Page 67 of The Renter

“Hearing a lot of men talk about how rich they are.”

“How fun.” She giggles, then asks, “Will there be other women there?”

“Maybe some dates.” I squeeze her hand. “Definitely don’t bring up wives or family.”

“Hookers?” She laughs, clearly amused.

“Maybe.” I consider the group. “Probably.”

“Adam!” She swats my arm, and I squeeze her ass.

“You’ll be the prettiest one in the room. I have no doubts.”

She rolls her eyes, and I love the sass.

Back in the room, I can tell something is on her mind. “Peanut, what’s going on in that big brain of yours?”

She shakes her head. Then asks, “Have you ever been with … someone you pay for?” I get the sense that question was the second thing on her mind, not the first. I wonder if this event is too much for her. If she’s overwhelmed by it all.

“We’re all whores in one way or another,” I say, changing into a fresh dress shirt. “But no. I’ve never done the escort thing.”

She nods, looking relieved to hear that. “So, how are you a whore?” she asks with a laugh.

“I’m here. I need other people’s money to keep our investments flowing.” Dani examines the accessories Nikola packed for me and hands me a brown belt. I like this, us getting ready together. “It’s a lot of work raising hundreds of millions of dollars each year and even more work getting our investors their promised returns.”

“I wish I knew more about finance. I get so lost in some of your conversations.”

“The words make everyone feel smarter than they actually are,” I reassure her. If she’s ever been lost by one of my interactions, I haven’t noticed it. “At the end of the day, our reputation is everything, and I do what I can to undersell and over deliver.”

She nods and then goes through her luggage. “Too sexy?” Dani asks, holding up a black satin dress.

“Wow,” I growl. “The guys will love it. Know you will be drooled over, though.”

A playful smirk grows on her face. “What do you think of that … other guys drooling over me.”

“You’re coming to bed with me.” I stalk toward her. “So, I love it.”

51

“The party has arrived.” Greg laughs as we enter the private dining room of the resort’s restaurant. It feels like a dad joke. I look him up and down. Not checking him out but sizing him up. He was probably hot when he was younger and forty pounds lighter and is still riding that energy.

“Cokes for everyone,” Greg says to the server. “We’re going to be sneaky.” He winks at me, flashing me a flask.Thank God!

“I knew I liked you.” I laugh, so relieved I can have a drink to take the edge off the intensity of meeting these high-profile people.

I look around the room. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls highlight a panoramic view of the mountains. I want to come back here in the winter. I can only imagine how beautiful it is then.

Within minutes, the private dining room is filled with eight other guys and four other girls. I’m desperately trying to control my face because they all have to be paid dates. The guys are older than Adam, and the dates are all around my age.

“You better make it real clear I’m your girlfriend,” I tightly whisper to Adam. “Like real, real girlfriend.”

He laughs, raising his coke up to Greg who comes over and discreetly pours contents from the flask. Then, grabs mine and does the same.

“Say nothing. We’re breaking conference rules.”

Passed appetizers begin appearing. Adam introduces me to everyone, sharing how I’m working with Harris Ventures on various PR projects. Adam and Greg are deep in conversations, each of them holding court with separate small groups.

“Tell these family office guys to stay in their lane,” Adam says, and his group erupts in laughter. The nuanced humor is lost on me, but the fact that he can hold a crowd so well is not. He’s so dynamic and so engaging.