Negotiated Read online

  “I’d say I did good.”

  She smiled and nodded, and when a few seconds of silence passed between us, she said, “I’ve decided to extend my trip.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  She glanced around the dining room before her gaze returned to me. “With the merger, there’s so much work to do, and Max left for Italy this morning. Someone needs to be here while he’s away.”

  One day, I was going to be the reason she stayed.

  She wasn’t there yet.

  But she would be soon.

  “How much time are you going to give me, Scarlett?”

  She drew in her bottom lip, her teeth rubbing over the left side of it.

  Back and forth they went.

  “I’m glad you’re asking that question when your tongue isn’t on my clit.”

  Mmm.

  But that clit tasted so fucking good.

  “I got what I wanted, didn’t I?”

  She took another drink of her wine. “You did, given the circumstances, but I don’t promise that will happen again.”

  It was time to be honest and get some goddamn answers.

  “What’s it going to take to break you?”

  “That depends on what you want.”

  My stare bore right through her. “I want you.”

  “You had me last night.”

  The thought of her on the sex swing entered my mind, the way she had straddled me on top of it, how I had swayed her into the air to ride my cock.

  It had been a hot fucking night.

  But, if it hadn’t been about what she needed from me physically, then she wouldn’t have come to my house.

  “You’ve given me your body, Scarlett. I want to know when you’re going to give me the rest.”

  “We’ve discussed this.”

  “We haven’t discussed anything. You told me I lied and that, for now, you’re comfortable with the way things are.”

  “That hasn’t changed.”

  I studied her face, reading her in a way I hadn’t before. “This isn’t just about lying, is it?”

  She looked down at the charger in front of her, staring at it for several seconds before her stare was back on me. “Part of it is that you live in LA, and I’m in Miami. I watched Max go through this for two years, same situation where his girlfriend was in California. You and I don’t exactly have flexible jobs where we can spend half the month on the other side of the country.”

  “What’s the other part?”

  Her hands crossed over the center of the plate, her thumb brushing against the condensation on her water glass. “You have to understand something about me, Hudson. Lush is my place. It’s my escape. Besides my home, it’s where I feel the most comfortable. As a sexual submissive, I’m completely vulnerable in there. It requires a lot of trust—in myself, in my partner. On the night we met, I put that trust in you.”

  “And I lied.”

  She sighed. “Look, I’m not one to dwell on things despite how this might come across. What you did hasn’t stopped me from spending time with you because I’m obviously doing that now. It’s just, when I think about what our next step might look like, it crosses my mind.”

  “But you’ve thought about that step?”

  “Yes.” Her voice softened. “Of course I have.”

  I reached across the table and gently placed my hand over hers. “I know what I did was wrong, Scarlett, but you have to understand, it wasn’t with malicious intent.” I shook my head, wishing she weren’t questioning my integrity. “How do I prove to you that you can trust me?”

  She focused on the back of my hand, how my thumb was rubbing across her wrist. “You’re already doing it.” Emotion moved into her eyes. It was the first time I’d seen that from her. “And I’ll admit, I like what you’ve shown me so far.”

  The waiter dropped off the appetizers, a dish of salt-and-pepper prawns and beef pancakes.

  Scarlett put one of each on her plate and said, “Tell me how you see this working.” She slid her hand out from under mine and picked up her chopsticks. “I mean, with the two of us so far away from each other.”

  I’d assumed she was done talking about us, so I was surprised she hadn’t changed the subject.

  But her question told me she was trying to piece it all together.

  “I can break down the logistics and remind you that we have access to private planes and offices on the same coast, but you’ve already figured that out. You want to know if things between us will last while living on opposite sides of the country. My answer to that is yes. Why the hell not?” I put a few of the apps on my plate and took a bite of the pancake.

  She finished chewing the prawn and set down her chopsticks. “You think it’s that easy?”

  “I don’t think it’s easy, but I don’t think it should be an obstacle.” I leaned in to get closer to her. “Listen to me, Scarlett; I’m not seeing anyone else, and let’s be honest, I’m fucking crazy about you. I want more time with you—inside and outside of Lush.” As I held her wrist, I felt her pulse start to increase. “When I’m not with you, I’m thinking about you, and I haven’t been able to stop. Our sex is incredible, and you’re as submissive in the bedroom as I am dominant. But that’s not all…” Her pulse was hammering away even faster. “You’re smart as hell, you’re kind, beautiful, unbelievably stubborn. Don’t you see how perfect we are for each other?”

  Scarlett was a partner at The Agency with an equal share of ownership. She was her own boss and didn’t need to ask anyone for permission. She had an office only a few blocks down from mine.

  If she wanted to come to LA, nothing or no one could stop her.

  But I wasn’t going to bring that up. Not yet at least. I didn’t want to freak her out and have her think I was already planning for her to move in to my place.

  Although the thought had crossed my mind.

  There was no way it couldn’t have.

  From the second my hands had touched her that very first night at Lush, I had known I wanted more with this girl.

  Now that she was going to be spending some extra time in LA this week, I could get a good understanding of what that might look like.

  Sixteen

  Scarlett

  I’d spent a little over a week in LA, and when it was time to go back to Miami, I found myself dreading the flight. I wasn’t sure I would have felt that way a year ago. But so much had changed, and there really was a need for me to be in California.

  Our plan was to combine both LA offices. Since the one we had opened was larger, Entertainment Management Worldwide was going to move in with us. And, because we were acquiring a third location in Manhattan, it made sense for each coast to have their own finance department.

  Every day that passed, I thought more and more that I should be the one running that department in LA.

  The move was something I planned on discussing with Pepper when I went to her place for breakfast.

  I’d known Pepper since college. We’d roomed together our freshman year, and we’d stayed close. When she’d opened the second location in Miami and started spending more time here, our friendship had grown even stronger. Out of all the women I’d met in LA and South Florida, Pepper was the only one I could call a best friend. And she was the only person I could be completely honest with because she knew this part of my life.

  Because it was the morning and midweek, Pepper was at Lush, so that was where I went to meet her.

  I entered the building through the back, using a private door that was reserved for employees. Down the hallway was a set of stairs that led to Pepper’s apartment. She’d had it built when she opened the club, and she had the same setup at the one in LA, too. It wasn’t where she lived; it was just a space for her to work in that was separate from the employees.

  When I reached the door, I knocked, and she opened it within a few seconds, greeting me with a smile.

  “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you,” she said, pulling me in for a hug.<
br />
  “I know, and every time I was in LA these past few months, I was so swamped with work; I ended up sleeping at the office.” I squeezed her even harder. “Promise we’ll never let that much time pass again?”

  “Promise.” She released me, and I followed her into the kitchen. “What are we drinking? Wine?”

  I looked at my watch to make sure I had the time right. “Pepper, it’s not even ten. Plus, I have to go to work after this.”

  “Well then, how about a mimosa?”

  I laughed.

  God, I love this girl.

  “Yes,” I told her. “That’s much better than wine.”

  She smiled hard and went over to the fridge. While she took out the orange juice and a bottle of champagne, I looked toward her living room. My favorite part of her apartment was the double-sided glass that ran the entire length of the room, overlooking the chamber downstairs. I was able to see the bar and the hallways that jetted off the center. I could even view the tables and couches and the people who were talking to each other.

  The club was open all day, every day.

  Whenever I found myself in her apartment, I was always so drawn to the glass. I loved being able to look down at the people below, at the chemistry that was building. I could feel the buzz of adrenaline all the way up here.

  “I have some news for you,” she said, taking two glasses out of the cabinet. She set them on the counter and filled them three-quarters full with champagne and a splash of juice. Then, she pushed one over to me. “I spent some time investigating Hudson Jones, trying to figure out how he’d gained entry to the club. Finding information on him wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped.”

  “But you found something?”

  She nodded.

  There was a tightness in my chest that felt very much like nerves. I wasn’t sure why I was feeling that way; it didn’t make any sense. But I was certainly anxious over what she was about to tell me.

  “Turns out, he dated Leanna, one of the girls who works for me. Leanna’s older brother went to USC, where Hudson did his undergrad, and they were roommates. That’s how Leanna met Hudson, and they dated all through college and while he attended law school. They grew apart after he graduated, and they broke up.”

  She paused, so I had to ask, “Is their breakup really part of this story?”

  She smiled again. “No, I’m just telling you because I know you’re curious.”

  “I’m that obvious?”

  “Girl, you were obvious the second I told you I had news. Your ears perked up like a fucking bitch in heat.”

  I gulped down several swallows of my mimosa. Then, I took the hand that was holding the cold glass, and I pressed it against my cheek. “Keep going.”

  I wasn’t sure how it was possible, but her grin grew even larger.

  “Hudson had his assistant call Leanna, who has authorization to expedite memberships in extremely rare cases. This wasn’t one, but Leanna made sure Hudson provided all the documents we require.” She waved me into the living room, and we sat on one of the large couches where she turned her body toward me and continued, “In all honesty, had you not brought this to my attention, I probably never would have known. The problem is, our approval process is manual. Names aren’t entered into our system until the member is approved. I don’t track our waiting list; Leanna and the other girls do that. I only see who gets in. So, his membership never would have raised any flags had you not asked about him.”

  “During your research, did you find anything on him?”

  She shook her head. “Not a thing. His background was clear, he has zero criminal history, he fits all the criteria we look for in a member—meaning he has money, status, and connections all over LA—and most importantly, he likes and practices the lifestyle that can be found downstairs. Oh, and he’s single.” She eyed me. “At least, I think he still is—unless that’s changed in the last few days?”

  “It hasn’t.” Everything she had just told me seemed so straightforward. And, even though he’d told me I could trust him, I still had to check one last thing. “What about his middle name? Does he have one?”

  She took her phone out of her bra, hit the screen several times, and said, “It’s Andrew.” She set it on the coffee table and looked at me. “So, if we break this down, technically, Hudson did nothing wrong. He provided what he needed to, he passed our requirements, and he paid the hefty membership fee. Leanna is the one at fault because she never should have used her authority to move his application through. Our waiting list is two years long. He should have waited like everyone else.”

  Hudson hadn’t done anything shady, nothing that involved paying anyone off.

  The only thing he’d done wrong was lie to me about his name.

  But, when I really thought about it, anyone in his situation would have probably done the same.

  He’d gone into Lush that night, thinking I would know who he was, that I’d be angry with him for being there and call him out.

  He never thought I would look at him like he was just a regular member.

  Except nothing about Hudson was regular at all.

  The man was positively beautiful, certainly the most attractive guy I’d ever been with.

  He gave me what I wanted.

  Every time I asked for it.

  He was so deliciously good at taking care of my body.

  And, during the week I’d spent in LA, he had proven he was just as good at caring for me when I wasn’t naked.

  I turned to my side, my stare catching hers. “Did you fire Leanna?”

  “No, but I’ve considered it. She helped someone gain access who was joining the club for the wrong reason. Maybe she didn’t know his motive, maybe she did, but that’s the part that doesn’t sit well with me. I guarantee a safe and secure environment for my staff and members. Hudson could have jeopardized that.” She glanced toward the glass wall and slowly back at me.

  “What about Hudson? Are you going to revoke his membership?”

  She studied my face before she said, “By the way you’re looking at me, I’m going to take a guess and say you don’t want me to.”

  “You’re right; I don’t.”

  She put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it as she laughed. “So, you’re having fun with him, but do you have feelings for him, too?”

  Back in LA, I’d seen him almost every evening. We’d gone to Lush together several times that week. I’d spent the night at his house twice.

  There were definitely feelings.

  I couldn’t keep denying them.

  In fact, I really liked Hudson Jones.

  He was irresistibly charming, protective, attentive, and extremely affectionate.

  He was trustworthy.

  The trust had just started off slow.

  I downed the rest of my mimosa, my grin growing as large as hers, and I said, “I do. Serious ones.”

  Seventeen

  Hudson

  “Tina,” I barked into the speaker of my desk phone, “I can’t find the goddamn file on the Miller buyout.”

  “That’s because, as of this morning, there is no more buyout.”

  I gripped the edge of my desk to pull my chair closer. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Mr. Miller was arrested.”

  “For what?”

  “Tax fraud.”

  I shook my head. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  So far, the buyout hadn’t been a friendly one. In fact, it was one of the ugliest negotiations I’d ever experienced in all the years I’d been an attorney.

  The buyer and seller were enemies.

  And I’d bet my fucking balls that the opposition had had something to do with his arrest.

  “Is the retainer gone?” I asked.

  I heard her fingers clicking her keyboard. “According to our records, Mr. Miller owes us for almost thirty-two hours, so at six hundred an hour, that’s around nineteen thousand dollars.”

  “Send the bill to his wife.
”

  “When I called her this morning, she was leaving for Europe and told me she would deal with it when she got back.”

  I smiled as I scraped a small mark off the glass top of my desk.

  Mrs. Miller had better enjoy that trip. It was the last one she’d be taking for a while. Once the IRS started to dig, they were going to find a hell of a lot more than just tax fraud.

  “I’ll get in touch with her,” I said. “Just get the bill ready and email it to me.”

  I hung up and clicked on Google, trying to find an article on his arrest. As I found several pages’ worth, my private line rang.

  I didn’t bother to look at the screen before I hit Speaker and said, “Hudson Jones.”

  “Hello, Mr. Jones.”

  That fucking voice.

  It didn’t matter if she was ordering takeout or saying my name; she made everything sound so goddamn sexy.

  “What can I do for you, baby?”

  I checked the time. It was nine, which meant it was noon in Miami.

  We usually texted during the day, and the only time I got to hear her voice was after she left work. And I could tell she’d had a few drinks. After about half a glass of wine, she was much more relaxed, and I could hear that in her tone.

  Something was up.

  “I just had a very interesting meeting,” she said.

  I swiveled my chair to face the window. The view overlooked the downtown skyline of Los Angeles. “Yeah? What about?”

  “You.”

  I laughed. “With whom?”

  “I’ll give you a hint. I’m just leaving Lush.”

  My foot was tapping the floor, but her last statement caused it to freeze.

  She was at fucking Lush?

  And was talking about me? While another man was dominating her?

  I wished she hadn’t gone there without me. I just wasn’t in a position where I could really dig into that unless I wanted to piss her off. But, man, things were finally good between us. She was slowly letting me in. We were talking every day. The one thing we hadn’t talked about was whether we’d go to Lush without each other.