Page 66 of Negotiation Tactics

“You were right,” he opens with when we pick a trail off the main path. I recognize it as the one leading to the clearing where we ate McDonalds when we last visited the park. The area ahead could use a bit of work to make it nicer, like a bit of landscaping and maybe a statue or an art installation or even a fountain. “I was too focused on being the perfect son and making my dad proud. I was afraid of disappointing him, so I lost sight of what I wanted. I think…” He lets out a sigh. “IknewI was doing it already, even before you brought it up. I just chose to ignore it, to push aside my ideas and goals, because I was terrified of making a mistake.”

“Okay. So why the roundabout way? Why didn’t you just talk to me? Why be an asshole?”

I know the answer already. Things like these take time. To change. It’s not like a switch you can flip and, voila, you stop doing what you’ve been doing your entire life just because someone called you out on your bullshit in front of an audience.

Did it help, though? My outburst. I find myself hoping that it did and that I’ve played a part in this. Because I think I like what I am seeing so far. He seems a lot more at peace with himself, like he’s cracked the secret of life.

“I think I wasn’t ready when my dad cornered me. I… doubted myself and I didn’t want to disappoint him, so I did things how he wanted me to do them even if it meant… hurting you.” He laughs humorlessly, raking a hand through that mop of dirty blond as if to taunt me to do the same. “I blamed you for my inability to stand up to him. Convinced myself you were manipulating me, using me. That I’d missed something and your proposal wasactually bad for the company. But anyway, I guess you having a go at me really hit home and pushed me down the right path. Sorry that it took a while, but I think I got where I should be at the end.”

I feel a smile lift my lips. God, how I’ve missed chatting with him. “I did intend to manipulate you for my own personal gains.”

“Oh yes, I know,” he quickly agrees as we take the turn around an old tree and head into the actual clearing where the benches are. “Why else would you have gone sniffing around for my dirty laundry?”

“You can’t blame me for trying after that asshole move the second time we met.” As we emerge and I scan the surroundings, I remember his random call during my failed date with Peterson. “By the way, why did you call me that one time?” I ask, my attention narrowing to the cute fountain just in front of the protruding cliffs. I don’t remember it being there last time.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” he says distractedly, watching me as I frown at the fountain.

There is something familiar about it, but I can’t put my finger on it, the revelation slipping away just as I’m about to grasp it.Where have I seen this before?

“Like two or three weeks ago. You were still shooting your thing in Venice.” I worry my lip. “I’m sorry about blocking you, but I was still angry. And uh, it was very shitty of me to make a scene in front of your employees, so I apologize for that.”

I do feel bad about it and even though I was agitated at the time, it doesn’t excuse how I dealt with my frustration. I should’ve been more civil… I should’ve figured out there was a reason why he was going back on his word because he wouldn’t do it just to fuck with me. Not after all the time we spent together and all the things we shared.

He hums appreciatively. “Yeah, that’s something I hope I never have to go through again.”

Squirming as I let out a laugh, I rack my brain because I most definitely know this fountain from somewhere. “Your call was on Thursday… Or a Friday. You know, when you, Brady and Lily go out to hang out at the pub with the quizzes… Shit, I swear, I know this design from somewhere,” I mutter under my breath.

He moves behind me and chuckles, the sound zapping my nerve endings as it caresses the skin on my neck. “It would be strange if you didn’t,” he states, shoving an old napkin that’s barely holding together in my line of sight.

It takes me exactly three heartbeats and a frown to recognize it. “I drew this… On our first not-date date,” I murmur, comparing the crappy doodle to the fountain in front of me. My heart jumps into my throat. “Holy shit, it’s the same! What the fuck did you do?”

I can feel him shaking with laughter behind me and I turn just in time to catch his wolfish smile materializing. “I donated a fountain to the city?” He shrugs casually, as if building a fountain I designed on a stupid napkin is not a big deal.

I plant my hands on my hips, struggling not to grin like an idiot. “You did what?”

He breaks eye contact and looks over my shoulder at the fountain. “Shit. Don’t make me feel awkward about this.” A serious expression slides over his face, replacing his adorable grin. “I thought I could impress you and then you wouldn’t shut me down if I asked you out on a date. Officially.”

I giggle like a kid because this grown-ass man is being ridiculous.

He joins in, wiggling his eyebrows. “The Lamborghini is also up for negotiation if it would tip the scales in my favor.”

“Alistair Devon, are you trying to bribe me to say yes to a date with you?” I demand, trying my best to sound stern while my heart flutters uncontrollably in my chest.

“Is it working?” he steps in closer, his eyes roaming my face and lingering on my lips.

Is it? Maybe he thinks I came here to have a go at him and maybe part of me did want to do it, but the truth is I just wanted to know the truth. To hear what he had to say and understand if I was wrong to trust him. And here it is, the proof I was looking for. Despite the stunt he pulled initially and despite the asshole moment he exhibited, I wasn’t wrong to believe Alistair was different from the rich spoiled brats inheriting their rich dad’s business empires.

“I know we had a bit of a misunderstanding along the way,” he plows through, those mesmerizing sapphire eyes boring into me. They disarm me, making me want to shut him up with the kiss I am sure we are both craving. “But I think I needed it to happen so I could get my head out of my ass. And…” His voice dips to that deeper, sexier timbre that never fails to rile me up. “I’d like to think you are willing to give me a second chance, Josh, because, for the life of me, I just can’t stop thinking about you no matter how I try.”

I’m shivering as I reach out and pull him in, our lips meeting in a scorching kiss that’s way better than those I’ve been dreaming about since we fell out. Even then, I didn’t really stop wanting him and that need reignites as our tongues slide along each other, as his arms wraparound my waist possessively and pull me in closer to him. His heart is beating just as frantically as mine, excitedly, maybe a bit apprehensively, too. They form a tandem of rhythms that complement each other, that slot together just right.

“Lily sent me a message,” he rasps during a pause so we can catch some air, raining open-mouthed kisses along my jaw and down the side of my neck. “Said you were on a date with some guy.” He chuckles, the sound dark and alluring. “I wanted to ruin your date because I couldn’t get you out of my mind while you were clearly already moving on from me.”

My stomach flips, loving the hell out of his confession. My hands card through his silky hair and I let out a soft chuckle against it.

Alistair tips his head back, blue eyes on fire as they hold me entranced. The smirk he gives me is a slow one, a deliberate action that aims to seduce me. “Did I manage?” he asks, black pupils eating up the sapphire.

I capture his bottom lip between my teeth. “I didn’t take you for the jealous type. And it depends,” I say, using my sexiest voice because I know he can’t resist it.

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