Page 101 of Wicked Proposal

“Whoa,” Maksim says as he sticks his head in. “Which one of those R&D reports pissed in your coffee this morning?”

I don’t bother replying. “Fire the new assistant,” I bark as I drain the dregs of said coffee.

“Why? Don’t like his brew?”

“If he can’t even work an espresso machine, he can’t work here.”

Maksim lets loose a long-suffering sigh. “That’d be the fourth one this week. I get that you’re as all-powerful as it gets, but assistants don’t grow on trees. Not even you can make that happen.”

“Then get R&D to speed up their robotics research,” I retort. “I’m sick of hiring people who can’t tell their ass from their face.”

He gives me a pointed look. “Wow. Someone really did piss in your coffee. That, or you’re back to staring holes in your ceiling until the sun comes up. When’s the last time you slept, man?”

Goddammit.Leave it to Maksim to hit the nail right on the head. “That’s none of your concern,” I snarl.

“Kind of is, when you’re being a dick to everyone else. ‘Cause then they come tome. You know, the Yulian Whisperer.” He makes jazz hands as he says it. “If that’s gonna be a permanent role, I want a pay raise.”

I turn away from Maksim and his annoying chatter. I’m in no mood for it. “Give me a status update on Nikita,” I demand, my glance sweeping over the city at our feet.

“Yessir.” I hear him flip through pages. “So far, we’ve checked all the neighboring states?—”

“The short version, Maks.”

“Alright. Short version: no dice.”

My knuckles pop. “There has to be something.”

“There isn’t,” he sighs. “We’ve got to start considering that?—”

“Don’t fucking say it,” I interrupt.

“Doesn’t make it any less true if I don’t say it.” Then, because he’s Maksim, he says it anyway. “She could be dead, Yul. All this expenditure of men and resources—it could all be for nothing.”

“I don’t care if it’s for nothing!” I rise, slamming my palms on the desk. “Nikita isoursoldier. She’s?—”

“Kira’s sister,” Maksim cuts in. “And that’s been clouding your judgment since day one.”

My gaze goes frosty as I turn it on him. “You seem to have a lot of opinions about my judgment lately.”

“I’m just saying…” He shrugs. “You don’t usually ditch me to spend the night in the Maybach unless there’s an emergency. And as far as I remember, there wasn’t one last weekend.”

“Since, as you so keenly observed, I haven’t been sleeping,” I snap, “wake me up when you get to the fucking point.”

“Oh, you slept, alright,” he says with a saucy wink. “Just not alone.”

I punch the desk. “It’s none of your fucking?—”

“Kalinda called me. She asked me where Mia was.”

“Who the hell is Kalinda?”

“Kallie.Mia’s gorgeous BFF? Moonlights as a babysitter? Smells like a tropical paradise?”

Finally, the pieces click.

“I wasn’t aware she had your number.”Sure as fuck explains how she got mine, though.

“Slipped her my business card when I kissed her hand.” He makes finger-guns and winks. “See? This old man’s got rizz.”