousand dollars to walk away from this deal.”
“Fifty thousand? That’s all? I stand to make a lot more with the revenue from the potential rents.”
“Look, what will it take for you to walk away from this deal?”
“A million.”
Reece laughed. “No, seriously.”
“I was being serious. The Tamarack Hotel restoration would not only be a potential money maker as far as renting the spaces but it will look good on my resume. I’m not just going to walk away from the deal because Buchanan Enterprises wants a luxury high-rise. You want to make money, well, so do I.”
Reece weighed the pros and cons of such a payoff.
Dillion seemed pretty hungry for the deal but throwing down a million just to keep the competitors at bay seemed high.
Of course, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit to enjoying the idea of sticking Dillon up the keister with his precious deal.
“If you’re not authorized to make that decision, you’re welcome to place a call; I’ll wait.”
Reece laughed. “Do you think I’d be here making the offer if I wasn’t in a position to make deals? My hesitation is entirely based on whether or not you’re worth the investment.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Let’s be honest…there are plenty of other buildings for sale. If this sale doesn’t go through, we’ll just find another that suits our needs. But how many deals do you have that offer such a lucrative kill fee? And if you really want to play hardball, I can remind you that Buchanan Enterprises has a long reach and if you’re looking to make our lives difficult we will happily accept that challenge and destroy Revitalize Inc. But let’s not get so ugly when there’s really no need. All we want is for you to walk away from this particular deal and in doing so, make a solid business decision for your company.”
Darren shifted, his attitude changing. “Are you threatening me?”
“Of course not. Just laying all my cards on the table so that you can make an informed choice.”
“Why do you want this building so bad?”
“It’s not the building; it’s the land.”
“Seems a shame to destroy part of New York’s history,” Darren commented. “I mean, the Tamarack Hotel…it’s pretty special.”
“And we’ll be sure to take lots of pictures before we knock it down.”
But even as he held the man’s stare with a hard one of his own, there was a part of him that identified some kind of shared reluctance to destroy something with such a rich story in its past. He wasn’t an architect or anything but even he could see that at one time the Tamara
ck building had been something spectacular.
Tana’s family had taken pride in their achievement, that much was evident.
The fact that Tana was holding so fiercely to the old building said that pride was still alive and kicking in the next generation.
Too bad she didn’t have some cash to put behind her conviction.
“Look, it’s a sad day when we have to mow over the old to make room for the new but that’s the evolution of society. I don’t make the rules, I just play the game.”
“So let me get this straight…if I don’t take the deal you’re offering, Buchanan Enterprises is going to be on my ass, cutting down every potential deal in the future?”
“When you put it like that…it sounds downright cruel but…in a nutshell…yes.”
“That’s fucking blackmail.”
“I call it strategy.”
Darren’s face turned florid as he wrestled with the reality that Reece was presenting. It would be simple enough to turn the resources at their disposal toward decimating a small company like Revitalize and Darren knew it.
Darren cut his gaze away, disgusted. “Looks like you’ve got me by the short hairs, doesn’t it?”
“It would appear so.”
“And if I take the deal?”
“Buchanan Enterprises will show its gratitude by forgetting all about your company, leaving you free to do business as you always have. Like I said, this is the easiest money you’ll ever make.”
Darren swore under his breath and then bit out, “Fine. We’ll back out of negotiations on the Tamarack.”
“Smart man.”
“Yeah, well, it feels like shit. You’re screwing over good people and I’m complicit in that.”
“Harsh way to look at it,” Reece said but there was some truth to the statement. “I’ll have the papers drawn up and the money wired to you as soon as you sign. I’ll expect you to break the news to Tana today at your meeting but I have to ask that you take on the full responsibility of your decision. Leave any mention of Buchanan Enterprises out of it.”
Darren stared hard. “And just how exactly should I do that?”
“That’s your problem.”
“Convenient.”
Reece smiled and rose. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“Just get out,” Darren growled.
Pushed (Billionaire romance): Pursued By The Billionaire (Buchanan Romance Book 2) Page 4
