Page 114 of The Dragon 2
“I figured that might be the concern.”
“It is. Therefore, I will need you to do what I am asking.” He wasn’t threatening me. If anything, he sounded like a gangster project manager trying not to pull out a clipboard and color-coded risk map. “Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Good. What is the location?”
“I will give it to you an hour before the time.”
More silence.
I imagined him desperately trying not to break something near him.
Which made me pause.
Because if this man had earned the title of the Dragon’s Roar then he wasn’t just some glorified secretary with a sexy voice—he was probably a bad-ass motherfucker in his own right.
Calm on the outside, deadly on the inside.
A man like Reo didn’t get that kind of proximity to power without being able to enforce it. Which meant I needed to tread carefully. But still. . .if I were going to practice standing in my own power—if I wanted to actually explore dominance, control, and vulnerability with Kenji—then his nosy, over possessive ass would have to learn how to let go, starting with this.
Reo finally spoke.; “May I ask how many people will be involved during the date?”
“Well. . .about five people will be present—not counting my new guards, of course.”
“These people will be staff?”
“Yes. And the owner, who’ll be assisting with the second part of the evening.”
“The owner will serve as a sort of. . . event assistant?”
“Yes,” I tried not to laugh. “That’s a good way to say it.”
“Has the staff been vetted?”
“Well. . .not exactly.”
“But they’re professionals?”
“Oh yeah. We’re talking chef, sous chef, owner, and two waitresses. Oh wait. There’s a five-person band too. So actually. . .closer to ten people.”
“I’ll need to have my team speak with every one of them before the date.”
“That’s fine. Let’s do that an hour before the date.”
“How about three hours.”
“One hour.”
“Two hours before.”
“Reo,” I sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. “You know damn well the moment you get the location; Kenji will sniff it out like a bloodhound. This is asurprise.I don’t want Kenji showing up too early. Would he show up early if he has the address three hours before?”
“Yes.”
“Then, one hour.”
A long silence.
