The Ruthless Gentleman(75)
“Does that mean Anita is in the clear?” I asked.
“Yes. That was an inheritance from her grandparents. They paid some before the sale of some real estate and some after.”
I hadn’t even known her grandparents had died. I liked to keep things professional but my assistant should be able to tell me about things like that. But I’d have the chance to put that right. At least she hadn’t been the leak.
“I’ll have Gerald’s pass cancelled and his desk cleared.” I tipped my head back on the headrest. “At least that’s done.” I’d expected it to feel more like a victory. Perhaps all my adrenaline had been used up completing the deal, but I wasn’t elated or triumphant at catching the guy who’d threatened everything I’d worked for. Instead I was hollow and gray inside. Avery’s warmth had left me. I had only known her a few weeks, but she’d carved a place in me that was so deep and profound that I didn’t feel like myself now I knew I’d never see her again.
Was I so easily manipulated?
I hadn’t seen Gerald betraying me over the course of months and I’d known that man years, sat across a board table from him a thousand times, met his wife and kids.
Why did Avery’s betrayal feel bigger?
The image of her smiling face—an expression I knew her other guests never saw—her long hair wrapped around my wrist, her panting little moans that went straight to my cock. I couldn’t get any of it out of my head.
“You heard anything about Avery?” I asked Landon.
He shook his head. “I told you that it would be a few weeks. I’m tracking her finances and her father’s. The payment will show up.”
“But if she was the leak, how did I manage to get Phoenix done? It still doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you care?”
I had no idea why I still cared. I’d completed the Phoenix deal and now owned the company I’d always dreamed of. I should feel ten feet tall, but it felt as if I’d got to the summit of Everest and found the vista was nice and everything, but it wasn’t that different to the view a couple of thousand feet down. I don’t know what I was expecting—a coronation, a key to the city? Yes, I’d outwitted Cannon, but the victory echoed it was so hollow.
“We uncovered it and now you’ll never see her again.”
I’d never understood women who stuck around while their husbands and boyfriends abused them physically and mentally—why couldn’t they just walk away? But I wasn’t sure that if Avery was here right now I wouldn’t want to take her back to my flat, strip her naked and fuck her into next week. Despite watching the guilt on her face, hearing her excuses as she sat across from me, I’d never stopped wanting her. Had the last year of Cannon’s attack on my business undermined more than my net worth? Had it chipped away at my judgment and instincts about people? I still wanted to believe Avery couldn’t have betrayed me. I needed that final puzzle piece to slot into place before I gave up hope and accepted I’d opened up to someone who was just using me.
“I want to know, Landon. I want to see the money move. She just didn’t strike me as a woman who would . . .” Would what? Do anything to care for her brother? It was one of the things I’d liked most about her. She’d sacrificed her own life ambitions for her family. Taking money for their future wouldn’t be so difficult.
“Like you said, everyone has their price,” Landon said.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I want to see it for myself. And can you track that ginger guy down? I’d like to talk to him.”
“Jesus, that pussy must have been good.”
“Don’t be a dick. I want to know we were right about her. At the moment, she had an explanation for everything. As soon as that money hits, there are no more excuses that make sense. As you know, I’m all about the details. I’m ruthless but I’m fair. And for the record, I’m going to kick your arse at squash.”
As soon as I saw the money in Avery’s account I would be able to close that chapter in my life and move on. Until then, I’d still wake in the middle of the night with the sensation of her hair between my fingers, still see her every time I closed my eyes. I needed to see the price she’d been bought for and then I could forget she ever existed.
Thirty-Three
Three months later
Avery
I plastered on my best fake smile as I stepped through the sliding doors of the salon and out onto the main deck carrying two platters of appetizers—oysters on one, caviar on the other. It was the last service of the season and I couldn’t wait for it to be over and to wave goodbye to these guests tomorrow morning.
“You have a really fantastic body,” the oldest male guest, Gus, said, looking me up and down as I leaned over the table to set down the platters. August followed with two additional bottles of champagne.
I ignored him, my smile never faltering. The grin wasn’t real and so wasn’t affected by rude, sexist comments. Usually, I brushed them off and didn’t give them a second thought, but there was something about this guy that made me want to knock him over the head with an empty bottle and toss him overboard. Maybe it was just because it had been a long season. The Mediterranean was one of the most beautiful places in the world, but five months was a long time at sea, whatever the surroundings.