But they would hurt Evangeline with no second thought or compunction. They’d use her as a means to an end and not give a fuck if they destroyed her—and him—in the process. They’d relish the opportunity to take Drake and his monopoly on numerous business practices completely down.
And Drake could never live with himself if Evangeline was hurt, brutalized or killed because of him. He could never live without her. And the hell of it was he was only just admitting it, but he’d known for a long time. He just couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge the truth, because it made him weak and vulnerable.
How to make her understand?
He’d just destroyed something so very precious and shit all over the unconditional trust and faith she’d so generously given him with no strings, no conditions, though God knew he’d never given her any reason to do so. He’d taken but had never given her anything that mattered. At least not to her. Throwing expensive trinkets her way was like tossing a pet treats when all she wanted was what he hadn’t been brave enough to give her. Unfettered access to his heart. He was a fucking coward who wasn’t worthy to lick her shoes.
One of the men looked over at Drake, whose outwardly cool and calm demeanor masked inner turmoil unlike anything he’d ever experienced before in his life.
“That’s a sweet piece of ass you’ve got there, Donovan, and I sure as hell wouldn’t give a fuck if she could cook or not.”
The others chuckled and nodded their agreement.
“I wouldn’t mind having a taste of that for a while. If you toss her, let me know, yeah? And if you don’t toss her right away, give me a heads-up when you do so I can move in and take a shot at her.”
Drake smiled even as he seethed inwardly. “She’s very talented in other ways, if you know what I mean, which makes up for her lack in others. She amuses me for now, but I’ll keep your offer in mind, and when I get tired of her and the good no longer outweighs the bad, then you’re welcome to her.”
Drake hated every word. It sickened him to even talk about Evangeline with such disrespect and casually discuss passing her along to another man like used goods. All that kept going through his mind was seeing his angel’s eyes when he’d denounced and humiliated her in front of the others. How he’d spent so much time building her up, building her confidence after the number her ex did on her. And now, in just a few minutes’ time, he’d utterly destroyed everything he’d worked to achieve and give back to her.#p#分页标题#e#
And what he’d done to her had been far worse that what that shithead had done to her. Because she trusted Drake. She believed in him, had faith in him unreservedly. No conditions, stipulations. She’d given him and only him the precious gift of herself. She’d given him what she’d never given another man and he’d shit all over it and her.
He wanted to puke his guts up.
He had a hell of a lot of explaining and groveling to do when he got back home. On his knees. He would do something he’d vowed never to do again. Beg. Whatever it took for Evangeline to forgive him and trust him again. Because for the rest of his life, not one day would pass that he wouldn’t remember this night and the pain and humiliation, the tears streaking down her beautiful face while he ripped her apart in front of others who’d stood there watching in amusement—and approval.
“Now, if we can get down to business and dispense with something so unimportant as my latest piece of ass,” Donovan said acidly.
The others dropped the joking, their expressions growing serious. The leader, the head of the Luconi family, leaned forward, his voice low.
“Are you willing to back our takeover of the Vanuccis?”
“That depends,” Drake drawled.
No way in fucking hell would he ever do business with men who showed Evangeline such blatant disrespect, even if it was the height of hypocrisy since Drake had instigated it all. But he could arrange to make it appear as though one of the Luconi family fed information to the Vanuccis, which in turn would start a war between the two rival families, resulting in the removal of two pains in Drake’s ass.
“Name your price, Donovan,” the older Luconi said in a gravelly voice. “Your name carries enough weight on its own. If you’re linked in any way to us, then the Vanuccis won’t even put up a fight because the last thing they’ll want to do is piss you off.”
“I’ll consider your proposition,” Drake said, pretending to give the matter serious consideration. “I’ll have one of my men contact you in a few days to discuss terms. When the Vanuccis get wind of our meeting, they’ll come to me with their own offer, so you better come with your best.”