Chapter 11
A fool to let her go
Killians pov
I was now behind my desk, attempting to concentrate on the digital pile of reports posted in front of me, but I kept catching my eyes wandering. They continued drifting by the clear glass dividing me from Fiona.
She was at her desk, sleeves rolled, hair pulled back in a tidy ponytail that cascaded modestly over her shoulder. A pair of glasses hanging on her nose–brainy, sexy, dangerous. She rolled her fingers quickly across the pages my assistant had given her earlier, and she looked like she belonged there, like she would always belong there.
Effortless. Efficient. All too distracting.
I found my focus on her once more and sat back in my chair, massaging my jaw with one hand. The professional tone we’d both settled on was holding for now. She had singled me out as “Boss” the minute we entered the building earlier. Cold. Clipped. As if nothing ever happened between us this morning. As if I hadn’t pulled her upstairs, slammed the door, insisted she changed her clothes. As if I hadn’t been minutes from losing all control.
I hated that she irritated me with her professionalism. But I let her be. If that’s the way she wanted to play it, then okay.
I checked the time. A little after six. Perfect.
I rose, adjusted my suit jacket, and walked out of my office, slowly aiming toward hers. She didn’t notice me. Still too focused. Her eyebrows were somewhat furrowed in concentration, lips parted just a little. I heard the faint flow of her breathing, smooth and slow.
I paused at her desk, waited two long seconds, then tapped my knuckles lightly against the glass surface.
It startled her.
Her eyes shot up at me, wide and awake. For an instant, something seemed to flash across her face surprise, confusion, something gentler. But then she rose quickly, sliding back into her part. Cool voice, crisp tone.
“What do you want, Boss?”
The word gave an unwelcome chill to my spine. “Boss.” Right. That’s who I was to her now.
I didn’t answer immediately. Rather, I let my eyes follow the frames of her glasses, to the line of her jaw, then down to the collar of the blouse she’d decided on after our argument. Modest. Conservative. Dull.
I was the reason she changed.
“Prepare,” I finally said, maintaining an even voice. “You’re going with me to a business dinner.”
She blinked. “I was not informed of a dinner.”
“I just told you.”
“I thought your assistant would —”
“Do you have an issue with what I said?”
I stepped a bit closer, observing her tense. Now there was hesitation in her eyes, the sort she didn’t want to show. She was learning how to pick her battles. She was also learning how much I liked them,
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3:02 pm
Chapter 11
“I told you that you’ll be following me,” I went on with my voice lowered just a touch. “Less questions. Get ready.”
I turned on my heel and started to walk away, not bothering to look back at her. I heard a small annoyed grunt behind me.
I smirked.
She hated that. Did not like when I barked orders and gave her no ground on which to argue.
But I was starting to realize something.
–
Every time she scowled, every time she crossed her arms, squinted her eyes, clenched her teeth that’s when I focused the hardest. That’s when I could feel that pull between us.
I enjoyed getting under her skin. I liked the give and take of it. How she made me want to peel back her layers, just to find out what would happen when I got to the core.
I had told myself this contract was about revenge. Faced with the idea of playing Desmond at his own game. About power.
But this… this was a little different.
t
When I finally reached the end of the hallway, I paused at the railing and looked one last time over my shoulder, enough to see her through the glass wall again. She stood still, crossing her arms, pursing her lips into a thin line. Frustrated. Beautiful. Trying not to show it.
I turned and walked back into the elevator, alone.
My hands balled at my sides as the doors closed. My jaw tightened.
I enjoyed teasing her. And then my face went cold when I realized that was where I found joy in doing.
—
Ten minutes later we headed to the restaurant. Fiona had sat next to me in the car, her spine straight as she held the thin folder with the contract papers. She had said nothing since we had left the office her silence calm, professional. But I saw her reflection in the window, and even in the night of city lights she looked beautiful.
From the second we walked through the door of the restaurant, the atmosphere tilted. Our client, Mr. Hathaway, was already at the table, seated on the rare private corner, leash in hand. His assistant got up as he spotted us, offering a slight bow as we drew near.
Pleasantries were exchanged. The waiter poured wine. The table was set, but there was tension hard and present that pierced through all of it.
read the draft once more,” Hathaway continued, “and frankly, I don’t see how you get to the 70-30 split.”
I leaned back, crossed my legs and looked him in the eye. “That’s the number we put, Hathaway. That number comes from projections and from the infrastructure that I’m providing exclusively.”
He shrugged, took a sip of his wine. “60-40 is more reasonable. I hear you, Killian, but if we can’t find some common ground, well, maybe this partnership won’t be all it’s cracked up to be.”
I didn’t blink. “Then don’t force it.”
The words felt colder than I had intended, but I didn’t have any regrets. I’d planned for this. Budgeted it. Made tougher deals with more ruthless men. I wasn’t going to bend for someone who didn’t get value.
He raised an aggrieved brow. “So, that’s it?”
“That’s it.”
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28
Chapter 11
The moment hung heavy.
That’s when Fiona stirred next to me. Calmly. Confidently.
“If I may,” she said, her speech smooth and crisp, “Mr. Hathaway, I think you might be approaching this from the wrong angle.”
Hathaway looked over at her, somewhat surprised.
Fiona smiled politely and opened the folder, slipping a sheet of paper out and placing it in front of him.
“You’re essentially being offered a full–service partnership where the Sinclair Corporation punches the financial and infrastructure tickets for you. Your stage is to provide operational head count and absolutely nothing else. You have access to our global logistics, our branding muscle, our distribution networks and you can do so all without one dollar of your capital invested.”
She paused to let that sink in.
–
“There is a big difference between the 70-30 split. It represents risk distribution. If something goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility for our end. But we are asking for your trust, Mr. Hathaway. And from what I can tell you’re getting a premium deal to do less.”
He looked at her, silent.
“Walk away and you forfeit the largest rollout budget your company has ever seen. “Accept the deal, and you get market reach you couldn’t buy yourself.”
She reclined, resolute and poised. “The choice is yours.”
For a brief time, nobody said a word. Hathaway glanced down at the papers again, his jaw clenching. Then, with a sigh, he nodded.
“Alright. You’ve made your point. Let’s do it.”
His assistant exhaled as if relieved, then reached into the briefcase for a pen. They signed.
—
I didn’t say anything through all of this. I just watched her watched the way her lips formed, the conviction behind her gaze, the way she never looked at me for validation.
She didn’t need it.
She didn’t need me to talk, intervene or lead.
She had it handled.
And all I kept thinking as Hathaway shook my hand and got ready to leave was – how the hell does a man walk away from a woman like this?
Desmond was a fool. A blind, vain, power–hungry idiot. Because if Fiona were mine actually mine I’d erect an empire around her, not tear her down.
After the clients had departed and the papers had been filed, I turned to her. I spoke as she was putting the folder back in her handbag.
“I had no idea you were so smart,” I told her, still watching her, still trying to process the storm of admiration inside my chest. “You have it in you.”
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pm
Chapter 11
Her lips twitching, she raised a brow. “What do you mean by that?”
I smirked. “I’ve always been smart. You just don’t know it.”
She rolled her eyes but I could see the slight smile she attempted to cover.
Just as I began to say more, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. My assistant. I stood up from the chair and stepped back a few fingers, before replying.
“Speak,”
A gravelly voice replied instantly. “Boss, I’ve learned information on the thing you wanted me to look into.”
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