Chapter 6 - The Taste of Retribution
Claire stared at the document, unable to process the words before her. “Dominic... this is worth millions. I can’t accept this. I only did what any decent person would do.”
“Any decent person would have ducked for cover,” Dominic said firmly, his thumb brushing lightly across the back of her wrist. “Any ordinary woman would have thought of her own skin. You risked your life, took a cut from broken crystal, and endured being slapped and slandered by a viper, all to keep me breathing. In my world, that isn’t decency. That’s valor. And valor is rewarded.”
He stood up, walking around the island until he stood directly in front of her. The height difference was pronounced, but Claire no longer felt small. There was an unspoken electricity humming between them, an undeniable pull born from surviving a war in the span of twenty-four hours.
“Besides,” Dominic added, his gaze dropping to her lips before returning to her eyes, “the Finger Lakes need a master vintner. And Vale Enterprises needs an exclusive sommelier for its global hotel chain. I’m proposing a partnership, Claire. You rebuild your father’s estate. You produce the vintage. I distribute it to every five-star table from London to Tokyo.”
“A partnership?” she breathed.
“An alliance,” Dominic murmured. “Unless, of course, you’re afraid of working with a monster like me.”
“You’re not a monster, Dominic,” Claire said softly, looking up into the gray eyes that had terrorized New York’s elite. “You’re just a man who knows what loyalty is worth.”
A sudden chime interrupted the moment. Mason stood at the threshold of the kitchen, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Boss. Victoria Mercer is at the front gate. Alone. She’s demanding to speak with you.”
Dominic’s expression hardened back into cold stone. “Victoria? Not Arthur?”
“She left Arthur at their townhouse. She claims she has information you need regarding the Chicago syndicate.”
Dominic glanced at Claire. “Do you want to see the matriarch of the family that tried to ruin you?”
May you like
Claire set her glass of Romanée-Conti down. The emerald silk of her blouse shimmered under the chandelier light. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
***
