Mick Sinatra: The Harder They Fall by Mallory Monroe

giving tantalizing Teddy that extra
look.  
    Mick rose to
his feet as the office door closed and Tamron made her way to his desk.   “Good morning,” she said.
    “Good
morning.”
    “May
I?”   She motioned toward a chair.
    Mick motioned
for her to sit down in front of his desk.   She did.   He sat down, and then
leaned back too.
    “Every time
I come to S.I.,” Tamron said, “I’m impressed.   This is a beautiful corporation, Mick.   And all of the people you employ throughout the city.   You should be very proud.”
    Mick knew Mrs. Benny Blake didn’t come all this
way for chitchat.   “How can I help you?”
    “Direct and
to the point,” Tamron said with a smile.   “Okay, I can deal with that.”   Then she sat erect.   Her proud
stance.   “As you know, I am a very
well-known philanthropist across the state.   My charity functions, through the years, have been legendary.”
    Mick wanted
to roll his eyes.   For Roz’s sake, since
she liked this woman, he began rocking in his chair instead.
    “I raise
large sums of money each and every year for charity,” Tamron continued.   “In fact they call me Miss Charity in many
circles.”   She laughed.   Mick didn’t.
    “My major
charity function is my Success Ball,” Tamron continued.   “Did Roz tell you about it?”
    “She told
me, yes.”
    “Will you
come?” Tamron asked him.   “It’s a
masquerade ball, and everybody has such fun.   You’ll love it.   Will you come?”
    “No,” Mick
said pointblank.
    Tamron
batted her eyes.   He was not an easy man
to talk to, especially not when the stakes were so high.   She had already put out the word that he would
be attending.   He had to attend!   “It’s for such a worthy cause,” she said.   “Just having a man of your reputation there
could bring in thousands more dollars, and far more patrons, than we could
otherwise hope for.   Please tell me
you’ll reconsider.”
    “I’m not
going to be able to attend your function,” Mick said.    “I’m sure my wife already told you that
because I already told her that.”   He
stared at her.   “Why are you here?”
    Tamron knew
she had to go there.   She didn’t want
to.   She loved Roz.   But this was the biggest event of the year,
and she had already put his name out there.   Her backers demanded he be there.   She felt she had no choice.   “I
saw you in New York last weekend,” she said.
    Mick
continued to stare at her.   “I don’t
recall seeing you,” he said.
    “I saw you
in New York last weekend with Bella Caine.”
    Bella Caine
was Gloria’s mother and Mick’s ex-lover.   When Mick realized where this was going, he quickly rose to his
feet.   When he felt under attack, it was
his natural instinct to strike back.
    Tamron rose
too.   She never wanted to look up to
anybody she was negotiating with.   “Since
you like direct and to the point,” she said, “I’ll be direct and to the point.   I won’t tell Roz that I saw you, and Bella
that is, if you come to my ball.”
    “You won’t
tell her?”
    “I won’t
tell Roz anything about that weekend.   I
won’t mention seeing you at the fashion show with her.   I won’t mention seeing you at the restaurant
with her.   I won’t mention seeing you go
into that hotel room with the luscious Bella Caine.   If you come to my ball.”
    Mick
nodded.   “I thought that was what you
meant,” he said, and began walking around his desk.
    “I don’t
want it to come to that,” Tamron pointed out, “because I know how much Roz loves
you.   I know how much it’ll break her
heart to hear such news.”
    Mick walked
up to Tamron.   She could feel his
machismo.   His maleness .   And it was
powerful.   “But this event,” she said,
trying not to feel the attraction, although she did, and trying not to back
down, “is very important to me.   I really
need you to be there.   That’s the only
reason I’m resorting to this.”
    They