My PI walked inside right before lunch. Tom Hutch was one of the best detectives in the city. He could dig up info that happened before technology was even around. You could ask about something that occurred in the sixties, and he would track it down.

He placed the manila folder on my desk. “Got everything you asked for.”

Sitting on my desk was everything about Titan’s boyfriend—the one who died. I’d asked Tom for every piece of evidence surrounding that case. I wanted to know everything about their relationship prior to that event. Was there talk of marriage? What happened after he died? Had Titan not had a boyfriend ever since?

“I found a lot more than I expected. There’s a few other police reports you’ll find interesting.”

Police reports?

“I think this case wasn’t solved correctly. They never caught the killer—but I think it’s obvious who did it.”

I stared at the folder. Heartbeats passed, and all I did was blink.

“Do you need anything else, sir?”

I finally came back to attention, looking at the man sitting across from me. “That’ll be all, Tom. Thank you.”

“My office will bill you.” He walked out, leaving me alone in my office.

Everything I wanted to know was sitting right in front of me. I could understand Titan better, understand the woman who was slowly becoming my obsession. I wasn’t just fascinated by the powerful woman I was fucking. I wanted to know the other woman that I met briefly but never got to know.

I wanted to know Tatum.

Thorn warned me not to ask her about it. Said he would kill me if I did. The threat didn’t bother me, but the passion behind it affected me. He’d turned protective like a watchdog, defending the woman he intended to spend his life with.

I respected that.

I grabbed the folder and pulled it toward me, but I didn’t open the cover. It was thick with paper, probably filled with police reports and photos. This wasn’t a simple case if this much information was included in the file.

I grabbed the bottom corner and prepared to open it.

But I knew it was wrong.

I was snooping around behind her back.

I was sticking my nose where it didn’t belong.

I was invading her privacy.

She had the right to tell me if she wanted me to know. Paying someone a fortune to pay off cops and lawyers to get this information was morally wrong.

I despised myself for even getting this far.

I opened the bottom drawer of my desk, dropped the folder inside, and slammed it closed.

I respected her with every fiber of my being. I couldn’t do that to her.

I couldn’t betray her.

I didn’t believe in love. But I certainly believed in loyalty.

And my loyalty to her was unbreakable.

---

“Would you like some wine?” Titan walked out of the kitchen with two glasses of red wine.

“Yes. Thank you.” She set the glass in front of me, but instead of sitting in the other chair at the dining table, she slid onto my lap. She straddled me, her fingers cupping the bottom of the bulb of the glass.

Her dress rose to her hips as she lowered herself, her black panties visible.

My hands gripped her thighs, and I rocked my hips gently, my cock anxious to see her. I’d never been offered refreshments when I first came over. We seemed to get right down to business, fucking hard on every piece of furniture in the house.

This was a change of pace.

She sipped her wine as she stared at me, her long lashes thick with mascara. When she pulled the glass away, her lipstick was smeared across the area where her mouth had been just a second ago.

I didn’t know if this was leading somewhere, but it was perfectly okay if it wasn’t. Just holding eye contact with her was an erotic experience. A woman could never challenge my gaze with the same confidence she possessed. She had so much power, and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

She set her glass down before she unbuttoned my collared white shirt, making my bare chest visible for her enjoyment. She pushed the shirt back toward my shoulders then slid my tie out of the collar.

She grabbed her glass next, and then purposely spilled it down my chest.

It was an $800 shirt, but who gave a damn. This woman could do whatever she wanted to me.

She leaned down and licked the wine away, absorbing the drops on her tongue. She slid to the floor to get the liquid that had reached my boxers. She even pulled back the band so she could stick her tongue down my crotch.

And lick my dick.

She came back up and straddled me again, acting so sexy with so much confidence.

I’d never seen anything like it.

She massaged my shoulders next, her eyes on me once more. She examined my eyes then explored the rest of my face. Her look lingered on my chin, the coarse hair that had come in since that morning, and she examined my lips, the ones that kissed her every single day. She cupped my cheek and ran her slender fingers along my jawline.

I felt like a muse.

Her fingers slid over the jut of my jaw and then down my neck until she reached my chest again.

During moments like these, I enjoyed our quiet conversations. I enjoyed getting to know her, taking what little she would give me. But right now, she seemed to be in a unique mood. She wasn’t fucking me, but she was enjoying me in a different way. “Have you enjoyed being with me?”

My eyes opened wider at the question, expecting her to say nothing rather than that. “The answer is obvious.”

“Then let’s keep it this way for another six weeks—no switching.”

She was asking me to give up my domination. She wanted to remain in charge, be the alpha even longer.

Not gonna happen. “No.”

Her fingers slid down my chest, her face exactly the same as it was before.

“I’ve enjoyed fucking you the way you ask. I’ve enjoyed fulfilling your fantasies. I’ve enjoyed this arrangement a lot more than I thought I would. So I have no doubt in my mind you’re going to enjoy every second of my reign.”

“We’re different people…”

“Doesn’t matter. I know I’ve earned your trust. You trust me as much as Thorn. You wouldn’t own a business with me if you felt otherwise.”

“Business is different than sex.”

“We both know that’s not true—they’re exactly the same.”

She held my gaze with waning confidence.

“There’s no reason to be scared, baby. You won’t want me to stop. That’s a promise.”

“I have control issues…”

My hands slid to hers, and I interlocked our fingers tightly. I squeezed her as I held her gaze steady. “Do you trust me, Titan?”

She stared at me for long moments. Time seemed to slow down because the intensity of our gazes was sucking the life out of both of us. My fingers continued to caress hers, comforting her in her elegant distress. Her eyes shifted slightly, back and forth as they looked into mine. “Yes…”

I brought both of her hands to my lips and kissed each knuckle, worshiping her with my mouth. This woman gave me a shot of adrenaline that jumping out of a plane wouldn’t match. She gave me control even when I was the one tied to a chair. She gave me scorching intimacy, a new level of erotic sex that I didn’t know existed.

She gave me so much.

“And I trust you.”

---

Titan and I didn’t waste any time turning Carol’s business inside out. We called for a remodel of all the lobbies and the hallways. We each had a distinct vision for our business, and while they were slightly different, elegance was important to both of us.

So we agreed on a lot of things.

Both of our offices were located on the top level, on opposite ends of the floor. We each had a spectacular view of Manhattan, both of our offices the exact same size. The floors were being replaced, the windows were being cleaned, and a new coat of paint had been added to the walls. Titan had a few specific changes she wanted, and I suspected I knew exactly how her space would look. She had a particular style.

But since both of our spaces were under construction, we shared a conference room with a large window. A solid door and walls separated us from the assistants that were now under our regime. I hadn’t fucked her during working hours yet, but that was because I’d been too focused on getting shit done. I still had other businesses to manage, an entire empire that required my full attention.

She had a white laptop with brightly colored stationery. Everything she owned was distinctly feminine, matching her undeniable sex appeal. She rocked bright red lipstick like it was her natural shade, and pencil skirts fit her so well they were a second skin.

She was definitely distracting.

I’d had beautiful employees working for me all my life, but I’d never been tempted by their appearance. Somehow, I separated them into a different category, knowing business and pleasure didn’t mix.

But I wouldn’t have had that same strength if Titan were my assistant.

But then again, a woman like her would never work for someone else. That was why I was attracted to her in the first place.

Because, you know, she had great tits.

“Yes?” Titan’s eyes burned into mine as she stared at me across the table, a white pen in her hand.

I didn’t realize I’d been staring at her. “Nothing.”

“You stared at me for five minutes.”

I smiled before I focused my attention on my screen. “I was thinking about your tits…as I often do during the day.”

“As flattered as I am, we need to remain professional when we’re here. We’re business partners, and we can’t afford to mix business and pleasure while we’re here. Not just now, but for the future.”

Because we wouldn’t always be fucking. She’d be married to Thorn with a couple of kids at home. There’d be another boy toy waiting for her at the penthouse when she got off work. “Can’t make any promises.”

“Then I’ll keep the promise for both of us.”

Until I was in charge. I shut my laptop and set my pen down on my notepad. My ankle rested on the opposite knee, and I stared at her, my hands lying together on my lap.

She finished typing her sentence before she met my look, her green eyes lustrous with her heavy makeup meticulously done. “Yes?”

“I’ve enjoyed the things we’ve done together, but I was under the impression things would get more serious.”

Her eyes shifted slightly, looking deep into my gaze like there was more to see. “What do you mean by that, Hunt?”

“I thought you would take it to another level. I thought there would be whips and chains by now.”

“Who said there won’t be?”

The corner of my lip tugged into a smile. “I haven’t seen anything yet.”

“I was too busy enjoying you. Didn’t think about it.”

“So I’m enough for you?”

She dropped her gaze and turned back to her computer. “I guess you could put it that way. We have a strong chemistry. It’s been enough up until this point.”

I expected her to whip me until I bled, to chain me down and pour hot wax all over me. I’d never been into that, but I enjoyed Titan so much that I wondered if I would enjoy it. I’d adored everything else about her. And more importantly, I trusted her to bring me to oblivion.

“Hunt, are you telling me you want to do those things?”

I shrugged in response. “I’m open to it—that’s all I’m saying.”

A confident smile stretched over her lips. “You take submission well.”

“Not as well as you’re about to.”

Her smile disappeared immediately. No matter how powerful our connection was, she would always show her hesitance at the exchange of power. I didn’t know why it was so difficult for her, especially when I did it so well. She was about to kneel before me, but submitting to me would be the most freeing experience of her life.

I opened my laptop again, unable to hide the smirk on my face. I only had eight days to go before she was exclusively mine. I would be the only man in the world who got to enjoy Tatum Titan this way. I was going to conquer her harder than a dictator dominated a new land. “Use your remaining time wisely.”

---

“Brett Maxwell is here to see you, sir.”

I had a meeting in fifteen minutes, but I always had time for my brother. “Send him in.”

Brett walked through the door a moment later, in dark jeans and a sports jacket. “Busy?”

“You know I’m always busy. What’s up?” I sat back in my chair and interlocked my fingers.

“Are you still going to put in that offer on Megaland?”

Megaland was a technology company that designed some of the greatest innovations in our lifetime. They had the best researchers, the most brilliant minds, and the soundest strategy. Problem was, they were a small company. They didn’t have the budget to progress, to hire more creators to increase their productivity. They were constantly being beaten out by large corporations, but not because their products were inferior; they simply couldn’t market themselves on the same level.

That’s where I came in.

“Yes.”

Brett sighed before he sat down, his shoulders rigid like he had bad news.

“What’s the problem, Brett?”

“You aren’t gonna like it…”

“I can handle it. Spit it out.” I leaned back in my chair and propped the side of my face on my hand.

“I heard through my sources that your father is currently in the process of making an offer.”

I wore the same stoic expression, appearing as cold as stone on a winter day. My father and I hadn’t spoken in five years. An unspoken war had started between us. When I started my own business and turned my back on his company, he considered it to be a stab in the back. He’d never forgiven me for it.

And I’d never forgive him for what he did to Brett.

I wondered if Vincent Hunt had caught wind of my plans and wanted to go head-to-head with me. It could just be a coincidence, but with men like my father, there was no such thing as coincidence. I passed him on the Forbes list a year ago, and that must have left an acidic taste in the back of his mouth.

Brett watched me as he waited for me to say something. “Hunt?”

I snapped out of it. “How credible is your source?”

“Pretty damn credible.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because he’s one of the three guys who owns Megaland. He bought a car from me last week.”

Fuck. Then it was true.

“If you’re gonna take this company, you need to do it now.”

“Do you know anything about the offer itself?”

“No,” Brett said. “But when Vincent learns you’re his competitor, he’ll do anything to outbid you—even if it’s a terrible deal.”

He was a proud motherfucker. “Shit.”

“Yeah…” He rubbed his chin as he looked out the window, his eyes identical to mine.

“What did you think of the guy who bought the car from you?”

“Nerdy smart,” he answered. “You know, a tech genius from Silicon Valley with no people skills. You know the type.”

That didn’t surprise me.

“But a nice guy. Said he wants a nice car so chicks knew he had money.” He chuckled quietly. “If you’ve got game, you don’t need to prove you have money. But I didn’t tell him that. He’s young and needs to learn.”

At least now I had a picture of what my client looked like. “Thanks for passing this along to me, Brett.”

“No problem. What are big brothers for?”

“Cars, apparently.” I told an easy joke to lighten the mood, but I was too bleak inside to laugh at my comment.

He chuckled then rose out of his chair. “How’s Titan doing?”

Paranoid settled on my shoulders. “How would I know?”

He buttoned the front of his jacket. “Don’t you work with her every day now?”

That was it. I did. “We don’t talk much…”

“You’re reinventing a company together, but you don’t interact?” he asked incredulously. “Uh, good luck.” He gave me a quick wave before he walked out.

Once the door was shut and I was alone, all I could think about was the situation I was in. In order to avoid any interaction with my father, I could just back off and let him take Megaland. But I knew if this were anyone else, even Titan, I wouldn’t back down. This company was a gold mine, and I wasn’t going to let someone take it from me.

---

I worked from home that night, drinking red wine at the table while my empty plate was pressed to the side. My housekeeper made me vegetarian meatloaf for dinner, knowing I was very selective with my diet. Low fat and high protein was the only diet that could sustain my physique. At the age of thirty-five, I wasn’t exactly young anymore. I had to work out twice as hard and eat even less if I wanted to look like this.

And since I landed women like Tatum Titan, it was totally worth it.

Titan texted me. My phone was sitting on the table, and it lit up once the words were on the screen. I didn’t even realize how dark it was in my penthouse because I’d been focused on what I was doing, not the sun disappearing behind the skyscrapers. Come over.

It was the one occasion where I didn’t want to see her. I was on a serious deadline and didn’t have time to fuck around tonight. I can’t tonight.

I think otherwise.

I liked her hard edge, but right now, I didn’t need it. I can’t tonight, Titan. Tomorrow. I set my phone aside and got back to work. I needed to know everything about these guys before I walked into their tiny office and made my offer. I knew I was a dream investor, but honestly, so was my father. If they figured out we were related, then they would know they could have a serious bidding war on their hands. And since this wasn’t about money, they could easily take advantage of the situation. It was complicated, to say the least.

Titan called me.

Her name appeared on the screen, exuding power in just the simple word.

I answered. “Yes?” I didn’t bite back my irritation. Being told what to do was fun any other time, but not now.

“Everything alright?” Instead of the sexy, bossy tone I was used to hearing from Titan, I got to hear the soft concern from Tatum—the woman I’d only just met.

“I’ve got a lot on my plate right now…”

“For work?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t want to bore her with the details, but I also wanted to talk about it. She opened up to me. Maybe she wanted me to open up to her. “My father and I are competing for the same company. I’ve got to get my offer in by tomorrow. I’ll be working all night.”

After a long pause, she spoke. “Can I help?”

She was one of the busiest people in the world. She told me she hardly slept at night, constantly working around the clock. It surprised me she would make an offer like that. She wasn’t the kind of person to make such an offer unless she really meant it. “Don’t worry about it. I can handle it.”

“I really don’t mind, Hunt. Two heads are better than one. Now that you’re my business partner, I want you to succeed in all your endeavors. When you’re successful, so am I.”

It was a logical explanation, but I didn’t like it. “And that’s the only reason you want to help me?” The TV was on in the background, but I tuned it out. A helicopter flew above the skyscrapers in the distance, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I focused on the sound of her voice, her gentle breathing into the receiver.

“No…”

I’d never needed anyone’s help. I didn’t need her help. I always did everything alone, relying on my own instinct and experience. But the idea of bouncing ideas off of Titan, a woman far more intelligent than I was, sounded like a pleasure. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

---

Old fashions were in front of us, and we had our work area set up at her kitchen table. Her overhead lights were dimmed low, the lights from the city bright enough to flood most of her penthouse. The smell of a meal wafted from the kitchen like she’d made something not too long ago.

I liked her cooking. It was better than the stuff my maid made for me.

Titan didn’t make any sexy demands, getting right to work and switching into executive mode. “These guys are smart. All dropped out of Yale their sophomore year and built their company out of a storage bin.”

“That sounds shitty.”

“We were all there once.” Her eyes scanned the computer screen, reading something. “Did you already schedule a meeting with them?”

“Right after lunchtime.”

“Perfect. They’ll be full and ready to listen.”

I wrote down my offer number and slid it toward her. “What do you think of this?”

She stared at the figure as she pursed her lips together, that brilliant brain of hers working hard. “If it were me, I wouldn’t be enticed by this. If they’re meeting with you before your father, you have to make a strong impression. Be likable. Even flatter them.”

I never flattered anyone with my offers. They could take it or leave it. Everyone knew I could turn their company into a corporation that would last a hundred years. “Just being in my presence is flattering enough.”

The corner of her lip tugged into a smile. “Ordinarily, I would say you’re right. But your father can offer the exact same thing you can offer. The only thing that can set you apart is compatibility.”

“He’s an asshole. We don’t need to worry about that.”

The corner of her lip fell. “Does he know you’re a competitor?”

“No idea. But if he doesn’t, he’ll know tomorrow.”

“Have you spoken to him?”

I never mentioned my father to Titan. She must have known about our bad blood from the web or gossip. “Not once in five years.”

She nodded like she understood, even though she couldn’t have any comprehension of it. “Are you doing okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I leaned back into the chair and stared her down hard, treating her like an enemy rather than my friend. Whenever this subject was broached, I was immediately defensive. It was in my blood now, this surge of hatred.

Titan slowly turned her head back to her screen. “I apologize for asking.” Like nothing happened, she continued on with her work.

Now I was an asshole too. I was pumped full of so much hatred for that man, it turned me into a bitter and hateful person. Whenever he was on my mind, I couldn’t think straight. The emotions were so complicated that I still hadn’t sorted them out all these years later. Brett and I never spoke about him, a silent acknowledgment of mutual dislike. But Titan had opened up to me about a lot of things, like her father and her insomnia, in addition to intimate things that weren’t confessed with words. She told me her mother abandoned her when I’d thought she was dead. She told me about her arrangement with Thorn. She still hadn’t told me about her ex who died, but perhaps that would come in time. “I’m sorry, Titan. When it comes to my father…I turn into a different person.”

She turned her face back to me, her features bathed in the glow from the computer screen. When I dismissed her, she didn’t seem cold. She took it with calm understanding. “We all have things we don’t want to talk about. You don’t need to apologize for it. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“You weren’t prying.”

She drank from her glass, letting the ice cubes hit her mouth and rest there. The ice rattled as she set the glass down on the table, the condensation immediately bubbling into the wood. She was in black leggings and a gray tee, comfortable around her home but not quite ready for bed even though it was almost midnight. “Do you really want this company? Or do you just not want your father to have it?”

I stared at her.

“I’m not judging. If this were an enemy of mine, I’d do the same thing. I’d do whatever I could to remind them who they were fucking with—and that they’d lose every time.”

My defenses immediately came down. “It’s a great business opportunity. If anyone else wanted the company, I’d still pursue it as aggressively. But now that he’s the man I’m competing against, I have to win.”

Titan nodded like she understood.

“He’s not a good man… I know he’s my father, but that doesn’t change anything.” I drank from my glass, depleting it before returning it to the table.

“Just because someone is a parent doesn’t make them a good person.”

People often interjected their opinions about our relationship, saying it was unforgivable that a father turned on his son and vice versa. But people didn’t know the true story, didn’t understand how jealous and insecure my father was.

“May I ask what happened?”

No one else had ever asked me that question. They knew the topic was untouchable. “You can ask me anything, Titan.” I didn’t just feel that way because I wanted to know more about her. She’d earned my trust a long time ago. Something about her made me feel comfortable, made me feel like I could say anything. I didn’t have to be the ruthless entrepreneur who wanted to crush everyone. With her, I could just be a man—blood, flesh, and muscle. “My mother had Brett before she met my father. My dad never liked Brett. Always treated him like trash. Jax and I always got the best gifts, the best education, everything. When my mother passed away, she didn’t have any other relatives for Brett to go to…so he stayed with us. But my father was even more cruel to him. No presents on Christmas, put in the worst public school system in Brooklyn, sometimes no dinner… It never stopped. He hated Brett because my mother had loved someone before him. Took out all his jealousy on him…a fifteen-year-old. Time went on, and we got older. Brett moved out of the house and started living in a dump because he didn’t have anything else. My father gave me my start in his company…but I couldn’t take it anymore. I started helping Brett, letting him live with me, giving him a job. My father didn’t like that. Told me and Jax we weren’t allowed to have any more contact with him. He was an adult—and not part of our family. So my father made me choose. I could stay with him and work for a billion-dollar company that I would inherit with Jax someday…or I could choose Brett and lose everything. I chose Brett.”

Titan’s hard expression softened in the light of the computer screen. Her lips fell into a soft frown, and her eyes crinkled in the corners as the emotion seeped into her heart. Her hand slowly slid across the table until she found mine. Her soft skin brushed against mine in a gentle caress. Her thumb moved over my knuckles.

I stared at her hand, feeling how warm it was. Her skin was silky to the touch, and I could feel her gentle pulse. Her nails were elegantly painted with French tips. Her hands looked unblemished, even though she typed and wrote all day.

This touch wasn’t as erotic as the ones I was used to. Sometimes her nails dug into my shoulders, and she nearly cut into the skin. Sometimes her legs were wrapped tightly around my waist, keeping me in place and refusing to let me slide away. Sometimes her arms were wrapped around my neck as she kissed me—hard.

But this was my favorite touch of all.

It wasn’t the touch of friendship or the touch of love.

Something better.

Something only we understood.

I turned my hand over so our palms were facing one another. My fingers interlocked with hers, and I gave her hand a squeeze. A lot of women had come and go in my life, but they were just women. Beautiful distractions. I’d never had a woman who was a friend—as close to me as Pine and Mike.

Now she was part of my inner circle.

“Whenever I talk about the things that happened to me, people always say they’re sorry. But it never helps. It’s a strange thing to say.” She stared at our joined hands. “I want to say something like that to you now…but I can’t find the words.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “The thought is more powerful than anything you could say anyway.”

She brought my hand to her face and kissed my fingers. She took her time, pressing each one against her soft lips. Then she cradled it against her cheek, turning affectionate. It was endearing, but more than anything else, it was sexy. She wasn’t trying to be attractive. That was the last thing on her mind. But she made it happen anyway.

I should get back to work, but now I didn’t care about tomorrow. Megaland and Vincent Hunt were the last things on my mind right now. All I could think about were those plump red lips, those soft fingertips, and that beautiful expression in her eyes.

All I could think about was Tatum.

---

I met with the three founders of Megaland. They were all exactly as Brett described them.

Brilliant minds with nerdy personalities.

When I asked what other plans they had in the works, they were mostly transparent in the new technology they were debuting. But they kept a few things under wraps because they didn’t have a patent on it just yet.

The conversation went well, and then I laid my offer on the table—taking Titan’s advice.

I started high, much higher than I ordinarily would.

When the guys looked at the offer, they did their best to cover up their surprise, but they didn’t do a good enough job. A slight dilation in their eyes told me everything I wanted to know.

“In addition to this, I offer an unlimited amount of investment into your company. I don’t intend to kick back and gain your profits. The opposite, actually. I want to elevate this company into an echelon that most tech companies only dream of. Not only do I have the money, but I also have the connections. I’ve been doing business for a long time. I think we would be great partners.”

Nick, the main guy, stared at the paper again before he looked at his two friends.

They would be stupid not to take it.

They whispered in each other’s ears then made some notes on the paper where I couldn’t see.

I waited patiently on the other side of the table, sitting in their white conference room with black furniture. It was open and full of space, minimalistic. It was nothing like my own office, where I indulged in luxuries and dark tones. “What do you think, gentlemen? Do we have a deal?”

Nick was the one spoke for all the three of them. “We think it’s a very generous offer. A lot more than we thought was going to be put on the table. We know you by reputation and think you’d be a great partner.”

Too many words. “Is that a yes, then?”

“Not quite,” Nick said. “We have a meeting with another investor later today.”

Vincent Hunt. I had to handle this carefully. If my dad put his offer on the table, things would get ugly. If I could seal this deal before he had a chance to step into the office, it would be a slam dunk. My father probably didn’t even know I was sitting in their office right this moment. I’d never shown interest in the tech sphere, so I probably didn’t cross his mind. “I doubt your other investor will walk in with an offer like this.”

“We don’t know,” Nick said. “But it’s always best not to assume.”

Clever. “I’m a very busy man. I’m sure you figured that out when you Googled me. I’m sure you also figured out that I’m not a man to fuck with.”

It was so quiet I could hear a pin drop.

“I acquired Bruce Carol’s company, and I’ve only had it for two weeks and its stock value has risen dramatically. When that asshole crossed me, all I had to do was tweet a message, and nobody would touch his company. I have something other investors will never have. Power. I have a lot of it, gentlemen.”

They all listened, their shoulders slackening as they visibly leaned away.

“I’m the partner you want to have.” I grabbed the paper I set on the table and pulled my pen from my pocket. I clicked the button before I scribbled a new offer onto the table. “I’ve nearly doubled my offer.” I pushed the paper back toward them.

They looked like beetles with huge, bulging eyes.

“If you choose me as your partner right now, this is how much you get.” I clicked the pen again and placed it back into my jacket pocket. “If you don’t, my offer defaults to the original one I made. So, gentlemen, you’re about to gamble. Play it safe and take this very generous offer now, or roll the dice. Maybe your other investor gives you more. Maybe he doesn’t. There’s a lot of money on the table. Choose wisely.” I rose from the table and buttoned the front of my suit. “I’ll give you one minute to talk it over.” I walked out of the conference room without looking back and shut the door behind me. Then I stared at my watch, watching the second hand speed by.

Fifteen seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Forty-five seconds.

If they didn’t take my offer, I’d be in deep shit. My father was ruthless. He would take it as a matter of pride to beat me out of the company. It would be a bloody war—with lots of casualties.

Sixty seconds.

I walked back into the conference room just as they hushed their voices and turned quiet.

I unbuttoned the front of my suit and sat down. “Hope you used your minute well.”

Nick glanced at the other two before he extended his hand. “We’d love to work with you, Mr. Hunt.”

Relief flooded through me, but I didn’t let the look show on my face. I gave them my best executive smile, the kind I showed to the cameras outside restaurants and parties. I shook his hand firmly, excited for the backhand I’d just given my father. He’d be pissed, but deep down inside, he’d also have to respect me.

And accept his defeat.

“Excellent,” I said. “Now it’s time to make you rich.”

“We’re already rich,” Nick said.

I didn’t hold back the chuckle from escaping my lips. “Being a millionaire is not rich, boys. Being a billionaire is.”