by Lisa Oliver
What he’d never noticed in the half a dozen meetings that he’d had with Mario, was that the man was a consummate flirt. When Asaph had called Mario the day before and let him know he’d be bringing a partner with him to dinner, Mario simply thanked him for the advance notice, and said it would be the perfect opportunity for Asaph to meet his personal assistant. Usually the men dined alone and Mario had never been anything more than friendly. The personal assistant, Paul, was a surprise. He looked more like a wrestler than someone who worked behind a desk and his conversation skills were nil. But Mario more than made up for it. Unfortunately, he seemed to prefer to talk to Ronan rather than Asaph, and Asaph felt his anger upsetting the digesting of his rather large steak.
“Have you made a decision on the offer I gave you?” He said bluntly, when Mario seemed ready to launch into another business story that was clearly designed to impress his fiancé.
“Do we have to talk about business tonight?” Mario said, with a wide grin. He wasn’t a tall man, only about five foot ten, but he was handsome in a classic sort of way. He had a slim build but wide shoulders, and his dark curly hair framed a pleasant face.
“I thought that’s why you wanted to meet for dinner,” Asaph said, gritting his teeth and reminding himself to be polite. “Beatrice sent you the contracts over a week ago, and when you telephoned and invited me I assumed you were ready to sign.”
“That’s before I knew you were getting married,” Mario said, his dark eyes gleaming with something Asaph didn’t understand. “Imagine my surprise when instead of having a busty blonde on your arm, you turn up with this delightful creature.”
“Perhaps I should leave you gentlemen in peace seeing as this is meant to be a business meeting,” Ronan said, laying his napkin on the table. “Frankly, I find business talks a bit dry in terms of entertainment; I’m well aware Asaph and I will only be here a few days, so if you have things to discuss, then I’ll only be in the way. I’ll see you in our suite, Asaph.” Ronan made to stand up, but Mario’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“You are Asaph’s business partner, are you not?” Mario said and Asaph felt his wolf slide into protective mode. “Surely you come from an investment background, just like your surly fiancé. I don’t imagine he does a lot outside of business circles, so how on earth did he meet you?”
“I’m sure you read the papers, Mario, so cut the crap,” Asaph snapped. “Ronan is my full business partner and we now share all assets and accounts. But that was a wedding present; saves us signing a prenup. Ronan prefers not to have a lot to do with business decisions, although I always value his opinion. However, in this matter, we made our agreement before Ronan became part of the company, so it is probably best we discuss it alone if there are problems with the contract.”
“Oh we can talk about business anytime. I’m more excited about your prospective wedding,” Mario said clapping his hands like a two-year-old. “And the papers, they say you’re getting married here in Vegas. Have you got your license?”
“Yes.” Asaph was tense. He didn’t know what was going on, but Mario was up to something, he could smell it.
“Then that’s perfect,” Mario beamed. “I insist that you hold the wedding at my estate just out of town. My cousin is a celebrant and can conduct the ceremony. I take it you weren’t thinking of too many guests.”
“Bronson and Beatrice are flying in tomorrow. We were planning on getting married after the ground breaking ceremony tomorrow morning.”
“Absolutely wonderful, although why an influential man like yourself wants to run away and get married in one of our tacky chapels, I just don’t know. But please, as a favor to a friend, let me host your guests tomorrow. You can be married by my cousin, and I’ll arrange a small party for some of your associates here afterwards. Elegant, sophisticated, just the sort of wedding you and your man deserve. I’ll even arrange for a car to take your two friends to the airport in time for their flight home.”
Asaph was trapped. It would be rude if he refused and given that Asaph had already made an offer on the land Mario was selling, future negotiations could be difficult if he didn’t play along.
“Mr. Bertillini…Mario,” Ronan said quickly, when Mario frowned at the use of his full name. “Your offer is beyond generous, but honestly we wouldn’t dream of allowing you to arrange something so elaborate on such short notice. The imposition to your staff, and in your own home as well. Your offer warms my heart, but I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Asaph did not like the way Mario leaned impossibly closer to his mate.
“I had my heart set on having a Harley themed wedding. I saw it on the Viva Las Vegas site,” Ronan said as though confessing his deepest secret. “Asaph’s arranged everything already, but the best bit is I get to see him in leather pants. Leather pants! How often am I going to get a chance to do that with my businessman boyfriend?”
“I see your point, and of course it is your special day,” Mario said, and he seemed to be thinking about something but either Ronan didn’t notice, or he was ignoring it.
“You’re welcome to come, of course. You and Paul, or maybe your wife,” Ronan said with a wide smile of his own. “You may look a little…” he waved his hand at the suit Mario was wearing. Asaph knew it was an original Armani and worth more than most men would make in a year. “…sophisticated,” Ronan continued. “But your offer was so generous, especially after only meeting me this evening, and I don’t want you to see this refusal as a negative mark against our budding friendship.” Bloody hell. Ronan had Mario eating out of his hand.
“You are so kind,” Mario said, bowing his head. “I’ll be there with pleasure, and as my gift to you and your future husband, I’ll sign the contract for the land you want Asaph. Paul will contact your Beatrice and make all of the arrangements. We can sign them just prior to your flying home, Thursday, isn’t it?”
Asaph took Ronan’s hand, no longer caring about how it might look. They’d been talking weddings, so it was hardly as though it was a business meeting any longer. “We are,” he said. “I’m not sure if you saw the papers, but my fiancé is hosting his new club opening on Friday night and he and his friends are going to perform.”
“You sing?” Mario said, grabbing Ronan’s attention again. Asaph slipped his thumb into Ronan’s palm, stroking it gently. Ronan hid his shiver in a laugh.
“No, you don’t ever want to hear me sing,” he said. “My friends and I dance. We’ve been together about five years, I choreograph all of our routines, and we try and perform three times a week. Asaph was kind enough to give me my own club, so I’d have somewhere permanent for our small group of fans to visit.”
“So you don’t travel with your friends?” Mario asked. “Would you be interested in performing in one of my establishments?”
“You haven’t seen him dance yet,” Asaph cut in quickly. “While I can assure you any hotel here would love to have him on their schedule permanently, Ronan would prefer to stay closer to his friends, and his own club.”
“Asaph’s right,” Ronan said quickly. “It would be far too easy for my friends to be swept away by the lights of Vegas. We all prefer a regular pay check, and a chance to fall into our beds at night. Thanks to Asaph, now we can.” Ronan turned his back on Mario, running his hand up Asaph’s arm and then winking. “I’m heading upstairs. We have to be at the ground breaking ceremony at nine sharp tomorrow, and I still have a workout to do. Sitting on that plane has stiffened me up.” Asaph shook his head. Thinking about Ronan working out had parts of him stiffening up as well. But Ronan pretended not to notice. He kissed Asaph on the cheek, and then smiled at the other two men at the table. “Mario, it’s been a pleasure. Paul, so nice to meet you. Now if you’ll all excuse me, I’ll bid you goodnight.”
Asaph watched Ronan cross the room, his head held high, his ass swaying thanks to those impossible boots, seemingly oblivious to the looks he got from men and women. Although most shifters managed to assimilate well with humans, Ronan
had this other-worldly aura about him. The graceful way he moved; the confidence he had in his stance. But it was more than that. Many men and women could be graceful. Ronan had something more, an inner glow that everyone seemed to respond to. While he knew his aura was more powerful than Ronan’s would ever be, there was something about Ronan that made people want to get to know him, and to protect him. It seemed that Mario had caught it too.
“You know, old friend, that man of yours shines brighter than the lights on The Strip. I can understand why you want to keep him.”
Ronan disappeared from sight and Asaph turned back to the table. His wolf would rather have followed their mate, but Asaph felt he’d be showing his weakness if he didn’t stay at least a little bit longer. “Ronan is very special to me,” he said, unused to talking about his personal life with business associates. “I trust him more than anyone.”
“As it should be between engaged people,” Mario said, but there was an edge in his voice that Asaph didn’t like and he braced himself for whatever Mario said next. “There’ve been some people however,” Mario continued, “who, how should I say this; are concerned a person with your business acumen would take up with someone who is clearly not in your social circles.”
“I’ve seen a dozen colleagues take up with people who appear to be totally unsuitable for them, but it doesn’t impact the way they do business, and their personal love life is none of my concern,” Asaph said, purposefully staying calm and refusing to let Mario rile him.
“Of course. Old men, young women; such a cliché and yet it still happens.” Mario’s eyes narrowed. “But you’re not old, and Ronan is definitely not a woman. You’ve made no secret of the fact that you’ve handed over half your company to him, and that is not something the business community understands. In fact, it’s unheard of. There are those who think you’ve lost your mind over a perky man with a sweet face and a tight ass.”
Asaph sat back in his chair and picked up his glass, watching the contents swirl as he twirled it. He had always thought that the biggest problem to his mating Ronan would be Ronan’s gender. He never thought for a second that people would question anything else. “So what if I have?” He replied. “Why should it bother anyone what I do with my company? I don’t owe anyone any money. I have no stockholders or shareholders to worry about. All of my businesses are turning a profit and I’m raking in cash every day. Why should anyone in the business community care if I decide I want to share that wealth with my partner?”
“This marriage is causing you problems in Orlando, is it not? The papers said you’re being sued over a breach of promise.”
“A jealous ex who’s proving with everything she does that she’s nothing more than a gold digger. My lawyers are handling it.”
“So there’s no substance to the stories. You didn’t get engaged to her and then break if off, leaving her heartbroken in grief. Your relationship with her wasn’t just a cover for your homosexual desires?”
Asaph sat upright, slamming his glass on the table. Paul quickly reached under his jacket, and then clearly thought better of it. “What’s this about Mario? We’re friends to a point, but that’s all. Why the hell should it bother you who I sleep with or what I do with my company as long as I have enough money to pay you for the land we’ve been negotiating for the better part of a year.”
“I wanted to do business with you,” Mario said, mirroring Asaph’s pose. “Your reputation for solid business sense extends well beyond Florida’s boundaries. But now, in the space of a few weeks, you’ve been outed as a gay man, bad publicity is being circulated faster than it can be read, and your business – the one thing that gave you credibility has been halved with one stroke of the pen. What were you thinking?”
“There’s nothing wrong with the way I do business, or my credibility,” Asaph snarled keeping his voice low. His eyes might be fixed on Mario, but he was still conscious that there were in a restaurant, the clink of glasses and cutlery on plates a backdrop to their discussion. “My family has a long standing tradition of sharing everything with the people they marry. It’s how I was raised, and before you ask, Ronan knew nothing about it until after the fact. If you don’t want to do business with me, then just say so. But don’t criticize my personal life or the way I operate unless you have hard facts to back up what you’re talking about.”
“But that’s just it,” Mario said, leaning across the table. “I am doing business with you, but from what my accountants told me, I’m going to lose a hell of a lot of money if this marriage with Ronan goes through.”
Asaph sat back, more to do with him wanting some personal space than the overpowering smell of Mario’s cologne. It hadn’t bothered him earlier but now he was fighting his wolf who was enraged at the insult to him and Ronan. “What are you talking about? The only business we have together is this land deal, and you said yourself you’re going to sign it. You’re the one making money out of this, not me, not yet.”
“The Lake Apopka Mall deal. Come on,” Mario said, running his fingers through his hair. “I know you’re a busy man, and sure, you’ve got a hot young lover to keep track of but you can’t tell me you don’t realize how badly this multi-million dollar deal is doing. When are you going to get the permits sorted, and inject your own money into this?”
Understanding hit Asaph like a sledgehammer. “You met with Rudy Walker?”
Mario shook his head. “I met him briefly, a long time ago. But no, your man Corsairs called me. You should know that, you told him to get in touch.”
“I did no such thing,” Asaph said grimly. “I have absolutely no connection with any new mall deal in Orlando, not at the lake, not anywhere. I don’t deal in malls.”
“Well how did Corsairs get my number, or even know who I am?” Mario demanded. Asaph had a pretty good idea, but he wasn’t going to share those thoughts with Mario. “I’ve already put twenty mil into this thing, and Corsairs’ lawyer got in touch the other day and wants a further thirty. My accountant told me not to send any more money until I’d spoken to you because his research didn’t turn up any pending permits or anything.”
“You’re lucky you’ve got such a good accountant,” Asaph said. “Why the hell didn’t you call me before sending money? You know what kind of a businessman I am. Have you ever known me to seek investment without personally talking to the people involved?”
“Well, no,” Mario said. “But Corsairs…Fuck.” Mario grabbed his glass and sculled the contents. “He sounded so convincing. Hell, I knew you were seeing his daughter. He told me you two were getting married. The mall was something your supposed wife wanted to do and it had your backing. Apparently you were putting up your half when you married the daughter – as a wedding present to her. Then just after they asked me for more money, I read about the court case, and see the pics of you and that young man of yours and I’m thinking what the fuck?”
“So that’s why you wanted to meet me, and bought along your personal assistant,” Asaph said grimly, casting a look at Paul who’d sat stoic throughout. “What’s next, going to take me outside and fit me with concrete boots?”
“What? No,” Mario said impatiently, brushing off Asaph’s innuendo. “But my twenty mil was given with the understanding that you were matching all investments. If you’re not, then how the hell is Corsairs going to get the project up and running.”
“He isn’t,” Asaph said, standing up and buttoning his jacket. “You should have talked to me before parting with one red cent. Do you have a list of the other investors?”
“Yes, back at the office.”
“Then I suggest you grab that list, make some calls and then bring in the lawyers. I can tell you this for nothing – Corsairs is broke; his partner Walker is broke. I’ve never heard of this mall project; Corsairs never mentioned it when I was dating his daughter. You’ve been conned, plain and simple. You know how I do business. You should have picked up the phone and saved yourself a ton of money. Goodnight.”
&nbs
p; Asaph strode through the restaurant. He refused to feel sorry for Mario. The man’d known him a year. Asaph never passed messages through other people and always dealt with him directly. With an investment of that size, Mario should’ve talked to him first. But as he hurried to the penthouse suite, wanting nothing more than to inhale Ronan’s scent and sink himself into his mate’s slender body, Asaph couldn’t help but worry about how many other business associates had been fleeced the same way. Maybe he should get the list from Mario and offer to help with a class action suit. Or maybe he should just sell his business and retire. Dealing with the lies and deceit going on around him was getting to be a right pain in the ass.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ronan tugged at the sleeve of his new leather jacket. Why don’t bikers get married in denim? They probably do, or maybe they go the suit route just for something different. But given we’re not bikers we insisted on the leather, and ugh, this thing’s so damn stiff. His pants were fine – he owned them and had for some time. They were soft, molded his shape and were comfortable to wear. But his jacket was less than a day old, a surprise present from his too-rich-to-count fiancé.
“You nervous?” Enzo whispered beside him. That was another surprise. Bronson turning up with Marcos, Jeff and Enzo. Thankfully Enzo got past the anger, tears and his typical drama fairly quickly. It wasn’t that Ronan forgot to invite his friends to his wedding; he just hadn’t mentioned it because he thought Enzo would’ve been insulted at not being asked to organize the event. But apparently getting the club ready for an opening in three days’ time, when it wasn’t going to be perfect for “weeks, darling, simply weeks,” was enough to keep Enzo diverted.
“I’ve nothing to be nervous about. He’ll show up.” Ronan said. Of that he had no doubt. But Asaph had been in a strange mood since he’d come back to the room the night before. In typical Asaph fashion, he didn’t want to talk about it, and after being pinned to the bed and kissed in a way that should be illegal and probably was, Ronan found he didn’t have the brains left to worry about anything.