Page 11 of Sweet Surrender

How much worse would I be if I hadn’t purged my anger last night? Sure, I was irritated as fuck, sitting with my thumb up my ass, waiting for Sienna Black to decide to grace me with her presence. But even that was a mild irritation when yesterday afternoon, I would have torn the place apart out of sheer rage.

I should have gotten the girl’s name. A stupid thought, childish. It was the right decision, leaving when I did. Better to stay anonymous, even if it meant I didn’t take the time to check in with her. I didn’t trust myself to walk away once the façade dropped, and we were nothing but two people who’d just finished coming until they couldn’t see straight.

I knew there was no choice but to leave when I had, but it didn’t stop me from wishing we had done more. Her pussy’s aroma hadn’t left my memory in the hours since I smelled her on my fingers. Ambrosial enough to make my cock twitch while waiting for my meeting to start. She came so exquisitely, shaking and weak. A smile had stirred my lips when I felt her limp body in my arms while helping her to her feet.

What a time for a soft alarm to sound. Sienna’s assistant looked up from her MacBook, this time wearing a smile. “Miss Black will see you now,” she chirped. I expected her to get up, but she only returned her attention to whatever she was working on. It wouldn’t have surprised me in the least to find out Sienna told her to let me see myself in. She wouldn’t want to be cordial or welcoming.

Gritting my teeth, I stood and went to the door. At least her shitty attitude meant the end of the semi that had been growing in my pants. I’d have plenty of time to reflect on last night once the meeting was over.

And if the meeting went terribly, I would have all the time in the world since I would lose my business and personal reputation. I held that image in my mind as I opened the heavy oak door and entered the large, sunlight-drenched corner office.

Good thing I hadn’t expected a warm welcome since I didn’t receive one. “You look a lot better than I expected this morning.” That was her idea of a greeting, delivered in a snide tone that left me biting my tongue. It would’ve been too satisfying in the moment to tell her to fuck herself.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, forcing a brittle smile as I closed the door behind me. Do not fuck this up. She probably craved nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing I couldn’t bear working with her.

“I imagined you’d stumble in here, bleary-eyed and miserable.” Looking me up and down, she clicked her tongue in what could’ve been disappointment. “I’m sure it’s for the best you didn’t drink yourself half to death last night. Have a seat.”

Sienna remained seated, watching closely as I approached. Barely a muscle on her face twitched as I unbuttoned my charcoal gray jacket and sat across from her, but not before pointedly checking my watch. “Busy day?” I asked.

“You should know how unpredictable work can sometimes be. Last-minute emergencies, that sort of thing.” There was nothing remotely close to sorrow in her voice, not that I expected it. So far, she was behaving much like I expected. There was a chip on her shoulder that had only gotten bigger as the years passed.

What a shame she had to act like such a bitch, since she was drop-dead gorgeous and couldn’t hide the killer body under her sleek pantsuit. Then again, it could’ve been for the best. Her bitchy attitude killed any boners before they could stir and kept me out of Colton’s crosshairs.

Could I have brought up that stupid prank and cleared the air? I might have tried, but I doubted I would’ve been successful. Besides, it would’ve looked pathetic to dredge up the past. Like I was scrambling to get in her good graces now that she held a scrap of power over me. That wasn’t going to happen. Not in this lifetime.

Wearing an expression of mock sadness, Sienna rotated her laptop, allowing me a look at the ugly article that had gone live overnight. “Manhattan Real Estate Tycoon Noah Goldsmith’s Business Practices Called Into Question,” she recited, quoting the subheading. “Really, this isn’t as ugly as I expected.”

Considering I practically knew the damn article by heart, having gone over it with a fine-tooth comb at least two dozen times since waking up, I could only snort weakly at her statement. “Easy for you to say. It isn’t your integrity and reputation on the line.”

“All I’m saying is, let’s keep a sense of realism. It’s ugly,” she admitted in a way that left me feeling like she was throwing me a bone. “But it’s not anything we can’t rise above. It will take a little careful maneuvering, that’s all.”

As she spoke, my phone buzzed. I ignored it, though the vibration reminded me of the stakes. Probably another call from a concerned associate or, worse, another call from my sister, Rose, or one of my parents. They were concerned, but it felt a lot more like disappointment to me. I could see through their assurances and could hear the emptiness behind their words. Like everyone else, they thought I was getting what was coming to me.

At least, that was very much how it seemed.

“I’m in your hands,” I told her, no matter how uncomfortable the notion made me.

And she knew it too.

She sat back in her chair, lips twitching. I was used to that smart-ass expression after having it thrown my way countless times. She always acted like she knew something the rest of us didn’t, which irritated me into adding, “I hope you know what you’re doing. Have you ever handled a client like me before?”

I knew I was in for it when she arched an eyebrow. Her blue eyes sparkled, but there was nothing joyful in them. There was more malice behind that glow. Her chocolate waves glistened in the sunlight as she turned her head, gazing through the window beside her. “What do you think of the view?” she asked, deflecting my question.

That was the thing. From where I sat, the view wasn’t bad at all. Sienna looked a hell of a lot like her mom, Lourde, who happened to be my first crush. Nobody knew that, not even Colton. Looking at Sienna now, I admired the same delicate bone structure, her long, graceful neck, and pouty lips that pursed while she was deep in thought, the way they did now. I cleared my throat and glanced out the window before I could forget who I was looking at and start thinking very bad, dirty things. “It’s nice.”

“Tell me the truth. Do you think I could have ended up in this office without knowing what I’m doing? And before you make an ass out of yourself…” she added with a sharp look, “… I did this on my own. No help.”

Something told me her last name and her parents’ ties had a little something to do with it, but I couldn’t risk getting thrown out. Swallowing my irritation, I grunted my understanding.

“I know what I’m doing, Noah. Unlike you, I have an excellent reputation. I’d be more than happy to give you the contact information for a few of my most recent clients, though, if that would make you feel better. But between you and me, I don’t think we have that kind of time.”

“Which is it?” I folded my hands, lowering my brow. “Will this be easy to overcome, or are we in trouble?”

“Two things can be true at once,” she retorted in a sickeningly sweet voice. One thing was for sure—she spent much too much time with my sister, to the point where they had adopted some of each other’s annoying habits. In a way, Sienna was like a sister, albeit one who hated my guts. The fact that she was stunningly gorgeous was secondary.

She sat up straighter, rolling her shoulders back. I took a moment to appreciate the slim cut of her powder blue suit jacket before she rattled off items from a list on her screen. “The way I see it, there are two options of attack. First, you have the option of issuing a response to these claims. Have you received any calls or messages from the press asking for your thoughts?”

“Are you kidding?” As we spoke, my phone buzzed again. “I don’t bother answering unknown numbers, and that’s virtually all I’ve seen all morning. I haven’t bothered to listen to the voicemails.”

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