He hid a smile. “After all, it is my business.”
The beginnings of a flush moved up from Abby’s neck to her cheeks and she wrenched her gaze away from his crotch back to his face. She licked her lips.
“Certainly, Mr. Brookhein. If you’d like to make a time for us to discuss this.”
“Now please, Ms. Harkness.” Marcus could see she was rattled and he wasn’t about to give her space to collect her thoughts.
He pulled up a chair from the other side of the desk and sat beside her. With only inches of space between them, Abby’s heat tugged at him with sweet promise. Marcus allowed the outside of his thigh to graze her leg and he knew he wasn’t alone in feeling the stab of awareness. It traveled straight to his cock like a pleasure-tipped arrow and he noted with satisfaction the tremble in her fingers as she clicked on the mouse to close down her emails.
“Your foremost company, Brookhein International has been set up as a shell corporation.” With barely a breath to steady herself, Abby launched into a run-down of his business position as she saw it.
It took Marcus a moment to stop listening to the sound of her voice and start listening to her words. She was good. Really good. Marcus was impressed she’d gotten to the crux of his businesses so quickly. It did pose a problem, though, if she wrapped things up before he’d had a chance to convince her she wanted him. He wasn’t done playing yet. Not by a long shot.
The room was suddenly quiet. Abby had finished speaking and he looked up to find her staring at him expectantly. Mocking him.
“So you want to look at setting up some offshore funding?” He filtered through her conversation to grab hold of her final words. A trick he’d had to employ once already today, he thought with a frown.
Abby nodded briskly. “Yes. But I need to investigate some of the international regulations first to ensure there aren’t any legislative pitfalls.”
“Yes. Good.” Marcus had started down a similar path before business matters started sucking up his time.
He caught the sound of her breath releasing and the delicate sag of her shoulders. She thought he was finished with her and that she was off the hook.
“Why didn’t you take my calls?” Marcus threw out the question, knowing it would catch her off guard. He’d phoned her cell twice while he’d been away and she hadn’t answered. It’d irked him more than he cared to admit.
“I didn’t want to waste your time when you’re obviously so busy.” Abby kept her eyes fixed on the screen. “And Cole has been invaluable in providing me what I need.”
“Cole?” Marcus’s mouth tightened as red-hot jealousy poked him in the ribs.
Abby noted his reaction and smiled. Marcus’s jaw ticked when he realized he’d just conceded a point.
“I’m back now,” he said grimly. “And I’d like you to come to me in future if you have any requirements. Business or personal.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s no need—” she started to protest, making him squirm even more.
His hands closed around the edge of the desk. “There’s every need. It’s my business. You’d do well to remember that,” he bit out, shoving back his chair.
Shit. Marcus skulked back to his office. How the hell did she do that, turn him from his goal of winning to her pushing his buttons? His fingers drummed out a fast staccato on his thigh. One point had become abundantly clear. The thing between him and Abby still definitely constituted a thing.
And not only was Marcus determined to find out what it was. He intended to crush her with it.
Chapter Eight
Abby slumped in her seat the moment Marcus left her office.
Well, that’d been interesting. As soon as she’d caught a whiff of his presence, her professional demeanor had evaporated. Stacy would be jumping up and down, clapping her hands together with glee if she could see her now. Abby groaned and lowered her head to the desk. The cool wood did nothing to soothe her
The beginnings of a flush moved up from Abby’s neck to her cheeks and she wrenched her gaze away from his crotch back to his face. She licked her lips.
“Certainly, Mr. Brookhein. If you’d like to make a time for us to discuss this.”
“Now please, Ms. Harkness.” Marcus could see she was rattled and he wasn’t about to give her space to collect her thoughts.
He pulled up a chair from the other side of the desk and sat beside her. With only inches of space between them, Abby’s heat tugged at him with sweet promise. Marcus allowed the outside of his thigh to graze her leg and he knew he wasn’t alone in feeling the stab of awareness. It traveled straight to his cock like a pleasure-tipped arrow and he noted with satisfaction the tremble in her fingers as she clicked on the mouse to close down her emails.
“Your foremost company, Brookhein International has been set up as a shell corporation.” With barely a breath to steady herself, Abby launched into a run-down of his business position as she saw it.
It took Marcus a moment to stop listening to the sound of her voice and start listening to her words. She was good. Really good. Marcus was impressed she’d gotten to the crux of his businesses so quickly. It did pose a problem, though, if she wrapped things up before he’d had a chance to convince her she wanted him. He wasn’t done playing yet. Not by a long shot.
The room was suddenly quiet. Abby had finished speaking and he looked up to find her staring at him expectantly. Mocking him.
“So you want to look at setting up some offshore funding?” He filtered through her conversation to grab hold of her final words. A trick he’d had to employ once already today, he thought with a frown.
Abby nodded briskly. “Yes. But I need to investigate some of the international regulations first to ensure there aren’t any legislative pitfalls.”
“Yes. Good.” Marcus had started down a similar path before business matters started sucking up his time.
He caught the sound of her breath releasing and the delicate sag of her shoulders. She thought he was finished with her and that she was off the hook.
“Why didn’t you take my calls?” Marcus threw out the question, knowing it would catch her off guard. He’d phoned her cell twice while he’d been away and she hadn’t answered. It’d irked him more than he cared to admit.
“I didn’t want to waste your time when you’re obviously so busy.” Abby kept her eyes fixed on the screen. “And Cole has been invaluable in providing me what I need.”
“Cole?” Marcus’s mouth tightened as red-hot jealousy poked him in the ribs.
Abby noted his reaction and smiled. Marcus’s jaw ticked when he realized he’d just conceded a point.
“I’m back now,” he said grimly. “And I’d like you to come to me in future if you have any requirements. Business or personal.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s no need—” she started to protest, making him squirm even more.
His hands closed around the edge of the desk. “There’s every need. It’s my business. You’d do well to remember that,” he bit out, shoving back his chair.
Shit. Marcus skulked back to his office. How the hell did she do that, turn him from his goal of winning to her pushing his buttons? His fingers drummed out a fast staccato on his thigh. One point had become abundantly clear. The thing between him and Abby still definitely constituted a thing.
And not only was Marcus determined to find out what it was. He intended to crush her with it.
Chapter Eight
Abby slumped in her seat the moment Marcus left her office.
Well, that’d been interesting. As soon as she’d caught a whiff of his presence, her professional demeanor had evaporated. Stacy would be jumping up and down, clapping her hands together with glee if she could see her now. Abby groaned and lowered her head to the desk. The cool wood did nothing to soothe her
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