Let's Play A Dirty Ass Game, Mr. CEO

Chapter 44: MAKE HIM BLEED

LAURA

"I brought you something crunchy for dinner."

Harlan handed me a square box with that charming smile of his, and I took it with a smile of mine, inhaling the delicious aroma wafting from the box. "Pepperoni pizza," I sniffled, grinning. "How heavenly."

"I know, right?" Harlan responded, waving at Eli who wouldn’t stop screaming at the top of his lungs. These two just had a thing for each other, and it was comforting to see. It made me less bothered about the absence of Eli’s real father.

"It’s bedtime, Eli!" I yelled as we walked through the foyer. "Back to your room. Now!"

The little boy was due for some spanking, and he’d get it coming pretty soon.

"I didn’t know you were coming over," I said with a smile, trying to not sound too put off by idea of showing up without prior notice. We were more than business partners, after all. Even if not lovers or sexual partners.

"Yeah," he lifted his hand and scratched the back of his neck, "I just had to check in with you real quick, like a surprise visit. I’m sorry if I overstepped."

"It’s fine, really. I’m glad you got here when you did anyway. Good riddance to Tristan Pierce. Was he at your house for a business meeting?"

I tossed him a glance. There was something about his tone that didn’t sit right with me.

"I’ll tell you all about it over a glass of wine," I said as soon as I heard Eli’s footsteps running down the stairs. "I’ll just quickly put Eli to bed."

"Oh come on, let me say hello."

"Harlan...he’s going to want to stay up all night talking to you. He has to be at school early tomorrow."

"Just a hello would suffice."

I groaned and started for the stairs.

"Uncle Harlan!" Eli shrieked as he came into view, and jumped in Harlan’s open arms.

"How’s my favorite little champ?" Harlan tickled his sides as he settled Eli around his neck and started up the stairs.

"I’m fine!"

"Ugh, stop screaming, Eli."

Harlan tossed an apologetic glance over his shoulder. "Just one bedtime story and I’ll be back."

Before I could protest, he sprinted up the stairs with Eli giggling around his neck.

Groaning in exhaustion, I followed after them and headed straight for my room. A cold shower was what I needed to cool off the steam in my head.

So I took my time in there because I knew Harlan would take his time in Eli’s room. As I slathered soap on my body and scrubbed gently, my thoughts strayed back to Tristan and his balderdash earlier.

What was that receipt even all about? A transfer of three million grand from Pierce Holdings? Was that even real? How come I never noticed it?

Fuck. I should have checked the account it was wired to. I would have stayed up all night tracing the money, trying to figure out this whole shenanigan.

There was obviously a misunderstanding at play.

For some reason, Tristan seemed to think that I was trying to fuck our partnership deal. I could not understand it. Why would I get in just to get out seconds in? Why did he still not trust me after all these years? Why could he not just...try to believe in me for a change?

It broke my heart more than I was willing to admit. Wrecked my soul more than five years could take away.

I quickly washed over the suds and slipped into a fluffy robe. By the time I went back downstairs, Harlan had returned to the living room island.

"You smell divine from all the way here," he said, intense black eyes watching me as I made my way to the fridge to pick out a bottle of red wine.

"Well thank you," I crooned as I poured the drinks. "And thank you again, for stopping by." I slid one glass over to him and clinked both. "Means a lot."

As I took the first sip of the wine, I pulled the box of pizza close. It was as the aroma hit my nostrils again that I realized just how much I was starving.

"So, everything okay?" he asked as I dug into the pizza, tearing off a large chunk.

"Apparently, there was an inflow of three million grand from Pierce Holdings to Phoenix. And Tristan insinuated it had something to do with the partnership."

"You received three million grand from his company? Why?"

I heaved a sigh of satisfaction at the pizza and exhilaration at the question. "Money gets sent to the phoenix accounts every minute of every day. I can’t possibly know about each particular one."

He nodded like he could understand. "I know. I’m just asking if he said why the money was sent?"

"Not exactly, he didn’t."

"So, what do you think it is?"

I chewed slowly as I pondered the question.

It had crossed my mind earlier, that this could be another ploy to ruin my reputation. I would have to tread very carefully because now...I had a lot to lose.

A whole fucking lot I could not put on the line for another drama with Tristan Pierce and his company.

The moment he crossed my mind, I remembered the look on his face when he saw me with Harlan...when he saw my hand slide around Harlan’s back and rest there like he belonged to me.

That handsome face of Tristan’s had twisted from surprised to horrified, then enraged. It had been my intention to make him bleed green for the nerve of showing up at my place again unannounced, and it’d been hilarious to see how much it ticked him, being like that with Harlan...with any other man that wasn’t him. Even though he was the one I wanted.

God, it was sure a difficult life I lived.

I was jerked out of my thoughts when Harlan leaned across the space between us and brushed his thumb across my lower lip. I blinked, jolted by the contact.

"Sorry," he winced, hanging there in the air, thumb hovering over my lips, "you got something on your.."

"Oh, thank you."

His lips curved in a wry smile as his gaze dropped to my lips. "You’re very beautiful when you blush like that."

I hiccuped and slapped a hand over my mouth.

He chuckled and leaned his elbows on the island surface. "By the way, you seem distracted."

"What? How?"

"You never answered my question."

"Oh," I ran my fingers through my hair and leaned close. "Probably skipped. Please ask me again."

"What do you think about the receipt?"

I shrugged. "I’m not thinking about it until tomorrow," I lied. I mean...all I’d done was think about it.

And I already had a plan for tomorrow. One that should solve the mystery at hand.

"Good, because I’m about to make you forget everything."

Before I could ask what that meant, Harlan leaned further across and planted a bold kiss on my lips.

One that made my blood run cold.