When Mateo was caught cheating on Poppy, I’d expected the tears and woe is me routine to continue out the door. But I should have known better. Poppy is fierce and strong. She cried silent tears all the way back to her house. I’d tried to go in, but she firmly told me no. I wanted to ignore her and push through anyway, but with this unexpected news with Mateo, I was worried our deal would get trashed. I needed time to think and make sure she wouldn’t fuck up my meetings with the judge, police commissioner, and senator.

I look up from my laptop and watch her as she taps away on her computer in her office. No tears this week. Whatever sadness she had, she must have cried it all out Saturday. Almost a week later, and she’s hardened into a viper that reminds me too much of the people I hate. I much prefer her ragged, rattled, and ruined. Right now, she’s poised, focused, and angry.

“Tick tock,” I say, my first indicator since Mateo broke up with her that I’m still going forward with my plan to blackmail her.

Her fingers pause on the keyboard, and her blue eyes dart to mine. “Or what? You’ll fuck me?” She flashes me an icy smile. “Nobody cares if you fuck me, Camden. These little boy games you’re playing are childish.”

A flash of fury ignites within me. “I’m not a little boy.”

She smirks. “I allowed you to keep your meetings since your career is so important to you, but I will not be blackmailed into forcing my father to meet with you. You have nothing to hold over me. Everyone knows I’m no longer engaged to Mateo.”

I lift a brow. “How do you figure?”

She taps her knuckle on her screen. “This.”

I rise from my chair and walk around the desk until I’m behind her. Placing my hands on the top of her leather chair, I lean in to read an article in the Tampa Times.

Tampa’s Golden Girl Tarnished

I grit my teeth as I skim the article. It’s all bullshit she fed to a reporter. Mostly, it’s a watered-down version of the actual events. Her fiancé found out about a son he had and wanted to make it work with the mother and their child. Poppy and Mateo parted as friends and wish each other the best.

Cue fucking eye roll.

“So, there. You have nothing on me,” she snaps. “And after today, you can find someone else to intern for because it sure as hell won’t be me.”

I pull her chair away from the desk and roughly spin her toward me. She lets out a squeak of surprise. I grab the arms of her chair, pinning her wrists, and glower down at her.

“It’s not that fucking easy,” I growl, lowering my face until we’re inches apart. “I think you seem to have forgotten about our past.”

“We have no past,” she spits out.

“Not one you want to tell anyone,” I utter, an evil grin turning my lips up. “What about the time we made out when I was fifteen?”

“You’re such a liar!” she yells at me. “No one will believe you because it didn’t happen!”

“Money can buy you anything,” I tell her coldly. “It can buy me witnesses. It can buy me someone to forge motherfucking love letters and date them years ago. It can buy me photoshopped pictures of whatever the hell I want.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“You know I will. I can have whatever I want inside of an hour. Test me, Poppy. Fucking test me. All you had to do was get me one more goddamn meeting. Why are you being so difficult? I swore I’d be out of your hair the moment you got me that meeting.”

Her hard gaze weakens. “Why do you want it so bad? Why is it so important?”

“It just is,” I mutter.

The other three went off exactly as I planned. Those men know exactly where they stand in my world and it’s below my fucking feet. They’ve promised me the entire goddamn world, and for now, I’ll zip my lips.

Until I get my last meeting.

Then, I’m going to make a mess of everything.

“Call him.”

“I’ve tried every day this week,” she says, pouting.

“Try again.”

“No.”

I arch a brow. “You have to.”

“I’m not calling him again, so do what you must. I’ll try again next week.”

“Then that means you failed,” I murmur, my gaze skimming down to her lips. “That means I’m going to fuck you.”

“My failure doesn’t guarantee your success,” she challenges, licking her lips. The action has my cock wide fucking awake. “I wonder if you’ll have to drug me again. I’m wondering if you’re compensating for something. I mean, who has to drug a woman—”

I grip her wrist and haul her hand to my cock straining in my slacks. “I can assure you, I can back up my big ego with my even bigger dick.”

She gapes at me. “You’re awfully confident.”

“You creamed your panties the first time I flirted with you,” I tell her smugly, using her hand to stroke me through my clothes. Her fingers are stiff at first, but then she relaxes them. “Your pretty face turned pink any time I looked at you. You wanted me to fuck you. You went home and fingered your perfect cunt to thoughts of me deep inside.”

“Camden…”

“I’m going to spend days showing you just how much your body wants me, Poppy. Days.”

I pull away and start packing my shit up.

“W-What? Now? No. I have crap to do and—”

“Nope. I cleared your calendar.”

“But I can’t leave in the middle of the—”

“You’re going.”

“I have all this work that needs—”

I unplug her laptop and snap it closed. She grumbles when I shove it in her messenger bag. “Let’s roll, Popps. We’re losing daylight.”

“It’s not even noon. We’re not losing daylight,” she huffs, but starts gathering her things.

She’s going a little too easily…

I swivel around as she shoulders her purse and storm over to her. My hand grips her throat, and I press a kiss to her lips. When she gasps in surprise, I plunge my tongue into her mouth. I kiss her in a threatening way.

A way that says I’m smarter. More powerful. And richer. So don’t try to play me.

Whatever fucked up game she thinks she can play to screw me over is pointless.

I will win.

When I pull away, her eyes are closed and her cheeks are pink. The tough woman from earlier is gone and this soft, almost smiling one is in her place. Confusion wars within me.

This was supposed to be difficult.

Yet, here she is, looking all too eager to fuck her intern.

“Let’s go,” I bark as I gather my stuff and stalk over to her door. I open it and usher her out. Nellie shoots me a pitiful fucking stare, but I ignore her. All week, she’s tried talking to me, but I’ve given her the cold shoulder.

Only one woman has my attention.

“We’ll be out for the rest of the afternoon. Meetings,” I lie as we pass Nellie.

She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t believe me. I flash her one of my smoldering grins and wink at her. All animosity bleeds from her as she blushes. “See you Monday.”

Poppy remains quiet until we’re in my car cruising down the road. “Where are we going?” she asks finally. “Your place or mine?”

I snort. “Neither.”

“The hotel?”

“Nope.”

She lets out a huff of frustration, but I ignore her. I turn on some music and stew over the fact that I’m not getting that meeting with the mayor. I’ll get it one way or another. For now, I’ll take fucking joy in defiling his heartbroken daughter. That’ll make up for one loss by giving me a win I am all too happy to claim.

I glance over at Poppy and she’s stiff. Tense and ready for a fight. She really thinks she’ll be able to pull some shit when I get her naked. That she won’t enjoy it or be able to shame me for my lack of play in the bedroom. She has no idea what I’m capable of. Whatever she and Mateo did was nothing compared to how I’m going to disrupt her world.

Breaking her will be fun.

Definitely a win.

We pull up to Kipper’s Marina and I park in my assigned spot. I love the confusion that radiates from her, but she refuses to give voice to.

“Let’s go,” I grumble.

“Why are we here?” she asks as she reaches for her messenger bag.

“Leave it,” I instruct. “You’ll have everything you need on the boat.”

“Boat?”

My Azimut S7 is my newest baby. Grandad bought me my first diecast yacht when I was a little kid and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Now, instead of collecting metal boats or making them from model kits, I just buy them.

God, I love money.

Sometimes, I wonder if I’m more like my father than I’d like to admit. I used to marvel at how he could buy anything he wanted whenever he wanted. Once, I asked him for a Ulysse Nardin Tourbillon watch. I was fourteen. All it took was a big smile and telling him he was a good dad. Ten minutes later, he was on the phone with a rep putting in a custom order for a two-hundred-thousand-dollar watch. I was proud as fuck of that watch too. Wore it every day until my dad died. Now, it sits in a drawer. Hidden away. Just like the rest of my memories of him.

“You don’t have to run!” Poppy calls out from behind me.

I slow, realizing I was hoofing it along. Memories of my father are conflicting. Everyone wants someone to blame. It was his parties. His friends. His world. All of what was exposed to me nearly ruined me. But deep down in my bitter heart, I know it’s not completely true. It’s just not something I want to think about right now. Right now, I have other shit to focus on. Reflecting back on how my dad wasn’t as awful as my brothers claim is a Band-Aid that can be pulled off another day.

When I hit the dock and the warm sea air blows on my face, the tension bleeds from me. Poppy’s heels clack on the wood behind me. I’m not sure I’ll be able to relax with her in my space, but I have no choice. She’s here, and I’m ready to make her pay. I’ll fuck her and send her on her way. After that, I can come back and plot some more.

Always plotting.

“Poppy,” I say, motioning to my Azimut. “Meet Lady Vindicta. She’s sleek like a panther. Fancy as fuck too. But when I get my hands on her and get her out on the water, she purrs like a little kitten.”

Her brows lift, but I can see a gleam of excitement in her crystal blue eyes that match the cloudless sky. “Yours is the only black boat out here. It’s pretty.”

“Custom paint job. They call it soulless abyss.”

She purses her lips, as if remembering why she’s here, and steps onto my boat.

No getting away now, Poppy.