Page 15 of Handsome Devil

Nonetheless, the words rushed out of my mouth at the speed of light. I couldn’t waste one second.

“As you know, my mother is suffering from dementia. She is in the middle to late stages and doing quite poorly by all medical metrics. She is confused, forgetful, and suspicious. One of the side effects is poor nutrition. She lost thirty-five pounds in four years, and she was lean to begin with.” I only mentioned it because I needed him to understand my urgency. “She is the only remaining living member of my immediate family. We were a very tight-knit family. Really, they were my entire world. So nowsheis my world—”

The words tumbled out of my mouth clumsily. It wasn’t often I lost my footing, but speaking about Mum did that to me. I twisted my fingers in my lap.

“And this week, well, I met with her doctor. And he mentioned that there is this trial…I mean, experimental treatment here in the States. In New York, in fact, for dementia patients. It’s an in-patient, all-encompassing treatment for people who are in the middle stage of the disease. There’s a lot of red tape and fine print, of course, but the doctor mentioned that the initial results of people who enrolled in the program twelve weeks ago are groundbreaking. They were able to reverse some of the symptoms back to the early, mild stages and gain these peopleyearsmore to live rather comfortably,” I said breathlessly, getting animated despite myself.

If there was one thing Tate loathed, it was melodramatic people.

Tate’s apathetic gaze told me he was losing both his patience and interest.

He checked his watch again. “Can you cut to the chase? My trainer’s coming at five thirty, and I’d like to have my bulletproof coffee beforehand.”

Curling my fingers into fists to prevent myself from slapping him, I answered slowly, “I am tired of living away from Mum,of hopping between continents to see her. I would love to secure her a place in this program.”

Tate elevated an eyebrow. “Is anyone stopping you?”

He was going to make me spell it out for him.Bastard.

“I need someone with connections. Someone who’d be able to pull some strings and get her into the program.”

“I assume I am that lucky someone.” He knotted his fingers together, tapping his indexes over his mouth.

My gaze dropped to my feet.

“I haven’t pegged you as a rule breaker,” he mused, a hint of a smile hiding behind his perpetual snarl. “First time?”

“Yes,” I lied.I’ve done so much worse. You have no idea.“There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for the little that is left of my family.”

“And what, pray tell, am I going to get in return for ‘pulling some strings’?” He used his long fingers to mimic quotation marks.

I gulped.

I knew we’d reach the bargaining portion of the conversation. And though I hadn’t many haggling chips, I did come up with a few ideas.

“I thought you might do this from the goodness of your heart?”

“I possess no such thing, and you know it.” He waved me off. “Next?”

“Helping me get Mum into the program is to your financial benefit. It would ensure I’d be on top of my game. I wouldn’t have to be preoccupied all the time. Wouldn’t have to go to London so frequently. That’s at least once a month. It would be a good investment for you.”

“How tempting.” He stroked his square chin. “Even so, I am afraid wasting my resources and power for the pleasure of you doing your damn job sets a dangerous precedent. See, I am, firstand foremost, a businessman, Gia. This is a transaction like any other. Make it worth my while.”

Now he did smile, and I almost wish that he hadn’t.

He looked so arrogant, so wildly pleased to see me squirming and vulnerable.

I wondered if he’d ever loved someone. A parent. A sibling. A friend.A pet.

Likely not. To love was to relinquish control, and Tate was too fond of that particular ingredient.

“Right, then.” I clapped my hands together. “This brings me to my third and final offer. I would love to pay you back by working for free. I’ve enough money saved up, and I could do my job without any monetary imbursement if y—”

“Christ, how unimaginative.” He threw his head back and groaned, shaking his head at the ceiling with a chuckle. “This is how you Brits lost an empire. What a constricted way of thinking. Shaving a few hundred thousand dollars from my company’s two-billion annual expense sheet is a terrible stimulus.”

“What do you want, then?” I actually stomped, losing my patience.

“You.”