“What did she say to you?”
“Avery?”
“Who else?”
“I told you already.”
“Tell me again. I’m missing something.”
“I don’t remember her exact words.”
“Tell me what you remember.”
“Well. She basically stalked me while I peed. Then told me she was doing a service to womankind by warning me about you.”
“Go on.”
“There wasn’t much else. She said I wasn’t worth her time and that I would figure it out on my own eventually. Then she told me to ask you why you were set on destroying her best friend’s husband’s company.”
“I had already told you about Liam and Genevieve. He’s a competitor.”
She was quiet for a minute. “I googled you and Liam this morning.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I leaned back into my chair. “And…”
“There was a bunch of articles about how you are trying to do a hostile takeover of his company.”
“That’s right.”
“The articles all said you were overpaying market value by almost double. I don’t know much about business, but why would you do that? If it wasn’t to destroy a man because you still had feelings for the woman he stole from you? The woman whose name was tattooed on your body?”
“That’s what this is about?”
“I’m nervous, Graham. I feel like you could swallow me whole.”
“I’ve been trying to.”
“Yes, that, too. But you know what I mean.”
“You’re afraid I’m going to hurt you?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
“Liam’s company owns a twenty-three percent stake in Pembrooke Industries. Last year, I purchased twenty-eight percent in Pembrooke under a straw corporation to which I’m the sole shareholder. If I acquire Liam’s company, it comes with his shares in Pembrooke. That would give me fifty-one percent ownership and controlling interest. That interest is worth more than double Liam’s company alone. I’m after Pembrooke, not Liam. The analysts assume it’s because of a grudge since he was my former employee.”
“So you aren’t still in love with Genevieve?”
“No. And if you’re concerned, you could have come to me, Soraya.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just totally freaked out by what’s happening between us.”
“As am I. But you know what I realized?”
“What’s that?”
“Freaked out or not, whatever it is that’s going on, it’s going to happen. Neither one of us has the ability to stop it. So why don’t you get your ass down here to my office and tell me you’re sorry for jumping to conclusions in person.”
“Is that code for hop up on your desk, and we play boss secretary?”
I groaned. “Get your ass down here.”
She chuckled. I’m glad my constant suffering could, at least, be of amusement to her. “No can do, Morgan.”
“Stop screwing with me, Soraya.”
“I’m not. I actually can’t come there. I’m not home.”
“Where are you?”
“Helping Delia at a trade show. We’re a few hours upstate.”
I muttered something inarticulate under my breath. “When will you be back?”
“In the morning. The show doesn’t end until after dark, and Delia is dangerous enough driving in the light. Plus, she’ll pierce a hundred walk-ins today at the show, and be cross-eyed by the time it’s over. So we’re going to crash at the hotel across the street from the show.”
“What will you be doing all day?”
“Assisting. I swab the area before she pierces and hold hands with the chickens.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer, but I asked anyway. “What will you be swabbing?”
“The usual. Ears, noses, belly buttons, tongues, nipples, a penis or two.”
“Come again?”
“It’s clinical.”
“Yes, that makes me feel better about you swabbing a man’s cock. I’m sure Delia has her M.D.”
“Relax. It’s no big deal.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
“I am?”
“Sure.” I partially covered the phone and yelled to my secretary, who wasn’t in today. “Elizabeth? Can you come in here a minute?”
“Elizabeth? Is that your new secretary?”
“Yes. I’m going to wash her tits.”
Soraya chuckled. The woman damn laughed at me. Again.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’ve seen firsthand the way you treat secretaries. Pretty sure she wouldn’t let you wash her feet, much less her tits.”
Sadly, she was probably right.
“When will I see you?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up at six.”
“Works for me. I have to go now. A big tatted guy just walked into Delia’s booth. They usually need hand holding the most.”
“Wonderful. Now I’ll be picturing you swabbing some muscle head’s cock while he ogles your massive rack and gets hard.”
“You have a pretty vivid imagination.”
“Tomorrow. Soraya.”
“Later, Suit.”
A few minutes after we hung up, my phone buzzed with a text from her.
Soraya: Yes, we have a deal.
***