Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“How are you not interested? She is stunning,” he says.
“Whatever gives you the idea I’m not interested?” I ask, raising a brow.
“How many times have you slept with her, Reon?”
I grind my teeth as I glare at him. “Is that any of your concern?”
“No, I guess it’s not. Just an observation.” He nods to a man in a suit. “Mike wants shares, and Conrad wants more shares. Do you want me to handle it?”
“Yes, Earl. You know this,” I say with disapproval evident in my tone.
“And I take it the answer is no.”
“If I were to sell shares to anyone else, it would be you. So, go, do your job.” I hate these events. “I’ll be leaving once Maya is back. I’ve made my appearance, posed for photos, and now I’m done,” I declare, ending the discussion.
“They whisper about you, you know.”
“Do you think I care?”
“They wonder how you, someone who struggles so much with social gatherings, could have acquired so much and secured so many clearances when they know some of these things take help from powerful people.”
I lean closer and say, “While they gossip, I’ll make the money. That’s the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire, Earl.”
He nods and walks off.
I earn a lot of money because I found a love for planes and made the business dirty. Sure, I could be rich off the clean stuff, the normal cargo. But what makes me filthy fucking rich is the stuff no one knows about. The guns I’ll move, the drugs I’ll carry. It’s surprising how much some people will pay to hide what others want.
I head to the bar and lean against it while I wait for Maya. I spot her as she exits the hallway leading to the restrooms, her dress in hand so it doesn’t drag. She spots me, and a small smile plays on her lips as she approaches.
Maybe I haven’t tried hard enough with her.
Perhaps I should try a bit harder.
She doesn’t know that we were matched by the Society, mainly by her brother. If members aren’t married by the age of thirty, the Society picks for us to limit our chances of being taken advantage of.
It’s usually a perfect match.
And Maya is the perfect woman, I have no doubt.
But she just isn’t my perfect woman.
I hate that the most.
If I hadn’t spoken to my caterpillar that day, she may very well be my woman. But the minute I approached her, instead of watching Lilith from afar, I was fucked.
No matter how much I want to kill her, I want to keep her for myself more.
“You’re tense.” Maya’s hands land on my chest, rubbing them up and down my black button-up shirt. My hand slides into my pocket, clasping the box that sits in there, a box that doesn’t belong to the woman touching me right now. I let her touch me because to push her away would be wrong.
Though, who the fuck am I to say anything is wrong?
My entire life is defined by corruption and immorality.
“I’m tired,” I say as I capture her hand to stop it from roaming over my body. She interprets it as an invitation to step closer so that our bodies are almost touching. Her tongue darts out and licks her lips as she stares at my mouth. Should I kiss her? I’ve kissed her a handful of times, and that’s as far as we’ve gone. Because kissing her felt wrong, especially when I was enamored by a woman whose lips I haven’t kissed, though I fear if I did kiss her, it would have ended me entirely.
Maybe I should fuck her senseless. She may soak her way into my veins, and maybe I’ll become addicted to the black-haired beauty before me who clearly wants me.
“Is that you, Reon? Oh, I’m such a huge fan.” I freeze at that voice. Maya smiles at the words coming from the woman behind her.
Looking over Maya’s shoulder, I see her—her hair is now a vibrant red. Her smile alone could drop a man to his knees. Her hand rests on her chest, just above her heart, as Maya turns to face her.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ve been fascinated with planes since a year ago when the pilot made me come as he was flying. Really, it was out of this world. And ever since then,”—her eyes widen as she makes a hand gesture—“obsessed.”
“It’s quite all right.” Maya sputters a laugh at her words. “Reon is a master of the sky. I’m sure he would be willing to take a photo with you,” Maya says, her hand still on my chest.
Lilith’s gaze zeroes in on the spot before she looks Maya dead in the eye. “Bless you. Aren’t you just the sweetest thing ever created.” Her emotionless chocolate eyes lock onto mine. “Would you be a gentleman and do so, please? It would make my day.” She fights a smug smile.