Page 22 of Bolted

The driver picks us up and we cruise out of the airport. Riley‘s eyes are wide while she takes in the scenery around us.

“Wow, this is beautiful!” she exclaims.

“Yes, St. Thomas is beautiful, as are most of the other Virgin Islands. St. John’s is my favorite though. Much more remote,” I explain when she looks at me questioningly.

“I can’t imagine something prettier than this,” she says, as she turns back to the windows.

I can, I think to myself as I stare at her.

Pulling up to the resort, the concierge quickly comes out. “Mr. Bolt. So lovely to see you again. We have been expecting you. The villa is already prepared.”

"Thank you Samuel, please have our bags brought over quickly. Miss Green and I will head there now.”

I head over to the villa with Riley in tow. Sliding the key card in, I hold the door open for her.

“I thought we had separate rooms,” she says looking at me.

“This is a villa Riley," I laugh. “We do have two separate rooms. Mine is right here,” I say, pointing to one room. “And yours is right there,” I say, pointing to the other.

“The room we’re standing in right now would just be the seating area. These villas are specifically made for business interactions. Hence this table with eight chairs,” I explain, while waving my hand around the room.

“Oh,” she says quietly, but just stands there biting her lip.

I can’t tell if that’s a look of disappointment on her face or confusion, but I’m sure hoping it’s the first. This trip was obviously for business, but I wouldn’t mind adding a little pleasure to the mix and sharing my bed with Riley while we’re here.

I obviously didn’t invite her for nothing. She is my intern, but I could’ve brought any of the other guys here for the trip instead. I want her though. She’s been playing hard to get with me for months and I won’t be able to get her out of my head until I have her. What I wouldn't give to be the one biting her lip right now…

Also, if there really is shit happening within Ethan Lockhart’s businesses, I need Riley to realize Nate is up to even more shady shit than just Sasha. I don’t want to be the one to tell her though.

Breaking off the awkward silence, I stroll to my room and yell back to her. “I’m going to wash up. We have dinner and cocktails with our client soon,” and I close the door behind me.

Really I need to just take care of the raging hard on she just gave me.

Frederick Degerson sits at the table when we walk in, looking like his normal smug self. This man has more money than necessary and that’s saying something coming from a rich man like me. One woman is sitting on his lap while another is curled up next to him with her chair pushed so close I’m surprised it hasn’t tipped over.

I pull Riley‘s chair out for her, and she looks at me slightly stunned. Has this woman never had a chair pulled out for her before? Waving my hand to the chair, she sits down, and I take my seat next to her across from Frederick.

“Evening, Frederick, I see you’ve already gotten started,” I say to him, eyeing his half empty glass.

“Oh, you know me Sebastian, I'm always ready for the party.” Snapping his fingers, the two girls get up and walk away, looking disappointed.

“Why don’t you have your date go hang out with the girls while we discuss business?" he says to me and starts to dismiss Riley with his hand. Her eyes narrow, and she looks like she’s about to say something, so I grab her leg under the table and squeeze just a little. Her whole body stiffens, and there’s a slight flush coming over her. And here we fucking go again with my dick tenting in my pants while I envision for just a split second her underneath me with that same flush.

“That won’t be necessary, Frederick,” I say before Riley opens her mouth. I don’t know what came over her since that plane flight but I need to make sure she stays the meek little mouse she’s been while working for me, at least while we’re at this meeting.

I have no problem letting her act out a bit later if I’m the one to punish her for it. But right now is not the time. Frederick may seem like a happy go lucky half drunk, but he is the heir to a Don. In other words, this man is of mafia status and we do not need to get on his bad side. He will never view a woman as equal to a man. While Riley is smart as hell, and eventually will make a fantastic attorney, there would be no point in explaining that to him. He just doesn't care. To him, she will forever be an assistant, only good for spreading her legs.

“Riley is my intern, she’s here to look over the documents with me and take notes. She’s one of the best I have working for me…. Smart and trustworthy,” I throw in to soften the blow of having a woman in our meeting.

“Fine," he says, dismissing her before jumping right into business. I’m vaguely aware of my hand still on Riley‘s leg but she hasn’t scooted to move it off so I think I’ll just leave it there until she does.

We delve into the funds that Frederick had invested through Galant Enterprises, reviewing all the trades and emails related to the investments. What I know Riley is not connecting the dots on - is that her husband is working for one of the subsidiary companies of Galant. Ethan Lockhart has managed to spread his purview far and wide, but Ethan’s name never comes up in the conversation. Degerson just keeps referring to Galant and the fact that Galant clients across the globe are willing to invest in this company and not ask questions about how their money gets tripled.

Two hours later I decide to call it a night. Frederick is smashed and is looking far too interested in Riley. He has ordered at least four drinks for her but I’ve only seen her finish two.

At first, she was hesitant to drink the first order but I assured her that this is how Frederick conducts business so it would be rude to refuse a drink. Little did I know the lightweight would be tipsy after the first one. But then, of course Frederick had to keep them coming for himself. And apparently he can’t hold his liquor. By the time we had started to wrap up our meeting, he already had both his dates back at our table, sitting on his lap while kissing his neck and whispering God knows what. Riley and I walk back to the villa and she’s quiet at my side.

Once we get in I sit her in one of the barstools and turn to grab a glass of water for her when she blurts, “You know, you’re really arrogant Sebastian.”

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