Page 24 of Emergence and Ascendance

"There's the sister I know. You're planning to counter-offer?"

"Yes, with very specific terms that will guarantee I keep creative control while making it look like I'm compromising. He gets what he needs and I get what I want."

Which might be a problem because I want Christian…

"Be careful, Scot. Men like Devereaux don't like being handled or played."

"I'm not playing him. I'm negotiating. Definitely not the same thing." I closed the laptop and picked up my water again.

“With men like Christian it’s the same." My brother would know considering he and Christian were a lot alike.

"I'm being strategic but I'll also be careful." I made the promise because he needed to know I was good. The last thing I wanted was my brother flying in to save the day and the problem wasn’t my negotiating skills but simply Christian wanting to have sex with his sister.

"What about Dad? He's gonna get intel at some point that you're working with Devereaux and he's not gonna like that shit."

The mention of our father killed my mood because he was the reason I wanted this so badly. A life outside of his each meant freedom and I needed that more than I believed even Alex could understand. "Hopefully by the time he finds out, it will be too late for him to mess things up. Plus he's too busy fighting with the board and trying to force Valerie into another potential marriage to pay attention to what I'm doing."

The lines between bedroom and boardroom got real blurry with my father if it meant more money in his pocket. Another reason my failed marriage hurt so much. I went against my father and thought I married for love and look what that got me.

Valerie was trying her best to make her own choices about her love life, but our father had been pushing really hard lately. Valarie was thirty-two and our father literally told my sister she would be lucky if he found a man still willing totakeher, like she wasn’t the prize. My sister definitely was. I hated the double standard. Alex could sleep with whoever he wanted and Dad cheered him on, but since day one he had been plotting to marry me and Valerie off to the son of anyone who would boost his net worth.

"Don't underestimate how far his reach goes, Scot."

He made me believe my marriage was mine and done on my terms, when it was really his manipulation…

I knew what his reach was.

"Trust me, I never do. Gotta go and get ready for my dinner meeting."

I cringed at the lie. My brother would die if he knew what I was truly preparing for this evening. Sex club to be a strangers toy.

"Productive first day?"

"Very. I'll call you after I meet with Devereaux again."

After I ended the call, I spent an hour going through my notes on the waterfront property then worked up some partnership terms that would protect my interests while giving Christian just enough to accept the deal. Equal money in but with me keeping final say on design and him handling the local red tape and permits. All of it looked like compromise but wasn't really giving up anything I cared about. Hopefully, he would be so happy that I agreed that he wouldn't pay much attention to the terms. Because as much as he wanted this deal, I did too.

six

Christian.

I was supposed to be inside Erogenous at this very moment but the call from Werner had me running behind. I sat in my car staring at the building feeling fucking annoyed that this was the last place I wanted to be tonight.

“What’s the plan?”

Find a way to get Scotlyn in my bed and she can have the got damn property. That was my plan, but I couldn’t say that to my attorney so I settled for…

“I’m going to wait her out.”

“Do you want me to apply pressure with?—”

“No.”

My reply came out in an angry growl. His response was typical but it didn’t sit right with me. It honestly pissed me the fuck off even though I was well aware of what he meant byapply pressurebut that shit struck a nerve.

Werner cleared his throat. “Oh, well just let me know how you need me to move forward and…”

“If I need you. I will let you know.”

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