Page 80 of Seduced By the Mermen
“Him? I’m not worried about Sterling. He’ll come around,” Clark says, but there’s a crease between Clark’s brows that tells me he’s worried enough about something else.
“I don’t have your faith. But what’s got you twisted in a whirlpool, then?”
“It’s that noticeable? That’s not good. Driftwood, Staal, and others. There are enough other pods who have lost their mate in the city. And with Blair bringing it up?” Clark turns away.
“You were in the kitchen. You saw how happy she was, dancing around. We’ve got a connection with her already. Something other pods don’t have. She’s ours.”
“She’s not ours until we mate her, and this is far from over.” Clark’s eyes darken. “The other pods aren’t going to fight fair.”
“This is the Veiled City. No one ever fights fair,” I say.
“Driftwood wants us to back off. Specifically me. They’ve insinuated that if I don’t, I won’t win the bid for the next dome.”
“We knew this could happen. But she’s worth it. I know you want to design that dome. But there will be other designs.” He’s always talking about his legacy, how he wants to leave his mark on the city. “Besides, the Maelstrom is your legacy,” I say.
“The foyer to a government building? I want more.”
“Ho, so the Maelstrom is just a government building now? There will be other domes once people see the completed foyer. It’s the reason the Tinom have you under contract.”
“How many other pods are there who want a chance with Blair? More than one in each dome. Every single male in those pods has tons of siblings and family members. Siblings who are influential in making decisions if they aren’t themselves. It may never come. If we mate Blair, I may never get this chance again.”
“But then you might,” I say.
I’ve read the same brief twice now. And it’s not good––my attention, not the brief. The brief is fine. Numbers are up. We’re moving more steel than this time last quarter.
I stand and cross my office from my desk to the windows and shut the blinds, closing off the outside world. From a top floor in one of the nicest buildings in the financial district, I’ve got a great view of the Maelstrom going up. They’re almost finished with Clark’s portion of it. He’s come here a few times to stand and watch. It’s easier than being in a vehicle and safer than swimming around the job site.
I can’t stop thinking about Blair. And how she left. How Sterling drove her away, figuratively and... I’m a male obsessed. I’m a male of action, not one who sits around and waits for a date to bake cookies with her. I don’t mind waiting when I believe in a plan. But it’s cookies, not sweeping her off her feet. Though she’s not someone who can be bought. It would be a lot easier if she could be, but then would we even want her? No, I want her because she can’t be bought.
There are several other problems I don’t want to deal with, the biggest one being that I’m needed in London. And the last thing I want to do is leave the Veiled City right now.
A message flashes across my screen from my assistant. I have two unscheduled people in my waiting room. Two males I don’t want to see. I could have my assistant get rid of them, but that would make a bigger scene than I want to deal with later.
But I’m not seeing them behind closed doors, that’s for sure. I throw open my office door. “Axel Pontides and Torin Driftwood. Koralli and Tinom are here to see me. What brings you here today?”
Torin Driftwood is six-four with green eyes. He’s got light brown hair glowing from the light in the window behind him. Under normal circumstances, I don’t hate the guy. I’ve met up with him a few times for business when I was staying in London. Axel Pontides I could do without, but then there are many people I could do without. He’s got inky black hair around the same shade as mine and amber eyes. And he’s a touch shorterthan both Torin and me. His feet are shoulder-width apart, his hands behind his back in a military pose—though I don’t remember him being in the military.
“Cut it out, Mason. You know why we’re here,” Axel says.
Torin moves from the windows to me. “We all belong to an unfortunate club.”
“And?” I’m not going to make this easy. Clark might be afraid of losing the Driftwood seal of approval for his dome, but while Torin controls a good portion of the Tinom major cooperation, he’s not the only market in the world. Most of my market is with humans. Hence why I have to go to London, and soon.
“We’re––”
“You don’t speak for me, Tinom,” Axel says, cutting off Torin.
“Fair enough. My pod wants a chance with Blair,” Torin says, stepping closer to me.
“You have your chance. I’m not stopping you. But we’re not backing down. How do you think Blair will take it when I tell her you came to my office today, threatening me?” I lean against the waiting room sofa. My assistant pushes back from his desk. I give him a quick look to tell him not to go anywhere.
“Threatening? We’re having a conversation,” Torin says. “I thought we should talk about the materials we’ll need for the new dome we’re putting up.”
“Just a minute. Boden, can you round up whomever you can find in the hall?”
“Sure,” my assistant says, pushing back from his desk.
“Hold up there, Boden. What’s your point, Mason?” Torin says. “You don’t need witnesses.”
