Page 16 of Nothing to You (Nothing to… #7)

“ZANE DYCE IS the closest to home,” Myles said.

At the end of the day, their list was impressive. Maybe too impressive. Getting that number of people, high profile, people on board would be a mammoth task.

“You think if we can’t get him others might wonder why,” Helena said. “Mr. Rourke must know him. They chose to share a campus, to have their buildings side by side.”

Except there was so much space between them that she’d seen no hint of Dyce or his technologies. Just how much land did the men own?

“That’s a good point,” Guillermo said. “If Mr. Rourke’s good friend and close associate won’t get involved, why should anyone else?”

“Mr. Rourke’s endorsement may be enough,” Johann said. “If we can use his name.”

Were they there? Could they use his name? Maybe they didn’t want to use his name. Could be some people and businesses they were considering had beef with the man at the top of Mosaic.

“Give me the list,” she said, reaching over to snag Franco’s tablet.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

Leaving her seat, she headed for the door. “Find out.”

What other way was there? Besides, much as she might like to downplay his abilities, Xavien Rourke had risen to the top in a competitive field. The man had to know something about what he was doing.

There were three people in his office when she went in. Rourke, Leon, and another guy she didn’t know.

Standing by the door, she just smiled when the three men quieted to look at her.

“You should knock and wait outside—”

“She doesn’t know how to knock and wait outside,” Rourke said and stood. “Doesn’t matter, we’re done anyway.”

“But, sir, we were—”

“We’re done,” he said and looked at Leon.

“Actually, we might need him too,” she said of Leon.

Rourke shook his head. “We don’t need a third.”

Leon and the growly guy with him passed by to exit. Her smile grew, not that either of them appreciated it. On an inhale, she raised the tablet toward Rourke, but said nothing until the men were gone.

“Did you break something?” he asked the moment the door was closed.

“I didn’t break anything, thank you,” she said as he came over. “Though I considered setting your house on fire.”

Mr. Oblivious carried on despite the threat. “I’m hungry. Are you hungry?”

“No. Thanks to someone, I’m only halfway through my day.”

“Good,” he said, taking the tablet. “You can do all the work tonight.”

His focus narrowed on the device.

“What are we doing tonight?”

“What is this list?” he asked. “People you want to have sex with before you die?”

“Before they die,” she said. “Some of those people are old. Especially the women. And some of them are married. We’ll need to extort them.”

“Do you have the cash for that?”

“No, but we can hack their Huddle data. Link into their other accounts online. There has to be one or two incriminating pictures in there, right?”

“We can hack them?” he asked, seizing her wrist to pull her closer. “ We? ”

“I’m sure I have something you want.”

He snickered. “Do you? What’s the list?”

“Potential backers for Huddle Hope.”

“Others? My money isn’t good enough?”

“We have multiple reasons. One of which is—”

“Risk dissemination.”

She smiled and ruffled his hair. “See, you’re not just a pretty face.”

“Fundraising too. Took you time to catch up to it,” he said. “We can’t profit from this.”

“No.”

“So your list is…”

“People we’d like to talk to, maybe put a presentation together and see if we can tempt them to join our endeavor.”

“You’re good at tempting.”

“Anyone on that list you’re feuding with? Anyone’s wife you’re screwing? Or husband? Teenage daughter? Housekeeper? Or is the pool boy more your thing?”

“Maybe.”

“Can you put us in touch with any of the names on the list?”

“Maybe.”

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Walking up against her, he kept going until her back hit the door.

“Can we use your name?” she asked, coiling her fingers around his tie.

“You’ve gotta launch yourself out there on your own one day, kid.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t that day, is it?” she asked, increasing the pull to draw him lower. “You want to help me.”

“I’ll think about it.” One corner of his mouth curled in such sinister seduction, a wave of anticipation swept her prickling skin. “If you make it worth my while.”

“How would you like me to do that?”

“Use your imagination, pretty girl. What you got that I want?”

Slowly, her tongue swept across her upper lip. “Maybe… one thing.”

“Oh, you have more than one thing I want,” he said, his fingers curling in her hair right at the base of her skull. “I can think of three right off the bat.”

And it wasn’t easy to restrain her smile. The innocent thing went better, especially when it was such an obvious ruse.

“Maybe… maybe if I dropped to my knees for you, sir…”

“Maybe,” he said, pushing himself against her.

“Such a shame your office is glass,” she said, running the tie through her hands over and over. “We wouldn’t want the world to see the power I have over their alpha.”

Without breaking eye contact, he pressed a button on his watch. “Now we’re all alone.”

Glancing left to right, the wall she was leaning on was no longer transparent. It was black. Completely opaque.

“Impressive,” she said.

“Dyce glass.”

“Mmm, resourceful man that Zane Dyce,” she said, pulling on his tie until his mouth was just a whisper from hers. “Are you calling my bluff, Mr. Rourke?”

“Was it a bluff?”

Withholding her smile, her fingers drifted from his tie to loosen his belt. “You’ll help me whether or not I do this,” she whispered, wrapping her fingers around his cock. “You’re playing the big, bad, exploitative boss.”

Laying his hands flat on the glass, his lips came even closer. “Are you calling my bluff, Ms. Radley?”

She brushed her lips over his. Not kissing him, but not not kissing him either. “I love role play, Mr. Rourke,” she whispered and sank down to take him into her mouth.

His sharp inhale fired her satisfaction. Yes, he got to pretend he had power over her, but it was only pretend. Right then anyway. With him deep in her throat, her hand tight around his shaft, chasing her lips, no one had more power over him than her.

Moaning her own pleasure shook him in her mouth.

Closing her eyes in a long blink, the moment they opened, she found his gaze.

With gritted teeth, his splayed fingers drove through her hair, pulling tight, his grip steering her with increasing urgency.

Oh, he wanted her, needed her right then.

She didn’t mind him losing control. The mask of teasing indifference was difficult to maintain when he wanted what she offered so bad.

“Shit, Roux,” he hissed.

Sucking hard, she dipped in and retreated, pulling back until her lips were only on his tip. “Something wrong, Mr. Rourke?”

“Yeah, you’re talking,” he growled. “Open.”

And with a broad, satisfied smile, she did exactly that, and he fed himself into her throat.

God, it turned her on. Had blowing a guy ever felt so good?

The mechanical suck and retreat, the licking and kissing and humming, it was all practiced, acts she’d done before.

But it had never given her such raw gratification.

This man. Her friend. Was at his weakest right there.

He couldn’t stop his fist from tightening in her hair or his eyes rolling back as he clenched his jaw.

Fuck, she was horny. Yet, she didn’t want him in her pussy. She wanted him to come right there, in her mouth, in her throat, any way he wanted to. Her pleasure came from his. Their boundaries were gone, their friendship consummated in every way it could be.

“Roux,” he barked and surged in deep, coating her throat with the seed she swallowed down.

Perfect, just perfect. Her smile rose as she did.

“I’m picking the movie tonight.” Tucking him back into his pants, she was careful about putting him all back together.

“I want sushi for dinner.” Because he’d deprived her of raiding the sushi bar at his party.

“And you’ll help us recruit every person on the list.”

The tablet was on the floor next to them. He must’ve dropped it, maybe it was busted, she hadn’t even heard it hit the ground.

“Fine. No problem and… no, I won’t.”

He sauntered away to the desk as she scooped up the tablet. “You better be joking,” she exclaimed, storming to the desk. “I just—”

“Trust me, Radley,” he said, descending into his chair with a satisfied exhale. “Work smart, not hard. You want the people on that list?” He smiled. “There’s only one person you need. One person who can deliver them and many, many more.”

“One? Who?”

“Trust me, Babycakes. Prepare to wow, and I’ll deliver the candidate.”

Did she believe him? He had to know what he was doing, wasn’t that what she’d told herself not long ago? Okay. They would prep. But Xavien Rourke better be right.