Page 41 of Wrecked
Maybe he no longer cared that she’d been with his cousin, but it had triggered a chain of events that had brought them to this tense moment.
“What else is there?” he pushed back.
She repositioned on the sofa, sipped the champagne, hoping he’d come clean. She was met with more silence.
Now,shehad a reason to be angry. He was lying to her. How was that going to help this partnership? Worse… this could hurt them in ALPHA. They trusted each other. How could she trust him knowing he wasn’t being honest with her?
Pushing off the sofa, she scanned the contract. It was a straightforward document, already signed by Liv, transferring ownership to Hawk. She pulled a pen off the desk and started signing. When finished, she handed him the pen.
He countersigned.
This should have been a moment of celebration. They were taking their friendship to the next level. Going forward, they were business partners. Sadly, her heart felt empty. She was more disconnected from him than ever before.
So much for full disclosure.
When he finished signing, he left the contract on the desk. “Well, partner, how do you want to kick off our first night together?”
Addison could think of a few ways. They had nothing to do with business and everything to do with the private suites upstairs.
If she thought the name of the club—Lost Souls—was apropos before, it most definitely was now.
7
PROVING HER POINT
Hawk would have pulled Addison into his arms and hugged her, but their stilted conversation had him thrusting out his hand.
“Looking forward to partnering with you, babe,” he said.
“Welcome to Lost Souls.” She hadn’t smiled. Not even once.
In truth, he hadn’t regretted kissing her, but he wanted to push past it and get them back on solid footing.
“What do you normally do when you’re here?” he asked.
“Anything and everything,” she replied. “Interview a prospective new hire, order supplies or alcohol. Spot-check the suites to make sure they’re clean. Mostly, I try to sign up new members. Liv and I took out pretty substantial loans, so the faster I can turn the bottom line from red to black, the happier I’ll be.”
I could wipe out her debt with one quick payment.
But he wasn’t going to offer that. Addison was an independent business owner who could manage her own finances.
“When do you kick back? Relax? Dance?” He finished his glass of champagne.
That actually made her lips curve. “Ever since opening the club, I’ve done nothing but work. I’m not complaining, it’s just that I thought I’d have more down time.” She held his gaze for an extra beat.
“What about the… what are you calling them?”
“Invitations to Escape.” She sipped the champagne. “I’ve gotten a few invitations, but I wasn’t interested.” She finished the glass, then held up what was left in the bottle.
He declined, so she set it down.
“I’d offer to give you a tour, but you’ve probably already seen the suites.”
He shook his head. “Never been upstairs.”
She furrowed her brow. “Sure, you have.”
“No.”
