Page 32 of Sweet Wicked Vows
“Are you listening to me?”
Being stuck inside an office with the sun blaring through the closed window without being offered as much as a glass of water was not how I wanted to spend my afternoon.
My brother pointedly cleared his throat, his frosty glare burning a hole into the side of my head. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Usually, I was focused and could sit through a two-hour meeting listening to someone who loved the sound of their own voice without batting an eyelid.
Why couldn’t I find an ounce of concentration today?
I barely listened to any of my morning meetings, my mind unable to shift away from the woman I was forced to call a wife and the notifications of her charging things to my card coming through at lightning speed.
She wasn’t holding back.
Then again, could I blame her? I told her to get whatever she needed, and with the fire in her eyes when I refused to go along with her little game of pretend, I knew she wouldn’t take my refusal lightly.
Truthfully, her spending reckless amounts of money didn’t bother me.
She dropped nearly $15,000 at a lingerie store, which instantly peaked my interest. The mere thought of her in lacy underwear,sheer nightgowns, and mouthwatering suspenders sent me to my in-person meeting with only one thing on my mind.
When the transaction from a jewelry store came through, I couldn’t help but feed the curiosity swirling in me. What was she buying from a jeweler? A jeweler that I knew for a fact Reynolds company supplied the goods to. She didn’t need to buy anything from there. Her name would have been enough to let her pick any piece and walk away without paying a dime.
Instead, she opted to buy an engagement ring for$65,000.
Well played,douceur.
“Excusermy brother,” Frederic said. “He is in the process of securing something you will be more than happy to hear. Something I am positive will help settle any uncertainties you may have in our future working together.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Kilroy dabbed the beads of sweat from his upper lip with an embroidered handkerchief. “This meeting is a formality, nothing more than an opportunity for us to meet and discuss things. I haven’t made any decisions on whether we will do any further business after this.”
Perry Kilroy was best described as an empty photo frame. Too easy to see right through.
He recently inherited his mother’s business after she passed away suddenly in a fatal car accident. Perry being her only son—only family—was jolted into taking over the business.Impact Advertisingwas an elite and highly regarded advertising agency with links to best-selling magazines and brochures around the world.
Securing a deal with them was gold.
However, whenever Kilroy’s mother ran the business, she was selective about who she worked with. Her client list, although smaller than average, brought in lucrative deals that she didn’t dare risk taking on others for fear of losing what she already had.
Frederic leaned back in the stiff leather chair. “You know aswell as I do, Perry, thatDade Diamondswould be ideal for your agency. You recently secured advertising space with a certain fashion magazine in South America, did you not?”
“That’s not public information yet.” Kilroy frowned. “How did you know about that?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Poor naïve Kilroy—this world was going to eat him alive.
“That doesn’t matter,” my brother replied. “What does matter is realizing that we are the biggest supplier for South America and pretty soon, will be the only supplier there.”
“Then why do you need me?” Kilroy wiped fresh sweat away from his brow.
“Because,” I drawled. “How do you think it would look if you were to, let’s say, start advertising a different supplier there? It would undermine our company and risk our hold there, when we could have worked together, and both reaped in the rewards.”
Kilroy’s throat bobbed. “My mother, rest her soul, signed the contract withReynolds Regality Jewels.She didn’t like to annoy her clients, and if Lexington were to hear that we agreed to start representing and advertising his main competitor, he’d stop working with us.”
I picked a piece of lint—non,not lint, fucking cat hair from my sleeve. “He won’t.”
Kilroy laughed nervously. “You don’t know what Reynolds is like. He has always been one of Mother’s biggest clients. The money he makes for the business, it’s nothing to scoff at.” He shook his head. “I am sorry. I can’t risk losing him. Not right now, not when things are so fresh for me.”
“Lexington won’t be a problem.” I checked my phone. Evelyn’s shopping spree had come to an end. Her messages, too. “You don’t have to worry about him.”
Kilroy looked between me and my brother with disbelief.
“It’s not public information,yet,” Frederic smirked. “But it willbe in the coming weeks. The tides are changing. Trust me when I say Lexington Reynolds will no longer be the big man around campus anymore.” My brother stood and straightened his tie. “All I ask is that you hold fire on making decisions right now.”