Page 4 of My Three Rivals

“Not if she doesn’t sell,” Maverick insisted.

My eyebrows knit into a vee of consternation. “Do you know something I don’t know?”

Maverick shrugged and flopped back against the chair. “I don’t know shit about this woman. Unsurprisingly, there’s nothing about her online except what I could find in conjunction with her now owning Five Penny, and that’s nothing more than a little blurb that says, ‘Tegan Pickett has now taken ownership of Five Penny Estates.’”

“Who came up with such a stupid name for a vineyard?” Wyatt wanted to know with a smirk.

“My great-great-grandfather,” a throaty but feminine voice answered coldly from the doorway. “He named it that because he won the land in a hand of cards after betting only five pennies. Hence the name.”

In unison, our heads swiveled toward the threshold, and I almost gasped aloud to see the sultry, raven-haired vixen in the doorway. Her full lips jutted out in a perpetual pout, giving her the most delicious resting bitch face. Verdant eyes flashed indignantly when they clashed with mine, full lips curling into a sneer that made her seem much taller than her average frame.

Her clothes were name-brand, classy, but all worn to shit, as if she’d bought them secondhand, and yet she strode into the boardroom without a shred of meekness, a curvy blonde on her heels.

Slowly, Maverick stood, the interest in his face palpable. I wanted to tell him to sit down, but I couldn’t—we needed to have a united front here. Wyatt’s scowl deepened as Garrity also stood, extending his hand. “Ms. Pickett, I presume?”

“You presume correctly,” she answered coldly, eying his hand and accepting it briefly.

“No, wait,” Wyatt grumbled, sitting forward, his pupils dilating. “We’re waiting on…” He looked at Garrity. “What’s her name?”

“Tegan Pickett,” I answered, sensing that we didn’t have to look very far. “Is that you?”

“I just said I was,” she replied, ambling toward the table and dropping her hands against the surface. She shifted her brilliant green eyes toward each of us, studying us closely, as if trying to memorize our faces for the future. “What’s this about?”

The expression on her face told me that she had some idea, her body language defensive, sexy hips unmistakably stiff in her slightly too-big slacks, the curve of her waist mesmerizing me for half a second. She wasn’t even trying to be alluring, and yet she oozed sex on every level.

Holy shit. Is she a witch or something?I growled to myself, whipping my head up with such ferocity, I heard a small crack.This is a business deal. Get your head out of your ass, Atticus.

Drawing in a breath, I composed myself quickly. “I’m Atticus King,” I offered, standing to extend my hand cordially and turning on my renowned smile, but Tegan didn’t appear disarmed by my dimple as so many women were.

She eyed my hand warily and accepted it as she had Garrity’s, her handshake shockingly firm.

I continued. “These are my business partners, Wyatt Baldin and Maverick Hardison.”

She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest as Maverick rose to proffer his palm. She was back in guarded mode.

“Partners in what business?” she demanded. “What the hell is all this?”

She unhooked her arms, causing her ripe breasts to bounce ever so slightly—a fact I just happened to notice in my peripheral vision.

I glanced at Garrity, grateful for my dark coloring, lest someone see the rising heat in my cheeks. “Didn’t you send her the letter?”

“He sent it, but I still don’t understand it,” Tegan called out before Garrity could respond.

“Why don’t you sit down, Ms. Pickett,” Garrity suggested. “And we’ll explain the details.”

“No thanks. I’ll stand,” she answered, her eyes still drilling into me.

I realized that, of all my partners, I was still the only one standing. Maverick had reclaimed his seat, an ankle draping onto his knee as he watched her with too much interest.

He needs to manage his dick, too,I thought tersely, but there was no way to convey my sentiments to him at that moment.

“Seriously, can we get on with this?” Tegan insisted. “I have a lot of shit to do today.”

A grin quirked at my lips, but I contained it, nodding solemnly. “We would like to purchase the rest of the vineyard from you, Ms. Pickett,” I explained. “We’re developers, and we have some great ideas—”

“Oh, hell no,” Tegan interrupted, spinning around toward her silent companion. “I told you they were just after the land. This was a waste of time.”

“Tegan,” the blonde murmured softly, twisting her manicured fingers uncomfortably. “I think you better hear them out.”

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