Page 5 of Restrained

His confidence in the fact that I will do whatever he says sickeningly reminds me of my father and his arrogance when he told me I’d never be anything without him.

Don’t do it, Lola.

I grab my coffee and follow him in a huff out to his black Mercedes as he opens the passenger door, pulling out a stack of papers and handing it to me. “Go over it with your partner andbothof you meet me at the address on the contract tomorrow at five. Donotbe late.”

His demands make me want to scream and tell him to shove the contract up what I'm sure is a very firm, sculpted ass.

But I can’t.

“I’m assuming that’s your office?” He nods, not wasting any words on me. “I thought you didn’t allow strangers into your home?”

He closes his car door, his lips curling into a smirk. “We’re not strangers anymore.” His voice is gruff, thick with a sinister promise that makes me shiver despite the intense heat outside. “We’ll be working together as long as you don’t disappoint me.”

I hate you.

I look into his eyes wanting again to tell him to shove it.

But he’s right. I look down at the contract, trying to slow my breathing and not show any shock at the massive number he’s offering for our services.

Our business desperately needs this, and there’s no way I can deny him.

3

LOLA

“Areal asshole, huh?”

I grunt my very unladylike response to Penelope’s question as I prepare our salad by literally pouring it out of the bag into a glass bowl. “Yes. Awful.”

“But the contract though...” She takes another sip of wine as she looks over the stack of papers in front of her on the granite counter. “Damn.”

I nod my head, puffing a heavy breath upward and blowing my bangs out of my face. “I know.”

“Maybe he’ll warm up to us?” She shrugs. “Or maybe he’ll be a total dick forever. I mean, with that fucking number...”

I laugh, even though part of me was hoping she’d be the moral compass and tell me to turn him down.

“I know.”

“We need this.”

We do.“I know,” I sigh.

“Was he good-looking at least?”

I raise an eyebrow in her direction. “Aren’t you with my brother?”

She tosses her head back and laughs, happier than I've ever seen her, as she takes another sip of wine. “One hundred percent his, but it doesn’t hurt to look.”

“He’s like every man I've ever known, Penelope. Rich. Entitled. Well-groomed, and yes, he’s good-looking. The pricks always are.”

She smiles and bites her bottom lip. I know she’s thinking about my brother which makes me slightly gag.

“Focus.”

She laughs again, shrugging. “Look, if you really want to turn him down, Linc has offered...”

I quickly cut her off. “No.” She already knew what I would say. “I’m happy his real estate business is doing well, but so will ours. We just have to give it time, and I'm not using any more of my family’s money to do it.”

---