TRAILING TRISHA - A Black Hounds Motorcycle Club Romance (The Fox and the Hounds Book #2) (2 page)

“She knocked it out of the park, Dante!”

The young man hadn’t seen Lucia so excited since the day they signed the lease on their new office space. In her executive office, his sister flipped between her laptop and a pair of iPads as she eagerly read the news about Dante and Trisha’s visit to the car show. He knew the telltale look in her eyes meant that things were looking up.

One screen focused on news about the company’s incoming IPO. An investment company had upgraded their recommendation into a ‘strong buy’ when the stock would go public. Another was a news highlight reel about the car show. An elderly news anchor babbled on as a video of him and Trisha appeared on his side.

She looked so lovely.

“Dante, this went way better than I had planned,” Lucia said gleefully. She scrolled through a list of news articles about the company going public in the near future. “Apparently, Trisha made quite an impression on the show floor with her farming knowledge. I just got a call from a few agriculture companies who want their vehicle divisions to do business with us. They asked us why we were doing business with such a small fry instead with one of the big players!”

Dante tried to follow her line of thought but his own thoughts were clouded with images of last night. He recalled Trisha’s soft yet firm skin. He remembered the taste of her lips and the scent of the spicy perfume she wore. She had shared her soul with him. In turn, he had betrayed the passion they had shared.

He had left without a word as she had slept in a separate room.

It wasn’t anything like his past romances. Those were fleeting thrills no different than racing against a friend or doing a death-defying stunt. When the young playboy spent a night with a woman, he usually woke up the next morning with a hangover and began a great search for where he left his pants. Now, the heartbroken expression on Trisha’s face was burnt into his head. An hour ago, she had given him a boilerplate text message about how she planned on going back to her farm via a taxi.

The farm girl may have been steelier than the snobbish, upper class women Lucia pushed on him but she still had a fragile heart. He had given her a taste of love after years of heartbreak and loneliness. And just as easily as he had given it, Dante had taken it away under the guise of professionalism.

“I’m still not happy with that stunt Uncle Cass pulled, however,” his sister grumbled, folding her arms. Their formerly incarcerated uncle had decided to crash the car show. At least it was covered under his parole agreement. “I’ll admit it wasn’t a disaster. But we need to keep him on a tighter leash if he doesn’t agree stick to our plan. I think I’ll make him take a business trip to New York so he’s at least out of our hair.”

“You can’t keep a hound caged up,” Dante sighed. “He’s been locked for years. Let him enjoy his freedom. If we can make it look like he’s a reformed criminal, it’ll make the rest of the company look more legitimate.”

It was a cynical way to talk about one of his closest family members.

It made him feel sick.

“At least the media is starting to take us seriously,” she replied, replaying Dante’s talk with Douglas. It had been a brutal interview but he had come off the victor. “You kept your cool against Douglas. I would’ve kicked that guy’s ass halfway through the interview.”

“We better not burn any bridges if we can avoid it. Douglas is a big name in this business.”

Lucia smiled at her brother’s growing business acumen. “We’re getting offers for more interviews by a dozen major automobile magazines and websites.”

“Already? How am I supposed to be with Trisha and campaign for the IPO?”

She shook her head. “No, both you and Trisha. They’re interested in speaking to her as well. She made quite the impression yesterday and people are eager to speak with her.”

He shifted his weight onto the other foot. “Think she’ll be up for it?”

His sister noticed his nervous habit. “I can get a team to coach her. We just need to prevent any complications with Trisha and its smooth sailing from here.”

Dante shot his sister a nervous look. “Complications?”

Lucia immediately closed her laptop. She stared daggers at her brother. “Don’t tell me you slept with her?”

There was no point in denying it. “How could you tell?”

“I’m your sister, of course I can tell,” she answered, rubbing her eyes with a hand. “You’ve been acting strange ever since you got here. Listen, we have to keep Trisha happy if this is all going to work. She could bring everything crashing down if we upset her. That woman will bring us all down with her.”

Lucia was right as always. His night of passion with Trisha could have ended the whole plan. He would’ve thought of last night as a terrible mistake if it wasn’t for the blissful memories that came with it.

“Are you telling me this as my CFO?”

“I’m telling you this as your sister,” she sighed. “Just don’t get too close to her. Sooner or later, this thing is going to end. It’ll hurt less if you treat this as just a business arrangement.”

Dante wondered what Trisha thought of him. He always felt so self-conscious about how the world viewed him, especially in comparison to his late father. Becoming a CEO had made him acquire a thick skin. The thought of Trisha hating him punched through that self-imposed armor.

Perhaps, she thought he was a playboy and that night was no different from any other for him. Nothing could be further than the truth. Trisha wasn’t some cheap thrill he’d used and tossed aside after having his fill. But would she believe his sincerity? After all, their relationship even had a contract.

“Treat a person like a business arrangement?”

“What’s your long term goal with her?” Lucia asked, her words skewering him. “The whole thing is a sham. Do you think she’ll be happy being with a guy who needs her to prop up his company’s IPO?”

Dante needed her more than his damn IPO ever did. He needed to laugh with her. He needed to feel her heartbeat against his back as they raced through the highway. He needed to feel her body against his as they made love.