I chuckle. “And the note? That was just business? I can see the personal oozing out of every move you make.”
“You act like you know me.”
“I do. Intimately.”
“Fuck you. That was a long time ago. You have no idea who I am or what I’m capable of,” she says as she steps out of the elevator and waits for me to lead her to my room.
We walk down the hallway in silence as we know there could be ears listening, and the fact that this floor hosts men and women that wouldn’t hesitate to sell the information of our conversation to the highest bidder. No shame in admitting that we are all greedy bastards looking for the next payday.
When we enter my hotel room, she doesn’t hesitate to storm all the way in and say, “We can’t keep working like this. We’re making each other look like idiots when we show up on a job and it’s already been done.”
I stride into the room and stand near her, leaning up against the wall, crossing my arms against my chest, and attempting to look as casual as I can considering I’m eyeing the bed behind her and thinking about how easy it would be to throw her on the mattress and fuck her right here and now.
“We both can agree on that,” I finally say.
“I’ll be honest,” she begins. “I can’t afford, at this stage in my career, to look messy.”
I nod with a smile. “True. It’s not a good look for a newbie.”
She pokes her finger into my chest. “And it’s even worse of a look for a seasoned vet like you. Especially considering the mud you’ve been knee deep in as of late.”
Her words slice me in two, but I steady my facial expression to not show the power she has.
“So, what are you suggesting?” I ask.
She repositions her weight, flips her hair off her shoulder, takes a deep breath, gives a warm smile, and says, “You go back to London and focus on Europe. I’ll focus on America. Boundary lines.”
I chuckle. “Try again.”
“Why? I think it’s a fair solution.”
I motion around the room. “The Whitney suits me. I like it here.”
“They opened up a second property in London. Easy. Go there.”
“If you think I’m going to simply hand over an entire continent to you, you have lost your mind.” I close the distance between us, reach out and take a strand of her hair into my fingers, and swirl it around. “And you can smile and bat your eyelashes all you want, but your superhuman powers to beguile a man won’t work on me.”
She leans in close…too close. Her breath is against my face as she says, “My powers have worked on you before.”
“As you pointed out—a long time ago.”
“Maybe we should revisit those memories,” she says, her lips next to mine. Not touching… but so close I feel as if I can taste them. “Maybe we can remember we didn’t always dislike each other.”
“So, you can woo your way into me giving you the U.S.?” I laugh, the rush of air escaping from my mouth causing her eyes to blink rapidly. “I see what you’re doing, Valentina.”
I take a large step away from her. I have to. If I don’t, I’m going to rip her clothes off and ask for forgiveness later.
“I’ll tell you what,” I say, leaning against the desk, needing the distance between us. “I’ll give you Europe and I’ll take America. Boundary lines, as you called them.”
Her eyes fall to the ground, she swallows hard, but then she lifts her head to stare at me again. “I don’t have the same contacts in Europe that you do.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Oh? Too new? Too inexperienced?”
She licks her lips, and I notice she takes a deep calming breath. “I prefer America.”
“As do I. So, I guess we are back to the beginning.”
She walks slowly toward me. Her dark eyes locked with mine. “You’re making a mistake, Atlas.”
“As you keep pointing out, I've been making a few as of late.” I lift both shoulders as I put my hands into my front pockets. “The good thing about me is I have the experience and the contacts to rebound. Can you say the same?”
Valentina is back in front of me. She runs her finger along my chest. She might as well be cutting me with a dagger for how much heat is coursing through my body at her touch. “We’d make better friends than enemies,” she nearly purrs.
I look down at her lips and consider kissing her. I remember how they feel, but I’d love a reminder. “I agree. We could make very very good friends.”
Yes, I’m going to fuck her.
Rules. Control. Playing the game. They can all go to hell.
I’m going to fuck her.
Valentina must be thinking the same thing because she places her lips to a kiss, darts her tongue out so it briefly connects with mine, and then she nips at my lip…hard.