Page 38 of Rebellious Hearts

Richard came in and glanced around, spotting us near the window.

“Good morning, good morning!” he said jovially, his smile broad. His beard was neatly trimmed, his hair combed to the side, and he wore another tailormade suit. He looked like he was in a good mood.

Maybe that was a sign.

I glanced at Sofia again, and our eyes locked for the first time. A shiver ran down my spine.

What was it with her and making me feel things that weren’t related to business? I felt things when I was around her that were decidedly meant for the bedroom.

But she was looking at me, and that was a small win for the day. She was probably still pissed about our little argument yesterday.

She would still learn that disagreements like this happened all the time in business. If I went around getting upset about everything that didn’t go my way, I would be in a constant bad mood.

I tried not to think about the fact that everyone always said I was grumpy.

“Good morning, Richie,” Sofia said with a smile. “Beautiful day, isn’t it? The ocean was so serene this morning.”

“I love it when it’s like that,” Richard said with a warm smile and he took her hand in his. He held onto it for a moment, and a spike of jealousy shot into my chest.

What the hell?

“But my favorite is when it storms and the ocean becomes someone differently entirely, a beast, a mythical creature thatmakes magic, dancing on the clouds and bringing the world to its knees.”

I rolled my eyes at Richard’s moment of poetry, but Sofia was mesmerized.

She was easily impressed by the small things. It was annoying… and it was fucking adorable.

Jesus, I had to get myself together. I couldn’t keep thinking about things like that with her. This was abusinesstrip. By definition, that meant Sofia was off-limits. Besides, I never slept with the same woman twice.

That just made them think there could be more, and with me, there would never be more.

“You look ready for business,” Richard said when he shook my hand. He wasn’t as warm as he’d been with Sofia, but I didn’t blame him. I wasn’t the warm kind.

“Always,” I said and offered a professional smile as we sat down on the couches. “Lunch?”

“Oh, no,” Richard said. “It’s too early for that and I won’t be here that long. I think a good coffee could really wake things up. Let’s keep it light, shall we?”

I nodded and beckoned a server closer.

“Cold brew coffee all round, please,” I said. “And add something light. Maybe a gourmet cheese and charcuterie board. That should be quick to put together, right?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll make sure they’re on it as quickly as possible.”

I nodded, and the server disappeared.

“Let’s get down to business then, why don’t we?” Richard said with an easy smile. He had a smooth way about him. He was an older man, easily deep in his fifties and something about him reminded me of my dad. But Richard had something else, too. He looked at me, and his piercing gaze seemed to bore into my soul.

It made me feel uneasy and I shifted in my seat, looking at Sofia.

“So, Ben,” Richard started, and I forced myself to look back at him.Business smile, expressionless mask, I reminded myself. “Tell me more about yourself.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?” My business acumen and achievements had all been forwarded to Richard before we’d met. He had to know everything about me.

“What drives you, beyond the numbers and the bottom line?”

I shifted in my seat again. Richard’s scrutiny was intense, and I had no idea how I was supposed to answer that question. What did he want to know? It wasn’t like we were here to discuss favorite colors or something.

Our coffee and cheese board arrived, and I was grateful for the quick break to try to pull myself together.