The more times I slept with Hunt, the better it got.

He was a king in bed, having everything that I craved in a partner. He was confident, beautiful, and drop-dead sexy.

I didn’t know what I loved more—his kiss or cock.

I loved it all.

We returned to New York and got back to work. Taking a week off pushed me back, so I had to play catch-up to stay on top of my empire. I didn’t contact Hunt for several days because I was too busy.

He didn’t contact me either—probably for the exact same reason.

Thorn texted me. I’m gonna stop by in ten minutes—unless you’ve got company.

I’m alone.

Then I’ll see you soon.

Thorn rode the elevator to my floor, having the key code to my penthouse so I didn’t have to buzz him up every time. He walked into the living room in jeans and a gray t-shirt, looking handsome but casual in his street clothes. Most of the time I saw him he was in a suit, something specifically tailored to his tall height and broad shoulders. He walked inside with dazzling eyes and greeted me with a smile. “How’s it going, Old Fashion?”

“Good. I’ve been busy since I came back from Italy.” I poured him a glass of his favorite wine and made myself my drink. We took a seat at the dining table, the Manhattan lights in the background.

He took a long drink, devouring it like water instead of alcohol. “How was that?”

“Pretty good.”

“Did you and your boy toy have a good time?”

“Actually, we did. Would have been more fun if his brother hadn’t been around.”

“Cockblocks…hate ’em. How’s Diesel Hunt working out for you?” He asked me about all my relationships, so this wasn’t unusual.

“He’s everything I hoped for—and more.”

A quiet smile stretched his lips. “Seems like a guy with the whole package.”

“Yes. And he definitely has the whole package.”

He winked. “Dirty girl.”

“Just a woman who knows what she wants.” I remembered what Hunt had told me about Thorn, that Thorn had mentioned our relationship to him in passing. “Hunt said you spoke to him about me at the charity gala…encouraged him to pursue me.”

“I did.” He swirled the wine in his glass. “And it looks like my advice worked.”

“Why would you say anything to him at all? I didn’t know if he was trustworthy.”

“He’s a straight shooter,” he said dismissively. “I can tell. Besides, friends help each other get laid. That’s the foundation of any friendship.”

“Well, I can get laid without your help.”

He winked again. “Because you’re a dirty girl.”

I rolled my eyes and held back my chuckle. Only Thorn could joke with me like that and get away with it.

“I’m glad things worked out. Looks like you two found a compromise.”

I loved our current arrangement. But I wasn’t sure how much I would love the second half of it. “Yes…six weeks for me. Six weeks for him.”

Thorn set his glass down and ignored it. “You think you can handle it?”

“Looks like I’m going to have to,” I said. “And he didn’t give me much of a choice. It was either this or not have him at all.”

“You must really like the guy.”

“I do…” I loved everything about him. He was so much more than the businessman I read about. He had an edge as sharp as the blade of a sword, but he was as gentle as soft cotton at the same time. He knew how to fuck hard—and how to fuck slow. He made my mouth tremble every time he kissed me, and when we weren’t screwing, he spoke to me like a friend. He looked at me as an equal, always respecting everything I had to say. I couldn’t count the number of times men talked over me like my voice didn’t matter, like they knew more than me before they even gave me a chance to speak. My conversations with Hunt were never like that. “How was your trip to Chicago?”

“Just a lot of working, drinking, and fucking.”

“Was the fucking good?”

He shrugged. “Good enough. But I got a lot of work done. That was what I cared about the most.”

“Good for you.”

“My parents are coming into town tomorrow. I told them we would have dinner together.”

“And you didn’t think I had plans?”

He smiled. “I knew you would reschedule them for me. You love my mom.”

“Because she’s sweet. Not sure how you didn’t inherit that trait.”

He rolled his eyes at the taunt. “Real men aren’t sweet. Women wouldn’t like it if we were.”

“True.”

“We’re eating at The Jewel. My assistant already made reservations. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Sounds good to me. I love their food.”

“How was the fashion show? Were you bored out of your mind?”

Hunt was there, so I was never bored. “No. But Connor tried to rekindle our fire a bit.”

“I can’t blame him.” Thorn had the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen. That was one of the reasons he had so many admirers. They were bluer than every untouched ocean in the world. “Realizes what he lost. But that ship has sailed, right?”

“Yep.” Now my ship was anchored in Hunt’s harbor.

“Diesel doesn’t like me.” Thorn looked at me as he waited for me to confirm this piece of information.

“No. He’s just jealous.”

“Did you tell him there’s nothing to be jealous of?”

“Many times.”

“And?”

“He doesn’t understand our relationship, and that frustrates him.”

“He doesn’t need to know. He wouldn’t understand anyway.”

I wasn’t sure. Hunt seemed to be a reasonable guy. He understood how the world worked just as well as I did. If I explained my situation with Thorn, Hunt would probably understand it completely. “I think he would get it, but he still doesn’t need to know.”

“How’s Pilar?”

“Good. Just landed the cover of a sports magazine.”

“Not surprised,” he said. “She’s too exceptional to be anywhere else.”

I finished my glass and cut myself off. I’d already had too many drinks today. “Would you like to join me for dinner? I was just about to throw something together.”

“I’d love to—if Hunt isn’t coming by.”

“That won’t be until later. We don’t eat together.”

He grinned. “Just fucking?”

“Yep.”

“I like the way you run things, Titan. Just like a business.”

“My life is much simpler that way.” I walked into the kitchen and grabbed everything out of the fridge.

Thorn fell into sync with me, washing the broccolini before slicing it into perfect strips.

I handled the chicken and carrots.

“I think you should move in on Bruce Carol this week. His stock is about to drop.”

I’d been so busy this last week I hadn’t really thought about it. “You’re right.”

“I’d offer to take care of it, but I’m sure you can handle this one. Bruce and I have never gotten along.”

“And you think he’ll get along with your girlfriend?”

Thorn set the vegetables aside before he grabbed a pan and set it on the stove. “When she’s as beautiful as you, yes.”

I grinned and kept my eyes focused on what I was doing. “You don’t have to suck up to me, Thorn. You already got me.”

“I wasn’t.” He nudged me in the side gently. “I meant it.”

---

I walked into Bruce’s building, checked in with his assistant, and then waited in the lobby. I wore a black pencil skirt with a fitted blue blouse, going for traditional colors that weren’t too bold. I left my hair down, letting it curl around my shoulders. I wore my favorite pair of black heels, even though Bruce Carol would have no idea what brand they were or how much they cost.

I waited ten minutes before I was finally called into the conference room. “Mr. Carol, how are you?” I walked up to him with my hand extended, a smile on my face.

Bruce was in his late fifties, packing on weight throughout the decades and with a face covered with hair. He wore large glasses he’d obviously kept since the eighties. Despite the way one of his biggest investments was going under, he was a respectable businessman who had accomplished a lot in the last thirty years. “Good.” He shook my hand, not mirroring my same smile. “Thanks for coming by.” He sat down at the seat at the head of the table, and he didn’t offer me anything to drink. His hands came together on the desk, and he looked at the time on his watch.

That wasn’t a good start.

I opened my folder and got right to the point. “I understand your investment in your company, while a great concept, isn’t doing well. Every quarter, your profits have steadily declined. In the last quarter, you’re actually down by fifty percent. This isn’t public knowledge just yet, and I’d like to put an offer on the table. I can assure you I’ll give you more than a fair deal, and everything will be wrapped up before the media gets to blast it on the front page of every single newspaper. We can simply say the company has been taken over by Titan Industries.”

“Looks like you’re jumping ahead before you’ve even made an offer.” He tapped his fingers against the desk, his chubby fingers echoing quietly in the room.

He was an asshole with wounded pride. I should have known he wouldn’t take this well.

“I’m not sure how you’ve figured all of this out, so I must have traitors in the company.”

Or Thorn and I were smarter than he gave us credit for. “Money always leaves a trail.” I pulled out the offer letter and slid it across the table toward him. “This is what I’m willing to offer you. There are a few stipulations, but nothing major.”

He looked it over, his eyes quickly scanning the words. “No.”

I waited patiently for an elaboration.

But it never came.

“The floor is open for negotiation.”

He pushed the paper back toward me. “Double your offer, and we have a deal.”

As an attempt to control the situation, it was pathetic. He had no tact whatsoever. I was transparent in my meetings, getting right to the point to save time. But I also thought of every move before I made it. Bruce obviously didn’t. No wonder why his company was going under. “No.” I crossed out the initial offer I’d made and gave him a ten percent increase before I pushed it back toward him. “This is my final offer. Anyone else who comes through that door isn’t going to offer you anything near this. Consider yourself lucky it’s on the table at all.”

He stared at the number for a long time before he turned it over. “I have another offer coming in this afternoon. I’ll wait to hear that one first.”

Another offer? Who else knew about Bruce’s failing holdings? I couldn’t allow myself to look surprised, whether he was bluffing or not. I had to keep my cool, act like I didn’t want this company as much as I did.

“But I’ll think about your offer, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart. I hated being called that. If I were a man, he wouldn’t call me “sport” or “champ.” It was insulting, belittling me.

But I acted like it had no effect on me. “I’ll be in touch to follow up soon.” I rose from my seat and was only mildly offended when he didn’t rise as well. I didn’t receive a handshake or even a second glance from him.

I walked out, knowing he was staring at my ass the whole way. He didn’t give me the respect of looking me in the eye, but he had no problem staring at my behind. I knew he was looking when I spotted his reflection in the glass door.

Asshole.

I walked back to the lobby, holding back the annoyance that must be obvious on my face. I heard the assistant’s voice trail to me as I approached the lobby. “Mr. Hunt, Mr. Carol will see you now.”

I nearly stopped in my tracks when I heard that name.

I rounded the corner and reached the lobby just when he stood up, buttoning the front of his suit as he moved. He carried a satchel over his shoulder, his computer no doubt stuffed inside. His face was cleanly shaven, and he looked even more handsome than the last time I saw him. His shiny watch was on his wrist, and he wore shiny dress shoes.

It took him a moment to notice me, and when he did, he didn’t give the slightest reaction. It wasn’t clear if he already knew I would be there, or he was just a professional at hiding his thoughts.

I didn’t know.

We walked past each other, time slowing down as we came into close proximity. The look he gave me was the kind I’d never seen before. It was like he didn’t know me at all. His lethal professionalism was at the forefront of his mind. He must have known exactly why I was there. If he didn’t know when he walked into the building, he knew now.

“Titan.” His masculine voice brushed over my skin like sandpaper against rocks. It didn’t contain the affection I was used to receiving from him. We were both after the same thing, a company that could be worth billions someday. Just because we were sleeping together, it didn’t change the fact that we were competitors—and we were ruthless.

“Hunt.” I walked past him, giving him the same look of indifference he gave me. The smell of his cologne still lingered in my nose even though our proximity had ended. Maybe I thought I smelled him when I didn’t. Just like how I pictured his hands on my body even though we were no longer near each other.

I made it out of the building, and the unease about my meeting with Bruce Carol caught up with me. It didn’t go well, and I hadn’t realized I had a top-notch competitor working against me. Hunt brought the same resources to the table, and he could make an offer just as good as mine.

I was about to lose this deal—and there was nothing I could do about it.

---

Thorn’s mother kissed each of my cheeks before she hugged me, embracing me like she was my mother. “It was so nice seeing you, Tatum. You make my son into a fine man.”

“Thank you, Liv. But he was already a fine man before I came along.”

His father kissed my cheek next before he hugged his son. “Thanks for dinner.”

“No problem, Dad.” Thorn patted him on the back before he stepped back. “Have fun in Bora Bora. Take lots of pictures.”

“We will.” Liv gave a wave before they got into the backseat of their car. The windows were tinted, but I suspected they were waving at us anyway. The driver pulled away and took them back into Manhattan traffic.

“I was a fine man before you came along?” Thorn asked with a laugh. “Even my parents don’t believe that.” He pulled out his phone and texted his driver, telling him to pick us up in front of the restaurant.

“What was I supposed to say?” I asked incredulously. “That you’re the biggest shithead in the world?”

He grinned at the insult. “At least you’d be honest.”

“I’m not gonna insult a mother by saying that about her son.”

“Why?” he asked. “It’s not like she doesn’t know. She raised me, you know.” He spotted the car as it pulled up to the curb. He opened the back door and helped me inside before he scooted to the seat beside me. Once we were alone in a car with tinted windows, we broke apart, and I sat next to the window. I was wearing a long cocktail dress that was fit for a ball. Thorn wore a black suit that complemented me.

The second we were alone, it was back to business. “How’d it go with Bruce?”

I’d failed to mention this to him, knowing he would take the news as hard as I did. “Pretty terrible, honestly.”

He brushed it off. “You just think it went terrible. You’re the best in the business, Titan. Don’t underestimate yourself. I would have gone myself if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

I appreciated the praise, but that wouldn’t console me this time. “The second I walked in there, he was cold. He barely listened to me, make ridiculous demands, and then didn’t even walk me to the door—but had no problem staring at my ass.”

“In his defense, you have a very nice ass.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Come on, you know all men are dogs. It’s never bothered you before, so don’t let it bother you now.”

“I already knew the meeting was going poorly before we even said two words to each other. But when I reached the lobby, I knew exactly why he was behaving that way. There was another offer on the table, and he knew he was going to take it before he even met with me.”

Thorn turned my way, the features of his face falling into seriousness. His blue eyes didn’t look quite as beautiful as they usually did. Now they looked like blue ice. “Another offer? Who else knows about this?”

I shouldn’t have underestimated the man I was screwing. I was powerfully attracted to him for a reason, because he was a ruthless tyrant who intended to own the entire city someday—if not the world. “Diesel Hunt.”

Thorn’s eyes narrowed in obvious rage. “Did you tell him?”

“No. I never mentioned a single thing to him.”

“Did he go through your things?”

“I never have my laptop around when he’s at my place, and we’re always in the same room together. Besides, I don’t think he would do something like that. He’s far too respectable.”

“When it comes to business, no one is a saint.”

“I think he figured it out from his own sources.”

“Did he seem surprised to see you?”

“No. But neither did I.”

Thorn sighed and looked out the window, falling into suffocating silence. “Titan, we can’t lose this deal.”

“I know.”

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

“Whatever Hunt offers, you have to match it.”

“I’m not sure if the offers are up for debate. I’ll call Bruce tomorrow and feel him out.” I was embarrassed that I lost to Hunt without even knowing what happened. I just assumed he won because of the way Bruce behaved. I had the confidence to never give up, but I also had the intuition to know when it was a losing battle. It was obvious that Bruce preferred Hunt before he even met with me.

A part of me couldn’t blame him. Hunt was an intellect with a knack for business. He was one of the most fascinating people in the world for a reason. I was disappointed Hunt would get this business, but at the same time, I thought he deserved it.

Because I respected him so damn much.

But Thorn didn’t feel the same way. He kept looking out the window, his annoyance filling the air like humidity. “You guys should have some kind of boundaries for this sort of thing.”

“I told him we wouldn’t mix business with pleasure—and we’re abiding by that promise. It would be naïve of me to expect him to back off just for me. It’s not like I would back off for him. He wouldn’t respect me if I did, and I wouldn’t respect him either.”

Thorn growled before he turned back to me. “Well, the fight isn’t over. Talk to Bruce tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.”

I looked out the window when the conversation was over, feeling Thorn’s overwhelming disappointment in the turn of events. Thorn was an excellent partner because he was transparent. It was never a challenge to figure out what he was thinking, and if I was ever unsure, all I had to do was ask. He amplified my confidence with his praise, and he helped me overcome my weaknesses. And when he was disappointed, like he was now, he didn’t hide it.