Page 29 of Twisted Lies
Play nice?
Not a damn chance.
I was ready for a fight. Squaring my shoulders, I found my eyes drawn to a man in a tailored business suit, standing with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out the window. His large, muscular frame would have intimidated anyone, but I refused to be cowed by him. Taking a deep, calming breath, I walked toward the middle of the room and stopped.
“Sinthia Michaels,” he said in a low-pitched voice that sent delicious chills down my spine. “Have you brought my money?” he asked in a gravelly voice that sounded vaguely familiar.
My mouth opened and shut, not believing what he’d just asked. “Money? What money?”
He turned from the window and looked straight at me. I nearly swallowed my tongue. It was the man from last night.
“You’re Core McKay?” I took a step forward, compelled by the invisible string drawing me to him.
His gaze was intimidating and unrelenting. “Good to see you again, Ms. Michaels.” His booming deep voice resonated throughout the office. “Have a seat. We have a lot to discuss.”
His eyes traveled all the way down my body. His predatory stare made me feel like a mouse beneath the bloodthirsty gaze of a cat. In the light of day, he was even more fucking menacing. His body was pure, rippling muscle—not workout-five-days-a-week-at-the-gym buff, but more like mixed martial arts, fucking-kick-motherfucker’s-asses-just-for-the-fun-of-it buff. But it was his searing gray eyes that told the real story.
Core McKay was not a man to fuck with.
I hesitated, but I needed to get my bearings before I passed out from stress. “Fine,” I conceded, taking a seat. “Listen, I’m going to cut to the fucking chase,” I said. “Why the fuck am I here?”
He regarded me for a long time and then sat in the chair behind his mammoth desk. He smoothed the sleeves of his tailored shirt before running a hand across his blunt-cut, midnight-black hair. “Unfortunately, some disturbing information has recently come to my attention, and it makes me question your ability to make me a profit.” His words were civil, but his eyes were hard as granite.
Oh, hell no!There is no way in hell I’m going to let him punk me like I’m some prison-yard bitch.
In a gesture of defiance, I raised my chin and met his gaze. “No offense, Mr. McKay, but my business deal is with MK Partners.”
He actually smirked like he found me mildly amusing.
My eyes widened when it dawned on me.Motherfucker!
“Yes, Ms. Michaels, MK Partners is my investment company,” he drawled.
I shook my head.Oh shit. Please say it’s not true.My throat went completely dry as I felt like the walls were closing in around me. Still, I refused to roll over and surrender. I was a damn fighter.
“While that might be true, our agreement was not a loan. I would never take a loan from a man like you.”
His eyes hardened.
Well, it was true.I had been hard up for an investor, but even I hadn’t been that desperate—or stupid. I knew about the McKay Corporation and the rumors circulating about the mysterious and eccentric owner, Core McKay. He’d built his billion-dollar empire using drug trafficking, money laundering, and prostitution, and that was only to mention a few of the criminally speculated trades.
His jaw tightened. He was pissed, and it was damn scary.
“In your desperation to finance your business, you obviously lowered your fucking highbrow standards,” he ground out. “Now the only thing I don’t own is your company name. Other than that, I own ninety-seven percent of your precious enterprise.”
My breath stuck in my throat. The silence stretched between us. My failure to look over the fine print of the contract was coming back to bite me in the ass.Shit.
“Impossible,” I denied.
He gestured to the neatly stacked paperwork on his desk. “The impossible became possible, Ms. Michaels.” His eyes flashed before he crossed his muscular arms, his biceps bulging.
He reminded me of a tiger patiently stalking its prey, and in his case, that was me.
I squared my shoulders before snatching the stack off the desk. I scanned the paperwork slowly, stopping at the fine print.Shit, it is a loan.How the fuck did I miss this?
My gaze stopped on the name right next to my signature—Core McKay.
My stomach rolled. “This is a huge mistake. This wasn’t supposed to be a loan. It was a deal for seven percent of my future earnings.” I shook my head.
