Hanging up, he just looked at us and turned, leaving the room without a word.
“Huh, that was way easier to figure out than I thought it would be,” I mused aloud, tapping my chin.
“I believe I’m going to need some clarification on the events that just transpired,” Atticus murmured, frowning at the door Gunner just walked out of, then turned to me.
“One of the only ways someone would be able to fool you is if the data they send along matches what they noted in their logs. This woman took the invoice the supply company sent to her and manipulated the document to reflect an increase. Doing this meant when we paid out, we paid too much, instead of letting us know those two bastards pocketed the money,” I explained. “I’m sure if we could have gotten into their personal finances, we’d have been able to see the discrepancy, but we didn’t want to alert them that we were looking.”
Atticus sat there letting his fingers rhythmically tap on his armrest as he digested what I told him. “So, in this case, the numbers did lie.”
“Only because a person gave you fake ones,” I pointed out. “But if you think about it, they didn’t lie to you. They told you the truth of their story which, as you aptly noticed, was wrong.”
The tapping stopped, and he looked at me, his calculating eyes seeming to absorb more than any person ever noticed about me. “Why do you treat me so differently than everyone else?”
My brows shot up at this. “I don’t understand your question.”
“The way you interact with me, you don’t do that for the others,” he stated. “You waited for me to answer the door. You always take the time to explain things clearly to me, answer my numerous questions, and treat me as an equal. I have yet to see you treat another person the way you do me, and I don’t understand it. Everything about you confuses me, and I don’t know where you fit.”
“Where do you want me to fit?” I asked.
“See, you’re doing it now,” Atticus countered. “Please understand I don’t feel you’re treating me poorly or with contention, it’s quite the opposite. You say that we are friends, but I’ve seen others who claim to be friends, and they don’t have a mutual respect for each other the way you do with me.”
I smiled at possibly the smartest man I’d ever met who had a heart of pure gold. He had no idea, but he was my barometer, the person I used to ensure I wasn’t losing myself to this world that could easily swallow me whole and spit me back out. Atticus was my compass, he held true north because if he questioned something I did, then I knew I needed to take a closer look at the choice. Never had I expected to find someone like him in the world I existed in, but I couldn’t be more thankful for however that happened.
“I hope you’ll trust me when I tell you I’m not going to answer that for you. This is something I believe you need to figure out, and when you do, it will be all that more meaningful.” I rose and let my fingers caress his cheek. “What I will tell you is that you’re important to me, Atticus. Never doubt that.”
Having finished what we needed to do here, I started out of his room, needing to get a few more issues settled before meeting for drinks. I’d almost reached the door when Atticus caught my hand. It was the first time he’d initiated contact between us, so I paused and looked back at him. He stepped closer into my personal space, surprising me.
“Tell me now if this is inappropriate, but I have the strongest need to kiss you, Astin,” Atticus murmured, his voice so unsure.
Leaning in, I paused a breath away from him. “Kiss me, Atty,” I whispered.
His lips met mine in a gentle, timid caress that I welcomed. Not wanting to push him further than he was ready for, I started to pull back, but he caught me with a hand on the side of my neck, pulling me back in. This kiss was far more confident and the purest thing I’d ever experienced. Part of me felt like I was soiling him, knowing that I’d never be what he needed, what someone as good as him deserved. Yet I couldn’t resist getting a glimpse of what it would be like if he were to pick me.
He stepped closer, urging me to give him more, but I couldn’t. Atticus was far too special to waste himself on a woman like me. He needed someone who wouldn’t use her body to get a deal to turn her way. Or someone who wouldn’t want to give in to a man who begged her to own him and use him as she wanted. No, I couldn’t be happy with the quiet life he offered. I craved the thrill of getting finger fucked on the dance floor knowing anyone could see if they looked close enough.
I rested a hand on Atticus’s chest and pressed gently to urge him to stop. “Thank you, Atticus,” I said, then kissed his cheek. “I need to finish a few things before we head out to meet up with Harrison and Raymond,” I explained as I gave him a warm smile that did nothing to dissuade his frown. “I’ll see you later.”
Leaving his room, I closed the door behind me and paused for a moment to pull myself together before straightening my shoulders and heading to my room.
thirty
Itwasfarharderto find an outfit to wear than I planned, one that gave off power but nothing sexual. For this, I really wanted to make it through a conversation when someone didn’t think I was a whore. Granted, they already assumed that from how we first met, but I wanted to give it a shot.
I settled on a pure white jumpsuit with loose trouser pant legs and a turtle neck top with long sleeves that puffed out a bit and tightened around the wrist. I paired it with simple white Louboutin heels and a gold clutch to add a pop of color. My hair was in a loose chignon with simple makeup to drive home the point. Looking in the mirror, I felt like the president’s wife and as far from a hooker as you could get.
Ready as I’d ever been for dismantling two men who decided to fuck over my daddy, I headed out of my rooms. When I entered the hall, I found Daddy waiting for me with a warm smile as soon as he saw me. “Astin, you look lovely. I’m not sure these men deserve it, though.”
“We need them to believe this is a normal meeting to discuss the progress on the land and the zoning issue. So I felt that I needed to play the part,” I reasoned. “I thought you were going to sit this one out?”
“I was, but Harrison called me personally to ensure I would be there. He said he had news for me, and it was something to celebrate,” he explained, offering me his arm. “I know his daughter has been trying to have kids, so I wonder if that’s the news. It would put him over the moon and something he’d love to tell me in person.”
“You two have been friends for a long time,” I commented. “I don’t know, Daddy. Something in my gut is telling me we should keep you out of this. If something happens tonight, you aren’t well. Look what a fight between us did to you.”
“Darling, there aren’t many people who can get under my skin like you can. It must be a gift because I’m not sure there’s another person in the world who would be able to rile me up the way you do,” Daddy teased and squeezed my hand. “Trust your father to know his limits.”
“All right, but I’m telling Boykov to bring extra people,” I countered.
“I do have my own security who will be there. This isn’t new to me, Astin,” Daddy pointed out. “Don’t worry, it will cause wrinkles, and you’re too young to start having those. Remember, I’m Colmazio Caprioni, king of Eastrose, and it would take one ballsy person to attack me out in public.”