Page 7 of Hers to Command

He shifts slightly, still half-perched on the edge of the desk. The subtle movement draws my attention, but I square my shoulders and stay focused.

“Go on,” he says, his voice a soft challenge. “Convince me.”

Off to the side, Toni coughs. It breaks some of the tension as I glance in his direction, catching the way Riccardo’s man shifts awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the charged atmosphere in the room.

When I don’t avert my eyes, Toni stammers an apology, his eyes wide, and I’m pretty sure this is the first time in his life he’s ever stammered. The tough, stone-faced man has definitely not expected my proposal and I like that I took him by surprise. It almost makes my lips twitch into a smile—almost.

When I turn back to Riccardo, it’s easier to focus on the conversation rather than on the man himself. The spell of his closeness, of that steely gaze boring into me, loosens enough for me to regain my footing.

“You need me,” I say, my voice sharper now. “You know the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood’s methods. They don’t just want a piece of the pie—they want control. A deal with my father gets them that, and I know that’s the last thing you want. You might have Toronto locked down for now, but you depend on your alliance with Gianna Bruno for that, and I bet that’s not what you want.”

Riccardo’s gaze sharpens. He crosses his arms over his chest, still leaning casually against his desk, but I don’t miss the slight tension in his shoulders. He’s listening. Really listening now, because I am right.

I step forward, but stop short of closing the space between us, keeping my distance. “Tomorrow night there’s a shipment arriving—a group of women. It’s more than just their way to buy into the alliance with my father. It’s about them establishing territory.” My voice is calm, almost clinical, as I deliver the information. There is no fucking way I’ll tell him that the shipment is a dowry, as if we live in the seventeenth century. Not just a way for Dmitri to buy his way into Toronto, but a payment forme. Just another woman for sale. “This is Dmitri’s openingmove, and you strike me like a man who prefers to own the game board.”

Riccardo’s expression doesn’t change, but I see the flicker in his eyes. He knows the implications of what I’m saying. The Angelo syndicate may not be into human trafficking, but they sure as hell move product. Drugs rather than women, but the methods of moving the product aren’t all that different and thus far, it’s been Riccardo’s monopoly.

If Dmitri’s shipment goes through, it won’t just be a single transaction. It will be the start of something far more. And once the Brotherhood digs its claws into the trade, they’ll have the leverage they need to push deeper into Riccardo’s territory and his hold on the shipping routes in and out of the city.

Riccardo stays silent again, watching me. I stare back into those gray eyes. Let him process. Let him see the benefit.Never rush a deal only to close if rushing will hurt your negotiating position.That’s what my business mentor in grad school used to say. I’ve already laid out the pieces, and if Riccardo Angelo is as sharp as everyone says he is, he’ll recognize that this is a win-win for him.

Finally, he straightens, pushing off the desk and closing a little more distance between us. We’re well past having a polite amount of space separating us. I can feel his breath against my skin. It should disgust me. It’s hot and humid and intense. Instead, it makes me wonder what he would do if I leaned against him, pushing him back against his desk, pressing my mouth onto his and licking his lips to get more of just a hint of his breath. If I inhaled it and sucked it into me, the way I might suck on his tongue if I kissed him.

“And you,” he says slowly, his voice lower than before. He’s definitely just as affected as I am. “What do you really get out of this?”

I tilt my head slightly, refusing to be intimidated by the intensity of his gaze. “I’ve already told you.” My tone is calm but firm. “My freedom. I’m done being a pawn. Marrying you takes me out of the equation with the Solntsevskaya Brotherhood and away from Dmitri.” I say that last part as much to establish the deal as to remind myself of that.

Riccardo is off limits. He’s not more than a useful tool to get me away from Dmitri. Anything else would be messy.

Riccardo studies me for a moment, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. Then his lips curl into a faint smile, but there’s no warmth in it. “Strategic,” he says, like he’s tasting the word. “And you think I’d make a good partner in this... strategy?”

I don’t flinch. “This deal works for both of us. We can get a divorce in a year or so and we can be done with it. It’s temporary and useful. There is no downside to it.”

If this doesn’t work, I have one more card to play, but it’s not nearly as effective as this move. Someone owes me a favor, but I doubt I can push that favor enough to have Dmitri removed from the playing field, which is about the only other way I can get safely out of this mess.

Riccardo pushes off the desk to stand. It forces me a step back. He’s testing my boundaries to see how far I’ll retreat. I don’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, I turn around and walk toward the door. When I look back, his eyes gleam with amusement, but there’s something else there too—curiosity, interest.

He’s intrigued.

“You’re right about one thing,” he says, his demeanor shifting. “I don’t want Dmitri Solntsev in this city. But I don’t trust you and there are very few women I allow in my life. Women who strive to make my life easier. More pleasurable. And each of them knows I won’t marry them. You were never on that list.”

My heart pounds, but I force a cool smile to my lips. I don’t have time, but I need to let him think I could walk away from this. “Think about it then. I’m not offering you submission or a cushy trophy wife like those other women on your list might. I’m offering you a partner. Someone who wants to win and, right now, our objective is the same. When that stops being the case, we divorce and go our own ways. Then you can go back to dealing with less interesting women.”

His eyes narrow slightly, and I can see that I’ve struck a chord. The challenge in my words hangs between us. For the first time, I see the flicker of interest in his gaze—not just strategic or sexual, but... something else.

Finally, Riccardo gives a slow nod, his lips curling into a smile that’s far too predatory for comfort. “Alright, Anya. It’s a bold move, but you’ve got my attention.”

My name on his lips sounds like a tease, the way he says it with amusement tinging his tone.

I shrug. “I don’t have time for anything less. I’ll leave my card with your secretary.”

Then I walk out of his office, hoping I didn’t just poke a hornet’s nest while running from a hive of bees.

Chapter Five

Riccardo

The Russians are trying to sneak a goddamned human trafficking shipment through my airspace. It’s a direct slap in the face and I can’t believe Adrik Tsepov is that fucking stupid. And yet, I can barely focus on my next step because I can’t get the image of Anya Tspeov’s stubborn expression out of my mind.

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