Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Despite his instinctive dislike of James Caine, Ryan had to reluctantly admit the pretty boy Prince Charming had a good head for business.

The man listened to his proposal with rapt attention, interrupting only to ask shrewd and sensible questions, a few were unexpected, and threw him for a second, but fortunately, Ryan had been able to answer each question, mentally revising flaws in the proposal.

He glanced at Sam, who sat across from him, also listening attentively though her gaze remained fixed on Prince Charming and a weird tightness, the same feeling he'd experienced back at the museum stabbed at his chest at the admiration he saw clearly written on her face.

His train of thought stumbled. To hide it, he coughed and reached for the glass of water sitting on the table, taking a long sip while he recollected his thoughts, berating himself for letting personal feelings get in the way of something so important.

Sam was right; getting James' approval was the key to convincing Caine Senior to give Silvercorp a second chance. He needed to stop acting less like a spoilt brat who'd had his favorite lollipop snatched from him and more like a businessman.

He needed to put aside the jumble of emotions that plagued him when it came to her for the time being before he let it consume him the way he'd let Nicky's betrayal overwhelm him to the point he'd lost a billion dollar contract due to sheer stupidity and negligence.

Swallowing the cool liquid, he set down the glass, resolve hardening his features and he continued talking. Sam now had her head down as she busied herself with typing something on the tablet in her grasp; face still slightly flushed from the incident minutes ago. She stiffened as though she could feel his gaze, but resolutely kept her eyes lowered.

The corners of his mouth turned up in the beginnings of a smile. The way she’d looked at him just then, eyes glazed, mouth parted slightly in the expectations of a kiss, a dreamy expression as if caught up in a fantasy with him being the main protagonist had damn near brought him to his knees. It had certainly done a riser on his ego…and other, more sensitive parts of his body as well.

For one brief second, Ryan had been tempted to fulfil her wish there and then; to lean over the table and kiss her senseless, present company be damned.

That need still raged within, tightly held down in its cage.

He forced his attention back to Prince Charming.

“I’m aware Caine Group is currently open to new bids on the resort and in no way does Silvercorp expect to be given preferential treatment. I only ask that our proposal be given the same consideration as any other competitor.”

James leaned back against the chair, the fingers of one hand drumming a silent rhythm against the table as he appeared deep in thought. Then he sighed and leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, fingers clasped.

“It’s a good proposal,” he said, sincerity ringing in the words. “And will be beneficial to us in the long run and I like your idea to section off parts of the beach for VIP guests only. However, we’ve sunk in so much money into this project already and got less than satisfactory results from Silvercorp.”

His gaze seemed to pierce through Ryan. “What guarantee do we have that history will not repeat itself?”

Prepared for this question, Ryan readily answered. “Silvercorp will make up ten percent of whatever amount is finalized in the contract.”

At this, Sam glanced up sharply and he turned to look at her, giving her a smile in reassurance. He knew what was going through her mind at this point, thinking it was too big a risk to undertake such a contract, and if Bradford was aware of it.

James was surprised as well. “You do realize just how much that is, right?”

“I do,” Ryan didn’t bother to add his intention to foot the bill from his own pocket. “That’s not an issue.”

“I see,” James went back to being thoughtful. “Like I said, it’s a sweet deal for Caine Group and if it were solely up to me, I’d jump at it in a heartbeat. But, as I’m sure you’re aware who the ultimate decision lies with.”

“Yes, we do.” Sam answered before Ryan. “However, we’re hoping you’ll help us get this proposal across to your father, at least for his consideration.”

“Mmm,” James murmured absently. “It won’t be easy. He’s still pissed at Silvercorp, and frankly, who can blame him?”

His gaze shifted to Ryan as he said this, and their eyes met, the unspoken meaning passing between the two men.

Ryan met James’ gaze headon, careful to keep his expression neutral. Much as he acknowledged his mistake, the last thing he would do was to let that guilt eat away his confidence. Most especially, where James Caine was concerned.

Something in his eyes seemed to reassure James because the man gave a brief nod and broke eye contact and turned to Sam. “I can’t guarantee he’ll listen, the old man can be quite onerous when he chooses, but, I’ll see what I can do.”

Ryan stiffened at the tone. The man was definitely laying on the charm on Sam, who, to his consternation seemed to be swallowing it hook, line and sinker. His mood dropped as he watched her beam up at James as though the man had just promised to deliver her the Holy Grail.

Really, Sam?

“Thank you, James,” Her voice was soft, but it set his teeth on edge. “We really appreciate you taking the time to listen and help.”

The smile James leveled her way made Ryan want to wipe it off his face. “It’s my pleasure, Sam.”

Gritting his teeth at the disgusting sweetness, Ryan decided to intervene before the man launched into a love song there and then. The grudging respect he’d had towards him evaporated into thin air, to be replaced by intense dislike.

Pushing back his chair, he rose to his feet and held out a hand. “You mentioned having another meeting scheduled, so we won’t take up any more of your time. Like my partner says, we are grateful to you for this.”

James raised an eyebrow at the word ‘partner’. Rising to his feet slowly, he took his sweet time buttoning up his suit jacket before reaching out to clasp Ryan’s outstretched hand. His grip was firm, almost crushing but Ryan simply tightened his in return, not backing down in this silent battle of wills.

“No problem, Silverton,” James grinned as though he found the power play amusing. He exerted pressure once more and released his grip. “It was actually to my advantage, because I got to meet and have lunch with a beautiful woman.”

Asshole

James turned to Sam. “Is there a way I can reach you to let you know how it goes with my dad?”

Sam slapped her forehead, a gesture Ryan found rather endearing, despite how pissed off he currently was.

“Right, how forgetful of me.” She picked up her purse and began to rummage in it for her business card. “One sec, let me find a card.”

Ryan glared at the woman, disgruntled at how easily she was playing into this bastard’s hands. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his own business card.

“Here’s mine.” He had the satisfaction of seeing the man knocked off kilter. Grabbing a pen off the table, he scribbled his personal number as well and handed it over, mouth twitching with the urge to smile evilly. “It has my cell as well, so please, feel free to reach me anytime.”

Glad to see the back of James Caine, Ryan finally felt some of the tension ease off his shoulders.

“That went well,” Sam’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. She gave him a happy smile that caused a tight feeling in his chest. “Do you think James’ will be able to talk his dad into looking at the proposal?”

“Hopefully,” he replied, sinking back into his chair, resisting the urge to massage the ache in his chest. “Depends on the existing relationship between them though.”

He should know this, since his relationship with his own father was basically shit. If it were him having to present an unwanted proposal to Bradford, he’d be shot down before he could even open his mouth.

Sam poured some fresh tea into her cup, all the while pondering his words. “I suppose. We can only wait and see.”

He took a deep breath and leaned forward. “Thank you.”

Her gaze shot up to his, brown eyes searching and seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She lowered her gaze back to her cup. “You’re welcome.”

Eyeing Sam’s empty plate, he asked. “Do you want anything else?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He waited while she finished her tea, watching as her eyes darted round the restaurant, studying the other patrons. Her words in the car came back to him and he grimaced.

She thinks I don’t like her?

He shook his head in exasperation. For a woman he didn’t like, she occupied his thoughts about seventy percent of every waking hour, kept him awake at night with the memory of how it had felt to be inside her that one time. And when he finally got some sleep, dominated his dreams, causing him to wake up with a raging boner each damn morning, which led to cold showers, which in turn caused his mood to sour every morning by the time he reached the office.

He didn’t like that she was smitten by Prince Charming, or the way she gave him her best smile – one that caused a damn ache in his chest.

Speaking of, that James fellow was someone he had to keep an eye on. For one thing, the man was too smooth, too charming to be real. For all the charm he oozed in spades, there was something about the dude that left him unsettled and he didn’t trust him near Sam.

He glanced at the woman in question and revised his opinion. In the few weeks he’d known her, she had proven time and time again to be capable of holding her own against whatever challenge tossed her way. He still remembered the way she’d handled that idiot at the restaurant, the way she also stood up to him and he had no doubt she would be able to handle James easily.

She’s so different to Nicky, he mused, taking advantage of the fact she was engrossed in people watching to study her face. And the difference was not just on a physical level too. Nicky had always struck him as the type of woman that needed to be protected and sheltered. She would never in a million years have stood up to Treffen if she’d been in a similar situation. It would have been up to him to leap to her defence.

Uneasy at the direction of his thoughts, he shifted his gaze just as his phone beeped an incoming message from Haley.

Are you on your way over?

Consulting the Breitling on his wrist, he was startled to see it was just ten minutes till noon. He cursed under his breath, realizing they’d spent more time at the museum than he’d originally anticipated. He still had to drop Sam off at the office first before going over and that would take the better part of an hour.

I’m running a little late, will be there by one.

He sent the reply and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” Sam asked. Ryan’s head jerked up to find her studying him, head cocked to one side.

“Yeah, but I’ll drop you off first.” He replied, his tone apologetic.

“No, it’s okay,” she waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. “You go on ahead; I’ll call my driver to come pick me up.”

He considered this for a minute. That meant leaving her here to wait, and the idea didn’t sit too well with him. She’d done him a huge favour in the first place and it wouldn’t be good to abandon her like that.

“There’s no need to trouble the man,” he said, signalling a passing waiter for the bill. “I’ll drive you back, there’s no hurry.”

She looked about to protest, then changed her mind and shrugged. The waiter approached with the bill and she reached into her purse to pull out a credit card.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed and he reached out to cover her hand holding the card. “I’ve got it.”

Her startled gaze shot up to his and an instant flash of awareness seemed to travel through the point of contact, searing them both. She pulled her hand away and stood in a rush.

“I need to use the restroom.” She announced and was gone before he had a chance to say anything.

The bill settled, Ryan headed out to the parking lot to wait for Sam beside his car, mind a jumble of thoughts and feelings he couldn’t quite organize.

****

Finding a parking spot at the airport on a normal day was difficult enough, but ten times worse in inclement weather such as this. Peering through the windscreen, cursing the ineffective wipers that merely shifted the pouring rain from one spot to the other, Ryan slowly eased the car around the parking lot for the third time, silently praying to find a spot.

His prayers were answered as a minivan pulled out and he quickly rolled in to replace it. A crack of thunder sounded overhead, and out the corner of his eye, he saw his passenger flinch.

“You okay?” He turned to look at her, worry and apology in his tone.

“Yes,” Sam gave him a reassuring smile that didn’t fully ease the guilt that ate at him. “The thunder just caught me off guard.”

“The whole damn storm caught us off guard,” he grumbled, which earned him a chuckle from her. The bright and sunny day had suddenly given way to this storm just as they’d left the restaurant and even after three hours, still showed no signs of letting up. To add icing to the cake, the road back to the office was blocked off, due to a car accident, the traffic murderously slow.

After an hour of waiting, Ryan was resigned to the inevitable.

Sam was going to meet his mother. Even now, the thought was enough to make him shudder.