by Riley Storm
“Bad puns,” she echoed, trying not to roll her eyes. “I see.”
“Do you want to hear it?”
“Sure,” she said, not entirely confident of her reasoning, besides not wanting him to leave yet.
“Okay.”
He seemed so proud of himself, but she couldn’t stop staring at the way his shoulders filled out the suit. It was magnificent.
“Why,” he was saying, “Do people in Athens have a hard time waking up early?”
Olivia looked at him blankly. “Why?”
“Because,” he snickered, “Dawn is tough on Greece.”
She couldn’t help herself. Another very unprofessional giggle slipped out as she got the joke. It was so bad, what else was she supposed to do?
“Finally, someone with a sense of humor!” the man said, still just as excited as before. “I’m Aaric.” He stuck out his hand.
“Yes, I heard,” she said, finally managing to reassume her work persona, letting it slip back into place. Hopefully, not too many people had seen her break character. It wouldn’t do well for the impression she was trying to cultivate.
Reaching out, she shook his hand. His skin was soft and warm, the grip gentle yet filled with an underlying strength beyond anything she’d ever experienced before. Like he was so beyond confident of his grip, that there was no need to do more than just casually squeeze. Ever.
Then the tingles started, rolling up her arm as the handshake lasted for an eternity too long. After about a second of excessive touching, she pulled her hand back, trying to ignore the way her body had so abruptly responded to his touch.
Her nipples had been the first warning sign, stiffening under her suit jacket. Thankfully, she was still wearing it, so nobody would be able to see. Nor would anyone know of the blast wave of heat that had filled her lower body.
Who was this man?
“Olivia.”
She looked up to see Charles waving at her. It was her turn. Time to secure the deal.
“A pleasure meeting you, Aaric,” she said politely, patting him on the upper arm—his shoulder being awkwardly high to reach—and brushing past, trying to ignore the leather and oak scented mixture that tickled her nostrils.
Of course, he has to smell good too.
“Farewell, Olivia,” Aaric echoed, and then he moved out into the small crowd of real-estate agents and significant others.
But her attention was on Charles now. It was time to seal this deal.
“Charles!” she said with a huge smile, giving him a hug and a quick air-kiss on either cheek.
“So good to see you,” he said.
“And you,” she agreed, moving past him into his office. “Sorry I didn’t give you more notice I was interested in the property, else I could have saved you this whole shindig.”
To her surprise, Charles grew somewhat more somber. That wasn’t a good sign usually, but Olivia forged ahead anyway.
“I’ll be quick and to the point. The usual. Ten percent below offering. Cash deal, no financing.” She stuck out her hand, expecting Charles to shake it immediately.
Real estate in Plymouth Falls was a weird game. Everyone overpriced their properties. Unlike the big cities where there was often a bidding war of over-asking, in Plymouth Falls it was always the one who came in with the offer least under the asking price. Ten percent was generous, but that was how Olivia worked.
“I’m sorry,” Charles said, shaking his head. “But I cannot sell it to you for that.”
Olivia blinked. “What are you talking about, Charles?” she asked, not fully understanding. “How can you not sell it to me? That’s an amazing deal on a property like this. Most of those vultures out there will be at fifteen or twenty percent.”
“I know,” he said. “But you see, I’ve already sold the property. I cannot give it to you.”
Her façade cracked a little. “You’ve what?” she asked, confused.
“Someone offered me fifty percent over asking. Cash deal, done tomorrow.” Charles shrugged helplessly. “How was I supposed to turn that down?”
Olivia gaped at him. “Fifty percent?” she yelped. “Fifty percent over asking price. That’s a joke, Charles. A joke. A stalling tactic. Nobody in their right mind would actually sign for that.”
“Aaric already did.”
“Aaric. Like, tall, tanned and ridiculously handsome Aaric? Tailored suit Aaric? Mysterious guy I’ve never seen around before that looks like he doesn’t belong? That guy?” she asked. “Bad joke man?”
George was nodding throughout. “Yes. I’m sorry, Olivia. I am. But it’s done.”
She shook George’s hand and turned for the exit.
“We’ll see about that,” she said tightly.
Olivia had already signed a deal as well, and she wasn’t about to go back to her foreign client and tell them she’d failed. This wasn’t over.
Not yet.
3
“Did you really have to promise him so much money?”
Aaric rolled his eyes. “Francis, really? It’s a fraction of my own personal account. It’s a fraction, of a fraction, of a fraction, of the House account. This is nothing. Plus, it was necessary.”
“Why?” Francis asked, pointing at pictures on the wall in front of them of the property Aaric had just bought. “For this?”
“It’s about the vision, Francis. The vision. I need to learn more about these humans. Help them out. To do that, I need to be able to interact with them on the regular. This outreach center will be perfect.”
“I’m not arguing the premise of what you want to build here, Aaric. I’m just asking if you had to pay so much for the property. We still have to build it, you know.”
“Parre said this place was important,” Aaric said, dropping his voice. “So, we’re going to have it.”
The outreach center was part of his reasons for buying it. Parre wasn’t able to articulate why it was important, but that didn’t matter to Aaric. Just like the price didn’t matter either.
Francis, one of the human stewards whose family had worked with High House Draconis for over a century, was also their financial manager. That was the reason Aaric had brought him along to the auction, to ensure everything went smoothly.
So far. So good.
“Construction must be started immediately,” he said. “Start lining it up, please, so that once the sale is official, there’s no delay.”
“Of course. I’ll speak to the others, get to work on that.”
Aaric nodded, already lost in his own thoughts once more. Francis was but one of a number of stewards the dragons of Draconis had entrusted to watch over their assets while they slept, passing down the responsibility from generation to generation.
“It must be done quickly,” he said, though he didn’t elaborate on why.
Only Parre and Elanna knew his reasons. The outreach center would introduce Aaric to many humans. Including women. Women who might potentially be his mate. It was imperative he found one soon, so they could bond and begin waking the other dragons.
“I don’t understand why this needs to go about so quickly,” Francis commented. “There are any number of ways to get it done quicker than this. There are other properties more suited to what you wish to do.”
“Then buy them too,” Aaric said absentmindedly. “Speed is of the essence. But we need this one.”
“Of course,” Francis said with a sigh. “I’ll see that it’s done.”
“Thank you,” Aaric replied.
The construction would take time. It was inevitable and unavoidable. Which meant in the meantime, Aaric would need to begin seeking out a compatible mate in other ways. That meant getting out and among the general public as much as possible, searching for one he could get along with. Someone who could understand what he truly was and accept it, someone with proper etiquette, and someone who—
“Hey. You.”
He stiffened at the rude and ill-mannered interruption.
“Yes?” he half
-growled, realizing as he turned to face the speaker, that he recognized the voice.
It was the woman from before, the one from outside of Charles’ office. The one he’d told a joke to.
Except, he saw quickly, the happy smile and laughter had been wiped from her face. Instead, the rounded features were carefully pulled into an expressionless stare, just like her hair was pulled into a featureless ponytail.
Nice suit though.
She wore a feminine cut suit and buttoned-down shirt up top, with a strict skirt that came down just above her knees. Black jacket and skirt with white top. It was formal. Bland. Completely unremarkable in every way.
“Can I help you?” he asked, wondering just what it was this woman—what had her name been?—wanted from him.
“You’re Aaric.”
“I am…Olivia,” he said, remembering her name. “Though I don’t recall what I must have done to put such a stiff look on your face. Can I help you?”
He was trying to be polite, even if nothing about her made him want to be. She was attractive, or at least, she would be if she lost the scowl and relaxed a little. Then, he decided, she would be right up his alley.
Short, thick, with delicious features he would totally want to explore. Pale blue eyes glared at him from through the slits she’d made of her eyes, hiding the natural beauty of them that he’d noted earlier.
Lips that had been plump and primed for kissing were hidden so easily beneath a scowl that Aaric began to wonder if what he was seeing now was the real Olivia, and the person he’d caught a glimpse of earlier was something else entirely.
“We need to talk.”
He let his eyebrows dictate most of his response. They rose slowly, a fraction of an inch at a time, letting it show just how unimpressed he was with her attitude.
“Is that so? And what, pray tell, do we need to talk about?” He let some ice slip into his voice, cooling it slightly.
By the way her left nostril flared, it was obvious Olivia understood he wasn’t very appreciative of her attitude toward him, but just then Aaric rightly didn’t care.
He was a fire dragon, scion of High House Draconis, and the most powerful being for hundreds of miles around. How dare she talk to him this way? This puny little human, who thought she could boss him around. Him.
“Sire.”
Francis’ single word got through his rising temper, a reminder that Aaric was in public. That he had to behave decently and could not resort to intimidating her through other methods.
Taking a deep breath, he let it exhale, releasing some of his anger. The tension seemed to drop a level, and even Olivia recovered.
“We need to talk about the property.”
“Which property?” Aaric might be unable to give in to his temper, but that didn’t mean he was going to make life easy for her.
“This one,” Olivia said.
“The office building?” he said, looking around. “What about it? I’m not interested in buying it, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Not…the office building,” she ground out from between clenched teeth. “I mean the one up for sale.”
Aaric blinked. “Charles is selling another one of his properties tonight? I didn’t realize that. What one?”
Olivia paused, taking a deep breath, her face reddening with anger. “I wish to talk with you about the property that Charles put up for sale. The one pictured on the wall there,” she said, pointing.
“Oh. That one. I bought it,” he said. “I need it.” He turned back to Francis. “Can you bring the car around? I’m ready to go.”
Francis smiled. “Of course.” He leaned in close, words barely audible. “Be nice.”
Aaric just growled wordlessly while fighting back a smile. Francis was a good person, he liked him. He was not afraid to talk back or to lay things out bluntly, all too rare in a human who knew they were dealing with dragons.
Aaric waited until they were alone. The rest of the people at the gathering must have sensed something because they were moving away now, subtly, but a large circle had appeared around the two of them.
“Sell me the property.” By this point, Olivia was practically shaking with anger.
“I just bought it,” he said, idly picking at the nails on one hand to demonstrate his indifference to the entire matter.
Why does she care so much? There’s nothing special about this property.
“Well, I need to talk about buying it from you then.”
Aaric shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m not interested in selling it. I have plans for it.”
“You must not understand,” Olivia said very quietly. “I will own this property. Let’s talk about this politely.”
Keeping his anger in check was hard, but he recalled what Francis had said. There was no need to let this puny human get under his scales either. She was insignificant, of no matter to him. Once he left today, that would be the end of it.
“No,” he said.
Olivia hissed, and Aaric prepared to defend himself, stunned by the human’s malevolence toward him.
What the hell did I ever do to you?
4
No.
He’d said no to her.
It wasn’t a word Olivia had heard very often since moving to Plymouth Falls years earlier. She was number one in this town. Everyone knew that.
Everyone, it seemed, except the man in front of her. Not only did he not know or care who she was, but he wasn’t the slightest bit inimitable either. Olivia wasn’t entirely certain, but she got the impression he was actually holding back a smile, as if her attempts to force him into selling to her were little more than comedic entertainment.
What an asshole.
She was beginning to worry, though she wasn’t about to let that show. This property was essential to the deal she’d signed. Without it, the fat payday she’d been promised would evaporate in front of her eyes. It wouldn’t ruin her, but that wasn’t the point.
Olivia Lawton did not lose. Nobody said no to her. She’d built her entire reputation on that fact. If she lost a deal she wanted, here and now, it would make things much more difficult in the near future. Others would be willing to go up against her, to test her, to see if she’d lost her edge.
That couldn’t be allowed to happen.
“Let’s start again,” she said, stepping forward abruptly and taking him by the arm. Perhaps if the hard-nosed approach did not work, she could take a friendlier tack, talk to him about it. Figure out a way to make the deal work.
“With or without the rudeness?” he asked.
Olivia almost snapped at him, but instead she smiled. “Without.”
There was no point in getting upset over being called out. She’d charged in like a bull in a china shop, demanding this and that, expecting him to just bow to her demands and give her what she wanted. His comment was fair game, and they both knew it.
However, he hadn’t shunned her arm, which meant he was willing to give her the chance to talk some more, to perhaps adjust her strategy, try a different angle. That was what mattered most to Olivia, so she let him have the point. He could have as many points as he wanted, as long as she got the property.
“Where are we going?” he wanted to know as she guided them through the building.
“Rooftop. Charles has a nice relaxing garden and patio there. We can talk in private.”
Aaric lifted a singular eyebrow at her, but said nothing, allowing himself to be escorted along.
“I wish I could do that,” she muttered, pushing open the door that led to the stairway.
“Do what?” Aaric asked, reaching over her head to push the door open and hold it that way as she walked out.
“Thank you.” She waited for him and then they started taking the stairs together. “Lifting an eyebrow. Just the one. It’s a talent I always wished I had. But I can only make them go up or down together.”
Aaric laughed. “Wish I could tell you how. But I just sort of do it.”
&
nbsp; “Genetics, I guess.”
“Maybe,” he agreed.
They climbed the rest of the stairs in a silence that was really not very uncomfortable. Olivia felt oddly at ease around Aaric, which was even more unsettling. She was supposed to hate him, did hate him, yet it was tough to keep that in mind.
“This is nice,” he remarked as they exited under the late afternoon sun. It was a pleasant day, enough warmth to be comfortable, not so much that either of them immediately went looking for shade.
“This is usually where Charles and I do business, on the occasions we’ve had our interests line up,” she said, sitting down on an outdoor couch. “It’s just so much less stuffy than the office. Plus, I’m not usually competing against anyone.”
“Oh?” Aaric asked, sitting down next to her, though he left a proper gap between them.
“I’m the biggest real-estate agent in Plymouth Falls,” she said. “That’s by the number of deals in a year, or value of the properties. Stats, not me trying to be an arrogant bitch.”
“Heaven forbid you do that,” he said quietly.
She snorted. “People don’t say no to me, Aaric. It doesn’t happen. There must be a way we can work this out. Come to some sort of compromise.”
“I don’t think so,” he said quietly, his handsome face twisting into something resembling remorse. “I’m sorry.”
Her clients were not going to be happy about this. Olivia had gone ahead and signed their offer without bothering to get the deal for the property in writing, because she’d been so confident. That was going to be a legal headache. A court may even find that she had to use her own money to buy it from Aaric, to satisfy the conditions of the deal. If that happened, she would be screwed. Not penniless, but most of what she’d worked so hard for in the past five years would be gone.
“How much?” she asked quietly.
“Pardon?”
“How much is it going to cost me?” she asked, as if it was a foregone conclusion that he would sell, and they were just negotiating the price.