Page 17 of Pride

As the evening is winding down, Gio clears his throat. “I have a deal to conduct tomorrow afternoon with one of the senators. Would you like to accompany me, Isiah?”

I straighten at the request. “You want me to attend a business meeting?”

Gio nods.

Bella stiffens at his request, as she knows it means her father holds me in high regard. It’s as if my plan is going exactly as I expected. When I got on my jet from London to Washington, I wasn’t certain how it was going to go.

“Sure. Send me the details and I’ll be there.”

Gio smiles, and it just inflames that deep hatred I hold for him inside. “Perfect, thank you. I need someone like you by my side. You have impressive credentials.”

I notice Cathal stiffens a little since it’s a snub at him, but he doesn’t exactly look like the kind of guy you’d take to meet a member of the senate.

“No problem. I’m happy to help.”

He smiles and then glances at Bella. “I hope that soon I’ll be able to call you my son-in-law.”

Bella frowns. “I hope not.”

“Bella,” Gio booms, eyes full of fiery rage. “You will do as you are told. If we pick Isiah and he agrees, you will be married.”

I smirk as silence falls over the table. And then I slip my hand back onto her thigh and move to whisper in her ear. “Sounds like you will be taking my cock sooner rather than later, love.”

She slaps my hand off her thigh and glares at me in the most alluring way. It makes her look even more beautiful. And I know without a doubt that breaking this virgin will only add to the fun of finally getting revenge for Aiden.

7

BELLA

“Are you sure about this?” I ask.

Nina nods. “Yes. Cathal will protect us.”

I sigh as we stand outside of an underground club where an illegal boxing match is going to take place. Cathal invited Nina to this during dinner the other night, and I can’t deny that it doesn’t seem very romantic. “And there’s no way Isiah will be here?”

Nina looks a little guilty as she shrugs. “Honestly, I have no idea.”

I glare at her. “You assured me he wouldn’t be.”

Nina sighs heavily. “How would I know where he’s going to be?”

“I assumed you’d asked Cathal if he’d invited him. They did seem quite friendly at dinner the other night.”

“Stop being a wuss. Dad could have picked way worse men than Isiah for you to marry. At least he’s hot.”

I shake my head. “That’s not the point. He may be attractive, but he’s arrogant and disrespectful.”

Nina grabs my hand and drags me down the stairs into the underground club, which is definitely not our usual place to go out for the night. It’s dirty and smells distinctly of sweat and whiskey.

“This place is gross.”

Nina shrugs. “What do you expect from a place that holds a boxing match?”

Thankfully, there’s no sign of Isiah. Cathal approaches and nods toward the VIP seats at the front. “I’ve saved us the best seats in the house. Do you enjoy MMA?”

“I thought it was a boxing match, not MMA?” I ask.

Nina frowns. “Isn’t it that same thing?”

---