Page 16 of The Activist and Her Billionaire

“You should have seen her,” I say, catching a glimpse of my reflection in his rearview. “Such a fighter. Such heart. Brynne’sbarely old enough to drink, but she stood up to me without batting an eye.”

“I heard she was naked”.

“That she was. And she’s beautiful.” I say, gazing out the window.

For the rest of the ride, I kept my thoughts to myself. I’m not even angry that Brynne’s ‘Hail Mary’ complaint will halt all activity on the Calypso property until Friday. That’s when all court matters are heard in Malibu. Oddly enough, I find that I don’t care and am actually excited that it will give me another chance to see her.

She bought herself four days - but at the end of the day, I will do what I want anyway, at which point, she will never speak to me again. I find myself just wanting to see Brynne. And I am handsomely rewarded when I do.

“Wowser,” Nick mutters as we cruise up to the curb of the Zuma Point Café.

Brynne is in cut-offs, bent over to pick something up. She doesn’t seem to notice that there is a limo sedan idling right behind her.

“Would it be mean if I honked?” Nick asks.

“Don’t you dare,” I warn. “I am going to let myself out.

My phone rings. It’s Adrianne Gollum. I toss it into the driver’s seat with Nick.

“Is it her again?” Nick asks, concerned.

“Yes,” I admit. “I’ll handle it.”

“Are you talking about me?” Brynne says, turning around now and looking into the limo.

“How you doin’?” Nick flirts.

I glared at him, warning him to back off.

“How did you find me?” she asks me.

“I paid the stoner who served me your complaint,” I say, staring her down.

I look stern, but I don’t mean it.

“His name is Todd,” she defends.

“Sounds like an intelligent name,” I respond, gazing at her as my phone lights up on the sedan’s seat.

“Is that your phone?” she asks.

“No, worse,” I say with utter frustration. “It’s my stalker. Nick, take five. Miss Casey and I are going to have a little talk. We’re going to discuss her latest legal stunt.”

“Are we having a little talk?” she asks me.

“We are still talking, right?” I ask. “Or was the congeniality that we extended to one another all a bluff?”

Brynne veers dangerously close to me. My attraction for her flares. I can take her at a safe distance, but it’s not a good idea to be this close to her. I breathe deeply, suddenly through my nose.

“You okay there?” she asks. “Look, you’re a businessman. All is fair, yada, yada, yada. I am unsure how often I must remind you that this inn is vital to me. I have to make sure I am covered.”

“How much was the filing fee?” I ask. “If you want to pursue this action, which I will shoot down in one try, I may move to collect attorneys’ fees.”

Now, it is I who inches menacingly close to this tenacious little beauty.

“Do you wanna know how much I pay Brody per hour?” I whisper.

“Too much,” she says, looking me dead in the eye.

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