Page 6 of Ryker

I have an out… and an in.

Tipping my head to the side, I maintain an air of aloofness that’s taken me half my life to master. “I want to be the Butterfly.”

He stills.

My heart thrashes in my chest. My palms are sweaty. I’ve just made the biggest power-play of my life and it’s not over property. It’s for sex.

The Butterfly at the Monarch is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s one of the things that makes the Monarch so special. Once a year, select women are caught “in the net” and put up for auction. The woman with the highest bid becomes “the Butterfly” and has her choice of lovers for the month—picking her Dom from elite professionals who work at the club.

It’s the only way to get to them. The Monarch has several entertainers you can play with, but the elite pros are untouchable by anyone except the Butterfly.

“That’s not possible,” Ryker finally says, stepping back.

“Anything’s possible when you want it to be.” I close the space between us. “How bad do you want this place, Mr. Hudson?”

His jaw clenches. Maybe he’s debating on pushing me off the roof. Maybe he’s carefully weighing his options on whether this place is worth the price I want him to pay. I have no clue how versed he is in real estate, but it’s not worth the price tag he’s set on it. I wouldn’t have offered more than six-hundred thousand for this mess. Instead, I ratcheted the damn thing up to two million and am ready to play hardball. I’m fucked no matter what.

If he caves, I’ll be forced to pay the promised amount and my stepfather will have my ass for spending so much. If he takes my deal, I’ll have to come up with a lie to explain how I lost this property when no one else was supposed to know it was up for sale yet. But at least I’ll get what I’ve been desperately wanting for so long.

My body comes alive with adrenaline.

“What will it be, Ryker Hudson?” We stare at each other like two lions. I bet we both bite hard.

“Perhaps we should take this conversation downstairs,” Moira says, nervously. She has no clue what we’re referencing, but I’m sure she’s aware of the growing tension between us. When neither of us budges, she turns around and busies herself on her cell.

Ryker’s jaw ticks, his eyes dark and hard. “You have yourself a deal, Miss Reed,” he finally says, holding out his hand.

That he’s old schooling it with a handshake, like my word is gold, says a lot about him, and even more about me, because I’ll shake it regardless of my trustworthiness. Slipping my hand in his, a thrill skates up my spine. My nipples harden. My mouth waters. I clench my thighs because all I keep thinking about is finally getting what I want.

Tonight is a major win.

I’ll just need to talk myself out of losing my job in the morning.

“Um, I don’t mean to interrupt.” Moira almost trips over broken bits of stone and rubber as she rushes towards us. Her stenciled eyebrows knit together and her mouth cuts in a deep frown. “I’m so very sorry,” she says. “I didn’t check my emails ahead of time today because I had to pick up my grandkids from soccer and then I got stuck at the grocery store before I—”

“Spit it out, Moira. Is there a problem?” My hand is still in Mr. Hudson’s and we’re both squeezing tightly.

“Well, yes.” She looks up at us and sighs. “I’m afraid the owner has already signed auction papers. Neither of your offers are valid. They slated this building to go up for sale on the thirty-first of this month. I’m so sorry to have wasted your time and brought you here last minute. The owner told me only yesterday that they wanted to sell, and I thought they were holding off on considering an auction.”

Mr. Hudson slides his hand out of mine. “Looks like this was all for nothing, then.”

My heart stutters to a stop. No, no, no. I’ve come too close to lose it all now. “A deal’s a deal,” I blurt.

“The deal was contingent on the sale being made tonight.” He wipes his hand off on his jacket.

How insulting.

Instead of getting flustered, I get even. “The deal was for me to let this property go so you could have it without my competition. Now if you’d prefer I meet you at the auction, I’ll happily do that,” I step in close, giving him my best evil grin. “And I’ll drive the price up higher than you can afford.” I ease off a bit. “But I’m not a petty woman.” I’m a horny one. “I assure you, Mr. Hudson, you don’t want to play hardball with me. My pockets are far deeper than yours.”

He arches his brow. “Says who?”

“That suit you're wearing.” I turn towards the stairwell and pray karma doesn’t push me down the steps for that low blow.

“For a Butterfly,” he says behind me, “you sure know how to bite.”

I look over my shoulder and flash him another wicked smile. “I assure you, Mr. Hudson, I never bite the hand that fingers me.”

Successfully stunning him, I leave as fast as my Louboutin stilettos can carry me. By the time I’m out of the building, my knees are shaking and heart’s racing. Sauntering over to my car, I wave without looking back at him. “See you tomorrow evening at the ceremony, Mr. Hudson.”

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