Page 27 of Sweet Venom

Amused, I leaned back in my chair, taking a deliberate sip of my vodka, my gaze never leaving hers. The grin that spread across my face was predatory, a wolf’s smile that felt both dangerous and darkly amused. “Stay and find out, little fox,” I said smoothly.

I saw it then—a flash of something soft in her eyes before she masked it, just for a second. The reaction was subtle, but it was enough to make my heart pound faster.

I leaned forward just slightly, letting the moment linger before my next words fell from my lips like a challenge. “Or are you afraid?”

Poe’s jaw tightened, her chin lifting in defiance as she fired back, her eyes cold and sharp. “I wasn’t the one who was afraid, little prince. Now, if we can talk about business, I would appreciate it. If not, then there’s nothing else to say.”

The words landed like a shot, the nickname little prince echoing in my mind.

Without uttering another word, I pushed the contract towards her and waited as she looked at it before signing. Tsk. Tsk. Too damn trusting, this one. She could have been signing away her life and didn’t even realize it. I felt like spanking that ass for being that reckless and naive.

“Don’t you want to read it more thoroughly and have a lawyer look at it?”

“I don’t trust you, Azariel, but I do trust that aunty Kadra will have your heart if you ever deceive or take advantage of me.”

Smart girl.

I bit my lips to keep myself from smiling.

“Have an awful day, Mr. Solonik,” she sassed.

Before I could reply, she stood and turned on her heel, her figure retreating with quick, decisive steps, leaving me alone in the office.

The door clicked shut behind her, but the weight of her words lingered. Little prince. The nickname. The novel she got it from. It nagged at me, gnawing at the edge of my thoughts, forcing me to think back to the times I hurt her ego and her heart.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the door for a long moment, a small, almost imperceptible frown tugging at my lips. Poe Nicolasi had always been a wild card. I never knew what to expect—and for her to face me head-on and not back down wasn’t it.

But fuck if I didn’t enjoy it.

Chapter

Eight

SATAN IN A SUIT

Poe

“I’ll never be your knight in shining armor,

but I’ll gladly be your devil in disguise.” - A

Itook another sip of my coffee, trying not to grimace as the bitter liquid burned its way down my throat. Ugh, this was awful. I couldn’t even make coffee. That was just sad.

I didn’t even know what I did wrong… okay, I did know. I was distracted and dumped too much coffee and not enough water. Honestly, I didn’t care. It was fine if it tasted like shit. I just needed caffeine to function after yesterday’s not-so-pleasant bombshell.

Azariel.

I had been a good person. At least, I thought I was. Yeah, sometimes my sense of humor ruffled some feathers, and I definitely didn’t always do or say the right thing—but that wasn’t enough to deserve this, right? Maybe I had pissed someone off big time in a past life. Seriously, tell me why the one person whocould destroy my confidence with a snap of his tattooed fingers was the same person who now held the keys to my dreams? I must’ve kicked a puppy or something in my previous existence. Karma was really a bitch, and it had a vendetta.

I have been following Blackthorn Publishing for years. I’ve also been a fan of some of their authors, and to my knowledge, there had been another CEO—Anna Morgan. What had happened to her? What had Satan in a suit done to her?

The more I thought about it, the more my headache grew.

I pressed my “Wednesday Addams” mug—thanks, Mom—against my lips again, wincing as the coffee tasted like burnt rubber and poor life choices. I glanced at my laptop, where my mom's beautiful face beamed up at me like she had been waiting all day for that video call.

“How did the meeting go, Love Bug?” she asked, looking entirely too chipper. “Was everyone nice? Did you have fun?”

I couldn’t help but smile at my mom. Of course, she would ask that. Bless her heart for always being so positive, and also for still thinking of us as her little babies. Most people my age would have hated being babied by their parents and although it could be a little strange, I also treasured every second of it. One day, she wouldn’t be there to cheer me up and encourage me after a shitty day, and that thought made me squeeze my mug a little harder.

---