woman as much as I have of this girl. And it makes me angry. I can’t let another woman distract me; I won’t make the same mistake again.
It’s only been a week since I first saw her, and it was barely thirty minutes; yet, I’ve already thought of all the ways to fuck her sweet body into submission. And that needs to be controlled. I need to get a grip on my hunger for this girl.
The knock on the door distracts me from the girl looking at me through the photograph. I don’t answer. I don’t want to deal with anything right now. Nothing but my body’s primal needs.
“Luca?” I tense when I hear Arthur’s voice from the other side of the door. He was Dad’s right-hand man, but I’ve never liked the guy. I still have to keep him around for the old man’s sake. He was like a brother to my dad. I have to respect him like I respect everything Dad left me when he passed away. It was what Dad taught me, how he raised me. Also, there is Dad’s will that told me to keep him around until Arthur dies. An open order I can’t argue with.
With a sigh, I call out. “Come in, Arthur.” He hates when I call him by his name, instead of Uncle Arthur, like my dad forced me to say. I can respect the guy, but I’m not calling him Uncle.
“How’s business?” he asks. No pleasantries. The guy tolerates me for the same reasons I do him. And also, probably for the auction. He thrives on that side of the business. He loves dealing with all the details I don’t care about.
“None of your business as always,” I answer with a smirk on my face.
He rolls his eyes with a chuckle. “Fuck off, you little cunt.”
My grin grows bigger. I say I tolerate him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun while doing it.
Leaning back in my chair, I place my feet on the desk. He hates when I do this. Another way to bust his balls.
“You’re here because…”
“The acquisitions are on their way to the place they’ll stay until the day of the auction.”
I nod. The agreement was set for ten years and I only learned about it two years ago. I can’t call it off because my dad is dead. Maybe I could if the agreement was legal, but it’s not, and I can’t risk hurting my dad’s reputation. Whether he’s dead or not, it’s his name on the agreement and I have to follow through.
“Are the changes I wanted made for where they’ll be staying until the auction is completed?”
Arthur smirks at me. “You’re a softy at heart, you know that?”
“This is a business. And they are an investment whether I like them or not.”
He laughs, and it grates on my nerves. Removing my legs from the table, I sit up straight. “As always, you don’t see the bigger picture. If they think they are safe, they will trust us and all this trafficking will go smoothly.” I reason with him. “If you listen to me, it will be easier to take care of transfers. You should thank me.” I smirk.
After a few seconds of consideration, he nods. He knows I’m right; he just loves to see their struggle and the way they fight back. “You’re the boss and the changes are made. They will be housed in rooms like a fucking hotel suite.”
His words are respectful enough, but the way he says them tells me another story. He thinks I’m a pussy. He thinks I’m not the son my father deserves. His words, not mine.
“Good,” I growl through gritted teeth, and he smirks at me. He knows that I know what he thinks.
Bastard.
Just when I think he’ll leave, he grabs the photo sticking out of the folder in front of me. The fucking pink bikini one.
“Nice piece of ass. Who is this?” My hands form fists at how degrading his voice is. “Did our mama’s boy find himself a girl to play with?”
Keep your cool. Keep your cool.
I take a deep breath. He wants me to give in to the desire to hurt him, but I won’t. I won’t let him see me lose control.
“I wanted to make an addition to the auction. In the old man’s honor.” The lie spills from my tongue easily.
His eyes widen in surprise, but he easily schools it. That’s enough to make me enjoy myself, though. He thinks I