Page 3 of Dirty Deals

“This wasn’t how I expected my week to end, and throwing up roadblocks to the process doesn’t help anyone. I had planned to set you up in the boardroom, but I think for the work you need to do, you’ll be better off in my old office. I’m going to tell the team you’re a financial consultant, if that works for you?” Her plan to put Nik in the boardroom had been to make him visible to the staff, let them know the board was committed to improving the organization and moving it forward. Nik’s real reason for being there created a different set of problems. Putting him in her office and telling people he was a financial expert was her attempt at halting speculation and fear before it started.

Jules stood as she spoke, moving from behind her desk and motioning for Nik to follow. She had just moved out of her old office a few weeks earlier, and thankfully all her personal items had been removed. She had never been more grateful that she had been too busy to unpack the boxes in her new office. She normally had several photos of her daughter on display, and she wasn’t ready to answer questions from Nik. And he would have questions. Ava looked exactly like Jules, with fair skin and hair so blonde it was almost white. But her eyes came from her father, so dark they looked black. One glance at her and he might guess whose child she was.

“That’s fine with me.”

“I’m taking you to security to get you set up with system access so that you can move freely. I’ll also have IT set up credentials for you to access our systems so you can review the finances.”

Her world was spinning out of control, and Jules fought to keep her mask in place with each word. Giving Nik full access was necessary, and it meant she could put some space between the two of them. Space she desperately needed right now. Jules punched the elevator button to take Nik down to the main floor. The sooner she left him with security, the better.

“Have dinner with me tonight? I’d love to catch up again.”

His words, spoken low to avoid being overheard, wrapped around her like a caress, teasing, tempting her to throw caution to the wind again. At the same time, unease had her muscles tense. This was a bad idea, but how would he take it when she turned him down? Jules didn’t want to believe Nik was the kind of man who would punish her for refusing him, but she’d met far too many men who would. The problem was, she wanted to give in. Her resolve was crumbling, her body aching to experience the pleasure he could give her. She marshalled her willpower.

“That’s not a good idea. We need to keep our relationship strictly business. After all, you might wind up being my boss.” That sounded reasonable and professional. Too bad it was the last thing she really wanted.

This time, when Nik laughed, it was warm and rich, chipping away at her armour. “I negotiate the deals, nothing else. Once the deal is done, I move on to the next one. I will never be your boss. If you don’t want to have dinner with me, say so. We’re going to be working closely together for the next few months. I just thought it would be nice to get to know each other better.”

Jules ignored a pang of guilt for misreading Nik’s intentions. She was completely off balance and worried about making all the wrong choices. The temptation to give in was strong, but it was too risky. She had to think about what was best for Ava, and right now she had no idea what that was. Seeing Nik socially would only complicate that.

“Fine. I don’t want to have dinner with you.” She smiled to soften her rejection. Nik didn’t seem like a guy who was rejected often, and she didn’t want to jeopardize their working relationship.

Her future would depend on what Nik did over the next few weeks. Making him angry right at the start was a bad idea, but Jules couldn’t risk saying yes. She had never been able to forget him. That had never been an option, because every time she looked at her daughter, she saw him. Their one night together had been magical. For one perfect night, she had felt undamaged. Powerful, attractive, desirable. No expectations, no rules, no strings. It had been the most liberating thing she had ever done, and her reward for taking that leap had been the child she had desperately wanted. But that was then. Everything had changed for her, and she knew there was no way to recapture what they had created that night. Trying would only spoil the memory.

The elevator arrived on the ground floor, and Jules hurried to escape the close quarters, halting when Nik reached for her. His warm fingers cupped her elbow, holding her in place without applying any pressure, and her skin tingled everywhere his fingers made contact.

“It’s your choice, but we are going to have to spend time together. I’m going to have questions about your financials. I don’t want things to be awkward between us.” He sounded sincere, and the frozen, icy numbness that had been protecting her started to melt.

Jules pulled away from his touch gently, needing to break contact and put some distance between them. Her relief at his acceptance of her refusal was tempered by her worry about what would happen to Coastal—and to her. Jules focused on the business portion of Nik’s statement, mentally searching her calendar for time to meet with him. Her day was packed, but she’d find time. She had to. “I’ll make time. I’ve got a strategy meeting most of the morning, but I can make time this afternoon.”

At the mention of her strategy meeting, Nik shot her a curious look. “What kind of strategy meeting? Should I be there?”

“I don’t think so. It’s not a corporate-strategy meeting. Harbourview has a significant charity event tomorrow night, and this is one of the final planning meetings. It’s important to the future of the casino, but probably not worth your time.”

Jules held her breath, hoping he would accept her explanation. Truthfully, the gala was significant enough that Nik might want to be involved, but she needed time away from him to restore her equilibrium. The meeting was with the three women she trusted most at Harbourview, and she wanted to talk to her friends without Nik present. She would bring him up to speed afterwards.

They arrived at the security office before Nik could respond, and Jules explained to the on-duty manager what access Nik needed. It would take time for them to produce photo ID and key cards with access, so Jules left Nik with security and hurried off to meet her friends.

As soon as she rounded a corner away from the security office, Jules ducked into the closest restroom to splash cold water on her face. Her hands were shaking, and her heart was pounding. She needed a few minutes to pull herself together before she met her team.

What was Nik doing here? What omnipotent being had she angered to make them do this to her? The odds of Nik showing up in her life had seemed so remote as to be impossible, and yet here he was, and with the power to ruin her life. He had made no mention of Ava, had seemed as shocked to see her as she was to see him. But now that he was here, she would have to tell him about their daughter. And after she told him about her, he might ruin Ava’s life too. Jules balled her hands into fists and took several deep breaths. She could not let that happen. She would protect her daughter at all costs. She needed to know more about the man Nik was before she told him about Ava.

What she really needed was for Nik to do exactly what he said he would—negotiate the deal for WYCK to buy Coastal and then move on. Fast.

CHAPTER3

Once he was finished at security, Nik started exploring the casino. It seemed decently busy for a Thursday morning, and it made him wonder how much truth there might be in the rumours that Coastal was recovering from the money laundering scandal that had damaged them over the past eight months. While a recovery was good in the long run, it would make the takeover more expensive ...

“Nik Costas?”

A muscular man wearing a dark suit stepped in front of him. The name badge on his lapel readNatebut provided no other clues to his identity. Nik nodded, wondering how this man knew his name. Jules, probably.

“I’m Nate Quinn, Harbourview’s assistant manager. Jules asked me to show you around. I tried to catch you in security, but they processed your access faster than I expected them to.”

Nik wavered between irritation and amusement. Had Jules assigned Nate to be a babysitter, or was she trying to be helpful and allow him to get to know some of the key staff at the properties? He would need to meet them eventually, so this was as good an opportunity as any.

Nate had said he was the assistant manager? Nik gave Nate a closer look, taking in his size, posture, and short haircut. Add to that his highly polished shoes and perfectly pressed suit, and everything about him screamed ex-military. Not the usual career path for a casino manager, but not unheard of.

“What branch of the forces did you serve with?”

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