Page 31 of Worth the Risk

In silence we left the casino. At the front entrance, a limo pulled up. He held the door open for me. I slid inside, stowing myself at the far corner.

His admission that he wanted me affected me in ways I couldn’t describe.

I’d never once taken advantage of my feminine power but, watching Gideon’s masculine body slide in after me, I was tempted to push his buttons, tempt him into taking things further.

The door slamming yanked me back into my senses. Was it only yesterday that I’d condemned him for being just like my father in his brazen playboy attitude? And here I was, contemplating playing the siren.

Shame dragged through me, rendering me silent as Gideon pulled his bow tie free and flung it away. It landed on the adjacent seat. Then he tugged on a few buttons before reaching for a decanter of cognac.

When I shook my head at his raised eyebrow, he poured himself a shot and knocked it back.

He was clearly wound tight, and, fresh from examining my own questionable feelings, I chose the safer subject of business. ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

‘Is there?’ Clipped words, as if he was barely holding himself together.

‘I won’t be joining the crew on Monday.’

Grey eyes snapped to my face. ‘Why the hell not?’

‘I redid the ratios and I’m confident you’ll be fine without me. I also spoke to the captain and his assistant. Between them they can tell you everything you need to know about the vessel.’

‘You knew all of this when you came to meet me. You knew this when I signed the agreement. So you deliberately misled me?’ Anger throbbed in his voice as he disposed of his glass.

‘I thought I could make it work but I can’t.’

‘Bullshit. You waited until I signed on the dotted line before attempting to renegotiate the terms. Well, too bloody bad for you, Leonora. I’m holding you to what we agreed.’

‘Your guest list isn’t so extensive that it needs the extra staff member, so it all works out—’

‘It doesn’t work out if you’re not part of the crew. The vessel is your baby. You’re supposed to be a good businesswoman. Are you really going to trust someone else to sell it for you?’

‘Are you really in the market for a new yacht?’ I countered.

One eyebrow lifted. ‘If you don’t turn up on Monday like you said you would, you’ll never find out. And should you not turn up, I’ll do you one better and pull the commission altogether. Is that plain enough for you?’

‘Gideon—’

‘Remember what I said about loyalty?’

I bristled but he had me cornered. ‘Yes,’ I snapped.

‘Good, then this discussion is over. Attempt to pull something like that with me again and both of us will be very unhappy.’

‘Is that a threat?’

‘It’s whatever the fuck you want it to be. But here’s an interesting statistic for you. I had my assistant ring round yesterday to speak to a few of your other clients. They speak highly of you. You’ve never pulled anything like this before. So I’m thinking this sudden change of heart is related directly to me and not with any crew problems you’re having. Am I right?’

I knew backing down would be a sign of weakness. ‘It makes business sense to recognise that we’re not compatible and to ensure you have a smoother sail without me on board.’

He laughed, deep, but that edge still lingered in his voice. ‘You think we’re not compatible? You didn’t think so when you were begging me not to stop. When you were fucking my face into that screaming orgasm I can still hear echoing in my head.’

‘I didn’t mean that and you know it.’

‘Do I?’

‘You’re making this unnecessarily difficult.’

‘Not at all. You’ll sleep on it and know that I’m right. And come Monday morning, you’ll be on board along with your crew. Simple as that.’

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