Page 85 of Daddy Down Under

“That makes sense. I’ll keep everything as normal as possible.”

“Actually…” Ocean leaned forward. “What if we set a trap?”

Thompson’s eyebrows rose with interest. “What kind of trap?”

“Cash could pretend to be interested in buying another company. One he actually has no intention of acquiring. Let Markowitz dig into their books, then see if Preston makes a move.” Ocean’s voice held a touch of satisfaction. “If he does, with the FBI watching…”

“We’d catch them red-handed,” Thompson finished, a predatory smile spreading across his face. “I like how you think.”

The idea was brilliant in its simplicity. “I know a company we could use for this,” I said, thinking of my friend Marcus, whose tech startup was struggling. “A friend has been trying to sell, but the company’s financials aren’t great. I’d never buy it, but Preston wouldn’t know that.”

“Perfect,” Thompson said, scribbling in his notepad. “Set it up, but don’t do anything else until you hear from me. We’ll need to coordinate our surveillance.”

By the time we left the FBI building, my head was spinning with plans and possibilities. The slush had gotten worse, if possible, but this time, I navigated it more carefully, Ocean’s steady presence beside me a comfort.

“You okay?” I asked him as we slid into my car’s warm interior. “That stuff about pressing charges…”

Ocean stared out the window for a long moment. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to make him pay, but another part wants to leave it all behind.” He turned to me, his eyes serious. “Is it weird that I’m more excited about catching him for this corporate stuff than making him answer for what he did to me?”

I reached for his hand, needing to touch him. “Not weird at all. Sometimes, it’s easier to fight for others than for yourself.”

His fingers tightened around mine. “Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

The drive back to my Central Park apartment was quiet, both of us lost in our thoughts. Ocean’s thumb traced absent patterns on my palm, the gentle touch grounding me as the city rolled past our tinted windows.

“I should call Oliver,” I said, breaking the contemplative silence. “Get him started on the Marcus situation.”

Ocean nodded. “The sooner we set this in motion, the better.”

I pulled out my phone and dialed my PA’s number. Oliver picked up on the first ring, efficient as always. “What did the FBI say?”

“I need you to reach out to Marcus Chen. Set up a meeting to discuss acquiring TechVibe. Make it seem urgent. I want this on Markowitz’s radar by tomorrow.”

As expected, Oliver caught on immediately. “I will set that right up. Will you give Mr. Chen a heads-up, or would you like me to?”

“Give him a quick call and tell him I’ll catch him up tomorrow.”

After hanging up, I caught Ocean watching me with that knowing smile of his that made my insides flutter. “What?”

“You’re good at this,” he said. “The whole cloak and dagger thing. It’s kind of hot.”

Heat crept up my neck. “Thank you.”

“Mm-hmm.” He leaned closer. “And now you’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do.”

My breath caught. “Am I?”

“Yes.” His voice dropped lower, sending shivers down my spine. “When we get home, you’re going to take a nice, long bath while I order dinner. You’ve been carrying too much tension in those shoulders.”

Fuck yes. I didn’t even want to protest. “Okay.”

“Good boy.”

Yup, those words still did it for me. They reached inside to a place I couldn’t get to myself, a button only he could push. And the result was a joy unlike anything else, this deep, deep sense of rightness, of being exactly who and where I was supposed to be. Pretty existential for two simple words, but the truth nonetheless.

Back at my apartment, Ocean made good on his promise. Before I could even think about checking emails or making calls, he had me heading toward the primary bathroom, his hand firm but gentle on the small of my back.

“Go on.” His voice carried a note of authority that made my knees weak. “I’ll order dinner while you relax.”

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