Page 23 of Emergence and Ascendance

My biggest problem wasn't that he was interested. It was my reaction to him. The man was gorgeous, no denying that, but he was also younger and a potential business rival, which meant he was totally off limits if I wanted to keep things professional. I absolutely did but my pussy hadn't gotten the memo because I was still wired from the short time I'd spent with him.

My phone rang and I smiled when I saw my brother's name on the screen because thinking about Christian was counterproductive.

"Perfect timing. I was just about to call you."

"How's Crescent Falls treating you?" He sounded distracted. Definitely multitasking, knowing Alex.

"Pretty good, actually. I had an interesting offer from Christian." I put him on speaker and lifted my laptop.

"Already? You've barely been in town a day, Scot."

"He tracked me down and wants to partner with me." I pulled up the property surveys while we talked.

"A partnership? That's interesting."

"My thoughts exactly."

"I wasn't aware that you wanted a partner on this. Kinda defeats the purpose of pushing for independence."

"I don't and it does."

"What kind of deal?"

"Equal control, shared resources. He brought up his local connections and how they would be crucial for permits and labor contracts. Basically implied the project would hit roadblocks without him involved."

"A threat wrapped in an offer. Should have expected that," Alex mumbled.

"I’m really not surprised, and he knows I'm doing this without Whitney support."

Alex was quiet for a minute before responding. "How?"

"No freaking clue. I've been super careful and quiet about keeping this separate. Either he has amazing research skills or connections we didn't think about. You did say he was into someinterestingstuff."

"Probably both. Does that change your plans?"

I closed out the survey reports and ended up staring at a visual of the man in question from the file that was still open from this morning on my screen. I set the laptop beside me and pulled my knees into my chest, resting my chin on my folded arms while I stared at Christian's handsome face. "Nope, I'm sticking with this but I might need to switch up my approach."

"Meaning?"

"A partnership has some perks. His local connections would speed things up regardless of whether his delay threat is bullshit or not. I have to consider the fact that he lives here and a man like Christian has favors he can call in."

"My sister, who hates sharing and playing nice, is thinking about a partnership? That damn sure doesn't sound like you, Scot."

"Which is exactly why I'm thinking about it. He's expecting me to tell him to go fuck himself and to fight this. If I do, he could tie me up in a legal battle for years.”

"And if you play nice and agree, you'll catch him off guard, giving you the upper hand." I could hear the smile in my brother's voice, which made me smile too.

I put my feet back on the floor and picked up my laptop and clicked out of the picture of Christian to navigate through what my assistant sent over. "There's something about his motivation. This feels personal for him and not just business."

"What makes you think that?"

Beyond the let me fuck you eyes?

"I don’t know, just a feeling." I scrolled through Christian's business history.

"Why does that matter. I know you don’t give a damn what’s important to him."

"I don’t, but understanding what he really wants gives me leverage."

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