Arrogant Page 17

  I blinked. I'd heard nothing of this secretary.

  I looked at Ryland, but he said nothing as he coolly regarded the smiling guy across him. Ugly jealousy crawled up my throat, and I forced it down quickly.

  “Lay off it, da Silva,” Ryland said coldly. “We both know we operate differently.”

  Marlon smiled in delight. “Is that what you think? You sly bastard.”

  Was this what Ryland wanted me to know?

  That he may have slept with his previous employees?

  I twisted my hands in my lap. Whatever mind game Marlon da Silva was playing was definitely getting to me, and I'd said only one sentence to him.

  Marlon turned to me again with a friendly grin. “How about you come to work for me instead? I'll make it worth your while.”

  “Whatever you're planning to offer her, I’ve already matched and doubled it,” Ryland said coolly.

  “Huh.” Marlon leaned back, a smug smile on his lips. “She must be a very…talented assistant for you to be so possessive.”

  Frieda and Lola giggled at the innuendo, slapping at Marlon's chest playfully.

  Marlon however, was still watching Ryland closely. He was clearly trying to get a reaction from him, to find a weakness, but Ryland just stared him down with those ice cold eyes.

  “Alright,” Marlon murmured, his lips curving slowly. “Enough with playtime. Let's get to talking business.”

  Instead of relaxing like I expected him to, Ryland stiffened.

  I caught Frieda and Lola watching me with pitying smiles on their faces, as if they knew something I didn't.

  “Your project Director spoke to mine last week,” Marlon continued. “If I recall right, Wyatt Corp is looking at land off the coast at Copacabana, and you want to work together with us to develop a luxury resort.”

  “That’s right.”

  Marlon nodded. “I'll tell you this as a friend. My father likes the idea of working with the Wyatt’s again. But we have other bidders for the project, all who are very interested.”

  “But you're not looking for a bidding war,” Ryland said simply, “or we wouldn't be having this meeting.”

  “You're right. We're looking for other kinds of incentive.”

  Ryland's lips twisted wryly. “You want control over the project.”

  Marlon nodded again. “We want to know upfront the percentage shares our companies will hold, for instance, and the say in decision-making, right down to the project timelines and even the management and architecture of the resort.”

  “That's not how we operate.” Ryland pinned him with a direct gaze. “I won't go into this deal if it's not worth my time, da Silva.”

  Marlon smiled for some reason. “Then let me make it worth your time.”

  He pushed to his feet, snapping his fingers at the guards stationed by the door and giving an order in Portuguese as he strode over to the bar.

  Ryland stiffened beside me.

  “What's happening?” I whispered, but he just looked straight ahead, like he was awaiting gunfire from an execution squad.

  “Ryland?” I shifted closer to him, feeling worried all of a sudden.

  Surely it couldn't be…

  Seconds later the door opened, and I had my answer.

  I stared in mute shock as half a dozen voluptuous women dressed in nothing but jeweled bras, thongs and platform stilettos sauntered into the room.

  My blood leached from my face. “What's going on? Are they…?”

  Ryland released a slow breath through his nose. “Strippers,” he said quietly.

  The smell of several different perfumes filled the air, stinging my nose. The girls lined up in front of Ryland and me like some kind of harem display.

  I felt Ryland's gaze on me, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the preening women.

  This was screwed up, and far beyond anything I'd expected. I waited desperately for Ryland to tell me this was some kind of joke Marlon was playing.

  But Ryland didn't say a word.

  Another signal from Marlon, and the women moved into action.

  A busty blonde in scarlet red lingerie strolled to perch on the other side of Ryland on the sofa, purring as she ran her hands over his shoulders and scraped her nails along his jaw. Her bra was so translucent that I could see the dark areolas of her nipples.

  A redhead leaned over the back of our sofa and draped herself over Ryland, brazenly undoing his shirt buttons.

  A brunette knelt between his knees, reaching around her back to undo her bra. She plumped her generous breasts together, twirling her fingers on her nipples, moaning in pleasure.

  Then she leaned forward and rubbed them directly on Ryland’s crotch.

  Ryland made no move to push the women away. His intent gaze was still on me, as if he wanted me to watch.

  As if he were trying to punish me in the worst way possible.

  I could feel Marlon watching the scene as well, but I couldn't care about appearances any longer, not when I was a hair's breadth away from throwing up.

  “Is this what you wanted to show me?” I whispered. “That you'd mess around with strippers just to get a contract?”

  Ryland‘s gaze did not waver. “I do more than just mess around, Allie.”

  My heart broke.

  “I'm not that misunderstood guy you tell yourself I am,” he continued. “This is what I am. Do you still think there’s a “we”? Do you still want it?”

  “You asshole,” I hissed, my vision blurring with heat. “You don’t care about what I want, you're just trying to keep yourself safe. Guess what? You succeeded. Congratulations.”

  Unable to bear the sight of the women fondling him any longer, I shot up from the sofa.

  Ryland stood as well, grasping my hand. “Call Worthy to pick you up,” he said in a low voice, “and don't leave this place until he gets here.”

  I glared at him through my tears. “If you think I'm going to be sitting outside while you have your orgy in here, you're fucking delusional.”

  I yanked on my hand, but Ryland held on fast. “Wait for him outside,” he gritted. “I won't compromise on that.”

  “Fuck you, Ryland. You say that you aren't the person I thought you were?” I twisted my arm from his grasp. “You're wrong. I knew you were an asshole from the start, I just got confused for a while there. Thanks for setting the record straight.”

  “Is your lady feeling uncomfortable?” Marlon suddenly called from behind us. “Sorry chica, but this is just how it's done.”

  I was filled with disgust, wanting no more than to stride over and slap the cocky smile off the heir's face.

  Instead, I swallowed against my tightening throat and forced a light tone to my shaky voice.

  “No, I’m just surprised. I'll just leave you boys to it then. Thanks for having me.”

  It took every cell in me to turn and walk calmly out of the room, instead of fleeing like I desperately wanted to.

  ***

  “Back. The fuck. Off,” I snarled the moment the door shut behind Allie.

  The approaching women stepped back immediately when they saw my expression.

  “Whoa, don’t talk to my girls that way, amigo. They’re just doing their job.”

  The fucker wasn’t wrong, but I couldn't help the murderous mood I was in. Allie had stared at me like I’d betrayed her. I could almost see her the lens of her rose-tinted glasses shattering as she’d watched the women try to seduce me.

  The funny part was that she hadn't even seen the worst that I'd done.

  Fucking hell.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face.

  Why was everything going to shits suddenly? Just yesterday I had Allie in my arms. We had an understanding.

  Things were good.

  Marlon draped an arm around a woman who had joined him and leaned back against the bar counter.

  “I knew it,” he called. “Your attention was on her the whole time we were talking. Ryland Wyatt and Beckett’s daughter. Shit, think
of all the ways I can make you dance.”

  “If you lay a finger on her, I'll destroy you,” I snarled.

  “Relax, man.” Marlon held his hands up. “It's all just entertainment.”

  Entertainment that had backfired on me.

  Shit, how was I going to explain this to Allie later? I came in here with the intention of…what?

  Opening her eyes to the real me?

  Pushing her away?

  This had been a mistake from the start. I couldn't give her the relationship she wanted, that hadn't changed. But this was a fucked up way to break the news.

  This place even reminded me of Theo's fuckpad back in San Juan. Hell, it even smelled the same.

  But this time, I wanted nothing more than to be out of here.

  This time, I wanted something else. Someone else.

  Fuck this.

  “We're done here.” I strode to the door.

  “Stay,” Marlon called, “and I'll get my father to sign the property over to you, with the majority stake going to Wyatt Corp.”

  I paused.

  Marlon strolled over to me. “But if you take one step out of this room,” he said quietly, “you'll lose the deal with us.”

  He looked at me dead in the eye. “All you need to do is stay for another hour. You won't even have to fuck any of the girls. Think of the all money you're going to make, Ryland. Don’t throw that away for just one woman.”

  I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted.

  I could always find a way to explain it to Allie later, to convince her that I didn’t touch any of the women.

  But the thought of her waiting outside with her mind running wild damn near killed me.

  “Keep your contract, da Silva,” I sneered. “If I could, I'd piss on it.”

  Marlon looked stunned as I turned and strode from the room.

  I pushed my way blindly through the club, feeling a sickening urge to throw up. The crowd was too loud, and the air was too humid. I finally burst out to the sidewalk outside and drew deep gasps of air, letting the coolness fill my lungs.

  Uncaring of anyone who might be staring, I stumbled a short distance away until the pounding music faded, leaning heavily against the jagged brick wall of the building.

  “No crying,” I whispered, pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes. “Not here.”

  But the image of the half-naked women fondling Ryland, and him letting them, was burned into my mind.

  What else were they doing now?

  Were they giving him a lapdance? A blowjob?

  Worse?

  My chest twisted with a pain I didn’t realize was possible.

  It didn’t make any sense. I had no claim on Ryland, and we haven't even slept together.

  So why did it feel like my heart was breaking in two?

  Footsteps neared me, and I straightened to make way for the person to pass.

  Instead, strong arms gathered me against a hard chest that I’d come to recognize.

  “Let me go.” I struggled in his embrace, but Ryland’s arms were firm around me.

  “Stop,” he murmured into my hair.

  Giving up, I squeezed my eyes shut as I buried my face into his shirt. “Stop what?”

  “Overthinking.”

  I beat one fist against his chest, hating him, and hating myself for caring about him.

  “How can I not?” I said hoarsely. “You just used strippers to prove a point.”

  “I wanted to make you understand.”

  “Are you kidding? You could have just told me.”

  “I know. It was fucking stupid of me.” Ryland’s voice rumbled as he cupped the back of my head to his chest. “Allie, you need to know that there were times when I didn't stop like I did today. I've done other things that I’m not proud of, and I don’t regret any of them.”

  “What kind of things?” I held my breath, afraid of the answer.

  Ryland didn’t answer for a long moment.

  “You deserve better,” he finally said. “You should be with a guy who can be honest with you.”

  “You’re honest,” I pointed out miserably. “You’re telling me all these things a girl never wants to hear.”

  “This isn’t all, trust me,” Ryland said, a tinge of bitterness in his voice. “You were right last night in the greenhouse. Part of me still wants my father’s acknowledgement, even after all these years. I hate admitting that, but hell, it’s the truth.”

  He took my shoulders, easing me away to look into my eyes. “And there’s another part that’s exactly like him,” he said grimly. “I can’t do without the money and status. It’s the one constant I’ve always had. It’s who I am.”

  “You’re more than that,” I protested. “You’re dependable, and capable—”

  “Quit putting me on a pedestal, Allie.” Ryland’s pale blue eyes were piercing even in the dimness of the weak streetlights. “The only thing I ever gave a damn about is gaining more power, and everything I’ve ever done was for that one goal. I’ve done my own share of blackmailing and bribing. Fuck, I've slept with women I didn’t give a shit about just to get a signature on a piece of paper. That’s how screwed up I am.”

  My heart broke at that.

  “I’ll only hurt you,” Ryland continued in a low voice. “I'll never cheat, but the things I have to do aren’t much better. There are people I have to deal with, powerful sons of bitches who have preferences for certain kinds of entertainment. And I don't want you waiting at home for me while I'm out there doing that.”

  “Why do you have to do it at all?” I protested. “There has to be another way.”

  Ryland shook his head once. “I lost the deal with Marlon the moment I came after you.”

  I paled. That deal had to be worth several million at least. Ryland had put me before his company, something he’d never done for anyone or anything before.

  That meant that there was hope.

  Right?

  “What’s the worst thing you did?” I whispered. “Is it what Estelle is blackmailing you about?”

  His silence was my answer.

  A sudden thought chilled me. “Ryland... Did you…did you kill someone?”

  The look Ryland gave me was haunted, and fear clenched at my throat until he exhaled, dropping his head wearily.

  “No,” he said quietly. “But what I did isn't much better.”

  I swallowed, feeling only slightly relieved. “What is it? Tell me.”

  Ryland’s gaze looked bleak for a moment, but just as quickly, it disappeared.

  “Lay off, Allie cat,” he said curtly. “Your curiosity might actually get you killed.”

  My eyes widened in disbelief. “I’m trying to find a way for us here—”

  “Don’t.” Ryland looked away. “This commitment thing that you want? It can’t happen, not in a million years. Because you’ll walk away from me when you realize you’re done.”

  “No, I won’t—”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Then explain it to me.” I grabbed his hand in both of mine. “You don’t have to do this yourself, Ryland. I can help. I want to.”

  Ryland looked pissed now, but he also looked like he desperately wanted to crush me to him.

  “I should have gone to you in San Juan,” he said in a low voice. “Should have made you mine before I fucked everything up.”

  “You haven’t fucked anything up. Yet,” I added pointedly.

  “That shit doesn’t work on me, Allie. I’m getting Worthy to take us back now.”

  “But we’re not done yet.”

  “Trust me, we are.”

  Dismissing me, he took out his phone to give his instructions to Worthy, and minutes later, we were on the car back to the apartments.

  Before I knew it, Ryland was raising his brow at me as he pushed me out of the elevator at my floor.

  “Here’s your stop,” he informed me. “Go get some sleep.”

  I gaped at him in disbe
lief. The elevator doors began to slide shut between us as his light blue eyes stared back at me, cold and unreadable.

  No.

  This guy was not going to pull that crap at the club with me then send me on my way like I was an afterthought.

  At the last moment before the doors closed, I stuck my foot out between them. The sensors detected it—thankfully before the doors shut on my foot—and opened again.

  I ignored Ryland’s incredulous look as I re-entered the elevator and jammed my thumb on the button to close the doors.

  “What the fuck are you doing,” he said tightly as the elevator resumed its ascent.

  I kept my eyes fixed on the LED numbers above the door. “We’re going to talk. I’m done playing your games your way.”

  The elevator dinged at the penthouse floor, and I stepped out into the lobby.

  Ryland simply strode ahead of me planted himself between me and his front door.

  “I’m not interested in talking,” he clipped as he folded his arms, “so if you keep trying to force your way in, I’ll take it that you’re DTF.”

  I glared at him. “You’re such an—“

  “Ass? Heard that before, Allie cat.” Ryland paused and looked away. “What I did earlier was fucking stupid, but at least it got us on the same page. Now you get why I can’t do commitment, so go back home and leave me the fuck alone. I don’t have time for this.”

  So this was how he was going to play it.

  Stubborn jerk.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Let’s compromise.”

  Ryland’s gaze snapped back to me. “What?” he said suspiciously.

  “Relax, I’m just speaking your language since you won’t listen to me otherwise.” I lifted my chin. “That’s how you communicate isn’t it, through negotiation? So fine. Let me into your apartment, and in return I’ll…”

  Ryland’s brows drew even lower. “You’ll what?”

  “I’ll do this.”

  I braced my hands on his shoulders and stood on my tiptoes.

  Then I pressed a kiss on his mouth, a close-lipped one that made my heart skip all the same.

  Ryland went still under me, his arms still folded and pressing against my boobs.

  I settled back on my feet, hoping that I had made the right call.