“I told you that I have to do this on my own. I don’t want something I didn’t earn, because where is the pride in that?”
Now I know she’s getting under my skin, because I respect the hell out of that. Just the promise of bringing Paul Colton’s stores into business with a cosmetic line would have sealed her this deal a long time ago, but she didn’t want to use her family for professional gain.
“Tria, I didn’t get you a deal. I got you a meeting that you can’t get on your own. Number one lesson in business is having contacts. You have a contact. Now you have a very important meeting to prepare for. Which I’m going to help you do.”
She looks torn between confused and frustrated, but not angry. Thank fuck she’s not angry.
“No. I don’t have contacts. You have contacts, and I can’t use you like that. Sorry. But cancel this. I’ll find a way to do this on my own, I promise.”
Come on, Kode. Get to selling.
“You do have a contact, Tria. I’m your contact. I’m not handing you anything at all besides a meeting. You’re not using me; I’m investing. Simple. That’s what I do, in case you haven’t noticed. I don’t invest in anything unless I’m positive I’ll turn a profit. It’s up to you to sell it tomorrow and prove I’m making a wise investment.”
Her eyes shift, though I have no idea what they’re saying right now.
“You’re investing? Why?”
Why? I’ve been asking myself that same question since I set all this up. Every day is a new answer. Tria is everything to me right now, and though I haven’t sorted out exactly what that means, I do know one thing; I can’t imagine letting Tria Noles go. I’ll do everything I can to make her happy, and she cares about this business.
“Because I see you, Tria. Now I’m giving some others the opportunity to see you, too. Believe me when I say it’s them that I’m doing this favor for. Not you. Once they see you, they’ll know how much I just helped them out, and they’ll owe me some favors in return.”
Just like that, the air in the room changes, and she closes the distance between us. I can’t tell if she’s going to slap me or ravage me. The second she jerks me down to meet her hungry kiss, I moan in relief.
Ravage me it is.
“You’re really sweet when you want to be, Kode Sterling,” she says against my lips.
“Miss the playground bully?” I tease, already working on getting her out of her jeans.
She pulls back, knocking my hands away, but her grin is enough to make me forget that we’re even talking.
“You’re still a playground bully, but now I happen to enjoy that side of you. But since you sprung this meeting on me at the last minute, you now have to help me get ready so that I don’t waste this chance.”
Shit. I should have told her earlier, but I didn’t want to take the chance of her being pissed and not getting to enjoy the day with me.
“Then wild sex?” I ask playfully.
She laughs while shaking her head. “Then lots of rest. No sex. I need to be alert tomorrow because I don’t want to let you down.”
I watch as she goes to sit down and type out a text, probably to her geeky business partner.
“Tria, all you need is for someone to listen. You’ll get that tomorrow, and they won’t be able to say no.”
She looks up at me with eyes full of gratitude that say so much.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re pretty damn incredible?” she asks, forcing my chest to tighten.
No. No they haven’t.
“Are you telling me I am?” I ask while grabbing her stuff that I packed in secrecy, and then I take a seat beside her on the floor.
She tugs me to her and kisses me hard, stealing my sanity for just a moment.
“Yes. I am.”
Caught off guard, I’m forced to clear my throat when she backs up, just to keep myself from saying something stupid or girl-like. Turning away, I start spreading out the stuff she needs for tomorrow, ready to rehearse with her as long as she needs to in order to feel confident.
“Kode?” she says, drawing my attention.
I move my eyes back to her, and the smile on her face has me convinced there’s nothing better in the world.
“Yeah?”
She stands and pulls her shirt over her head, biting her lip when it hits the floor.
“Maybe a little wild sex before preparation.”
My hands and feet are moving before my mind works, and I have her in my arms and kissing her savagely before I finally process what she said. It’s then I realize that I’m not just falling for her. Tria Noles fucking owns me.
Chapter 21