Page 9 of Sensual Games

“Say no more. It’s a great idea, and I wish I’d thought of it before you brought it to me.” Something behind me caught his eye, he lifted an arm, and waved somebody in. “I want to tell Lucian about this.”

Oh, fuck. And I was feeling so positive too. I couldn’t exactly ask the man not to include his son in this discussion or else risk questions about a very uncomfortable situation. If it came down between Lucian and me, who would be out on their ass before the end of the day?

Looking over my shoulder, I watched Lucian approach the room. His eyes narrowed a fraction when they landed on me. Would he be immature enough to start trouble in front of his dad? I doubted it. Not in front of Mr. We’re All A Big Family Here. Even so, I was guarded, afraid to breathe by the time he entered the office and changed the temperature in the room.

“Was there a meeting nobody told me about?” he asked, his narrowed gaze bouncing between us. No wonder he looked suspicious. God forbid he be left out of something. Was he that insecure about his job?

“Nothing that formal,” Connor told him. “Ivy has come up with a great idea to help merge our two factions. What if we hold a retreat? We always have a standing invitation at the lodge up in the Catskills.”

“Exactly when do we plan on doing this?” Lucian eyed me and somehow managed to look neutral, except when it came to the thin line his lips pulled into. “It’s the middle of the summer. He’ll be booked solid up there.”

“Let me worry about that,” Connor insisted with a gentle laugh. Wealthy people could afford to think that way, like life would gently move aside because they wanted something. He turned to me and explained, “My good friend, Alex Schwartz, owns half a dozen properties up there. If he has to shift a few guests from one to the other for the sake of making room for us, he’ll do it. He owes me one.”

“And exactly what are we going to do during this retreat?” Lucian had slowly turned my way. It took a lot to bear up under the weight of his stare. “Any thoughts?”

“I’ll come up with something,” I assured him, extra chipper just to piss him off. I had no idea why it was so important, me getting under his skin, probably because he acted like a spoiled bully, regardless of how good he was in bed. “Team building exercises, that kind of thing. The main idea is to get out of the office, to let us all bond a little more.”

“But—” Lucian’s mouth snapped shut when his father shot him a sharp look that damn near made me pee myself, and I wasn’t the one he was looking at. He could turn the charm on and off with no effort. Whatever silent message passed between them, it was enough for Lucian to nod before speaking. “I’m sure it will be a success. And Ivy,” he added, eyes blazing when they locked with mine. “Be sure to let me know if you need any help with the planning. Between this and teaching me how to do my job, I can’t imagine where you’ll find the time.”

“I’m pretty good at multitasking,” I offered since I couldn’t let him get a dig in without making a dig of my own. “It’s how I got where I am.”While all you had to do was be born a Diamond.

“You can ask Cynthia for help,” Connor offered while Lucian’s jaw ticked. “We’ve organized events like this before. She’s a genius.”

“Thank you. Really, thank you so much for taking my idea seriously.” Did I look a little smug when I glanced Lucian’s way as I turned to leave the room? Maybe. And maybe he deserved it. It was increasingly obvious he had never met an obstacle that didn’t magically get out of the way just because he wanted it to. Poor baby.

Rather than stick around to talk to his dad, he fell in step beside me on my way to my desk. To anyone who might have noticed us, we probably looked completely innocent—two colleagues having a conversation. “Nice move, Poison,” he muttered from the corner of his mouth. I didn’t know what was more absorbing, the leathery scent of his cologne or the mental image of shoving him into a cubicle.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered while my legs trembled. It wasn’t all out of anger, either. When our arms brushed, my stomach flipped. Why couldn’t he have been physically repulsive as he was otherwise? It all would have been so much easier to manage.

“Let’s get one thing straight. You’re not going to score extra points and take control of the digital division by kissing the CEO’s ass.”

“Now, I’m disappointed.” We reached my desk, and I came to a stop, folding my arms as I took in the sight of his stony expression. Dammit, he looked even hotter this way. “I honestly thought you were more mature than this. I’m only looking out for my people.”

“Your people?” His eyebrows lifted at my choice of words, and I instantly regretted them. That wasn’t the sort of thing I needed to say out loud. “They’reourpeople, Poison. Diamond employees. The days of Jones Media are over. You would do well to remember that.”

The smugness. That was what took my irritation and pushed it over the top. With my teeth gritted, I replied, “And you would do well to remember I don’t report to you, I don’t owe you a thing, and I’m doing what I feel is right for the entire company. Maybe you need to think a little more about that and a little less about your pride… Mr. Diamond,” I added with a simpering smile. I even batted my eyelashes because why not?

He was practically seething by the time he lifted a finger. “You had better hope this idea of yours doesn’t blow up in your face, Poison,” he warned.

The problem was I was hoping for the same thing. All I could do was pretend his attitude didn’t bother me while I quaked inside. “It won’t,” I promised with the same wide, insincere smile that so clearly irked him. He scoffed before continuing into his office and turning the glass opaque, effectively blocking himself from my view.

Now, I could let out the breath I was holding when I sank into my chair with a soft groan. All I wanted was to do the right thing for my friends, which somehow made him more determined than ever to view me as an adversary. I couldn’t win.

Yes, you can. Hopelessness turned to something fierce and hot, flickering in my chest. I could win by showing him up, making myself indispensable if not to him, then to his dad and the company. The man was making me lose sight of my true goal—keeping this job and keeping Mom safe and cared for.

I would put together the greatest retreat ever, just like I’d work magic with the company’s digital division starting with our meeting early next week.

And if I happened to throw Lucian’s attitude in his face while I did it? Even better.

5

LUCIAN

“So I come in from lunch, and I find her in Dad’s office, going over my head with this stupid idea for a fucking retreat. Because, I don’t know, we all have to be one big, happy family or some horseshit.” I slammed my glass on the bar after emptying it. “Another, right here!” I shouted to the bartender, who nodded his acknowledgment.

The bar was as busy as usual on a Friday night, which was a shame since I was not in the mood to be patient. What little patience I possessed on a good day had dissolved hours ago.

“Ooh, a corporate retreat.” My cousin, Colton Black, winced like he was in pain because that was the effect corporate retreats had on people. Even I knew that, and I’d hardly been part of the corporate world for more than a handful of weeks.

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