Page 48 of Reckless Deal

I’m electrified by the mere vision of this woman.Jesus.

Bundled in a thick black jacket, she looks smaller. I want to peel away every layer of her winter clothes to inhale the essence of her mixed with lavender.

“Hi,” I rasp, and smile at her.

Fatima clears her throat and we both jump. Right, I fucking forgot about her. Mila jerks her head and steps back, her eyes darting between me and the lawyer.

“Ms. Ward, I’m Fatima Ayad, Mr. Cassinetti’s legal counsel. Please come in.”

Mila doesn’t move, frozen with her gaze on me. She shakes her head. The slight gesture sucks all the air from my lungs. Fuck, I should have taken Paris’s advice.

“Mila, hear me out.” I extend my hand to her, but she doesn’t take it.

“I told you I’m not one of your—”

“Ms. Ward, let’s take this conversation inside. Or you’re free to leave,” Fatima says.

“No, she is not.” I whip my head to my lawyer, and she rewards me with a glare that could kill a man.

“Gio,” Fatima warns.

Mila sighs and flails her arms in an exasperated gesture. “For fuck’s sake.” She enters and I shut the door.

Two women now glare at me.

“Mila, I told you—”

“And I told you. I can’t believe you blindsided me like this. Whatever your lawyer expects from me, it screams at me: lack of trust. How can we ever explore anything between us if you don’t trust me? What have I done to make you believe you need to do this?”

“You need this job, and—”

“Ms. Ward,” Fatima jumps in. “Due to Mr. Cassinetti’s previous experiences, there is an NDA with certain conditions for you to review. I wouldn’t call it a trust issue as much as an insurance policy. It outlines a code of conduct, and compensation if the relationship is terminated.”

Mila gasps, and the awkwardness fills the room as Fatima holds the folder in front of her, but Mila doesn’t reach for it.

In the bright yellow folder hangs my possible future with this woman. Not even a future, a date. A fucking date. For a moment I consider shredding the damn thing into pieces, pulling Mila to me by that fucking, sexy ponytail and kissing the hell out of her.

The rational part of my brain, which is still recovering from the nightmare three years ago when my family suffered at the attempt to extort money from me, laughs at my romantic notion. There is nothing romantic about these arrangements, but I can make it up to her during the date.

What if she doesn’t sign? Am I willing to let her go? Am I willing to risk dating her without strict legal parameters?

Glaring at me, Mila shakes her head again and snatches the folder. “Let me see it.”

She sags into the sofa, the leather squeaking. Fatima drops to the seat across from her, elegantly crossing one leg over the other, not an ounce of empathy on her face. That’s the reason I have her on my side—in the boardroom it’s a valued attitude. Right now? I’m pissed she doesn’t treat Mila with more respect.

Mila doesn’t look my way, and for a moment I regret staying. Fatima has always handled this with my previous partners.

This doesn’t compare. Before it was a social obligation, an arrangement. If those women objected, I wouldn’t care either way. The irony is, I fucking trust Mila, I do. But haven’t I trusted before? If she only knew how much I trusted. Like an idiot.

Mila raises her eyes. “I understand on principle, but it feels so wrong.” She still doesn’t look at me, and I’m pretty sure it’s just to show me how I made her feel by bringing her here. I wanted the lawyer involved and here I am, a spectator to the situation.

Frustration vibrates through me. “You owe me a favor,” I blurt.

Mila snaps her eyes to me, her eyebrows arched. Fatima opens her mouth, but I stop her with my hand.

I don’t care about the audience. I look at Mila with all the want and need I’ve been harboring for weeks now. The initial shock and confusion give way to something new, different. A flicker of excitement sparks in her eyes.

She bites the inside of her mouth as she mulls this over, and this time her eyes don’t move from mine. The simple look is filled with suggestion, with warmth and electricity. I have never been drawn to someone like this. With one look, she could have me on my knees.

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