Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“He mentioned a deal.” Her lips push together again. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t happy about that.”
“Right. If it helps, that was his idea, not mine.”
“I assume he made you a reasonable offer?”
“A very good one, yes.”
“My son is persuasive, Casey.”
She loses the hand. I deal another.
“And persistent,” I say, not sure why. “I doubt he would’ve let me say no.”
She smiles slightly. “That’s a good point. You’re right, I bet he wouldn’t have.”
“It’s a long-term thing. Our marriage, I mean.”
“That’s good, dear.”
“And I hope that we can have a good relationship. I understand we’re not starting out on a good leg, but—”
She holds up a hand. “Hit me.” I give her a card. She sighs, flips them over, busted. Another loss. “Casey, my oldest son has been difficult for a very long time.” She meets my eye with her cold, blue stare. “And you have no idea how happy I am that he found a woman, even in such an unconventional way.”
That surprises me. I mask my uncertainty by dealing another hand, which she wins.
“I’m glad you feel that way, Mrs. Costa.”
“Call me Nessa. Short for Vanessa.”
“Er— I mean, okay, yes, thank you, Nessa.”
She plays one more hand and wins.
“You’ll have to meet his brothers,” she says, gathering her chips. “I suspect that will be more difficult, Conlan especially.”
“Why’s that?” I ask, feeling a little panic swell up.
“They’re protective of the family, and Adler just dragged you straight into its heart. They’ll want to feel you out.”
“Like you are right now?”
She smiles for the first time. “Yes, darling, just like I am right now.”
“I’ll make sure Adler sets it up.”
“Good. Smart. Do it on your own terms.”
“And just so you know, I don’t have any interest in your family. I mean, uh, beyond, you know—”
“I understand what you’re trying to say.” Her smile thins. “Be careful, is all I’ll say. I’ll have Adler set up a lunch for us in the coming week. How does that sound? Since this thing with my eldest son is long-term, we might as well get to know each other.”
“That’d be, uh, great.”
“Wonderful. Talk to you soon.” She breezes away. I watch her go, completely baffled about what the hell just happened, and suddenly terrified that I’m having lunch with Mrs. Costa—I mean, Nessa.
“You look parched.” I flinch and turn around. Square’s standing there with a bottle of water, which I take.
“Are you being nice to me?”
“Part of the job,” he says, grinning. “That Mrs. Costa’s one hell of a lady, right?”
“Sure,” I say, drinking the whole water bottle down in one go.
Tattoo silently laughs at me as Square takes the trash away.
I turn back to my table. An older man in an aloha shirt’s sitting there expectantly, and it’s time to get to work again.
But I’m still rattled.
Because that is not how I imagined I’d meet my mother-in-law.
Chapter 18
Adler
I’m daydreaming about Casey.
I can’t stop daydreaming about my wife. Every whimper, every moan, every little movement against my hard cock.
The moment she fell asleep, I took care of myself in the bathroom.
And again in the morning before I left for work.
What the hell is wrong with me? I rub my face, frustrated. It’s not supposed to go like this.
I’m not supposed to lose control so quickly.
This marriage is a business deal. It’s for both our benefits—in ways she doesn’t even realize yet.
But when she started talking about her accident, I knew I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.
It was fucking stupid. I should keep my distance. The fewer attachments we form, the better. This is going to end, and Casey’s going to want a divorce.
When that happens, I can either be completely ruined, or I can survive.
This nightly exploration of her body thing isn’t going to help my sanity.
And yet it’s all I can think about.
Until there’s a knock at my door. Will breezes in a second later carrying coffee. He plops one cup down on my desk and keeps the other as he collapses into a chair.
I glance at the clock: barely past seven in the morning.
“I got a call from Tony’s assistant,” Will says, staring at me like he’s afraid my head might explode.
Which is genuinely possible considering I haven’t heard from Tony’s camp in a long time.
“What’d she say?”
“They want a meeting at the Hilton. Third-party, neutral location.”
I sit back in surprise. Tony wants a meeting? I can think of a dozen reasons why, but only one’s sleeping in my bed.
“When?”
“This morning. In an hour. Can we do it?”
“No choice. If Tony wants to talk, we’d be stupid not to hear him out.” I pick up my phone. “Better make some calls first.”
“You sure it’s safe? Might be a trap.”
“The Hilton’s kept on the sidelines for a reason. They’re corporate, they don’t want bloodshed on their property. Tony knows better than anyone that the Hilton people will fuck him if they make their lives difficult. It’s not a trap.”