Page 23 of Sinful Blaze

Brennan arches an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Just like I won’t be giving Cora the latest batch of surveillance tapes from your recent… what was it you called it again? ‘Business trip’?”

He coughs on his food and frantically fumbles for his water.

I shrug. “It’s not much, I’ll admit. But even those meager ten minutes we did manage to grab happens to show you with your… shall we say, ‘associates.’”

“Now, Pasha?—”

“Interesting how you’re almost always away on ‘business,’ and yet the one time I need to speak with your wife directly, she’s busy? And you’re able to step in on her behalf?” I grin and lean forward, dropping my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with your sweet new secretary, would it? The one who joined you on that trip?”

Brennan’s face turns beet red.

I thought as much. Or at least, I had my suspicions. Everyone knows that Cora Brennan has her husband by the short and curlies; it’s better to discuss deals and contracts with her in order to get the senator to agree.

Matter of fact, it was she whom I originally scheduled this lunch meeting with. Senator Brennan stepped in at the last minute to inform me that Cora had a “scheduling conflict” and he’d be handling the details himself.

All I had to do was check the surveillance footage we stole to find out why.

“Can’t a man keep his privacy?” Brennan growls, his eyes darting around the room. I don’t blame him. Should anyone overhear, lips are bound to start flapping.

“When he’s stepping out on his wife? No.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Like you’ve got any ground to stand on. I’m sure you’ve got skeletons in the closet aplenty.”

“I’m not like you, Senator,” I answer coolly. “And thank God for that.”

I push my chair out and stand. I’m done talking with this incompetent excuse of a man. I’ll finish the deal with his wife.

Or I’ll out him and cut my losses.

Either one works.

I step away to pace in the glass-arched side lounge and make a phone call. “Mak. It’s me.”

“How’d it go?”

“About as good as can be expected with that dumbfuck.”

“Cora wasn’t there?”

“No.” I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. “But I reminded him about the dirt we’ve got, so he’s still on board. He wants verification of sourcing and I told him to go fuck himself.”

“Might not be such a bad idea.” Mak blows out a puff of air. “Considering the longevity we want with the contract. Want me to build some shell companies and hide the paper trail?”

“Yeah, do it. Cover our bases. Speaking of, how did the reviews go?”

Mak lets out a nervous laugh that sets me on edge.

“Mak…”

“Everything’s fine! Good! Got it all loaded up and funneled through. All numbers accounted for.”

“But?”

He sucks in a breath. “But… the vors kept mentioning you. And your heirs. Moreso the lack thereof.”

I swallow back a growl of impatience. “Tell them to keep their noses in their own damn business.”

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