Her husky laugh slid all around me.

Her husky laugh slid all around me. “I feel so awesome right now.”
“Better than you did in the hallway?” Her joy was infectious. If I could’ve stopped time, I would have at that moment.
“That’s a different kind of awesome.” Her fingertips tap-danced on my shoulders. She was … radiant when she was happy, and her pleasure brightened everything around her. Even me. “That was the best compliment, ace. Especially coming from the Gideon Cross. You meet fascinating people every day.”
“And wish they’d go away so I can get back to you.”
Her eyes glistened. “God, I love you so much it hurts.”
My hands shook and I dug them into the backs of her thighs to hide it from her. My gaze wandered, trying to latch on to something that would anchor me.
If she only knew what she did to me with those three little words.
She hugged me. “I want you to do something for me,” she murmured.
“Anything. Everything.”
“Let’s have a party.”
Seizing the opportunity to move on to other topics … “Great. I’ll set up the swing.”
Pulling back, Eva shoved at my shoulder. “Not that kind of party, fiend.”
I sighed. “Bummer.”
She gave me a wicked smile. “How about I promise the swing in return for the party?”
“Ah, now we’re talking.” I settled back, enjoying her immensely. “Tell me what you have in mind.”
“Booze and friends, yours and mine.”
“All right.” I considered the possibilities. “I’ll see you your booze and friends, and raise you a quickie in a dark corner somewhere during.”
Her throat worked on a quick swallow and I smiled inwardly. I knew my angel well. Indulging her closet exhibitionism was a complete 360 turnaround for me, and though it still amazed me when I thought about it, I didn’t mind in the least. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for those moments when the only thing that mattered to her was being filled with my cock.
“You drive a hard bargain,” she said.
“Exactly my intention.”
“Okay, then.” She licked her lips. “I’ll see you your quickie and raise you a hand job under the table.”
My brows rose. “Clothed,” I countered.
Something that sounded like a purr rumbled in the air between us. “I think you need to revisit and revise, Mr. Cross.”
“I think you’ll need to work harder to convince me, Mrs. Cross.”
She was, as always, the most invigorating negotiation of my day.
WE separated on the twentieth floor, where she exited the elevator into the Waters Field & Leaman foyer. I was determined to get her on my team and working for me. It was an objective I strategized every day.
When I reached my office, my assistant was already at his desk.
“Good morning,” Scott greeted me, standing as I approached. “PR called a few minutes ago. They’re fielding an unusual amount of inquiries about a rumored engagement between you and Miss Tramell. They’d like to know how to respond.”
“They should confirm.” I passed him and went to the coatrack in the corner behind my desk.
He followed. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I shrugged out of my jacket and slung it on a hook. When I glanced at him again, he was grinning.
Scott Reid handled myriad tasks for me with quiet care, which led others to often underestimate him and allow him to go unnoticed. On more than one occasion, his detailed observations of individuals had proven extremely insightful, and so I overpaid him for his position to keep him from going anywhere else.
“Miss Tramell and I will marry before the end of the year,” I told him. “All interview and photo requests for either of us should be routed through Cross Industries. And tell security downstairs the same. No one should get to her without going through me first.”
“I’ll let them know. Also, Mr. Madani wanted to be notified when you got in. He’d like a few minutes with you before the meeting this morning.”
“I’m ready when he is.”
“Great,” Arash Madani said, walking in. “There used to be days when you were here before seven. You’re slacking off, Cross.”
I shot the lawyer a warning look that carried no heat. Arash lived to work and was damned good at it, which is why I hired him away from his former employer. He’d been the toughest counsel I had ever run across, and in the years since, that hadn’t changed.
Gesturing at one of the two chairs in front of my desk, I took my seat and watched him take his. His dark blue suit was simple but bespoke, his wavy black hair tamed by a precision cut. Sharp intelligence marked his dark brown eyes, extending to a smile that was more warning than greeting. He was a friend as well as an employee, and I valued his lack of bullshit.
“We’ve received a respectable bid on the property on Thirty-sixth,” he said.
“Oh?” A tangle of emotions held my reply for a moment. The hotel Eva hated remained a problem as long as I owned it. “That’s good.”
“That’s curious,” he shot back, setting one ankle on the opposite knee, “considering how slowly the market’s recovering. I had to dig through several layers, but the bidder is a subsidiary of LanCorp.”
“Interesting.”
“Cocky. Landon knows the next highest bid is a ways off—about ten million ways. I recommend we pull the property off the market and revisit in a year or two.”
“No.” Sitting back, I waved away the suggestion. “Let him have it.”
Arash blinked. “Are you shitting me? Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of that hotel?”
Because I can’t keep it in my holdings without hurting my wife. “I have my reasons.”
“That’s what you said when I advised you to sell it a few years ago and you chose to sink millions in renovations into it instead. An expense that you’re just finally breaking even on, and now you want to offload it in a still-shaky market to a guy who wants your head?”
“It’s never a bad time to sell real estate in Manhattan.” And certainly, never a bad time to dump something Eva called my “fuck pad.”
“There are better times, and you know it. Landon knows it. You sell to him, you’ll only be encouraging him.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll up his game.”
Ryan Landon had an ax to grind; I didn’t hold it against him. My father had decimated the Landon fortune and Ryan wanted a Cross to pay for that. He wasn’t the first or last businessman to come after me because of my father, but he was the most tenacious. And he was young enough to have plenty of time to dedicate to the task.
I looked at the photo of Eva on my desk. All other considerations were secondary.
“Hey,” Arash said, lifting his hands in mock surrender, “it’s your business. I just need to know if the rules have changed.”
“Nothing’s changed.”
“If you believe that, Cross, you’re further out of the game than I thought. While Landon’s plotting your ruin, you’re off at the beach.”
“Stop kicking my ass for taking a weekend off, Arash.” I’d do it again in an instant. Those days I’d spent with Eva in the Outer Banks had been every fucking dream I’d never allowed myself to have.
I stood and walked to the window. LanCorp’s offices were in the high-rise two blocks over, and Ryan Landon’s office had a prime view of the Crossfire Building. I suspected he spent more than a few moments every day staring at my office and planning his next move. Occasionally, I stared back and dared him to bring it harder.
My father was a criminal who’d destroyed countless lives. He was also the man who’d taught me how to ride a bike and to sign my name with pride. I couldn’t save Geoffrey Cross’s reputation, but I could damn sure protect what I’d built out of his ashes.
Arash joined me at the window. “I’m not going to say I wouldn’t hole up with a babe like Eva Tramell if I could. But I’d have my goddamn cell phone with me. Especially in the middle of a high-stakes negotiation.”
Remembering how melted chocolate tasted on Eva’s skin, I thought a hurricane could’ve been ripping shingles off the roof and I wouldn’t have given it a second’s attention. “You’re making me pity you.”
“LanCorp’s acquisition of that software set you back years in research and development. And it’s made him cocky.”
That was what really got Arash’s blood up, Landon’s pleasure in his own success. “That software’s next to worthless without PosIT’s hardware.”
He glanced at me. “So?”
“Agenda item number three.”
He faced me. “It said To Be Determined on my copy.”
“Well, it says PosIT on my mine. That game enough for you?”
“Damn.”
My desk phone beeped, followed by Scott’s voice projecting from the speaker. “A couple things, Mr. Cross. Miss Tramell is on line one.”
“Thank you, Scott.” I headed for the receiver with the thrill of the hunt coursing through my blood. If we acquired PosIT, Landon would be back to square one. “When I’m clear, I need Victor Reyes on the line.”
“Will do. Also, Mrs. Vidal is at reception,” he went on, stopping me in my tracks. “Would you like me to postpone the morning meeting?”
I looked out the glass partition that divided my office from the rest of the floor, even though I couldn’t see my mother from that distance. My hands clenched at my sides. According to the clock on my phone, I had ten minutes to spare and my wife on the line. The urge was there to make my mother wait until I could fit her in my schedule, not hers, but I shoved it down.
“Buy me twenty minutes,” I told him. “I’ll take the calls with Miss Tramell and Reyes, then you can bring Mrs. Vidal back.”
“Got it.”
I waited a beat. Then I picked up the phone and hit the rapidly blinking button.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Dia tertawa husky meluncur di sekitar saya. "Saya merasa begitu awesome tepat sekarang.""Lebih baik daripada yang Anda lakukan di lorong?" Kebahagiaan itu menular. Jika saya bisa berhenti waktu, saya akan memiliki pada saat itu."Itu adalah jenis yang berbeda mengagumkan." Ujung-ujung tap-danced di pundak saya. Dia adalah... radiant ketika ia merasa bahagia, dan kesenangan menerangi sesuatu di sekelilingnya. Bahkan saya. "Itu pujian terbaik, ace. Terutama berasal dari salib Gideon. Anda bertemu orang yang menarik setiap hari.""Dan berharap mereka akan pergi sehingga saya dapat kembali kepada Anda."Glistened matanya. "Tuhan, aku mencintaimu begitu banyak sakit."Tanganku gemetar dan aku menggali mereka ke punggung paha untuk menyembunyikannya dari padanya. Pandangan saya berkelana, mencoba untuk menempel ke sesuatu yang akan jangkar saya.Jika dia hanya tahu apa yang dia lakukan kepada saya dengan ketiga kata.Dia memelukku. "Saya ingin Anda untuk melakukan sesuatu untukku," dia bersungut."Apa pun. Segala sesuatu.""Mari kita memiliki pesta."Merebut kesempatan untuk beralih ke topik lain... "Besar. Saya akan mengatur ayunan."Menarik kembali, Eva mendorong di bahu saya. "Bukan semacam Partai, Iblis."Saya menghela napas. "Gelandangan."Dia memberiku senyum yang jahat. "Bagaimana saya berjanji ayunan sebagai Partai?""Ah, sekarang kita berbicara." Aku duduk kembali, menikmati sangat. "Ceritakan padaku apa yang Anda miliki dalam pikiran.""Minuman keras dan teman-teman, Anda dan saya.""Baiklah." Aku dianggap sebagai kemungkinan. "Aku akan melihat Anda minuman keras dan teman-teman Anda, dan meningkatkan kilat di sudut gelap di suatu tempat selama."Tenggorokannya mengerjakan walet cepat dan aku tersenyum dalam hati. Aku tahu malaikat juga. Memanjakan eksibisionisme lemari nya adalah perputaran 360 lengkap bagi saya, dan meskipun masih takjub saya ketika saya berpikir tentang hal itu, aku tidak keberatan sedikit. Tidak ada yang saya tidak lakukan saat-saat ketika satu-satunya hal yang penting bagi dia sedang diisi dengan ayam saya."Anda berkendara keras murah," katanya."Persis maksud saya.""Oke, kemudian." Dia menjilat bibir. "Aku akan melihat Anda kilat Anda dan meningkatkan pekerjaan tangan di bawah meja."Alis saya naik. "Mengenakan," saya balas.Sesuatu yang terdengar seperti purr bergemuruh di udara antara kami. "Saya pikir Anda perlu meninjau kembali dan merevisi, Mr Cross.""Saya pikir Anda akan perlu untuk bekerja lebih keras untuk meyakinkan saya, ibu Cross."Dia adalah, seperti biasa, negosiasi paling menyegarkan hari saya.KITA dipisahkan di lantai kedua puluh, dimana dia keluar Lift ke bidang perairan & Leaman serambi. Aku bertekad untuk mendapatkan dia di tim saya dan bekerja bagi saya. Itu tujuan saya strategized setiap hari.Ketika saya mencapai kantor saya, Asisten saya sudah di mejanya."Selamat pagi," Scott menyapa saya, berdiri ketika aku mendekat. "PR disebut beberapa hari lalu. Mereka sedang tangkas luar biasa besarnya pertanyaan tentang keterlibatan diisukan antara Anda dan Miss Tramell. Mereka ingin mengetahui bagaimana menanggapi.""Mereka harus mengkonfirmasi." Saya lewat dan pergi ke coatrack di sudut di belakang meja saya.Ia mengikuti. "Selamat.""Terima kasih." Aku mengangkat bahu dari jaket dan tersandang di hook. Ketika aku melirik padanya lagi, ia menyeringai.Scott Reid menangani berbagai tugas untuk saya dengan perawatan yang tenang, yang menyebabkan orang lain untuk sering meremehkan dia dan membiarkan dia pergi tanpa diketahui. Pada lebih dari satu kesempatan, pengamatan rinci individu telah terbukti sangat mendalam, dan jadi aku membayar lebih padanya untuk posisinya untuk menjaga dia dari pergi di tempat lain."Miss Tramell dan aku akan menikah sebelum akhir tahun," kataku kepadanya. "Semua wawancara dan foto permintaan untuk salah satu dari kami harus dialihkan melalui Cross industri. Dan memberitahu keamanan lantai bawah yang sama. Tidak ada yang harus mendapatkan padanya tanpa melalui saya pertama.""Aku akan membiarkan mereka tahu. Juga, Mr Madani ingin diberitahu ketika Anda masuk. Dia ingin beberapa menit dengan Anda sebelum pertemuan pagi ini.""Saya siap kalau ia sudah.""Bagus," dariAlamsyah Madani berkata, berjalan in. "dulu ada hari ketika Anda berada di sini sebelum tujuh. Anda sedang malas, salib."Aku menembak pengacara melihat peringatan yang dilakukan tidak panas. Alamsyah tinggal untuk bekerja dan sangat baik pada saat itu, itulah sebabnya saya mempekerjakannya dari majikannya mantan. Dia telah nasihat terberat yang saya pernah telah berjalan di seluruh, dan dalam tahun sejak, itu tidak berubah.Menunjuk salah satu dua kursi di depan meja saya, aku mengambil kursi saya dan melihat dia mengambil nya. Nya setelan biru gelap adalah sederhana namun dipesan lebih dahulu, rambut hitam bergelombang dijinakkan oleh memotong presisi. Tajam kecerdasan ditandai matanya coklat gelap, memperluas senyum yang lebih peringatan daripada ucapan. Dia adalah seorang teman serta karyawan, dan saya bernilai kurangnya omong kosong."Kami telah menerima tawaran terhormat pada properti di ketiga puluh enam," katanya."Oh?" Kusut emosi diadakan jawaban saya sejenak. Hotel Eva membenci tetap masalah selama saya milik itu. "Itu baik.""Itulah penasaran," dia ditembak kembali, menetapkan satu kaki pada lutut yang berlawanan, "mempertimbangkan bagaimana perlahan-lahan pasar yang memulihkan. Aku harus menggali melalui beberapa lapisan, tapi penawar adalah anak perusahaan dari LanCorp.""Menarik.""Sombong. Landon tahu tawaran tertinggi berikutnya adalah cara-cara sekitar sepuluh juta. Saya merekomendasikan kita menarik properti dari pasar dan kembali dalam satu tahun atau dua.""Tidak." Duduk kembali, aku menggelengkan saran. "Hendaklah memilikinya."Alamsyah berkedip. "Apakah Anda bercanda? Mengapa Apakah Anda dalam terburu-buru untuk menyingkirkan Hotel itu?"Karena saya tidak bisa menyimpannya dalam koleksi saya tanpa menyakiti istri saya. "Aku punya alasan.""Itu adalah apa yang Anda katakan ketika saya menyarankan Anda untuk menjualnya beberapa tahun yang lalu dan Anda memilih untuk wastafel jutaan dalam renovasi ke dalamnya sebagai gantinya. Biaya yang Anda hanya akhirnya melanggar bahkan pada, dan sekarang Anda ingin offload di pasar masih-ruat kepada seorang pria yang ingin kepala Anda?""Itu tidak pernah waktu yang buruk untuk menjual real estat di Manhattan." Dan tentu saja, tidak pernah buruk waktu untuk membuang sesuatu Eva disebut "bercinta pad.""Ada saat-saat yang lebih baik, dan kau tahu itu. Landon tahu itu. Anda menjual kepadanya, Anda hanya akan mendorong kepadanya.""Baik. Mungkin dia akan naik permainan."Ryan Landon memiliki kapak untuk menggiling; Aku tidak tahan terhadap dirinya. Ayahku telah hancur Landon keberuntungan dan Ryan ingin kayu Salib untuk membayar untuk itu. Ia tidak pengusaha pertama atau terakhir datang setelah saya karena ayah saya, tapi ia paling ulet. Dan dia cukup muda untuk memiliki banyak waktu untuk mendedikasikan untuk tugas.Aku melihat foto dari Eva di mejaku. Semua pertimbangan lain yang sekunder."Hei," dariAlamsyah berkata, mengangkat tangannya di Pura-Pura menyerah, "itu adalah bisnis Anda. Aku hanya perlu untuk mengetahui jika aturan telah berubah.""Tidak ada yang berubah.""Jika Anda percaya bahwa, Cross, kau jauh dari permainan daripada yang saya pikir. Sedangkan Landon yang merencanakan kehancuran Anda, Anda akan pergi di pantai.""Berhenti menendang pantat saya untuk mengambil akhir pekan pergi, dariAlamsyah." Aku akan melakukannya lagi dalam sekejap. Hari-hari yang aku telah menghabiskan dengan Eva di luar Bank telah setiap mimpi sialan yang saya belum pernah mengizinkan diri untuk memiliki.Aku berdiri dan berjalan ke jendela. LanCorp di kantor di gedung bertingkat tinggi dua blok atas, dan Ryan Landon kantor memiliki pemandangan utama gedung Crossfire. Saya menduga ia menghabiskan lebih dari beberapa saat setiap hari menatap kantor saya dan perencanaan nya berikutnya bergerak. Kadang-kadang, aku menatap kembali dan berani dia membawa lebih sulit.My father was a criminal who’d destroyed countless lives. He was also the man who’d taught me how to ride a bike and to sign my name with pride. I couldn’t save Geoffrey Cross’s reputation, but I could damn sure protect what I’d built out of his ashes.Arash joined me at the window. “I’m not going to say I wouldn’t hole up with a babe like Eva Tramell if I could. But I’d have my goddamn cell phone with me. Especially in the middle of a high-stakes negotiation.”Remembering how melted chocolate tasted on Eva’s skin, I thought a hurricane could’ve been ripping shingles off the roof and I wouldn’t have given it a second’s attention. “You’re making me pity you.”“LanCorp’s acquisition of that software set you back years in research and development. And it’s made him cocky.”That was what really got Arash’s blood up, Landon’s pleasure in his own success. “That software’s next to worthless without PosIT’s hardware.”He glanced at me. “So?”“Agenda item number three.”He faced me. “It said To Be Determined on my copy.”“Well, it says PosIT on my mine. That game enough for you?”“Damn.”My desk phone beeped, followed by Scott’s voice projecting from the speaker. “A couple things, Mr. Cross. Miss Tramell is on line one.”“Thank you, Scott.” I headed for the receiver with the thrill of the hunt coursing through my blood. If we acquired PosIT, Landon would be back to square one. “When I’m clear, I need Victor Reyes on the line.”“Will do. Also, Mrs. Vidal is at reception,” he went on, stopping me in my tracks. “Would you like me to postpone the morning meeting?”I looked out the glass partition that divided my office from the rest of the floor, even though I couldn’t see my mother from that distance. My hands clenched at my sides. According to the clock on my phone, I had ten minutes to spare and my wife on the line. The urge was there to make my mother wait until I could fit her in my schedule, not hers, but I shoved it down.“Buy me twenty minutes,” I told him. “I’ll take the calls with Miss Tramell and Reyes, then you can bring Mrs. Vidal back.”“Got it.”I waited a beat. Then I picked up the phone and hit the rapidly blinking button.