Page 35 of Monsters Wear Crowns
“I need Sinclair Solutions,” he said finally. “I need your security systems protecting my interests. I needed to know if your company was capable of keeping prying eyes out of places they don’t belong. So, as you already know, I tested it.”
I kept my face blank, but my fingers curled slightly against the desk. He had done more than test it–he hadbrokeninto my system. I crossed my legs, my movements calculated. “And?”
His eyes flicked to my legs before meeting mine again. He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees. “And I was almost as impressed with your system as I was with you.”
I should have felt satisfied at that. A dangerous, calculating man like him admitted that my work had exceeded his expectations and thatIintrigued him so.
But instead, all I felt was a slow, creeping sense of entrapment. Because Rafe Vaughan clearly wasn’t a man whoaskedfor anything. No, he was ataker.
Rafe’s lips twitched. “Let’s pretend I’m not a criminal.”
I scoffed. “You hacked into my system, you fuck.”
His smirk widened, and he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs like he had all the time in the world. “I needed to know if I could trust you.”
“Trustme?” I let out a sharp laugh. “You violated my company’s security, and now you’re sitting in my office asking me to trustyou?”
“I trust you enough to be here, don’t I?”
Something in the way he said it triggered a rapid wave of goosebumps. Because there was adouble meaningbeneath his words. Last night, I had let him in, let him past the walls I rarely lowered. And now, he was using that knowledge against me, pressing against my carefully constructed defenses with nothing but his powerful presence.
“You want me to protect your business,” I said, forcing the conversation back on track. “Then tell me what, exactly, I’d be protecting.”
He smiled, slow and sharp, like he’d been waiting for me to ask. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he produced something from his pocket and slid it across my desk.
I glanced down.
A sleek black USB drive.
I hesitated before picking it up, my fingers brushing against the cool metal. “What’s on here?” I asked.
His voice was quiet, but it carried. “Proof.”
I exhaled through my nose, studying him. “Of what?”
Rafe’s eyes gleamed with something menacing. “Of the kind of business I run.” For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I twirled the USB between my fingers, feigning indifference. “And what happens if I don’t like what I see?”
Rafe tilted his head slightly, considering. Then, he leaned forward, resting one hand on my desk–too close, too imposing.
“Then we renegotiate.” His fingers brushed the edge of my wrist, just enough to make my heart skip. He was playing a dangerous game with me, but Sinclair Solutions wasmycompany, and I wasextremelypowerful.
I leaned back in my chair, crossing one leg over the other, feigning a calm I didn’t quite feel. I twirled my pen between my fingers, gaze unwavering as I regarded Rafe across the sleek expanse of my desk.
“You want my company,” I murmured, tilting my head. “You want me to risk my reputation, my clients, everything I’ve built–to shield your business. And I’m supposed to just…agree?” My lips curved in something between amusement and defiance. “You must be used to people falling in line, Rafe. But I don’t take orders.”
Rafe didn’t react right away. Instead, he let the silence go on, his fingers tapping idly against the armrest of his chair. Then, slowly, a smirk ghosted over his lips. “No,” he mused, his voice smooth and rich. “You may not take orders from others, but from me...? Also, you want endless power. I am sure you do.”
My pulse spiked, but I refused to let it show. “I already have power,” I countered coolly.
Rafe leaned forward, forearms braced on his knees, studying me like he was peeling back my layers, one by one. “Do you?” he murmured. “Because last night, I saw a woman who’s still looking for something more. And I have the missing piece to her puzzle.”
Heat coiled low in my stomach. He wasn’t just referring to the physical. I clenched my jaw, annoyed at how his words got under my skin. “And you think you can offer that?”
“Proved it last night.” His voice was quiet, but it carried weight. He pointed to the flash drive. “This is just a taste of whatelseI can offer.”
I didn’t reach for it. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Instead, I lifted my chin, challenging him. “What are you running, Rafe?”
