AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But if I act on that information, will she think I was sleeping with her to get her to spill state secrets? Will she feel used?
Normally, I wouldn’t care. I’d store that little piece of gold in the things I’ll definitely use later box. You don’t successfully hunt companies by being a nice, stand-up guy.
But this isn’t some random victim of my schemes. This is Penelope. The Queen of Nord. The girl across the roof, who made my days at boarding school happy, who hauled mini rose bushes up to her windowsill because she couldn’t get them back home. The girl who treated me like a real person, and not like a peasant who was beneath her. Can I really use information she let slip after we…well, after we did what we just did?
Penelope runs her hand over her dress, removing an invisible piece of lint off her skirt. Her hair already back in place. Golden strands twist into a knot at the nape of her neck as she smooths her palms over her head to catch the last little flyaways that halo around her head. Her face is stoic, serious, and completely different from the picture of bliss it was a few minutes ago.
When was the last time I saw a woman come apart like that in my arms? A woman who wanted to tear my shirt off, who wasn’t afraid to let her hands drift over my scars? A woman who looked at me with hunger in her eyes, without wanting anything from me but pleasure?
I…I can’t remember. Sex is usually transactional for me. Not with money, but…needs, just trading orgasms with someone who will disappear from my life as soon as the act is over. It’s no deeper than the physical act.
This felt different. Still, when Penelope straights up and faces me, looking every bit a queen, I can’t help but feel that something has changed between us, and not in a good way. There’s distance between us. A coldness that wasn’t there before. Was this casual to her? Did she not feel the connection I thought was there?
She nods. “It’s been a pleasure, Asher. We should probably get back.”
“Of course.” Unable to resist, I let my hand drift to her lower back as I lead her to the exit. She squares her shoulders, dipping her chin as I open the door up for her. Dishes clatter on the other side as a servant yelps, seeing the Queen of Nord emerge from a staff common room.
Penelope ignores them, moving down the hallway like she owns it. Nothing about her says we’ve just had sex. Nothing about the way she walks, the way she holds her head, the way her clothing still somehow looks perfectly put together.
It’s like it never happened.
Grinding my teeth as I ignore the uncomfortable tension in the center of my chest, I follow her down the hallway. Am I upset that she doesn’t look as frazzled as I feel? Embarrassment winds its way through my core, squeezing my heart. I shouldn’t care about Penelope. I shouldn’t care about anyone! Why would I be upset that she’s acting like nothing happened? Like what we just shared meant nothing? Of course it meant nothing—it was a quick, dirty fuck at someone’s wedding. Two lonely people scratching an itch.
I should be thanking her and going on my merry way. I’m here to get information, and I got it. I know she was talking about Donovan, and now I know he’s planning to expand in Nord. He has no chance of slithering out of this merger. I should be happy. The day was a success.
But my mouth tastes like ash.
When we get back to the reception, speeches are happening. I see Gabriel, lost in his own world, with his arms around his bride.
Good for him. Bitterness tugs my lips down as I stare at the joy in my old friend’s eyes. I cast an eye over the assembled people in all their finery, feeling every bit the outsider that I am. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong in the arms of someone like Penelope.
Imagine if she saw me without a shirt! If she saw me the way I am, there’s no chance would she let me touch her the way she did today. She’d recoil, just like everyone else does. Just like she’s doing right now. Penelope throws me an indecipherable glance, then slips away through the crowd. Walks away like nothing happened.
I take a deep breath, jumping when I hear my assistant’s voice beside me. “Any progress? Donovan’s been drinking. If there was a time to start extracting some information from him, it would be now.” Nico scans the crowd as I stare at Penelope. The last thing I want to do is talk to Reggie Donovan. My assistant runs his palm over his dark blond hair, squinting against the sun. He pushes his wire-rimmed glasses up and swings his gaze to me, questioning.
Nico’s been my second-in-command for years. He’s as ruthless as I am. Ambitious, hard-working, and deserving of success. He marched into my office five years ago, slapped a résumé on my desk, and told me I’d be a fool not to hire him. The hunger in his gaze convinced me to give him a chance, and it was one of the few decisions I’ve made that I’m proud of. The man is a workhorse and better at coddling difficult egos than I am. He’s cleaned up more than a few messes I’ve made, but I’m not sure even he’d be able to clean up this one.
“Nord,” I answer.
Nico frowns, arching a brow.
“He’s trying to expand into Nord. Not sure what kind of resources he’s planning on mining, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find out.”
Nico’s lips pinch as he nods, a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. “Well done, sir.”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“You always get the information you need,” he replies, throwing a glance toward Donovan. His eyes narrow, and I know I’ll have a report on my desk by the morning confirming Donovan’s plans to expand into Nord.
The mining tycoon is drunk, half falling over as he throws his arm around a poor, scared-looking waitress. I have no desire to talk to him right now. Even if I did, he probably wouldn’t even remember it. Plus, I got what I needed. I can get back to work now.
Ice chips freeze in my veins as I glance at the Queen, feeling oddly queasy about using that information. She has no idea I came to this wedding to squeeze Reginald Donovan. She has no idea that she handed me a secret on a platter and saved me hours of negotiation and investigation work.
But she did it after…after we…
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I suck in a breath to try to regain control over my rioting emotions. Why do I even care what Penelope thinks? We’re not together. I haven’t seen the woman in twenty years. We’re not children anymore, and she knows who I am. Who I work for. If she didn’t want me to act on that information, she shouldn’t have said anything.
I hunt companies, and right now, I’m hunting Donovan Enterprises. Whatever happened in that break room, it’s over now, and it doesn’t change the fact that I have a job to do. “Let’s go,” I grunt, jerking my head toward the exit.
