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CHAPTER TEN

Liam

I’ve watched dozens of people conducting shady deals. Been there to witness a man confessing to being on the brink of losing his business. A woman talking to her accountant about how her startup would pick off the ground if she just had someone investing in her business.

That’s the nature of my job. Watching. Spying. Gathering information that would help us decide whether we’re going to waste our time and resources on a company or not.

It’s taken me years of doing this to develop my innate instincts. Hours of paying careful attention to detail. To companies. To people.

Me and my research department don’t always go about it the legal way. More often than not, we don’t. That’s just business.

What I’ve been up to over the last thirty minutes has nothing to do with corporate espionage. Stalking Rome and watching him interacting with Quinlan is personal.

I had to do it. My curiosity nagged at me. The need to observe was a compulsion I couldn’t resist.

Ten minutes after Rome left the office, I followed him.

My team had reports to walk me through. Due diligence of a company I’d had my eyes set on for a while to show me. A crumpling retail company. Its decay had been slow and continuous. One unfortunate business decision followed the other. Your Home B) will use her for revenge. He loves her.

He’ll see that on his own soon enough. Or maybe I can push him to admit it.

Why the fuck not? It’s for his own good, anyway.

Me: I need to kiss her too.

Well, that just happened. I’ve been blunt. Exposed my feelings in the process. Fuck it. I hate lying to both of them. Done with it.

We haven’t had a secret between us until the photos of this beautiful eighteen-year-old started piling up on our desk. I’ve allowed this to go on for five years.

This is where I draw the line.

Silence.

Me: I won’t do it by myself.

Damien: What do you mean too ? Rome? The fuck he’s talking about?

Rome: I had a feeling you were watching, Liam. Why didn’t you come say hello? Rex would’ve lost his shit. I wouldn’t have minded, if it benefited our plan.

Again with this plan bullshit. Fine, let Rome be delusional too. It won’t last.

Damien: Too . Fucking kissed her too .

Damien: I swear to fuck, if I wasn’t on this online video conference…

He would’ve called. Would’ve let out his carefully suppressed anger out for what Rome did. He’d say how much he wants to kiss her first. Then make a joke about it.

Ripping the mask off for too long means vulnerability, and Damien hates that.

I’m aware.

I’m also here. Outside her building. Watching her window.

Rome: She tasted so sweet. Moaned so pretty for me.

My brow furrows. This isn’t Rome, this taunting. This delicate pushing of Damien’s buttons. He’s the bulldozer of the three of us.

Then again, he has to be pleased with himself. He kissed her hard. Fuck, I felt a jolt of arousal, and I stood across the street from them.

The light in her bathroom flicks open. Next, she’ll shower, wash her long, thick hair. Rub soap into her soft curves.

My cock strains in my pants. The pressure has been there for the last thirty minutes. It’s become uncomfortable. Painful.

But not unwelcome.

In a few hours, I’ll have my release.

Me: I’ll text you. Bye.

Until then, I’ll do what I do best.

Watch.

And wait.