Page 41 of Negotiating Tactics

“The real ones will, and you know I’m that,” she said. “You need to get out and live. You are a beautiful, successful, kind, smart woman. The world is your oyster, and you need to pluck the hell out of it.”

I laughed, though I didn’t agree with her.

The world was most assuredly not my oyster.

I worked, did what I was supposed to do, and tried to build toward my dream.

What I did not do was have entanglements with ridiculously hot billionaires who also happened to be my best friend’s brother-in-law.

Whatever had come over me that night, I was over it and would get back to business, keep my head down, and focus on my goals.

There was no place for Noah Wilder in that.

I started to nod, trying to reaffirm that I was making the right choice—no matter how much I wanted Noah—then stopped when I realized Aunt Clem was still watching me.

“Just think about it, Alex,” Aunt Clem said.

Her eyes were intense as she stared at me, waiting until I agreed.

“All right, Aunt Clem,” I said.

I was certain Aunt Clem didn’t believe me. But she didn’t press the issue.

Instead, she smiled and then picked up the cards.

Nine

Noah

As I stood in front of Alex’s door, I waited before I rang the bell, remembering the first time I’d been here.

Dominic had come to me and explained what had happened with Birdie, and seeing his heartbreak had tugged on a protective instinct I hadn’t known I’d had for him. I’d sought out Birdie, determined to get the truth—and to make her pay if she’d fucked over my brother.

Alex hadn’t entered into the equation, but my first glimpse of her had knocked me on my ass, and the way she’d stood up for her friend had only made her that much more intriguing.

Then, I hadn’t paid too much attention to her place, but I did now, looking left, then right down the hallway.

A hallway that was currently lined heavy plastic sheeting that hung from the ceiling to cover the warped drywall and thick orange extension cords plugged into about half a dozen fans blowing at full speed. A valiant effort, I supposed, but all the fans in the world wouldn’t save those floors. The whole building needed to be gutted, and I was pissed that someone allowed Alex to live here.

Even more pissed that she wanted to be away from me so badly that she chose this over Dominic’s townhouse.

I let out a low chuckle.

Too bad for her that I’d never had a problem going after what I wanted.

And, after twenty-four more hours of wrestling with my desire, trying to convince myself to let it go, I could no longer deny that what I wanted was her.

I rang the doorbell and then knocked for good measure as I called, “Open the door, Alex.”

I heard her moving inside her apartment and felt myself smiling and also fidgeting with anticipation at the thought of seeing her again.

“I am. I am. Just give me a minute,” she mumbled, the sound of her voice muffled under the whirling fans and the closed door.

I could easily imagine the annoyed expression on her beautiful face, the way her eyebrows would furrow. Wondered if she knew that even when she looked pissed, her lips still tilted up in a little smile.

My hunch that she was close was proven when she pulled the door open not more than two seconds after she’d spoken.

I stared at her, looking her from head to toe.

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