Her blood boiled at the cool tone and the sardonic lilt to the voice. Sweetheart? The last man who said that to her found himself lying on the floor, clutching his balls while he writhed in agony. Well, of course, he tried to accost her in an alley behind the club on Saturday night but, as a rule, Tania didn’t like men who thought that a woman’s place was in the kitchen or on the bed, and he certainly looked like he was one of the Neanderthals. “You’re not authorized to be here,” she said in a stern voice.
A frown winkled his forehead, but the smile that spread across his lips was full of amusement. He held up the keys of the place in his fingers and dangled them in front of her. “I beg to differ, sweetheart. The manager gave me these keys so that I can inspect this place. Now, may I know who you are?”
She pulled herself to her full height. This man intended to take this property from right under her nose. No way. Not in this lifetime. She wouldn’t let it happen. “I am a property negotiator and this is my turf, pal. I’ve already talked to Xavier and he agreed verbally to sell it to me, subject to my approval and, of course, to the owners of this place.”
“If it’s not in writing, it won’t stand in the court, sweetheart. Not to worry. You will be able to find something else. I’ve got my eyes on this place.” He strode in and began to inspect the building. “Good condition. Will need another touch of paint. The air-conditioning looks new and I like that they are up to date on all safety measures.”
Since these were all the points that she mentally made while she inspected it, Tania ground her teeth in frustration. She didn’t know who the hell this man was, but he was not buying this property. Once she selected something, she held on to it. No way was he snatching this from her. Taking out her phone, she placed a call to Xavier.
What the hell was he playing at?
“Xavier, there is a man in your property who is nosing around without permission. Why don’t you call the police while I keep him here?”
“What’s his name?”
“Hey, what’s your name?” she asked him.
“Riley Smith. Say hi to Xavier.”
She wanted to punch him in the face. Wait until she was done here. He wouldn’t be so cocky when the police bundled him off for trespassing on private property. “He says his name is Riley Smith. Do you by any chance…”
“I know him. He is a friend of a friend. They wanted to see the place, and I couldn’t say no.”
Tania nearly hissed as she kept her gaze fixed on the man who was now bounding towards the back, probably to see the backup generators. “We had an agreement. You’re not supposed to show this property to anyone else for a week.”
“I’m sorry, Tania, but I know these people personally. As per our verbal contract, I haven’t shown this to any one of your competitors, but, with this organization, I couldn’t say no. I have ties with them. I look forward to hear your bid for the property.” He hung up.
Tania seethed as she marched towards the back to find her nemesis. “Who the hell are you?
He emerged from behind the generator. There was a speck of dust on his sleeve which he removed with a causal flick of his fingers. “Riley Smith. Have you forgotten already?”
She raised an eyebrow, knowing that he was deliberately baiting her. “What is it that you do?”
“This and that.” He waved his hand. “I generally deal with all business negotiations for my company.”
Tania didn’t know what to make of this information. Still, she didn’t care who he was or which organization he worked for. All it mattered was she drove him off the property. “I am Tania Mathew.” She held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He clutched her hand, pumped it, and let it go. “You sure know how to change your tune fast, sweetheart. A moment ago, I thought you were going to send the police after me.”
She curbed her anger at his blunt talk. Acquiring this property was the most important thing that she needed to do now, and in order to achieve her goal, she was willing to play nice. “I apologize. Naturally, I was scared when you showed up here. I frighten easily.”
“When you vowed to hold me here until the police arrived, you certainly didn’t sound frightened,” he said. “But never mind that. Now that we’re friends, let me tell you straight on that we’re willing to pay top price for this property. You don’t stand a chance. Find something else.”
“My client wants this,” she said. Tania managed to keep a cool tone as she matched him step for step as he walked from one end to the other. “But I do have some reservations about this place.”
He turned around to face her. “Really, like what?”
His sudden close proximity unnerved her. Tania didn’t intimidate easily, and yet this man somehow made her nervous. There was something about him that told her that he wasn’t one of those idiotic men that she could easily manipulate. Still, she was willing to give this a try. “The roof needs some work, and I think I saw some signs of mold. I will have to bring the inspector here to be sure but whoever buys this place is looking for some major renovation.”
“I didn’t see any mold.”
She waved a hand. “I’ve been doing this for seven years, Mr. Smith. Trust me, I know my job. Also, it might be important to get a safety expert here and take a look at those pillars. I saw some chipped paint and underneath it, some loose mortar. You certainly don’t want this whole thing to collapse right on top of you while you are still signing the papers now, do you?” She laughed gaily. “I guess I should be off. It was nice talking to you.”
His smile was quick and cocky. “It was a pleasure to meet you, sweetheart. You’re a piece of work.”
“Excuse me!”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, sweetheart. This building is sound and you’re not going to drive me away by your lies. I intend to buy it.”
Well, it was time to take off the gloves and deal with this man to man. Or in this case, woman to man, but certainly she was way better at it than him. “You’re mistaken. I am the one who is going to buy this place, and I would kindly advice you to get out my way. I don’t take any prisoners.”
“Neither do I.”
Tania glared at him. He sure had some nerve. She’d thought he would back off after she told him a list of negative things, but he was made of sterner stuff. She did applaud his presence of mind. He didn’t scare easily. Well, she was more than a match for him. Tania didn’t have any intention of letting him get the better of her. This property was ideal for what she had in mind.
“What the hell are you going to do with this place anyway?”
“We’re distributors of retail products, sweetheart, and this place is ideal for our work.” Taking out his sunglasses, he wore them again. “Why don’t you spend your time and money getting this place inspected while I will make the offer for it today? Let’s see if Xavier decides to wait until you’re ready to give your final word.”
He strode off. She ran after him. “Hey, wait a minute. You can’t do that.”
He stopped and turned to face her. “I can and I will, sweetheart. Let that be a lesson to you; not every man you meet is a complete idiot.”
“All right, sorry. I was only trying to dissuade you from making a quick offer. Listen, I saw this place first and it’s high on my list of priorities.” She gave him a winning smile. “I apologize if I came on too hard earlier, but this is important for my work. I really, really need this deal. Can’t you choose another place? In fact, how about I show you some other warehouses that will meet your requirements? Here is my card.” She took out her card from her wallet and handed it to him. “Why don’t we meet for dinner and you can tell me exactly what you’re looking for, and I will find it for you? That’s my job, and I am pretty good at it.”
He took the card from her hand. “I can see that. Hmmm…from intimidation to lies to flattery. Is there anything you will not do to get this place?”
Temper roiled deep in her gut. Another man wouldn’t have been able to resist her sob
story and the quick pat of flattery, but he was certainly different from others. What the hell would it take to win him over? “I don’t like your insinuations.”
“And I don’t like your attitude, sweetheart. Be a real player and deal with this shit. Don’t try to flatter me or make a fool of me. I like a woman who can hold her own, but you spoil the game when you start throwing all these different strategies.” He smiled and put her card in his pocket. “I will see you in Xavier’s office.”
Shit! She ground her teeth. He was a real asshole. The man had a damning attitude. He made her angry, no doubt about it. Usually, all it took was a quick smile and a sob story and men fell all over themselves to complete her wishes, but he wasn’t buying any of this crap. As he walked away, Tania bit her bottom lip. If he made the offer, what would Xavier do? He might just choose him due to their personal connection.
At the door, he turned back. “Hey! How about dinner tomorrow night? We can talk about this some more.”
She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but, instead, Tania forced a smile to her face. He just gave her another opportunity to turn this around. Score one for her. “Sure, why not.”
“See you at the Rose Garden at seven tomorrow. My treat.” After blowing her a kiss, he walked out.
The man sure had some solid moves. It would be fun to play these games with him. Certainly it wasn’t often that she got the opportunity to meet someone who could hold his own. She liked it – a tad too much. But what the hell? This was her chance to prove that she was the best in the business. Tania didn’t have any intention to back off from this deal – and that was her final word on it.
Chapter Two
The sexy, curvaceous blonde who stared at him out of piercing green eyes was like a punch straight to his gut. She was HOT. Poured in a red dress that looked as if it was sewn on her, and the matching red heels that could kill a man if aimed at just the right place, she was manna from heaven. He wanted to gulp her in one big, greedy bite, but, of course, she was sure to put up a huge fight.
He enjoyed sparring with her. It wasn’t often a woman could meet his wit and intelligence – but she was more than a match for him on every level. He loved the way she reacted when she was threatened in her professional sphere. The claws came out and the gloves came off. Good, he would relish the battle that was sure to follow.
Riley had only one goal; he wanted to secure the warehouse for Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood, the biker’s club that he belonged to. They needed this place for storage of the goods that they distributed across the country. Riley was the one who made all these business decisions because he was the only one who held a Master’s degree, but above him was the Board of High Members. As one of their newest members, he needed to do something amazing to secure a place in their board. After years of corporate work on Wall Street, he finally left everything behind to join his true passion: bikes. Now, he was an official member of the club and desired to become one of the senior members. This was his chance to achieve that goal.
He didn’t tell Tania about the gang because people generally reacted negatively to such news. The Devil’s Mafia Brotherhood boasted a scary name but their activities were all legal. Yes, they did ride fast bikes, but that was the extent of their uniformity to stereotypical bikers’ club. Procuring this warehouse would add to their profits, and that was exactly what he intended to do.
He was sure about his mission and nothing would deter him from getting to it; not even the delicious, gorgeous blonde who was now walking towards him with a killer smile and curves that could make a man melt into them. Everything about her was perfect; her beautiful face, the long, aquiline nose, the creamy, smooth skin, and the red lips that invited him to kiss her. If she weren’t the enemy, he would have taken her straight to bed – but in this particular case, it was important to be careful. This particular kitten had killer claws. He didn’t want to become a victim of her ambitions.
Riley stood as she swept through the door, leaving in her wake a dazed doorman and a stunned couple. The wife nudged the husband before walking out. This woman could cause a riot with a single look. All the more reason for him to wish he could tame this tigress.
When she thrust out her hand to shake it, he took it, raised it to his lips, and kissed her. “Hello. Thank you for coming.”
Even though she hid it well, he could tell that she was surprised by his unexpected gallant move. “The pleasure is mine,” she said.
They both glanced at each other for a few seconds and, of course, the battle lines were drawn. Keeping a hold on her hand, he tugged her forward. “Let’s sit. I’ve been waiting for this dinner since yesterday.”
“Not more than me,” she murmured. Smoothly she got her hand out of his embrace and slid on to her seat. He pushed it forward a bit and then sat opposite her.
“Why don’t we order first?” he offered.
She studied the menu and when the waiter came forward, they ordered. After he left, she put her hands on the table and studied him. “Riley, right? You’re new in town.”
“I’m not from here, originally. Came down two years ago and settled here.”
“What have you decided about the warehouse?”
He shook his head at her abrupt change of topic. She sure didn’t have any patience. “Right down to business, sweetheart, and here I thought you were here for my attractive body.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Your body is currently not as tempting as the warehouse, Riley. Not that I feel you’re not hot, but I do have a job to complete and that comes first.”
“A lance straight through my heart, sweetheart.” He sighed. “And here I was harboring hopes that you were actually secretly attracted to me.”
“Oh, I am attracted to you. No doubt about that.” She leaned forward, offering him an ample view of her cleavage. “But right now, my priorities lie somewhere else.”
She was attracted to him? He didn’t think she was lying about it. The way her gaze clung to him and the passion that swirled in their clear depths was certainly not fake. Perhaps, in this one instant, he could mix business and pleasure.
“I’ve sent my opinion to my higher-ups. They are thinking about it, but I think they would go for it. It is, after all, a great property,” he told her just to see her reaction.
Her lips pursed in a thin line as she surveyed him. “I would like you to withdraw your interest in this property. Xavier seems to be awaiting your decision and he is not processing my paperwork.”
“Xavier knows my higher-ups, sweetheart. I thought he made that clear to you, and he would prefer us to have the property because, one, he knows someone who is on our board and, two, we are prepared to give cash for this deal.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Cash? That’s unusual.”
“We’re an unusual bunch of people.”
The waiter brought their appetizers and they both waited until he was gone. “You’re stealing the food right from my plate.”
He smiled. “I assume you meant it in a metaphorical manner. After all, I am actually feeding you.” She took a bite of her food and then sat back to stare at him. “You’re making me conscious, sweetheart,” he said.
“I intend to do more than,” she claimed. “If you don’t get out of my way, you will regret it.”
He liked a woman who could issue a challenge with the utmost confidence. The more time he spent with her, the greater the chance that he would fall under the web that she was spinning. He knew exactly what she was doing. Since she didn’t get her way through anger, now she wanted to seduce him into giving in. Riley admired her guts. She was one hell of a woman – and he sure wanted more than one meal with her.
He laughed as he refilled his glass with wine. He offered her some more but she declined. “I don’t scare easily, sweetheart, so don’t try too hard.”
“How about I give you some money to back off? Or perhaps I can do some pro bono work for you?”
“What kind of pro bono work?”
His leery grin proba
bly told her exactly what she was thinking. “I wasn’t thinking along those lines. Why is that men automatically think about the worst scenario?”
“In my head, that’s the best scenario.” He drank some wine as he considered her offers. There was no way that he was giving in, but he enjoyed making her squirm. He couldn’t wait to hear what she came up with. “Anyway, tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I could show you guys some prime property that won’t come up for sale this year, but we can crack a private deal. It’s in a great location. The warehouse facilities are excellent and they would be a great investment. Of course, I won’t be charging my usual commission.”
“That’s right generous of you, sweetheart, but those warehouses facilities won’t be available next month,” he drawled. She was really working for it. He could practically see the wheels of her mind working.
This Savage Love: A Bad Boy Romance Boxed Set Page 98