Duke

by Candace Blevins

  “They’re just picking on you, Beautiful. Ignore them.” Duke was looking through news articles on his tablet and seemed to be pretty engrossed as well.

  She started organizing her notes for the meeting, and jumped a little when her phone rang. She’d asked her assistant to hold all calls unless something important came up, so she answered in her most professional voice possible.

  “I just sent you an encrypted file,” Chance said, his voice serious. She noted almost every man in the room looked up, and realized they could hear Chance through the phone. She looked away, determined to ignore them.

  “When you saw me a few weeks ago you made a comment on my outfit, and I made fun of a word you used. That word is the password to decrypt it. This is serious shit, Gen. I’ve already called Tyler and texted Nathan, they’re on the way to my office for a briefing. Not likely dangerous, but it’s a political minefield, and one our people may need to address.”

  Gen punched in carnivalesque and hoped they both spelled it the same way, and was relieved when the file opened, but then her stomach flip-flopped as she realized the mayor’s wife owned the property the city was trying to buy from a corporation not willing to sell.

  She sized the situation up, tapping her nails on the edge of the laptop a half-dozen times before saying, “Okay, Tyler’ll want to know my game plan. Before the meeting starts, I’ll ask their rep how the mayor and his wife are doing, and casually inquire as to how long they’ve been back from Switzerland. I’m guessing he’ll be a lot easier to negotiate with at that point, but if not then I’ll walk out of the meeting without a deal, and then probably jump into the center of the landmine. No game plan for Plan B yet, but I’m sure something will come to me.”

  Duke walked to her as she ended the call, and she minimized her window as he looked at the screen. He looked to her and she said, “Remember how I’ve shut up and backed down a couple of times when you told me it was club business?” He nodded and she continued. “Well, this is my business, and I know how to handle it. There’s no physical danger, just professional, and I’m well equipped to handle it.”

  “The mayor owns the property?”

  She shook her head.

  “You know,” he reminded her, “if it’s been on that laptop, Brain can pull it back up.”

  Gen closed the program she’d been using to remotely access her office computer, pulled the USB out, and motioned for Duke to take the laptop. “Fine, then I won’t need to tell you anything.” She put the jump drive in her jeans pocket, physically handed him the laptop this time, and said, “This calls for an entirely different outfit. I need to go home and start getting ready.”

  In truth, she wanted to talk to Tyler away from RTMC ears. He tended to be a little overprotective of everyone in Frisco’s group of friends, and she needed to be sure Tyler didn’t insert himself into the situation.

  “Yeah. I think I’ll follow you home,” Duke drawled, his gaze sharp. “See what kind of outfit this type of situation calls for.”

  Gen rolled her eyes. “Fine. That lets me wear the boots home, and you can bring them back with you, so they’ll be here if we want to ride.”

  She talked to Tyler on the drive home, with Duke on his motorcycle behind her. He’d emailed an app to her, told her to install it, and then use it to call him, insuring it would encrypt their conversation so no one could overhear.

  When she had him on the phone via the app, his first words were, “I don’t know that tipping your hand is the way to go.”

  She wasn’t entirely certain he was wrong, so she asked, “I’m assuming you have a better idea?”

  “How about calling the mayor’s office now, with a few hours to go before the meeting, and telling him there’s a potential problem with the land he’s been looking at, and suggesting another property that may work better for the city’s needs.”

  “I’m not aware of any problems.”

  “Easy to fix. I’ll get one of the archeologists working on the Moccasin Bend site to draft something and email it to you, so you’ll have it before you’re home.”

  Gen laughed. “You’re brilliant. The whole area is riddled with Native American stuff. The city attorneys will run screaming to another plot of land if anyone even mentions an artifact within a quarter mile. Okay, work it up. I actually have another spot already picked, and I’ll get double commission if I sell it, so this works perfectly.”

  “Yes, and gets you out of the quagmire without making a political enemy.”

  “Thanks, Tyler. I’ll give you fifteen percent of my commission on the sale. You’ve more than earned it.”

  “That’s very generous, and I’ll accept, but only because I need to grease a few palms.”

  “Right, and I’m sure I don’t need to say it but I will anyway. No money trail going from me to the archeologist.”

  “Of course.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “Crisis averted,” she told Duke as he swung off his bike. “Original outfit will still work, if there’s going to be a meeting, though I’m not sure it’ll happen today. I have some phone calls to make, see what kind of damage and mayhem I can create.”

  “Can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up, Beautiful. I love the way your mind works.”

  He sat on her dainty little sofa in her home office, looking totally out of place, and she ignored him as she talked to several city attorneys, the city media liaison, and finally the mayor himself.

  When she pushed way from her desk, still in jeans and motorcycle boots, Duke said, “Our version of mayhem is way different than yours, but I’m not sure which is worse.”

  “Bodily harm will always be worse than financial harm, Duke.”

  “Always? I dunno. I’d rather have a few black eyes and cracked ribs, if the alternative was losing a twelve million dollar deal.”

  “Yeah, well, you heal almost instantly, too.”

  “So, by my reckoning, you just negotiated a deal that’ll give you a sixty thousand dollar commission instead of the thirty-five thousand dollar commission you’d have received if the other plot had worked out?”

  “Yeah, but I’m gonna have to pay out nine thousand in expenses.” She shrugged. “I’m still way better off, and the mayor is hurting. The irony is, I only started digging for the true owner because they got too greedy and something didn’t feel right. If they’d accepted my fourth offer for just under ten mil, which was more than the land was worth, we’d be closing in about forty-five minutes and they’d be free and clear.”

  “Are you going to expose them? Let the media know the mayor bought land on the cheap when he knew the city wanted it, and then jacked the price up?”

  She shook her head. “No. Aaron Drake asked me to keep it quiet, said he’ll owe me one for giving it to him to use on his chess board.” She narrowed her eyes. “This means you don’t use it, and none of your men ever speak of it to anyone.”

  “No worries.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “This mean you’re free the rest of the day?”

  She shook her head. “No, I need another hour to go over the details of the new deal and make sure all my people jump into gear so we can close on it in a few days.”

  He smiled. “You have people?”

  “Yeah. Appraisers, bank people, tax people, lawyers, closing people, escrow people, not to mention my assistant.” She shook her head, annoyed. “Since this involves a sale to the government, there are more lawyers than normal.”

  “So, there’s like an entire industry of people who make a living off of your sales?”

  “Oh, no. Not just me, they work for other agents, too. I’ve found people who are trustworthy, so I know they’ll take care of my clients and not let a sale fall through because they let the ball drop somewhere. So, I consider them my people, but,” she shrugged, “they’d survive if I stopped sending them business. May not be happy about it, but I’m not their only source of income.”

  He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and started walking to the
door, saying, “I’m going for a ride. I’ll be back in an hour and we’ll go get something to eat. Keep your riding clothes on.”

  * * * *

  “So, where did you go while I finished up with my work?” Gen asked as she set her wine glass on the table. Duke had felt like steak, and had taken her to one of the best restaurants in town for it. She felt self-conscious wearing jeans and a motorcycle jacket, but no one batted an eye at seating them and serving them.

  “I wanted to talk to Isaac about your alarm system, as well as the locks.”

  Gen nodded. “Yeah, thanks. I was going to talk to him, you saved me the trouble. What’d he say?”

  “Your guy at Drake, Chance is it?” Gen nodded and Duke continued. “Isaac said he can modify it so the law enforcement codes won’t override. He could put a digital locking system in, but for someone who’s determined, they aren’t foolproof, either. He’ll have someone rekey the locks, and he says he’ll let us know when we need to have an alibi, because in the long run it’ll be simpler to take care of the source of the problem.”

  Gen realized Duke was watching her carefully, unsure of her reaction, which was fair, as she wasn’t sure of her reaction, either. On the one hand, roughing up a cop and threatening him, so he’d know it was because he harassed her, was probably a bad idea. On the other hand, Gen had the idea Isaac knew what he was doing, and when he set out to do something, he didn’t screw around.

  “Okay, I’ll need to talk to Isaac before I decide whether I approve or not, but I’m assuming he isn’t planning it for tonight, so I have time.”

  He settled his beer beside his plate and said, “I watched you in action today, getting the news from Chance, deciding on a plan of action, pulling people together to find a better one.” He shook his head. “Last night, I was sure you were in a full blown meltdown, ranting about how much you liked your boots, but as soon as I pointed out there was still work to be done, you crystallized back into total efficiency.” He took another drink, as if considering his final question, and Gen gave him as much time as he needed. Finally, he asked, “Do you ever fall apart? Need a man to hold you? Take care of you?”

  “When I first got there yesterday? I was so tired, I truly wanted nothing more than to cuddle into you, wrapped in your arms. I love the way you hold me.”

  “Okay, and thanks for sharing, because that means something to me. But, my question was whether you ever fall apart?”

  “You were friends with my brother growing up — have you ever seen my mother fall apart? She raised five kids by herself, ran a business. Do you ever remember her, even once, not stepping up and dealing with whatever needed handling?”

  She could see him thinking, and he slowly shook his head. Gen shrugged. “I learned from the best. My emotions are there, but I can push them to the side long enough to take care of whatever problem is before me. If I’m going to fall apart, usually it’s hours later, when I’m alone. When I was growing up I had to do it in the shower, as it was the only time I had privacy.”

  She didn’t know if he realized she was giving him another piece of herself, but the look on his face told her he realized. His hand came across the table, covered hers.

  “I wasn’t having a meltdown when I was ranting about my boots, I was terrified you and the rest of the club would think I meant it. I had to say something, to get Mike to believe me, to convince him I’d suddenly seen the light, but I worried about how you’d react.”

  His head tilted, his eyes studied her face. “And as soon as I told you I knew you’d just been saying it, you snapped back to the next problem, and fixed it.”

  Gen moved her steak around, deciding whether to tell him what was on her mind, and finally just said it, “I managed a brave face this morning with Veronica, but I’m mortified the club knows you had to teach me how to…”

  “Oh, Beautiful. I’m so sorry it came out like that. I can’t make them forget it, but I’ve put the word out no one else is to bring it up to you. Veronica was so far out of line this morning… I have no idea what she was thinking.”

  “She’s thinking she gave herself to you however many times you used her, and she wasn’t good enough, but I am, even though I’m apparently inexperienced, and she hates me for it.”

  He looked at her a few seconds, sighed, and said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Why?”

  “Just, sorry for the whole thing. I want to protect you, keep you from anything that might hurt you, but I don’t seem to be doing too good of a job.”

  “Mike was my fault. My ex. Not your fault. Veronica is a bitch, but I get why she is. I’d be helpful if I knew how to tell who’s stronger and faster, though.”

  Duke put his fork on the plate, leaned back, and said, “Speaking of which, I want to try an experiment.”

  “Okay,” she said, caution in her voice.

  He closed his eyes, opened them, and suddenly Gen smelled everything. The perfume from the woman a few tables over, the sweat of the man on the other side of Duke, the fresh beer in the hand of the approaching waiter, and millions of food smells.

  Suddenly, it was gone, and she said, “No, do it again.”

  His face registered surprise, but he gave it to her again, and she looked around and matched what she was smelling with the visuals — the people, foods, plants, and airflows.

  “Is it hard, to share it with me?”

  He shook his head and it went away again. “Might take a bit for me to be able to carry on a conversation and do it, but just sitting here, it isn’t hard.”

  “So, they said we may be able to talk to each other like that, I’m guessing you can send me smells instead?”

  “Yeah. I smelled what you were smelling once last night, and then again this morning when you were in the kitchen. I guess you were thinking about me, wishing I knew what was happening in your head, and it sent me what you were smelling.”

  “Do you get all the information I get from you? Or is it the bland, nothingness I apparently smell on a daily basis.”

  He smiled. “The latter. However, we can use this to our advantage. Metaphysical gifts fall under different rules, so while I can’t tell you who is and who isn’t one of us, I can share my sense of smell with you, so you can see for yourself.”

  “Wow, that’s pretty cool. It’s like a whole new world. It’s kind of cheating, isn’t it? I mean, you said you can smell fear and arousal. I can see how knowing those things could come in handy.”

  “I can also smell a lie, assuming the person hasn’t convinced themselves they’re telling the truth, but in that case sometimes I can usually smell the crazy.”

  Her mind immediately went to her telling him she wanted ginger tea when she intended to go into her safe room, so she asked, “Then why did you go downstairs and make the ginger tea?”

  He chuckled. “Good to know you’re owning up to it, but at the time you weren’t feeling well, and apparently you really did want the tea, so it didn’t come off as a total lie. I knew something was off, but couldn’t figure out what it was and figured it couldn’t hurt to get you some ginger tea if it would help.”

  She looked at him a few seconds and said, “I’m not sorry I did it. You’re kind of a bully when you don’t get your way, and I’m not sure I’ll always tolerate you just doing whatever the hell you want.”

  He considered his words before answering, “I don’t follow orders very well, and I pretty much do whatever the hell I want. I also go after what I want, and I don’t often take no for an answer. You don’t want me sexually? Fine, I’ll leave you alone, but that doesn’t mean I won’t stay close, make sure you’re taken care of, hold you in your sleep.”

  Gen wondered what he’d have said had he not taken a moment, but decided not to ask. “I’m not going to borrow trouble, just letting you know, when you’ve pissed me off those tactics won’t work. And, should you ever cheat on me, or lie to me big, I’ll take steps to keep you away.”

  He leaned forward. “Don’t take well to threats, e
ither, Beautiful. You’ve made your point, you can stop making it. Not gonna cheat on you, and will try my best to keep from lying while not telling you the stuff you really don’t want to know. Not making promises I can’t keep here, so that’s the best I can offer.”

  Gen’s phone chimed, and it was set to only allow calls and texts through from a handful of people. She hoped it was Bethany, as Gen had texted her earlier asking if she wanted to come over later for drinks. Gen smiled when she saw it was, indeed, from her friend, and then smiled bigger as she read:

  Be there at 7 with bells on. I feel like wine tonight.

  “Bethany’s coming over tonight. I need a night with my girl.” Gen wasn’t sure how he’d take the news, but he’d been spending so much time with her, surely he had things he needed to do at night with the club.

  Duke took a drink, set his beer down. Thinking. Finally, he said, “I’m attracted to the strength in you, to the fact you decide what you want to do and you do it.”

  He was quiet, as if expecting her to respond, but it hadn’t been a question. After several long moments, Gen finally said, “Okay.”

  He shook his head. “No, not really. I’m used to people asking me things, not telling me. I wanted to bring you back to the clubhouse again tonight. I had plans for us.”

  “Then you should’ve told me your plans, Duke. We’ve been spending a lot of time together and I need an evening with Bethany.”

  He shook his head. “Yeah, okay, tonight’s done. We eat, you go home, I get you tomorrow night. My point is that we need to find a different way to communicate in the future.”

  “What do you propose?”