The Woman He Traded Is Now His Equal novel · Chapter 8 of 24

Chapter 8: Not for You Now

Porter held the investor dinner on Thursday in the private room of a steakhouse on Fifty-Third Street.

There were nine people at the long table, every one of them holding a piece of the West Side money.

I arrived on time, in a black dress I had bought myself.

Byron was already there, standing by the window with a glass of water.

He turned when I came in and looked at me for one second longer than he needed to.

"Ms. Brennan."

"Mr. Costello."

I took the chair beside his.

Porter came in last, shaking hands.

He saw me, and for a flicker the smile cracked.

Then it came back, polished.

"Friends," he said, raising his glass. "Thank you for coming. Before we eat, let me introduce the people who make this deal run. Rhys, my finance chief, you know. And this is my associate, Natasha, who handles the logistics."

I set my napkin on my lap.

"Natasha Brennan," I said clearly, to the whole table. "I hold the Costello seat on the West Side board. The deciding vote."

The nearest investor, a gray-haired man with a bow tie, turned his head slowly.

"Porter," he said. "You told us Costello was sending a junior."

"He did," Byron said. "The junior is her."

Nobody said anything.

Rhys looked down at his plate, and the corner of his mouth was doing something it shouldn't.

Porter's smile held for a long beat.

"A joke between partners," he said. "Natasha has a gift for these."

"It isn't a joke," I said. "Last Monday I told your board the model was forty million light. Rhys can confirm it."

"I can," Rhys said, without looking up.

A woman in pearls on the far side of the table folded her hands.

← Chapter 7 · All chapters · Chapter 9 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend