“I don’t have time.”
“We have an hour in the air.”
He sighs. “And you can see I’m online, dealing with this.”
“You don’t have two minutes to explain to me what’s going on?”
“I couldn’t even begin to explain this in two minutes. It’s a complicated contract negotiation with three different distributors in China and Japan. If I can’t work this out in the next twelve hours, I will probably be en route to China. I’d like to avoid that if possible.”
“Why? Don’t you want to see China?”
“Seeing China isn’t the issue. I like to be on my home turf. It’s like having the home-field advantage.”
The home-field advantage. Another means of control.
“That makes sense. I understand.”
He looks at me then. Meets my gaze and truly looks at me. “Thank you, Skye.”
“For what?”
“For hearing me. For finally hearing me.”
And in that split second, I get him.
I get Braden Black.
He’s a master of control in all aspects of his life. He’s demanding and precise, but he’s also loving and romantic. But beyond all that, he’s a person just like I am—a person who wants to be heard.
He’s Braden, and he loves me.
I want to please him.
And my fear of losing control lessens.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Which hotel are we staying at?” I ask, too tired to appreciate the luxury of the limousine carrying us from the airport. Secretly, I hope it’s not an Ames Hotel.
“We’re staying in my Manhattan penthouse,” Braden says.
“You have a Manhattan penthouse?”
“Does that surprise you?”
It does, though it shouldn’t. The man has billions. He has a private jet with a pilot and crew on call, for God’s sake. A Manhattan penthouse costs a heck of a lot less than that.
“Manhattan is my home away from home,” he says. “There are things I do here that I don’t do in Boston.”
“What kind of business can’t be done in Boston?”
“I’m not necessarily talking about business, Skye.”
I suppress a jerk but cock my head. Do I want to know what he’s talking about? I’m not sure.
Except I am sure. I want to know everything about Braden, and he’s such a closed book on some things—not just the Addison Ames situation. Can I possibly uncover his secrets here in New York?
Finally, I speak. “What are you talking about, then?”
“I’m not sure you’re ready,” he says.
My skin tightens around me. “Ready for what?”
“The situation with this contract has…muddled things a bit for me personally.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Braden?”
“There are things I do in New York that I don’t do in Boston. Things I’d like to share with you. When you’re ready.”
“Maybe I’m ready.”
He shakes his head. “You’re not.”
“How do you know if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about? And why do you only do these things in New York?”
“Boston is my home. Where I grew up. Where my father lives. I keep certain aspects of my lifestyle out of Boston.”
“If this is about what you like in the bedroom, Braden, I already know all about that.”
He shakes his head. “Oh, Skye… You don’t even know what you don’t know.”
I glance through the tempered glass at the back of the chauffeur’s head. Can he hear us? Probably not. I hope not.
“I know there’s more. I remember that suspension thing hanging from your ceiling.”
“I no longer indulge in that kind of play. I’ve told you.”
“What if I’m interested in suspension?” I’m not, but what if?
“It’s not a hard limit for me. If you’re truly interested, we can look into it. But not without proper and well-built equipment.”
“Hold on. What do you mean it’s not a hard limit for you?”
“A hard limit is something I won’t do, no matter what.”
“Oh? What are your hard limits?”
“I only have one.”
I lift my eyebrows. “What is it?”
“I don’t talk about it.”
“Don’t you think I should know? So I don’t bring it up?”
“Trust me, Skye. You will never bring it up.”
Curiosity whirls through me. What is the one thing Braden won’t do in the bedroom? I have to know. Just like I have to know what went on between him and Addie. Can the two possibly be related?
“Why haven’t we talked about hard limits before now?” I ask.
“Because you weren’t ready. But this contract…”
“Changes everything. So you’ve said. What I don’t understand is why.”
“I wasn’t planning to bring you to my penthouse quite so soon.”
“Then don’t. Book us a suite somewhere. How about the Waldorf-Astoria?”
“I need to be in my penthouse. That’s where I conduct my international business.”
“Not in an office?”
“Black, Inc. has offices in Manhattan, but this negotiation is special.”
“Too special to deal with in an office?”
“It’s easier for me to get what I need to get done here in the middle of the night. I have even better security at this penthouse than I do at the office building.”
“I see.” Though I don’t. Why would he need so much security? Unless… “Braden, are you doing anything illegal?”