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“Don’t think so, no.” Greer smiled at her. “Catch you later. I’ll text you about… going out again.” Greer finished slowly. “Next time I’ll pick the place so we don’t run into anyone you know. All right?”

“Sure.” Abagail winked at her. “See you around, Greer.”

“Yeah. Uh… see you.” Greer made a quick exit, which left Abagail and Nicola very much alone at the table, and still deep in the heat of a negotiation that Abagail wasn’t quite sure she was ready to hear the result of.

Flagging down the waitress, Abagail ordered another round of shots for them. “Why are you really here, Nicola?” She was tired of playing the games, and Greer’s departure meant she was a bit more comfortable sorting out the family drama.

“To give you the ring back.” Nicola pointed at it. “And to ask you for what Warren can’t give me.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“He said you control the money.”

Abagail snorted lightly. Of course he did. That was his answer to get out of everything when he didn’t want to deal with it. “He has two thousand dollars he could give you if he wanted to.” Abagail snagged the shots and took hers immediately, ordering another one.

“He promised me fifty.”

Abagail choked on her water. “Fifty?”

Nicola nodded. “For all the work I’ve done for him.”

“Work.” Why was she just repeating what Nicola said? It wasn’t helping her figure out anything going forward. “What work?”

“Networking, smoothing over clients when they were upset, marketing and promotion. I’m very good with handling all manner of people.” Nicola leaned forward, that low-cut shirt pulling to the side and revealing even more of her creamy skin.

Abagail didn’t drag her gaze away quickly. “For what?”

“You don’t know about his little side business?” Nicola frowned, her plump lower lip peeking out. “He wants to run his own company someday, just like Aunt Abagail.”

“What company?” Abagail frowned now. Warren had never indicated he wanted to be anything like her.

“Whatever company he can get his hands on.”

Which led Abagail straight back to Chaya. This was a power move, not one made out of love or sexual interest. He was using Chaya to get exactly what he wanted—power and money. Right. Abagail sighed and leaned back into the chair, taking the next shot she’d ordered and sucking it down. Nicola hesitated briefly before doing the same.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll pay for your drinks tonight.”

Nicola finally lifted the small glass to her lips and knocked it back. A drop of alcohol slid from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. She peeked her tongue out to try and capture it, but failed. The drop slid across her skin, moving over her chin and down her neck, straight between her breasts. And Abagail’s gaze had followed every second of it until it disappeared under the material of her shirt.

“You know, I always liked you,” Nicola said, leaning in even more. “Especially when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Abagail wasn’t sure she actually wanted the answer to that question. She knew how she was looking at Nicola, like she was the most sinful dessert on the planet. Andshe wasn’t about to stop either. A woman as sexy as Nicola—as sexually confident as her—should be appreciated. In every aspect that she could be.

“Like you want to take me out back and have your dirty way with me.”

Abagail’s lips quirked slightly. “Not out back, no.”

“Do you have a private office here?” Nicola looked around the bar as if she could deduce exactly where Abagail kept an entire office hidden.

“No,” Abagail said on a slight laugh.

“Car? You dog! I never would have thought you’d be up for car sex.”

“I might just surprise you.” Abagail took a risk, one that without the bolster of alcohol and the blatant conversation they were having, she probably wouldn’t have taken. Leaning forward, she pressed the tip of her finger against Nicola’s chest, exactly where the drop of alcohol had slid down her body. She followed the trail down, her finger under the edge of Nicola’s shirt and then slid it sideways, coming straight into contact with Nicola’s hardened nipple.

“If you weren’t his aunt, I’d revenge fuck the shit out of you,” Nicola whispered, her voice barely loud enough for Abagail to hear over the noise in the bar.

“A revenge fuck?” Abagail asked, the idea niggling in the back of her mind. Would it be revenge for just Nicola or for her as well? Warren did need to learn a few more lessons about life and growing up, but this didn’t seem like the way to go about that. Although it had also been months since she’d managed to find a fling and take a vacation. Then again, she despised her family, so this could be a goodfuck youto all of them. Not that they’d find out. Ever. “That implies you’d tell Warren.”