She might not remember him, but he sure as hell remembered her.
Her father had taken her everywhere. A little porcelain doll in expensive dresses, always tucked safely under his arm. He used to speak about her with pride. Brysonhad been young, but he remembered the jealousy, the sting of it sharp in his chest.
Now, she was looking at him as if she were trying to solve an impossible equation.
“Loyal to your father?” she asked.
His smirk vanished.
“Did you see their faces?” he shot back before he could stop himself.
Shit.
Rule number one: never speak ill of your family.
Rule number two: never give information for free.
Two minutes alone with her, and he had done both.
Adria’s expression hardened. “Callen did that?”
He clenched his jaw.What did she care?
“What, afraid it’ll cut into your profits?” he sneered.
She flinched. Barely, but he saw it.
“Faces heal,” she said.
Silence stretched between them, thick with things neither of them said.
Bryson let his gaze drag over her, noting the way her dark hair framed her face, the smooth angle of her jaw. Her black blazer contrasted against the white blouse underneath, hugging curves that shouldn’t have distracted him—but did.
“You’d like them to stay,” she said.
Her tone made it unclear whether it was a question or a statement.
“You can make more money off three,” he said smoothly.
“How generous of you.”
He flashed a friendly smile. “I can beverygenerous when I put my mind to it.”
Adria steepled her fingers, watching him.
It was ridiculous that she had even considered getting rid of them. Three young, attractive men. Two for free.They had to be better than the drugged-out victims she usually acquired.
Adria had a reputation among the families. Sure, plenty of them dabbled in the sex trade, but it had always repulsed him.
She was different.
It took a special kind of psycho to take someone unwilling and mold them into willing sex slave.
And she guaranteed that the men who came out of her program would not onlyserve, butlove serving.
Bryson swallowed back the unease curling in his stomach.
“Why don’t we agree not to lie to one another?” Adria said, unbuttoning a single button on her blazer.