Page 143 of Taste of Blood
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The dream I had last week doesn’t hold a candle to having Cord’s sinful mouth wrapped around my cock first thing in the morning. I even get a rare smile out of him when he finishes.
“I’m sorry,” he says as we get dressed.
“For what?”
“For everything. For all the time wasted.”
I turn to him and take his face in my hands. “New beginnings. Okay?”
“Okay,” he nods.
“What are you doing today?”
He sits down on the bed to pull on his boots. “I need to go by Dante’s place and tell him about LTS3.0. Then I’m going to go find Uno and get the truth out of him.”
“Be careful, Cord.”
“I will be. Believe me, the last thing I want is to run afoul of the Black Guild.” He stands up and walks over to me, his lips finding mine in a bruising kiss.
“Especially now,” he says when he pulls away. “Not sure I’ll make it back tonight, but I’ll try to call you.”
I’m not going to make him promise. Even if he’s not chasing after the Python, I know there are things going on in the city that require his attention. As much as I don’t want to jinx anything, I can’t help the swell of happiness that fills my heart right now.
“I’ll walk down with you.”
Benjimen is waiting at the curb with the car. I kiss Cord goodbye and climb in, pulling out my phone and scrolling to the number I want. Normally I’d call his cell, but it’s Monday morning, meaning he’s in a staff meeting and hates to be disturbed. The call is answered on the second ring.
“Sterling Corporation, Mr. Sterling’s office. How can I help you?”
“Good morning, Marsha.”
“Asher, it’s good to hear your voice. How have you been?”
I think back to how I woke up this morning and smile to myself. “Good. Busy. How about yourself?”
“You know how Carlyle is. Keeps me on my toes.”
“I’ll bet. Look, I know he’s in a staff meeting right now, but could you have him call me when he gets a few minutes?”
“I’m afraid it’ll be a while. The Brits are here, so he’s going to be tied up most of the day.”
That must mean the people from his London office are in town. Unlike my own company, Carlyle’s is one hundred percent Clan and stretches worldwide. How he manages to run it while rarely leaving the office is a testament to how savvy a businessman he is. To say my old mentor is a private person would be an understatement. Even his corporate website makes no mention of him.
“That’s fine. Just let him know I called.”
“I will. And don’t be a stranger. You know you’re always welcome around here.”
After I hang up I make a couple of business calls before we pull up outside my office.
“Will you be needing me during the day?” Benjimen asks as I climb out of the car.
I think back to what Marsha said. I doubt Carlyle will find time to meet with me today. “I have nothing planned right now, but that could change.”
“I’ll be available.”
Elaine has a stack of documents for me to go through and sign when I get upstairs; routine stuff that takes up most of my morning until my own staff meeting at eleven. I look around the room, memorizing the faces of the people who have been with me since I started this company. Will they feel betrayed by what I’m about to do?
