Only You (A Sweet Torment Novel)

by Joya Ryan

  “I’m simply trying to point out that there is a flaw in this grand scheme. You are relying on a man’s word.”

  “Yes, I am,” Leo said. And something made me respect him more for it. It also made me want to be the kind of woman he could believe in. Taking a deep breath and forcing my head out of the clouds, I returned to my game face.

  “Look,” Leo said, his chest rising on a deep breath. “Frolos benefits a great deal from Savas Shipping. Even though ten million on the slip up front is a good price, what he’d gain with the percentage of traffic I can pull into that slip would make up for it in the long run. He’s giving me this deal and, in return, will stand to profit long term. Just like Savas Shipping will. Gaining this slip will take Savas Shipping to a whole new level.”

  I nodded and couldn’t hold back a slight grin. “So . . . there is a bottom line after all . . .”

  He pursed his lips and my grin widened. I was right and Leo knew it.

  “Yes, there is.” He shook his head and chuckled a little. “Jesus, Red. You’re . . .” He looked at me with a light in his eyes I wanted to capture and hold on to. Finally he said, “Impressive.”

  The compliment rocked me. Not only was he going over a major deal he had in the works, but I spoke my mind, dug a little deeper, and he called me impressive.

  Wow.

  Something like light, fluffy warmth spread through my chest. So much that I had to run my fingertips along the base of my neck to see if I could feel it. Nope. Nothing. Which was exactly what I should be feeling for Leo.

  “So, if I may ask another question?”

  Leo held up his hand and smiled. “Never stopped you before.”

  “Why is Frolos going to you and keeping this deal under wraps?”

  “There are some issues in his own camp. He is retiring, and his son is set to run the majority of the business. I guess they don’t see eye to eye on things and Jes wants to wrap this deal up.”

  “Do you think the son would sink this deal for you?”

  Leo shrugged. “I’ve met Zander Frolos a few times and he’s quite ambitious. But he lacks patience. He’d likely go for more money up front and I think Jes wants to get this deal done before too much internal arguing or issues arise.”

  I nodded. Father-son issues could be a problem. Especially when money, egos, and power were involved. Best to keep this as quiet as possible.

  “Besides,” Leo said, “if this information got out, you’re right about what would happen.”

  “A bidding war,” I repeated.

  “Exactly.”

  “Savas Shipping could still take it. You have the backing, money, and reach.”

  Leo smiled. It was so amazing it made me want to sigh. “Yes, but this is a new endeavor. This slip could provide a new route and expansion of the company as a whole, but I don’t want to sink a ton of money into something that isn’t foolproof.”

  It was then I saw something on Leo’s face, something like caution. Was the bad boy not interested in risk unless it was calculated?

  “Sometimes a big gamble can pay off, so long as you have the odds stacked in your favor,” I said.

  Leo shook his head and something very dark, very serious crossed his face. “I’ve never been that lucky.”

  I stuttered for a quick subject misdirection. Whatever Leo dealt with, felt, or lost was deep, and judging by the look on his face, I was stepping too close to a matter he didn’t want to discuss.

  “Where is the slip located?”

  “London.”

  I nodded and pulled up a few screens on my tablet, ready to get back to business and ignore the tug in my chest that was urging me to touch Leo. To dig deeper into his life. To know him . . .

  I shook my head. Business. Keep it surface.

  “Your main ships are docked in Greece with regular trips to the port of New York.” I zoomed out on a map and looked at the distance of ocean from Greece to London to the US. “You said a new route would be involved. Do you have plans for that drawn up?”

  He grinned and thank God he was back to a breezy attitude. “That’s where you come in. I have my team working on the logistics, including route proposals, input and output of goods, cost, and strategy. I want you to oversee this project, to make sure everything runs smoothly, and touch base with me regularly. I’ve already told several staff members that you are the woman to report to.”

  My eyes widened. This was huge. He was basically making me a project manager, and the level of responsibility, as well as trust involved, was staggering. So much that it made the empty ache in my stomach feel less achy. Never mind that this was the kind of project that advanced employees to the next level. Or looked really good under the job-skills-and-experience part of a resume. But aside from everything running through my brain, only one thing came to mind to say. What I truly felt. Grateful.

  “Thank you, Leo.” The words, especially his name, came out softer than I had intended. His face relaxed.

  “For what, Red?”

  For trusting me. Giving me a chance to prove myself. Allowing me to go beyond a gopher girl and actually be a part of something . . . a part of your world.

  Instead I went with, “For the opportunity.”

  He nodded once. “You’re welcome. You’ll be meeting with several people on a regular basis and the staff knows to keep you up to date on everything. But again, this is strictly in-house business. Only you and several select people know about this deal.”

  “I understand.”

  “Then why do you look worried?”

  I took a deep breath. Usually my face didn’t give away my thoughts, but apparently Leo read me better than I’d anticipated.

  “I’ve worked in politics for a while and it’s my experience that secrets are hard to keep. Especially the more people involved.” Which was why I was on constant edge with the scandal still brewing around the governor’s office and hoping to God I somehow could cheat the odds and keep my name out of the press.

  As of now, reporters were onto the fact that I was part of Bill’s staff, and while a lot was being insinuated, no concrete proof was uncovered. Not that there would be since I never slept with Bill or touched the campaign money. But the funny thing about scandals was you didn’t necessarily need hard evidence. The pictures of Bill and me looked bad, and that would be enough to publish and start a whirlwind of doubt.

  The entire thing would be orchestrated for ratings. I could see it now: Vorse’s Personal Assistant Caught with More Than Her Hand in the Cookie Jar. The press might be grasping at straws right now when it came to me, but the tipping point only grew closer with every day the story went on, and coverage was only growing. If and when they saw certain images or spoke to certain people, it could be game over for me. In every field. I took a deep breath. I couldn’t control that situation now.

  “That is a good point,” Leo continued, “but everyone who knows about this has worked for me for years and this isn’t our first discretionary project. I’ve never had a problem in the past.” He looked at me for a long moment. “So I have no reason to assume there will be an issue now. Do I?”

  I shook my head. “Of course not.” I rose and clutched my tablet to my chest.

  “One more thing. My cousin is coming in this weekend and staying for a month until the deal is wrapped up. He heads up the ports in Greece, and will be working with me on this slip purchase. Be prepared to set up lots of dates and events.”

  “Of course,” I said making a mental note to check where some of Leo’s favorite restaurants were. Surely the database I was currently clutching had that kind of info.

  “There is also an event coming up. Dinner, kissing-ass kind of thing. Basically investors as well as my competition will be there. You should be able to find all of Cathy’s work e-mails about it forwarded to your new address.”

  “I’ll set up everything for you,” I said, almost calling him sir but really glad I didn’t. The last thing I needed was to play dom and sub with my boss. Espe
cially since he’d already had me begging against a wall a few weeks ago.

  “I’ve gone through all of Cathy’s scheduling and contacts and will have everything prepared for the night of the event,” I said.

  It had taken the past week and a few sleepless nights, but I now had a lot of details down, from Leo’s dry cleaner to personal driver. While there were a few things I was certain I was missing, I would likely spend the rest of the night learning those and following up on preparation for this event.

  “Excellent.”

  “Well, I will get right on this project and coordination for the event.” With a final smile, I headed for the door.

  I felt truly useful for the first time since I’d lost my job. Maybe even before that. At the governor’s office, I took on scheduling and planning and small projects, mostly involving media, but something to this extent was exciting and Leo looked at me like I was competent.

  “Oh, and Paige?” I turned to find him wincing at his cup of coffee. “I take sugar in my coffee.”

  I swallowed down the bubble in my throat that rose whenever I felt lacking, but this was part of the job.

  “How many sugars would you like?”

  “Two. And hurry back. The second thing I need from you is time sensitive.”

  “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

  Walking out of the office, I concentrated on the fact that I was heading up a major project, and not the tiny details that I had messed up with the coffee, and that this new project had to be kept under wraps. It was yet another secret I was hoping I could keep covered.

  Chapter Seven

  Oh . . . My . . . Gross . . .” I said, standing in Leo’s office doorway with sugar packets in hand and horror rushing through my veins. The sheer chaos of what I was witnessing made me feel faint.

  “Paige!” Leo laughed when he saw me standing and staring. He was on the floor, rolling around with two screeching children clinging to his arms and legs. Between the giggling and loud demands that he “go faster,” I gathered this was some kind of game. When the little girl climbed on top of Leo’s back and called out, “Go, horsey, go!” Yep, I was certain this was a game, though to me it looked like torture. Leo, however, looked like he was having a ball.

  “Hang on there, kiddos,” he said, rising and running his hands through his hair. “I want you to meet Paige.”

  The little girl, who I would guess was around five, zeroed in on me while the boy, who looked to be at least a year or two older, smiled and waved in my direction. Both of them had dark hair and eyes, and similar features to Leo’s.

  “Paige, this is Eli and Lyssa, my nephew and niece.”

  “Hi there,” I said, not sure what the hell else to say. They both stared at me so long that it made me shift on my feet. Jesus Christ, I was getting shaken down by frickin toddlers. But kids made me nervous. Adults I could handle, even the assholes. But kids? That was territory I had zero experience in.

  “You said you had a time-sensitive issue to discuss with me?” I asked, hoping to get out of there ASAP.

  Leo went to say something, but the little girl—Lyssa—cut him off. “I like your hair. It’s like the color of a fire truck.”

  I smiled tightly. “Thanks.”

  She cocked her head to the side to examine me. “Can you make fire truck noises?”

  “No.”

  Lyssa didn’t seem to like my answer but Leo just looked amused. “Well, looks like you two have lots to talk about,” he said, grabbing his keys and baseball hat off his desk.

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Yeah, Eli has Little League and my sister Regan is working a double shift at the hospital, so we’re watching the kids for her today.”

  “We?” I said, my eyes shifting from pint-size Savas, to pint-size Savas, to Leo. “Ah, I’m not a babysitter.”

  “You are my assistant. I need you to watch Lyssa while I take Eli to his game.”

  I took a few steps toward Leo until only he could hear when I whispered harshly, “This is not in my job description.”

  Leo grinned. “She’s five. You can’t honestly be scared of a five-year-old.”

  I glanced at the girl. She was swaying and humming while looking me over like a life-size Barbie. Yep, I was totally scared. “Why can’t you just take them both with you?”

  “Because Lyssa likes it here, and I can only stay at Eli’s game until my other sister gets off work. I have to get back here for back-to-back meetings this afternoon, Red. You know that.”

  “I figured all Savases would somehow work for the company.”

  Leo shrugged. “My sisters were never interested in the family business. They have their own careers and own lives.”

  I opened my mouth to argue but he cut me off. “Regan is working late unexpectedly. This is what family does. I’ll come find you when I’m done with my meetings. Have fun.” He looked at Eli and said, “Let’s go, buddy.” With that, two Savas men left me standing with the one job I had no experience in: childcare.

  I pulled out my tablet.

  “What are you doing?” Lyssa asked.

  “I just need to Google a few things real quick . . .” like how to take care of a five-year-old.

  “Wanna play horsey?”

  Keeping my eyes on my tablet, I asked, “Is that what you were just playing with your uncle?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Then no.”

  She frowned. “You’re not nice.”

  Uh oh. I needed a new tactic. I didn’t want her reporting back to Leo. “Sure I am.” I tried for a smile but she obviously saw right through it. “I just don’t think rolling around in my work clothes is a wise idea.”

  She looked me over as if contemplating what I had just said. “Okay, I can see that.” That made me smile for real. A child with logic? Maybe this kid thing wasn’t so bad. “Looks like you need to change then.”

  Crap.

  “Or, we could do something else?” I offered, though I had no idea what to back that up with.

  “Like what?”

  “Um, you could sit quietly . . . maybe in a corner or something?”

  “That’s a timeout and I’m being good.”

  Right. Okay, so sitting quietly was out. “How about you read a book?”

  “I can’t read . . . not very well.”

  She did that swaying thing again and looked at her feet. The expression on her face was kind of pitiful and sad. “What if I help you read?”

  She lit up and smiled at me. “Do you have the Cinderella book?”

  I thought of my underused Kindle and the one book I had on it. “Ah, it’s sort of like a Cinderella story.” Which wasn’t an outrageous lie. Still, I could upload some kids’ books instantly if necessary.

  “Okay,” Lyssa said. “But we need treats.”

  “Treats?”

  “Yeah, whenever Uncle Leo reads to me, we have treats.”

  Of course they did.

  “Okay, treats. As long as it doesn’t involve baking.” I never pretended to be a domestic goddess on any level. I had a stack of takeout menus and a few Slimfasts in my fridge. That was it.

  She tapped her chin for a minute. “Rice Krispies treats!”

  I let out a breath. Simple enough. “Let’s go see what the kitchen has.” Hopefully the Main House kitchen had the ingredients to make the Rice Krispies treats because if not, Lyssa would have to choose between Mr. Chows Chinese Delivery and a Chocolate Royal protein shake.

  “What does that mean?” Lyssa asked, after I read a line from Wings. When I had told her I could download her version of Cinderella, she told me she would try mine first. For the past hour, we’d sat on my couch, reading and scarfing down Rice Krispies treats, compliments of Leo’s Main kitchen.

  “Basically, the woman is saying that this man is the light in her day. It makes her happy when she thinks of him.”

  Lyssa nodded and snuggled in a little closer to me, cramming another Rice Krispies treat into her mouth.

&n
bsp; “Like Ricky Drake,” Lyssa mumbled around a full mouth.

  “Who’s Ricky Drake?”

  “This boy in my class.”

  “Aren’t you in preschool or something?”

  Lyssa sat up, looking offended. “I’m in kindergarten,” she declared. “And I love Ricky.” When her face fell, I couldn’t help but pat her shoulder.

  “Love can be hard,” I said. She looked up at me with big brown eyes and placed her sticky hand on mine.

  “Yeah. My mom said I’m not ready for love.”

  I nodded. “She’s right. You have to be more mature, I think.”

  “Like third grade?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, give it until third grade.”

  Lyssa nodded. “Do you love my uncle?”

  I laughed, then choked a little. “No, I work for him.”

  She frowned. “You could love him. If you tell him he’s the light in your day.”

  This conversation was going off track fast. Mostly because I didn’t know how to handle getting grilled by a five-year-old. A five-year-old who seemed to have a better grip on love than I did.

  “Why don’t we watch TV and give the book a break?”

  “Okay.” Lyssa grabbed the remote and between the two of us, we found some cartoons and settled in. It didn’t take long before her breathing went even and I felt a little drool on my arm from where she was resting her head.

  She was asleep. The thought of getting up and waking her seemed mean, so I leaned my head back against the couch and shut my eyes, just for a second.

  “Looks like you two had a fun day,” Leo’s voice rang through the haze of sleep. I peeled open my eyes. He was sitting on my coffee table, facing me.

  I sat up, the action making Lyssa wake up too. She rubbed her eyes.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Time for Lyss to go home,” Leo said.

  “Knock, knock,” a voice rang from the entryway. A woman with dark-brown hair and similar features to Lyssa’s walked in wearing pink scrubs. Must be Regan, Lyssa and Eli’s mom.

  “Thank you both for watching the kids today,” she said, looking between Leo and me. “Come on, Lyss, time to go home, honey.”