Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,72
wasn’t desperate to taste her again. Should have been easy, right?
Except it wasn’t. Because I wanted her. I wanted more from her. I wanted to kiss her, taste her, remind her how combustible we were together. I could do all of that. But she hadn’t finished dealing with the git she’d been involved with, and I could tell that she wasn’t ready.
But when I kissed her again, I wouldn’t stop myself. I wouldn’t stop until she was mine. And she wasn’t quite ready for that. “Watch the movie.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Covington, sir.”
“God, that sounds so sexy. Can you say that again?”
She threw popcorn at me. And just like that, the tension eased. The monster clawing at me from the inside, demanding me to take her, to mark her, to make her mine, receded just a little so I could focus on the movie. I wanted her to be comfortable around me, not forever running for the hills. After everything she’d been through, she needed time. So I could be patient.
Are you sure about that?
20
Ben
I saw him the moment I entered the hotel. Marcus Van Linsted. It wasn’t like he was subtle. There he was, at the bar in the lobby, sitting on the throne as if he owned the place.
No motherfucker. I do.
I took my time striding over to him. “Is there something you need?”
Around me, bartenders and waiters clamored to get to us, and I waved them off. I wasn’t having a drink with that fucker. And he wouldn’t be staying.
“Covington, is that any way to treat a guest? Remember, a gentleman above all.”
“Right. But power is king and it’s my hotel, so what do you want?”
“I know what you’ve been doing.”
“And what’s that?”
“I know you’ve been skulking about asking members to vote against my son.”
“Why would I do anything like that? To vote against him, they’d need someone else to vote for.”
“Like you’re not making a play for Director Prime.”
I frowned. “I’m not.”
To the average person, Marcus Van Linsted might have seemed affable. Friendly even. But I knew better. I knew that this was merely a showing of his teeth. “You won’t win this, Covington. My son will be the next Director Prime. And you and your friends will fall in line, or there shall be dire consequences.”
“That sounds like a threat. What happened to a gentleman above all?”
“Yes, well, as you said, power is king. And it’s good to be king.”
“Marcus, if you just came here to postulate about rumors and innuendos, I can’t help you.”
“How is your new operations director? What is her name again? God, it’s so hard to remember these things. It’s something foreign sounding. Ashong, is that right? I’ve heard that you two have gotten quite cozy.”
I lifted a brow. “You’re paying such close attention to me? Then you should know I’m not a threat to you or coming for your seat. The last thing I want is to be Director Prime. I just want to make sure your son doesn’t get it.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to turn your sights to making sure that your pretty little operations director doesn’t get hurt? She has a penchant for getting into trouble.”
My brow snapped down. “Gentlemen don’t go after civilians.”
“Who said I was going after her? Come on now. I would never do such a thing. I am, above all, a gentleman.”
He was nothing of the sort. “It sounded like you just threatened her.”
“Well, if we are breaking rules, then you should remember that secrets whispered are never to be revealed. How did you find out who the Five were?”
Fuck. He knew that we knew. They knew someone had access to the files we’d copied onto the drive.
I kept my face impassive. “I’m not one to share secrets, but I will tell you this; If you go after my operations director, I will forget that I’m a gentleman.”
He grinned. “You forget, my specialty was strategy and politics. I wouldn’t have to lift a finger. I could just as easily ruin her life from the background. Her boyfriend, the one you so conveniently forget she has, just the wrong word here or there would tip him into making different decisions, putting her just out of your grasp. Don’t play with me, Covington. I will win.”
“Who said anything about playing?”
“If you must do this, just remember, enemies and friends are of the same coin. Loyalty is a fickle bitch. You come for my family, and I’ll come for you. How much are you willing to lose?”