Page 13 of Sweet Surrender

“Yeah, no kidding,” she chortled. “Hence, you being in this position. For what it’s worth, I would also like to find out who planted this story. Any idea who it might’ve been?”

Because it was what she already believed, I snapped, “It’ll take some time for me to compile a list of people I’ve fucked over.” With that, I stood and buttoned my jacket. “You have this under control. I’ll forward you the names, numbers, all that shit.” If I spent another minute with her, I’d destroy everything. She was an expert at pushing my buttons, almost like she’d spent years honing her skills. For all I knew, she had.

“Do us both a favor and keep your mouth shut,” she warned as I left her office. “I’m a genius, but I’m not a miracle worker.”

“I could think of a few other words to describe you.” Her face fell in the split second I closed the door between us. It gave me almost as much pleasure as anything I’d experienced at the club.

7

SIENNA

Why? Why do I let him get under my skin?

Noah was long gone, and I sat staring at the closed door with my fists clenched in my lap. I told myself I wouldn’t let him irk me and would keep it professional, no jabs, no barbs. Nothing about this had to be personal. It was a job.

I was good at my job.

I loved my job.

But when it came to him, all bets were off.

I released a shuddering breath and consciously let go of the tension that had tightened into a knot at the nape of my neck. All I needed was to end up with a migraine because of him. I kept that in mind as I took a few slow, deep breaths until, finally, my muscles loosened and the pounding in my head lessened.

At least he hadn’t fought me. He could bitch and moan all he wanted, but facts were facts. He was at the mercy of public opinion right now, which left him at my mercy. He may have been talented at some things. I hated him, but I wasn’t naïve. Nobody built a business the size of his if they didn’t at least know a thing or two about how to earn trust and turn a profit. He wasn’t what anyone would call a people person, yet at the same time, he understood people. He knew what they needed to see and hear.

So why was he in this spot? He made a sarcastic joke about being unable to identify everybody he had fucked over, and I had to wonder how much of it was true. Because there was another side to the success coin. A man on his way to his first billion didn’t normally get there without having fucked over at least one or two people along the way. Undercutting them on a deal, maybe making a few sketchy investments.

I typed the word investment in the document I’d opened to compile thoughts and ideas, along with it was a mess of other notes I’d jotted down in the minutes and hours after Noah’s phone call. At the heart of it all was the question of who had planted the story and why.

Was it wrong that I almost felt sorry for whoever they were? Nobody went that route unless they had been good and thoroughly fucked by somebody. I knew the feeling too well. Hell, there was a part of me that wanted to shake their hand, whoever they were. At least they had tried to strike back. All I had been able to do was bear the humiliation, which I was unfortunately reminded of every time I came into contact with Noah in the years since that awful night.

I sat back in my chair with a sigh, my thoughts now on anything but the job at hand. Staring out the window, I no longer saw the striking high rises around me or the East River in the distance. I saw Penelope Schwartz’s snide smirk.

She hadn’t kicked my ass the way she’d threatened, probably because she knew better than to try. The school’s administration had looked the other way on a lot of things because there wasn’t a single student there whose parents didn’t wield influence. But even they knew where to draw a line and punish bad behavior. Besides, Penelope had practically been royalty around there, and she’d had a reputation to uphold as student body president along with half a dozen clubs. Beating up a freshman would have put an end to her shiny image.

Even years later, I shivered thinking about it. Going to school with my heart in my throat, expecting to be taunted and bullied. Shriveling under the weight of Penelope’s gaze whenever we passed in the halls. It was all thanks to that cruel, arrogant bastard. He had never even apologized. My brother’s best friend, someone I’d known my entire life, and he hadn’t apologized.

My jaw ached thanks to the way I ground my teeth. My dentist was going to have a few choice words for me at my next appointment if I wasn’t careful. I deliberately loosened my jaw, chiding myself. Noah did not deserve this power over me.

My phone buzzed with an alert, quickly followed by a soft ping from my computer—an appointment reminder. I was never so glad for a distraction to pull me out of my murderous thoughts. My cousin, Aria, had talked me into signing up for a spin class with Skye Worthington, one of the hottest instructors on the East Side. God knew I needed the endorphins, and Aria’s mom, Evelyn, swore by Skye’s classes. Considering she had the body of a woman my age and my Uncle Magnus still looked at her like he wanted to ravish her, I was sold.

I stood from my desk and crossed the room, ducking into the attached bathroom to change into my workout clothes before heading to the spin studio. I needed to get rid of this nasty energy wrapped around me like the thin, sticky strands of a spiderweb. The harder I fought, the more stuck I became. If I weren’t careful, I would end up paralyzed by the spider at the center of it all.

Marissa looked up from her work when I emerged from my office, now dressed in workout gear. “Spin class?” she asked, privy to my schedule.

I nodded, looking across the floor. The dozens of employees Jules managed were hard at work, typing up press releases, managing social media accounts, confirming reservations, and basically making the entire company run. I was under no illusions. I might have been the wizard behind the curtain, pulling levers and pushing buttons, but they kept the gears moving.

“I’ll oversee all communication on the Goldsmith account,” I announced to my assistant, whose eyes widened slightly with surprise. “This is one I would like to handle on my own.”

“That works,” she murmured in a way that told me she didn’t think it worked at all. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, with you two knowing each other. It’s personal.”

Yes, it was definitely personal. “I know how to handle him,” I explained with a wink. Her concern softened thanks to that, which is why I had done it. I couldn’t have her questioning my motivation or wondering if my management of this client was a smart move. I already had Jules concerned over that as it was.

Passing Jules’ closed office door on my way to the elevator, I frowned when I remembered her wandering off at the club. Granted, it wasn’t like we had promised to stick close to each other, but I had felt hopelessly out of place and more than a little intimidated. I hadn’t seen her after slinking out of that little room with my panties shoved down the front of my dress, though, to be fair, I was in a hurry to get home after that. My whole world had turned on its head. I had needed time to decompress and figure out what the hell happened.

Hours later, I still had no idea.

Aria was waiting for me by the time I arrived. “There you are!” She waved me over to the machine next to hers. “I’ve been saving it for you,” she explained, tossing her long burgundy ponytail over her shoulder. Even dressed for spin class, she managed to look effortlessly chic. I had never mastered that skill, just as I never had the guts to dye my hair fun colors like she did.

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