Corden

Three months later

Sitting in my brother's luxurious office at Nash Enterprises leaves a foul taste in my mouth. It wasn't too long ago that we found our father dead in this very same room, and despite Lincoln's renovations, it didn't change the eerie feeling I got when I stepped foot in here.

All of the offices have glass see-through walls now, yet it's still stifling. This is my first time being here since our father passed. I might have visited sooner had Lincoln not banished me from this building after he found out I wanted to sell, but could anyone blame me? Our father's company was going down the tank until Sienna Stone came and flipped it on its head. My annoyance towards her has faded, seeing how she's managed to spike the profits almost tenfold since she began working with my brother.

I attended the first hotel renovation in Los Angeles three months ago to see the progress and expected to be disappointed, but... Well, after a mishap with Sienna and her ex, Lincoln had to bail on the presentation because, as expected, he had feelings for the business guru. I still have yet to learn all the details about that night, but whatever happened wasn't good. Lincoln has been cold and indifferent ever since and is even more of an asshole than usual, which is saying something.

Anyway, I offered to do the presentation for him that day in LA, and after reading his business proposal, I didn't have the heart to continue fighting him on selling. His dream has always been to become a cop, but the effort he's showing to turn our father's business around is admirable. If this is what he wants to pursue, I'll try to figure out how to get the money a different way. Selling Nash Enterprises is now becoming my last resort.

"So, the next launch will be where?" I shift awkwardly in my seat and attempt to fix my tie, but it does nothing to stop the feeling of suffocation. I haven't worn a tie in months. I've always preferred wearing suits, but ever since I broke things off with Hadari, all I can picture is that night at The Harbor when she ground on my lap and stroked the very same tie I'm wearing now. The lack of effort in my appearance is due to a full-blown depression I have yet to find a way out of.

"Atlanta," Lincoln replies tersely. "The renovations at the LA location are going well, and after the sales spiked from the media launch, I want to get moving on other locations and repeat the same process. Get everyone talking across the country." He offered for me to sit in on the financial meetings now since my kind gesture of doing the presentation for him in LA. I should have refused given the amount of responsibility on my plate these days, but it'll be beneficial for me in the long run to know the stats on the company's financial status. If there's a dip in sales, or if I suspect my brother will run it into the ground again, I'll push to sell without any fucks given about my brother's opinion on the subject.

The staff launches into a sales recap for last month, but my mind strays to a certain woman I can't stop thinking about. It's been twelve whole weeks since I last saw or spoke to her. Twelve weeks of agonizing torture.

She was right to push me away when I couldn't open up to her about my lifestyle, but it's not that easy to be truthful about something I had sworn to keep under lock and key, especially with a girl I don't know very well. Our connection is palpable, but it's hard for me to trust anyone. I constantly have to look over my shoulder. I'm always on edge, wondering if someone's loyalty has turned, or if certain people I come into contact with were hired to get on my good side, only to stab me in the back. The feeling I got with Hadari was...foreign.

And I haven't been able to shake it since she walked away from me in that alley three months ago.

Raking a hand through my hair in frustration, knocking sounds on the glass door to his office, which is stupid since you can see right through it. The meeting was coming to a close anyway, so the staff files out, leaving Lincoln, me, and the newcomer alone.

A set of long, slender legs wrapped in a tight gray dress strides into the room, her face covered by an enormous bouquet. But it's the stranger's voice that has me freezing in place, my eyes burning into the damn vase, willing it to move.

There's no way in hell.

"Any idea where Margo is?" The sweet, melodic voice asks. "Riley wanted me to drop these off for her."

Lincoln's lips twitch, threatening a smile as he points at his desk for her to set them down. "She's out on an errand for me. I'll make sure she gets them."

"Checking on Sienna?" She guesses.

Does he know her?

The thought irritates me. I have no idea how the world is so fucking small, or why fate insists on bringing us together, but it's not a coincidence that the woman controlling my thoughts for the past three months randomly appears at Nash Enterprises during a quarterly meeting I so happened to attend.

When she places the flowers on the desk, my mouth runs dry at the sight of her. I'm used to Hadari wearing lingerie, but seeing her put together like this somehow makes her even more beautiful. It reminds me of the night I found her after she went on a date with her boyfriend.

She hasn't noticed me yet, so the right thing to do would be to remain silent in the corner and let her be, but I've never been strong enough when it comes to her. I clear my throat instead, catching her attention, and as soon as her eyes meet mine, a hint of fear and recognition flare to life.

The gray dress hugs her figure in all the right places, her curves endless and tempting. She's in a pair of baby pink heels that aren't like the ones she typically wears at The Harbor. These are professional. Cute. And her white painted toes remind me that she should be in a pair of red bottoms, not heels she likely purchased from Target.

"I don't think we've been introduced," I say with a hint of amusement. Judging by the fear in her eyes, she doesn't want anyone to know, so I'll play along if she needs me to. However, now that she's back in my sight, I don't plan on letting her get away from me so easily this time. I was stupid to fight this connection, and if fate wants to keep putting her within reach, then fine. I won't let her go again.

She offers me a smile that's mixed with annoyance and disdain. "We don't need to be. I've heard enough to stay clear."

Ouch.

Then again, she's not wrong. I grab the pen on the desk and twirl it between my fingers, watching her eyes track my every movement. Even from across the room, my legs will me to crowd her against the glass wall and kiss her soft, perfect skin. "I'm sure my brother gave you an earful, but I promise I won't bite. That is..." I flick my eyes to her breasts, remembering my hands scraping her nipples. "Unless you want me to."

I have to give her credit. Hadari is a better actress than I thought. Her face reveals nothing as to what she might be feeling. Maybe these past three months she's truly gotten over me, but I just told her my connection to Lincoln, so she must be piecing two and two together. The question is, how does she know him?

Tossing her long, black braids over her shoulder, she releases a laugh that travels straight to my groin. "And yet something tells me that even if you did bite, I'd still be left feeling unsatisfied." Then, she focuses on Lincoln again and says, "Tell Archer I'll see him later."

The moment the name leaves her lips, my muscles stiffen in response. You have got to be fucking joking. Hadari is dating a cop? She dances at The Harbor. If Archer were to find out, it puts her in even more danger as a snitch than it would if she became involved with me. Doesn't she get that?

My upper lip curls as she retreats to the elevator, irritation prickling along my skin. "She is Archer's girlfriend? The one who owns the flower shop? No way in hell he pulled her. I don't believe it." There's no way the woman I saw knock someone unconscious spends her days creating flower arrangements. The woman who is danger and lust wrapped into one spends her time with Archer, a man who lives his life under strict routines and spends his free time doing crosswords in the newspaper.

I call bullshit.

Lincoln shrugs. "They seem happy."

And because I'm never going to survive without knowing, I ask, "Does she have a name?"

My brother's eyes turn into slits. "Don't even think about it. She wouldn't give you the time of day."

Oh, if he only knew.

I tilt my head to the side. "And you know that how?"

"Because she joins Sienna and Margo in the group of women to be afraid of. She'd chop your dick off before you came even close to dating her. Archer told me as such. It took him months to get her, so I don't foresee him letting her go anytime soon."

Despite the twinge of jealousy it brings, it's a relief to know she's the same woman I met at The Harbor. Where Archer might feel intimidated by her spirited personality, it only encourages me. It fuels me even more to get to know her, and when I have my mind set on something...

"Who said anything about dating her?" I tease just to get beneath his skin. "You know that's not my thing. She seems..." I ponder for the right word. "Feisty. Just how I like them."

He slaps a folder on his desk, growing impatient. "Stay away from her. I don't care that you moved back to the city. Go to one of those stupid sex clubs you belong to. Go to a bar. Find your next conquest of the night anywhere but here. Sienna's friends are off limits."

"And why is that?" Little does he know I met Sienna's friend at one of those "stupid sex clubs." What is her real name? I've pushed away the urge to figure it out by asking Delano, but now that she's right in front of me... The real her? I can't go another second without knowing.

My brother leans forward, resting his elbows on his desk when he says, "Because when you fuck them over, it'll become my problem, and I don't need any more problems. I'm already dealing with enough of them."

For a heartbeat, I forget the facade I'm supposed to be keeping up about not caring about anyone except myself in this business. I've done too good of a job at isolating myself, hoping that when it's my time to go, my family won't miss me as much. But whatever happened between Sienna and her ex has shaken my brother up, and it makes me want to take him to a bar like old times where we'd drink beer and watch a Jets game together. "Is Sienna okay?" I ask.

The sentiment slips before I can think better of it, and when nothing but silence echoes between us, I'm quickly reminded how talented I am at pushing everyone I care about away from me. I can see the confusion pass across his face before he puts his mask back up. The mask we both wear when it comes to our relationship.

I'm doing this to keep him safe, I remind myself.

Rising to my feet, I slim out my suit jacket, fully intending to follow up with Hadari now that our paths have crossed in the real world. My brother may not fill me in on her name, but I already have a person who is privy to that information, and for once, I'm going to take advantage of my connections and fight for something I want.

I clasp Lincoln on the shoulder, feeling his body grow tense beneath my fingers. "I'm sorry you're going through this, but when I see something I like, I'll do whatever it takes to get it. You should know that better than anyone. We're brothers, after all."