Page 47 of Nefarious
Val rolled her eyes. “Are we doing this again?” Given her childhood, she found it difficult to muster up any sympathy. Dane’s father had once told him he was “disappointed” with him and then left him six million dollars. Val’s dad had repeatedly told her he wished she’d never been born. The only thing he left her were scars.
Dane’s expression hardened. “Right. So I was just leaving.”
She reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Wait. I needed to tell you something.”
He stayed, but his body remained turned in his chair like he might leave at any second. “Go on.”
“Selena has asked me to find her another mentor.”
His face didn’t register anything but boredom. “You could have emailed me that information.”
“No, but I wanted to talk about why.” She bit her lip, gleefully anticipating his reaction to the turn of events.
“I’d expect it’s because Geraldo knows she’s here.” He had the audacity to look smug.
Val held her breath for a count to modulate her tone. “How’d you know that?”
He touched his forehead. “Psychic.”
“Fine. Don’t tell me.” She sat back and crossed her arms. He couldn’t be begged, so she waited.
A charmer’s smile crept across his face. He knew she’d wanted to tell him. “Selena told me about her dad. She came to my house last night.”
Val’s spine went rigid. “She did what? Why?”
“Maybe to get back at her dad. Maybe because she has a ridiculous crush on me. It doesn’t matter. I straightened her out and drove her home.”
Possibilities were piling up in Val’s mind. She leaned forward and talked low. “Do you think you could take her out on a date?”
He ran his tongue along his upper teeth, and it protruded under his cheek. “That would be incredibly risky. You know that.”
Val did know. A day before, she would have found it the worst news. But now, at least on paper, she couldn’t deny what a brilliant move it would be. Geraldo’s most valuable piece lay exposed before Val’s most ruthless player. “But she obviously worships you. She’s the one coming onto you after all. Surely you could use that to your advantage. You wouldn’t have to sleep with the girl. Just take some selfies out clubbing or whatever you do. It would drive Geraldo insane.”
Dane pushed the chair back, but he didn’t stand. “Look. You wanted to send her away from here with her ethics corrupted, and believe me, she’s well on her way. On Monday, she was calling me out on legally gray trades, but it took very little encouragement to get her looking for ways to skirt the letter of the law. She even suggested she’s got some dirt on her dad.”
Val nodded. “Yes. I got that impression myself.”
“She thinks it’s a game. Wouldn’t you rather work your magic on her? Besides isn’t questionable trading your territory? I think it would be good for her to learn from the master.”
“Oh, please.” She didn’t let him see that he’d flattered her. Maybe it would be good for Selena to fall into her hands. “Yes. Okay. With you, there will always be a whiff of corruption anyway.” She wrapped her hands around her now cold coffee mug ignoring Dane’s displeasure at that jab. “But it couldn’t hurt for you to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and take her somewhere romantic.”
“That’s a dangerous game, Val.”
She smiled. “I know.” She noticed he hadn’t said no, and her goading was making him angry. She loved when she got under his skin. It made him easier to knock off balance, but it also made him sexier than usual. “Don’t think you can handle it?”
He leaned back and pierced her with his blue eyes. “You’d have me do everything for you.”
She’d always found his arrogance ridiculously attractive. She hoped to draw him in with one more juicy bit of speculation. “Aren’t you wondering how Geraldo found out Selena’s even here?”
He cocked his head, with a bored expression, like he was ready to listen to her suppositions, but refusing to show any curiosity.
Val didn’t wait for him to ask. “I’m convinced it’s Noelle. Remember the list of contacts from last week? They must be colluding.”
“Colluding? Noelle? I doubt that.”
“Okay, but it’s possible she accidentally told him, don’t you think?”
“She is certainly talking to him, but I have something for you.” He reached into his coat pocket and produced his phone. “One sec.”
