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“I don’t, for example, molest every woman in sight,” Tomas says.
I wince. That’s a direct hit. Simon made the women in the gym extremely uncomfortable, but as much as I hated it, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop him. God knows I’ve tried.
“Like I was saying,” Daniel says, giving Tomas an irritated glance, “he doesn’t bring the same skills, and so he’s proposing a different profit distribution. If you’re willing to hire instructors to teach classes, he’ll take twenty percent of the profit instead of the fifty that Groff took.”
“Twenty?” That definitely sounds too good to be true. “What’s the catch?”
“There isn’t one,” Tomas says with irritation. “I invest in businesses for the long-term. Without a change in your profit distribution, you won’t stay open for another six months.”
Daniel sighs with exaggerated patience. “I believe what Tomas meant to say is that you should do your own due diligence. This folder has a copy of the revised contract proposal. I recommend running it by your lawyer before you sign it. And to answer your earlier question about the goodwill amount?—”
“Ah, yes, the bribe.” I’m not sure if there’s enough money in the world to buy a peaceful working relationship with Signor Jerk-in-a-Suit, but I wisely keep that thought to myself. “How much?”
“Two hundred thousand euros,” Tomas answers. My mouth falls open, and he smirks at my surprise. “That’s the offer. Shall we shake on it?”
He holds out his hand again. In a daze, I reach out to take it. The moment I touch him, a zing of electricity goes through me.
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. The zing is that mysterious thing that I can’t explain, the chemistry that makes me lose my mind and make stupid, stupid decisions like going into business with Simon. And now I’m feeling tingles from shaking hands with the man who bought out his share.
No. Not again. The Queen of Bad Decisions isn’t going to make the same mistake twice. Tomas Aguilar is the last person I should get involved with—no matter what the butterflies in my stomach suggest. No, I refuse to be attracted to my new partner, the one who was foisted on me without my consent. I refuse.
I drop his hand like it scalds me.
The sooner I buy out his share, the better. Two hundred thousand euros or not, I’m going to be a royal pain in his ass. I’m going to be snide and snarky every opportunity I get. There will be no truce. Tomas Aguilar is going to discover that it’s a really bad idea to go into business with me.
“I’ll take your proposal to my lawyer,” I say grudgingly. “We’ll see what he has to say.” I’m not going to go on the attack immediately; I need time to plan my strategy. “If that’s all, I have a class to teach.” I give him my most innocent smile. “I’d invite you to join, but…” I shrug my shoulders and let my voice trail off suggestively.
He’s not fooled by my sweet tone, not even a little. “But you’re afraid I might be hurt,” he finishes. “That’s smart. After all, if I get a hangnail, I might sue.”
Daniel shakes his head and shuts his suitcase. “I can see this is going to be an eventful partnership. Come on, Tomas. I’ll buy you a drink. There’s a restaurant next door, Il Doge, that I’ve been meaning to try.”
It takes superhuman effort to keep from laughing out loud at the look on Tomas’s face. “I’ve heard the food is truly exceptional,” I say helpfully.
“Of course you have,” Tomas says, his voice bone dry. Then he drops his next bombshell. “As your new partner, I’ll need to be consulted about the improvements you’ll be making. Let’s do a walkthrough on Monday.”
Ugh. I should have known the money came with strings. Damn it all to hell. Tomas Aguilar might have injected very necessary funds into the gym, but it’s going to come with him micromanaging my every decision.
This is going to be lovely.
My grip tightens on my pencil, and I stab it hard enough into the pad to tear the paper. Baring my teeth at him in a terrible imitation of a smile, I say, “I’m looking forward to it.”
I can’t kill him—I can’t afford bail or a lawyer. But one way or the other, this guy needs to go.
3
TOMAS
“Two hundred thousand euros?” Daniel says the moment we step outside. “That’s not the number we discussed.”
I should have realized he’d remember. Daniel is the Venice Mafia’s go-to lawyer for a reason; the man has a mind like a steel trap.
I shrug uncomfortably. “Well, you saw the place. It needs work.”
“It does,” Daniel agrees, his voice amused. “That’s why you’re taking a reduced share of the profits. Remember?” His grin turns sly. “Did I sense some tension between you and the lovely Alina Zuccaro?”
“If by tension you mean she doesn’t like me, then I’d say that’s rather obvious.” Alina hissed and spit at me like an angry kitten. She reminds me of Freccia when I first got her. The line between play and prey was so fine it was invisible. She’d be playing with a ball of wool, and in the blink of an eye, she’d transform into a feral creature that only wanted to attack.
Alina was like that. The two of us were starting a perfectly pleasant conversation, but the moment I mentioned that I owned part of her gym, her claws came out.
