If I Only Knew(33)

This is the man that’s been hiding underneath being my lackey. His strength is intoxicating. The way he plays Darren like an instrument, bending each note until it plays the way he wants it.

Has he been doing this with me the entire time?

I can’t help but wonder because he’s good at it.

Now I decide to unleash my own power and go in for the kill.

“Aren’t you getting tired of all this back and forth, Darren? And it’s not going to stop until we get our permits. I’m sure you have much bigger things to worry about with your wedding coming up. You know, booking the venue, planning the honeymoon . . . negotiating an ironclad pre-nup.”

Kandi giggles. “We won’t be doing a pre-nup, silly.”

Darren clears his throat. “Actually . . . I uh . . . I think we may want to discuss that.”

Kandi’s drink sloshes on the table as she puts it down with a thud. “Are you kidding me, Darren?”

“Like I said, you’ve got a lot on your plate,” I say. “So why don’t I come by on Monday to pick up the signed paperwork and schedule the walk-through inspection so we can get our permits? Then we’ll be out of your hair for good.”

Milo’s arm rests behind me and his fingers graze my bare shoulder. “We both know the excuse of the paperwork is a load of bollocks. So, what time on Monday works best for you?”

After a long grumbly sigh, he says, “Ten o’clock. And don’t be late or you’ll miss your appointment, and I don’t know when I’ll be available next.”





Chapter Fifteen





Milo





“Oh my God!” Danielle says, grabbing my leg as we sit in the car. “We did it! We got him to stop his crap.”

I’m not celebrating until I have that permit in my hand, but I’m not going to ruin her mood yet. She’s looking at me as though we’re a winning team, and I quite like it.

“You’re welcome.”

Tonight was a success, but Darren is still a pompous arsehole. We’ll have to find out if we actually get what we need come Monday.

That doesn’t mean I won’t bask in her praise a bit.

She rolls her eyes. “Please, you didn’t do this on your own. I started the conversation while you were dancing with the blonde bimbo and flirting with her, and I totally closed it at the end. This was not a solo mission, buddy.”

The pads of my fingers slide against her creamy skin and I watch her eyes shift away from jealousy and into desire. All night she’s been doing this dance. If my attention was on Kandi, Danielle’s body became stiff and anger almost radiated from her. I’m going to see if I was right about her dislike for her.

“I’m sensing a bit of jealousy regarding Kandi,” I say as I start the engine, loving the fact that we have total privacy in the car. She can’t run, can’t avoid this conversation, and I plan to use the upper hand right now.

“I was not jealous.”

Lies.

“Then why call her a bimbo? She’s perfectly nice, engaged, and you don’t know her. I think you’re jealous.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Danielle huffs and looks out the window.

“Really? Because if you’ve changed your mind about finding me desirable, I wouldn’t blame you.”

Her head turns quickly as she glares at me. “I don’t.”

“So, you wouldn’t care if I said Kandi and I are going for a nightcap after I drop you off?”

“Nope. She’s probably not in the mood anymore though. She seemed a little pissed off when we left.”

“I can get anyone in the mood. So, you’re perfectly fine if I sleep with her?”

She pauses just a heartbeat and then spits the word. “Yup.”

Oh, I don’t believe that for a single second.

“And you think that would be a good idea?” I continue to irritate her.

“What do I care? I’m your boss, not your babysitter. You want to sleep with the whore from the gym, have at it. I can’t stop you.”

“She’s a whore, is she? I didn’t know you knew each other.”

What Danielle doesn’t know is that I didn’t even see Kandi’s face all night. I danced with her, wishing it was Danielle. I had to stop myself from tossing Kandi out of my arms, and taking Danielle to the dance floor, just to feel her skin.

It was bad enough that I couldn’t seem to control my hands from finding subtle ways to touch her all night.

She glares at me. “I know girls like her. She’s engaged and she couldn’t keep her hands off you. If she wasn’t touching you, she was making bedroom eyes at you.” Her voice goes a few octaves higher. “Oh, Milo, you’re so funny. Oh, Milo, I just love to dance. Would you like to touch my body? Don’t worry, Milo, I’ll be back because I want you to say dirty British words to me. Giggle. Snort. Giggle.”

I laugh at her impression of Kandi. “Definitely not bothered at all by her I see.”

“Gross. Get some dignity, lady,” Danielle continues. “She knew you were there with me and it was like I was invisible. Rude much?”

“But you’re not jealous, right?”