For His Honor (For His Pleasure, Book 4)(7)
“You don’t have to come. I’ll meet you back at the apartment,” Nicole told her.
“Are you kidding me? I’m not letting you get in there by yourself.”
Nicole smiled. It felt good to know that Danielle would fight to protect her. She was a great friend.
“Well then, let’s get this over with,” Nicole muttered.
The two of them got inside the spacious, luxurious limousine and sat as far away from Kane Wright as was humanly possible.
He didn’t seem to mind. The limo pulled away from the curb and into fifth avenue traffic. “Would either of you like a drink?” Kane asked them.
“Where are you taking us?” Danielle said, ignoring his question.
He looked at her without responding, and Nicole wondered how Danielle felt being stared at by this wealthy, handsome older man. His eyes had that familiar intensity that blazing confidence. She watched her friend gaze back at him, refusing to give an inch.
Finally, Kane settled back in his seat. “We’re just driving around. I told my driver to circle Times Square for a bit while we have a chat.”
“She has nothing to say to you,” Danielle said.
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Yes, it is.”
“And who might you be? Her chaperone?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Better than that. I’m her friend.”
“Oh, her friend,” Kane nodded. “That is better. It’s good to have trustworthy friends.”
“I’m sure you have none,” Danielle replied.
“Let’s not make this hostile,” Kane said. “What’s your name?”
She crossed her arms. “Don’t worry about my name.”
He grinned and snapped his fingers. “You look like a Danielle. I bet that’s your name, isn’t it?”
Danielle’s face got pale. “How did you know my name?”
Kane shrugged and smiled. Then he turned to Nicole. “So, have you thought at all about my proposal?”
She nodded. Then she licked her lips. “I’ve thought a lot about it. But I don’t think I can trust you to keep your word.”
“How can I earn your trust, Nicole?”
“I don’t think you can.”
He nodded and thought for a moment. “What if I did more than just keep Red Jameson’s dirty laundry from the public eye?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” she said.
“I’m a nice guy, Nicole. Really I am.”
“Only asshole’s say they’re nice guys,” Danielle replied.
Kane glanced at her. “I believe you’re in a significant amount of debt, aren’t you?”
Danielle’s cheeks flushed and for a moment she looked stunned, as if he’d slapped her across the face. But then she seemed to recover. “Everyone living in New York City is in debt. Nice guess.”
“True, most people are,” Kane nodded, as if empathizing with the plight of the common man. “But you,” he said to Danielle, “are even more in debt than most. Almost a hundred thousand dollars between student loans and credit cards. The loans you can defer for a little while, but those credit cards…” he shook his head.
Danielle turned to Nicole. “How does he know this stuff about me? My name, my financial situation?”
Nicole shrugged. “He’s rich and he’s decided he wants something from me. He probably had a private investigator put together a file on me and everyone close to me.”
“Don’t forget, I’ve been researching Red Jameson for a long time. Anyone close to him gets the same treatment,” Kane smiled. “It’s nothing personal.”
“Leave Danielle out of this, it’s between us,” Nicole said.
“I tried to leave her out of it, but she’s chirping away like a little bird in my ear,”
he said. “So I think maybe I’d like to sweeten the pot a little bit. I’d like to help Danielle.”
“You don’t want to help me,” Danielle said, shaking her head. “You’re only interested in trying to intimidate people.”
“That’s far from the truth,” he said, turning back to Nicole. “So let me help you with your decision. All I’ve asked is that you spend some time in my company. For a few days on a tropical paradise having your every need met, I’m willing to give you quite a bit in return. One, I’ve offered to keep Red’s name out of the media in connection to those things we discussed.”
Nicole nodded warily. “I understand that.”
“And further, I’ll go another step to show you my heart’s in the right place, Nicole. I want to help you and the people you care about. So if you come with me to the Caymans, then I’ll pay off Danielle’s student loans and credit card debt. Almost one hundred thousand dollars wiped away, she’ll be free and clear.”