Page 33 of Playing By His Rules

Rick was very aware that the entire morning with Madison felt . . . different. Lighter. Easier. More relaxed. As if last night had shifted things between them, and she’d let down her walls a bit more around him, instead of being so emotionally guarded—which he saw as a positive sign considering he was already thinking of the best way to broach the subject of a long-distance relationship with her. Knowing now what he did of her past, along with the idiotic men she’d dated who’d made her feel less than, he knew she wasn’t quite ready to make that leap, but he still had a few more days to sway her.

After they’d finished eating, Rick opened his laptop and made some changes to the next day’s presentation, while Madison scrolled through her cellphone until a soft little gasp from her made him glance up from his computer. She had a look on her face that was both excited and anxious, and when he asked her if everything was okay, she’d informed him that she’d gotten an email from one of the design companies she’d sent her resume to, and they wanted to schedule a Zoom call and interview for that afternoon.

“That’s fantastic,” he’d told her, knowing how much she needed the job. And since he’d be out golfing, he wouldn’t be around to stress her out during the interview process.

Reaching the clubhouse, Rick walked inside, made his way to the golf shop, and found Charles standing with three of the other men he’d met the day before at their meeting—along with another unexpected, though familiar face that confused the hell out of him.

What the fuck washedoing there?

William, the guy who’d accosted Madison her first night at The Penthouse, and who’d also glared at the two of them while they’d been having drinks in the lounge the second evening. He was talking and laughing with the other older men like he knew them, and as Rick approached the group, William glanced his way—at first with a startled look on his face, which gradually morphed into a smirk as he recognized Rick, too.

Judging by the other man’s initial reaction, he hadn’t been expecting Rick to be there, either. They’d never met formally, and he tried to make sense of why William was present, and why a slimeball like him was so chummy with the CEO and board of directors of Reign.

Rick greeted everyone else with firm handshakes, then Charles was quick to introduce him to the new guy in the group.

“Rick, I’d like you to meet my son, William,” Charles said, slapping the younger man on the back. “He’ll be playing a round of golf with us today. William, this is Rick Dunne, who is proposing a new cyber security system for the hotel and casino.”

Charles’s son.Fuck. Rick’s stomach churned at the turn of events while William did nothing to disguise the arrogant, superior look on his face. The other man shoved his hands deep into front pockets of his khakis, adding to his insolent behavior when everyone else had extended their hand to shake. Rick was fine with that, because he was certain he would have crushed the other man’s fingers given the chance.

“Good to meet you,” Rick said cordially, and only because William’s father held Noble and Associate’s fate in his hands. He’d be professional about the situation, even if it killed him.

“Same,” William responded, his tone flat.

“Let’s get this game started,” Charles announced jovially, unaware of the underlying tension between Rick and his son.

Rick followed the group outside, where golf carts, loaded with individual bags of clubs, were already ready and waiting for them. Much to Rick’s relief, Frank, one of the board members, informed Rick they’d be sharing a cart while William got behind the wheel of the one parked in the very front to drive his father around.

As they set off for the course, Rick made it his goal to avoid William and keep as far away from him as possible so he wouldn’t say or do something he’d regret later, all in Madison’s defense. He figured as long as the other man kept his mouth shut about what had transpired between himself and Madison at the club Saturday night, then Rick would consider the day a win.

For the first half of the game Rick managed to keep his distance from William. He talked business with the other men, answered their questions about living in San Diego, and let them know how he was enjoying his stay at Reign so far.

Surprisingly, and despite his initial agitation at having William joining them for the afternoon, Rick played a good game, scoring a double bogey, an eagle, and a few birdies. William, on the other hand, tried to be competitive with Rick and was instead a hacker, which in golf terms meant a shit player. He was easily angered when his drives went off course, or when he undershot the green, and he’d even tossed his club a couple times when he putt his ball and it rolled right past the hole. He complained about the course itself, that there were too many hazards, and had an excuse for everything.

His poor attitude and lack of playing skills amused the fuck out of Rick. Charles, however, was one of those fathers who tried to placate his son through it all, agreeing that the various elements around them were conspiring against William. It was a classic case of a privileged, rich man-child being able to do no wrong and was used to getting his way, with a parent who allowed his tantrums, even as an adult.

Which totally explained William’s arrogance and pretentious personality.

By the fourteenth hole, the other man’s agitation only increased when he ended up three over par for that hole alone. Trying not to laugh, Rick went back to the golf cart to put away his club while the other men finished their shots.

“So, how did you manage to land that prim, uptight bitch at The Penthouse?”

Everything inside Rick went stone cold—at William’s crude question, along with the fact that the other man had finally caught Rick alone since everyone else was still on the green and out of earshot. More calmly than he felt inside, Rick turned around, immediately seeing the contemptuous look in William’s eyes, which told Rick that he was still seething over Madison’s rejection.

“By being a gentleman,” Rick said in a surprisingly even tone, when he really wanted to tell the other man to fuck off. “You ought to try it sometime.”

William sneered. “The whores at The Penthouse don’t deserve that kind of treatment. The only thing they’re good for is getting on their knees to suck a cock or spreading their legs for a hard fuck. Madison included.”

Rick’s jaw clenched hard, along with the fists at his side that were itching to connect with William’s smug face. And they would have if he wasn’t the son of the CEO of Reign. “I’m going to forget that those words ever came out of your mouth.”

“It’s the truth,” he said with an imperious shrug. “They might start out with a chaste pink bracelet, but trust me when I say that they can be persuaded to put out. Like that sweet young thing of yours. Being new, I bet her pussy is tight and sweet, and I would have paid big bucks to have been the one to break her in. They always protest at first, but that’s part of the fun.”

William’s insinuation of force made him nauseas, especially when pertaining to the woman Rick consideredhis. “Shut. The fuck. Up.”

His voice was a low growl, but the warning in those words were clear—except to a man like William, who believed he was invincible. And right now, with just cruel, callous words being spewed, hewasuntouchable.

An ugly smile curved the other man’s lips. “Hmm. You’ll be done with Madison soon enough, and once you’re gone, I have no issues with your sloppy seconds.”

A violent rage roiled through Rick, and it took every ounce of his control not to lunge at William and wrap his hands around his throat until he gasped his last breath. “I fucking swear, if you so much as go near Madison, or touch her, I’ll—”

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