damn thing. Now to get him to believe it, she thought with determination.
Long, thick fingers pulled apart the lips of the folder, a dark-skinned hand slipping inside to pull out a packet of papers. They were white, with information that she prayed he believed real. If he did, then everything would go smoothly and her overseer could take over the company.
It would be a smooth slide, a very easy shift of power. Devlin might not know what he was capable — he let others do the work for him and took care of the orders — but she knew he was dangerous. The way he carried himself, how he talked and looked... It was all the making of someone who knew he had power.
He flipped through them, then looked at her with unreadable eyes. “How did you get this?” he demanded, looking back at them again. His hands were tight around the papers, the tension in his shoulders visible.
Devlin shrugged, placing a hand on his shoulder. He was so enthralling, so darkly beautiful when he was angry or determined. He ran a hand through his hair, a sound of frustration coming from him. His muscles shifted under her hand, and she ran her hand down his back.
“I get a reward?” she asked, smiling up at him with a knowing look. The sex wasn’t part of the job, but she couldn’t help her. The first time she had had him, it had been too good to not want another chance with him. The withdrawls after their first time had been confusing, had left her wanting more. He never asked her, approached her, or even went out of his way to talk to her.
He treated her just like he treated everyone else — like objects to be thrown aside. Not that she cared, but...still. A man that fine should not be passed up, she thought, eyes dipping down to his hips. He caught her chin with his hand, staring at her.
His eyes were unreadable. Dark and swirling, the normally silvery depths were like molten coal, so cool and black yet liquid and heated. Devlin almost purred out loud, hand flexing on his thigh. His head started to dip, lips parting. Her heart raced with excitement. She twined her arms around his neck and lifted her head for him...
He jerked back. Stood to his feet. Anger flashed through her as she realized she wasn’t going to get anything. “Don’t tease someone like that,” she hissed, standing as well. She took a breath, the fury she felt cooling the fire that had been rising within her. How could he pull away so easily from her? she thought, crossing her arms over her chest and moving to the door.
Lucian walked behind her, shrugged as he opened the door before she could. “Teasing would mean that I actually wanted it, and that I plan to give into it.” His lips lifted at the corner. “I, my dear, did not do, or plan to, do either of those things.”
He left.
She didn’t notice until she sat down on the couch that he had taken the folder with him.
Lucian held the papers in his hand, walking through the night. His shadow fell behind him, the moon rising full above. It was illuminating the sky, guiding his path of travel. Buildings loomed over him, people inside of the large apartments that he had built for them.
They had been standing for years. The very first time someone had come to him for help, offering a part in a company with millions of dollars at his disposal, Lucian had been disbelieving. He had been nothing but a manager at one of the root beer factories at the time, working for his pay and bowing down before a narcissistic boss. People had been fired daily, and he had been put under stress.
The job hadn’t been a loss, even when his boss had seen him speaking with a man in a black suit and fired him on the spot. Lucian had seen a lot, he had done a lot, and he had killed a lot. The man that had contacted him had warned him that this new financial power would come at a cost.
He hadn’t cared.
Now, he had an empire and a lonely bed. It wasn’t important to him, though. He had never had someone sleep next to him during the night and had grown not to care. Devlin had been a pleasant enough lay, but something had seemed to so...empty about it. He