Page 5 of Reluctant Surrender

“Whatever. The discussion is closed.” Konrad walked around his desk then flicked a wrist toward the door. “Go.”

I raised an eyebrow at the tone he used. It was one I would reserve for my dog, not my daughter, and sure as fuck not Maggie.

Her cheeks tinted, but she locked her jaw and gave a curt nod. When she passed me, her eyes darted away from me, as though if she looked at me, she might lose the control she was grappling with.

Once the door closed behind her, I slid my hands into my pockets and turned to Konrad.

“I could have waited a minute so you could finish with your daughter,” I found myself saying. His eyes widened slightly.

“She’s fine. Now, how can we make some money today?” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk as he plopped down in his leather chair.

I pushed Maggie from my mind. I had work to do.

* * *

The meetingwith Konrad took longer than expected. By the time I finished, Maggie was already gone from the building. It hadn’t been easy to keep her from creeping into my mind while I was in her father’s office. The image of her clenched jaw and her heated cheeks lingered, and I wondered how pretty she would look with the same expression while on her knees in front of me. My cock hardened at the mental picture.

I was a dick. But I never pretended to be anything else. As I headed down the street to the garage where I’d parked, I spotted Maggie sitting at a table outside a small café on the corner. Her sunglasses sat perched on top of her head while she flipped the pages of a book. She picked up her half empty iced coffee and brought the straw between her lips, sucking gently.

I ground my teeth together. This woman gave me too many images to store away for later use.

A moment later a man in an ill-fitting suit weaved through the tables of the outside seating until he came to her table. She brought her sunglasses down over her eyes and nodded slightly toward the chair across from her. The man glanced over his shoulder before sitting down. Who the hell was he? And what was with all the cloak and dagger bullshit?

Maggie was smarter than to get involved with a married man. Maggie Dudek was no one’s side piece. My hands fisted at the idea of her being someone’s dirty little secret, waiting for this asshole to decide he wanted to play with his toy for a little bit.

I hurried my steps toward the café, keeping a close eye on their interaction. The asshole pulled out an envelope from his inside pocket and placed it inside the book she’d been looking at. She closed the book. As I approached the entrance to the patio, he stood up from the table and left, nearly bumping into me as he passed me.

I watched him scurry into the lunchtime crowd on the sidewalk until he disappeared around the corner. I didn’t recognize him, but I’d only been in the city a few months. Maybe Maggie would introduce us.

“Lukas?” Maggie looked up from her book as I approached her table. She nervously glanced down the street behind me. “Did your meeting go well?” she asked.

“It did. Yes.” I leaned over the table to get a look at what she’d been absorbed in. “A textbook?”

“Accounting.” She nodded, pulling the book further toward her and laying her forearms over it. The thick envelope kept the book from closing completely; the gap between the pages was easily seen.

“Not real estate like your father?” I asked, pulling the chair across from her out and taking a seat.

“No.”

“You like numbers.” I eyed the book again. “Probably helps you when you’re playing cards.” I let the statement hang in the air.

“I beat you fairly, Lukas.” A teasing smile danced on her lips.

Leaning back in my chair, I narrowed my eyes. “Hmm. Maybe.” I moved my gaze to the book beneath her arms. “And the guy who just paid you, he won that money fair and square?”

Her eyes widened a fraction. Did she really think I hadn’t seen him, or noticed the way she hugged her textbook?

“Just helping a friend.” She shrugged, then leaned back in the chair, moving her hands from the book.

“Helping a friend,” I repeated. “You’re going to get yourself into a lot of trouble one day, Maggie.” I pointed a finger at her.

“I can handle myself, Lukas.” She brushed her fingertips across her cheek to catch a flyaway hair and tucked it behind her ear. “But thanks for the warning.”

“Oh, that’s not the warning.” I pushed up from my seat and rounded the table, coming to stand behind her. Reaching over her, I opened the book to where she hid the thick envelope and plucked it out from between the pages.

“Lukas.” She grabbed my wrist.

“Hands off, Maggie.” I lowered my voice so only she could hear me. It took a moment, but she finally let me go and I opened the envelope, exposing the stack of hundreds inside.

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