Page 18 of Passion

She bit her lip nervously. “If I’m being painfully honest with you, I don’t know. Lucas, you’re an amazing man, really. You’ve been so kind and patient. You went out of your way to help me. The sex is incredible.” She blushed as she said that and looked down for a moment as she regained her composure. The car went over a bump, startling her, and her eyes jerked back up to meet mine.

“I agree,” I whispered, tightening my grasp on her hand.

“It’s just that I got out of a really serious relationship only a few weeks ago. We would have been engaged—or so I thought. I really like you so much. I do.” She bit her lip. “I just need to take this slower. Okay?” Her eyes pleaded with me, and I had to relent. I didn’t want to pressure her, but I didn’t want her to make this choice, either.

“As you wish.” I kissed her hand just as Hector called to us.

“Here, sir.” The car stopped, and Hector climbed out, leaving us alone for a moment.

“You’re going to do well today, Vera. We’ll work the rest out tonight.” I squeezed her hand again, but she didn’t look any happier than before I’d agreed to her request. I slid out the door when Hector opened it and held my hand out to help her out. Vera climbed out and straightened her dress. She lingered next to me for a moment, as if waiting for something.

The mixed signals she gave confused me, but I offered her a kiss on the forehead nonetheless. “Go get ’em.” She turned to walk away, and I smacked her butt, drawing a chuckle from her. She glanced over her shoulder with a wicked grin and disappeared into the building smiling madly.

I shook my head. I didn’t know what to think of her sometimes. Hector held the door for me, and I glanced up at the marquee above the door before climbing into the car. In a few clicks on my phone screen, I had the website for the agency pulled up. I’d never heard of them, but if Vera was interested, it had my vote of confidence. She needed some good things in her life now, and I was going to make them happen for her as much as possible.

Hector got back in his seat and pulled the car out into traffic, and I dialed the number and waited as it rang through. I had to go through a series of automated menus to get to a real human, but when I did, it was the secretary to the CEO.

“Diamond and Fink, you’ve reached Mr. Fink’s office. What can I do for you?” The woman’s voice was curt. She probably dealt with a lot of garbage calls. I didn’t blame her for taking a tone.

“Hello, my name is Lucas Allen Smith, CEO of Tri-Tech. I would like to speak to Mr. Fink right away, please.”

The woman muttered something and cleared her throat. I could hear her typing furiously. “Uh, Mr. Smith, I’m so pleased for you to call us. What may I tell Mr. Fink is the nature of your call?” She clearly knew who I was. Not all people did, so I was impressed already.

“You can tell him that he will want to hear from me. I might be looking to invest in his agency.”

More typing accompanied her saying, “Certainly, Mr. Smith. I’ll just put you on hold for one second.”

The line clicked over and beeped. I waited no more than a minute and Fink was on the line.

“Mr. Smith, this is Brandon Fink. To what do I owe the pleasure?” His tone was much more pleasant. Funny how dropping the company name always did that to folks. They knew what we’d done for the tech industry simply by the brand we’d built.

“Well, Mr. Fink, I hear Vera Davids has come knocking on your door. That shameful termination of contract can’t be allowed to follow her. Do you understand what I mean?”

The man sighed and cleared his throat. I wasn’t sure what he’d heard about the breakup and how she lost the job, but I knew modeling was a cutthroat business. Vera deserved her shot, even if her ex was an asshole.

“Mr. Smith, you can imagine my shock. I, uh, well, Ms. Davids is slated for an interview, but given the recent termination of contract, I’m not certain the board would be open to?—”

“Would the board be open to twenty million? An investment to ensure you surge to the top of the crowd and stay there. Think about it for a moment.”

“Mr. Smith, I assure you?—”

“Fifty million? You name the price and I’ll sign the check. Vera was wronged, and she needs assurance that the business has her back.” I waited as I heard the dollar signs registering in his head. I’d thrown around money before, never quite to this extent, but I wasn’t hurting for anything and Vera was. All my hard work and diligence to build my empire had to amount to something.

“The board will be pleased to accept your generous donation.”

“You mean, anonymous donation. Vera cannot know. Ever.” I looked up at Hector, who smiled back at me and then refocused on the road. “Are we clear?”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

“No, thank you, Mr. Fink. I’ll have my assistant send over the paperwork today, and your money will be transferred as soon as you approve.” I hung up without another word.

I would win Vera’s heart if it was the last thing I did

15

VERA

Igot the job. I couldn’t believe that at my very first interview, I scored the job with excellent benefits and a terrific pay rate. It was my most desired firm, too, and I had walked in and blown them away. There was a skip in my step that hadn’t been there in months. I couldn’t stop smiling all night as Midge, Lucas, his partner Henry, and I all ate dinner and sat by the pool.

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