Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“I can’t even imagine him smiling.”
There’s too much longing in Mom’s voice as if she hungers to see Jacob Jennings smile. If she could reach inside my memory, she’d find captivating vignettes of just that, Jacob smirking, and then his lips getting serious as he leans in. I can still taste him.
“Is this just about work?” I ask quietly.
I have to know. If it isn’t, I’ll back off… or try to. No more kissing. Nothing else, either.
“What else would it be about?” Mom says, then scoffs. “You think I want him? I learned my lesson, Maddie. Men will take, take, take. How many times have I told you that?”
“Maybe a thousand,” I murmur.
“I’m not attracted to him. That’s for sure,” she says, standing. “I need a shower.”
I’m not convinced as she storms from the room. She’s acting exactly how somebody would if they did want him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jacob
“I get it… the truth, the truth,” Trent says in a mocking tone.
The CEO of Metis is a tall, lean man, with sharp cheekbones and thin lips curved into a suspicious smile. He sits across from the small table, the winking city lights behind him. Brad and I sit with him. The table is small and round so that we’re not arranged opposite each other like a boardroom battle.
Brad leans forward, resting his forearms on the table. He’s on the shorter side with a black-gray man bun and a thick brown beard.
“There’s no need to throw a temper tantrum,” Brad says.
Trent scowls. “All of us need this deal to go through. Every minute we delay, we’re losing money. Just by being here, we’re losing cash. Minutes equal thousands of dollars.”
“I’m sure we’ll survive,” I say dryly.
“But what about our employees? Everybody is waiting on us.”
I attempt to concentrate on the meeting with everything I have, but Madison’s lips are still pushed against mine, a memory that won’t quit, along with the way she moaned through the kiss and the curvy perfection of her leg. Thinking of how it felt, squeezing her thick, juicy thigh… It threatens to swell my manhood with lust-filled intent. It threatens to twist me up with the desire to turn these business dealings into something meaningless.
My thoughts are stark and vivid. Madison is sitting atop me in the car. Neither of us cares about the fact we’re in public. I’m shifting my hips, grinding my manhood through my pants, feeling the eagerness of her soaked sex. My manhood is hot with precome and my shaft is so solid, my seed is ready to explode. Only in her. Deep inside her young body as she moans as only Madison can… a moan that draws me in and obliterates everything else.
“Jacob?” Trent snaps.
“We’ve turned over all our emails and internal files,” I say, “as you know. If you give us the same courtesy, we can end this purgatory right now.”
Trent flinches.
“You see? It’s hesitation like that which gives me pause, Trent. You can mock it all you want, but the truth does matter. It’s the only currency we have in this business. Everything else is secondary.”
Trent shakes his head slowly. “You can’t expect us to turn over internal documents before the merger is complete.”
“I can. I am. We did the same. NDAs will take care of any doubts.”
“NDAs won’t stop you from stealing trade secrets.”
“You’ve got a good presence online. A great presence. There’s no way for us to replicate that, not with the head start you have in that world.”
He flinches again, telling me everything I need to know. Not that I didn’t already know. He’s hiding something.
Maybe with Madison’s help, I’ll be able to find out what.
Wayne Dalton sounds suspicious on the phone.
I sit in my office. It’s almost midnight. The apartment seems quieter than usual. It’s strange since I’ve lived alone for most of my life, but suddenly it feels empty and hollow, as if this is a pale imitation of what real living is like.
“Why do you want to meet?” Wayne says.
“To discuss the merger,” I reply. “I’ve read your content online. I know your values align with mine. You’ve got yourself into some dangerous situations to bring the truth to light.”
This is another reason his dropping the story is so odd, but it’s not a fact. It’s what Madison’s source said, and he could be lying.
“You don’t have to,” I say, using my CEO voice, as if all this is beneath me, “but I trust your judgment.”
He sighs. “Off the record?”
“Yes, and you’ll need to sign an NDA.”
“I should go straight to the boss with this,” Wayne says. “You know that, right?”
“I know I can hear how curious you are,” I reply. “You want to come to the meeting.”
After a pause, he says, “You’re right. It’s the journalist in me.”
I nod. “I’ll text you the details. For obvious reasons, we’ll need to meet somewhere discreet.”