I approached the room and saw the three of them sitting together, their laptops in front of them along with notebooks and pens. Tatum looked stunning in the black blouse she wore with golden buttons down the front. Her hair was pulled back loosely, some soft strands coming free. With dark eye shadow and painted lips, she looked ready for the runway rather than a meeting.
Thorn was in a black suit with a pink tie. Concentrated and focused, he didn’t seem to pay special attention to Ms. Alexander. Tatum told me they were sleeping together, and I couldn’t hold it against him because I wasn’t any better.
I’d fucked Tatum the first chance I got.
I stepped inside and watched them all turn to me.
Ms. Alexander gave me a professional smile along with a slight nod.
Thorn saluted me. “Diesel, you’re right on time. We’re breaking for lunch soon.”
I walked around the table and shook his hand as I went. Thorn had been nothing but pleasant to me since my name had been cleared. Now he went out of his way to be friendly toward me, to make up for the harsh things he said to me.
I wasn’t the kind of man to hold a grudge. He was Tatum’s family, so now he was my family. “Good. I should make Tatum eat.”
“Good luck with that,” Thorn said with a chuckle. “That’s like getting a goat to dance.”
“Are you comparing me to a goat?” Tatum’s eyebrow was cocked so high on her face it was about to jump off.
“What?” Thorn asked. “Goats are cute.”
“They’re farm animals,” she snapped. “I’m not a farm animal.”
Tatum was at the head of the table, so I came around until I reached her chair. I pushed one hand against the table and leaned down to kiss her.
That shut her up.
I kept the kiss PG, but it was still inappropriate for a business meeting. But whether she was meeting Thorn or a room full of suits, I didn’t care. My presence only strengthened hers. She was a powerful woman with incredible wealth, but with a husband like me, she was truly untouchable. If they fucked with her, they fucked with me.
And believe me, you didn’t want to fuck with me.
When I pulled away, I saw the affection in her eyes. The rest of her face was a professional mask, but that was one aspect she couldn’t hide—at least, from me. She reacted to my touch no matter how many pairs of eyes stared at her. She was mine, and she knew I would claim her in front of anyone. “How’s it going?”
“Good.” Tatum tucked a loose strand behind her ear, acting innocent despite the way I fucked her when I came home yesterday. “We were just working on the first product line we’re releasing as a company. We’re attending the trade show in Chicago this weekend.”
“The week before our wedding?” I asked incredulously.
Tatum shrugged. “I’m taking two weeks off for the honeymoon, so it’s now or never. It’ll be a great opportunity to showcase it, get people talking about it, have our PR team publicize it, and build up buzz before we drop it next month.” She was back to business as usual, juggling a million things at once. As if she’d never been shot at all, she was back to full capacity.
“I’m coming along.” I took a seat in the chair to the right of her, getting in position between her and Thorn. I wasn’t part of this project and didn’t know a lot of details, but I knew enough. “When are we leaving?”
Tatum didn’t make an argument. “Friday night. We’ll take my jet.”
“Alright.”
Tatum gave me a look before she turned away. She probably wanted to tell me to stay in Manhattan to catch up on all the work I missed out on, but she wouldn’t say anything in front of her partners.
She turned back to her computer and addressed Ms. Alexander. “Do you think there are any improvements to be made? What is the likelihood someone else can reproduce this?”
Ms. Alexander was a lot more professional than I was even though she was sitting across from Thorn. “There will always be someone out there who can copy it. They can dissect my work and figure it out. But by then, there will be a new and better line out. It’s the same thing with iPhones. By the time the competition catches up, a new one is out.”
I glanced at Thorn and saw him stare so hard at Ms. Alexander that he looked pissed.
“Any chance of a patent?” Titan asked.
“On certain aspects, yes,” Ms. Alexander said. “But not everything can be protected. That’s just how it goes.”
They spoke for a few more minutes, tying up their meetings so they could break for lunch. When they were finally finished, they left their laptops and notes on the table.
“What are you guys in the mood for?” Tatum asked.
I knew what I was in the mood for.
“Salad,” Ms. Alexander said.
“Me too,” Thorn said. But he probably would agree with anything Ms. Alexander said.
“Is that alright with you, Diesel?” Tatum turned to me, doing her best to regard me with indifference.
She failed miserably. “Anything you want, baby.”
We went across the street to a café and sat at a small table against the window. We immediately got service and ordered our drinks and lunches before we were left to our own conversation.
My hand rested on Tatum’s slender thigh, my fingers digging into the fabric that covered her skin. I wanted to pull it up a bit and touch her bare skin, but I also didn’t want any of the men to stare at her.
Even though they were already staring.
It didn’t feel like just Tatum and I were together, but it felt like we were on
