Theo clears his throat. “She’s not particularly attractive, if we’re being honest here. What kind of terms are they offering to sweeten the deal?”
“Her father is throwing in several shares of the business,” I inform him, “plus a winter home in the Florida Keys and a family estate in Sicily.”
“Damn,” Sebastian gushes. “Well done. I’d say this more than replaces Barclay.”
An odd sensation goes through me at how easily he dismisses Piper-Lily. Yes, she was the star of our match roster a few weeks ago. Her father was worth millions, more even if you include the influence he brings to the table that can’t be quantified. Whoever won his daughter at auctionwould have locked in some very attractive financial and business resources.
That’s what The Quattuor Group’s matchmaking division is all about. Makingextremelymutually beneficial matches, and in the process protecting wealth, reputations, and legacies. Clients pay us a retainer to arrange meetings between them—or their adult children—and three or four well-suited, highly attractive potential partners. Depending on the terms, they either end up securing a match for themselves or waiting for the interested suitors to bid on their offspring’s hand in a marriage auction. It takes a lot of time, effort, and skill for us to vet each client and pair up the right matches; something Sebastian is a certified genius at doing. Working with QG to find a match is a total package deal, and we get it right ninety-nine percent of the time.
Piper-Lily would have been set for life if her father’s embezzling hadn’t come to light. It’s not her fault he turned out to be a criminal, but there’s little I can do about it now except take her under my wing and make her a hot commodity simply by having her hang off my arm. And my dick.
Plus, I’ve been bored lately. The women I’ve brought home to play with have been adequate at best. There’s a restlessness inside me that I can’t get rid of. It needs an outlet, a challenge, and Piper-Lily is the perfect hobby with which to pass the time.
“Speaking of Barclay.” I drop the words hard, drawing all eyes to me. “There’s something you all should know.”
“We’re not auctioning her,” Becker says. “There’d be no point. No interest.”
“Maybe not yet,” I say.
“What do you mean, ‘yet’?” Sebastian asks, leaning forward.
I clear my throat. “I’ll admit, she might not have money or status to bring to the table at the moment, but have you taken a good look at her? She’s got the next best thing.”
Theo’s already shaking his head. “She’s bangin’ hot. Sure. But it’s not enough?—”
“The men who bid on our clients’ daughters are already rich on their own,” I point out. “They aren’t bidding just to expand their assets and strengthen their business networks.”
“Some of them are,” Becker argues.
“Fine, some of them are. But not all. Some of them are after nothing but a trophy wife and a good fuck. I’d say Piper-Lily Barclay is halfway there already. She’s got the looks, she just needs help with the rest.”
“And how would you know that?” Theo asks, smirking as he puts the pieces together.
Sebastian runs a hand over his mouth. “What did you do, Nate?”
“What have you got in mind?” Becker says, shooting me an intimidating glare.
“I made a deal. She’s moving into my place. I’m going to get her to trophy wife status and then we’ll auction her as arm candy,” I say confidently. “By the time I’m done with her, men will be fighting each other to get at her.”
Dead silence falls in the room. Theo looks sideways, as if he’s sorting out what I just said quietly in his head. Becker looks downright murderous. Sebastian’s eyes sparkle with a certain understanding that I don’t care for.
“You’re an idiot,” Beckerfinally says.
Theo sighs, shaking his head. “You know, fucking clients’ daughters used to be against our standard operating procedures. I guess that’s all out the window now. Am I next?”
“This is how it starts. Better be careful,” Sebastian warns with a grin.
Sipping my coffee, I set the mug down and cross my hands on the table. “I am not, in fact, an idiot. I’m simply employing some novel methods, and in the end, my efforts will still generate revenue for the business. Technically, as Piper-Lily’s father’s contract is void, she isn’t a client—so no rules are being broken. And unlike you, Sebastian, I can separate business from pleasure, and I’m sure as hell not going to spend all my money bidding on her to keep for myself.”
But somebody will, because they won’t be able to resist her. She looked like a piece of gleaming hard candy when she walked into my house last night. Sweet, fragrant, suckable. I had the contract ready and spread out on the dining table, but all I could think about was spreading her on the dining table. Honestly, I’d only half expected her to show. As the hours ticked by, it seemed she wasn’t going to go through with it. But the second I heard the doorbell, I knew it was her.
She stepped into my place wearing that tight, short white mini skirt, her legs forever long. Heeled boots made her calves look even more toned and sexy. And that shirt.
My cock twitches at the thought of that tight rock shirt pulled over her full breasts. She knew exactly what she was doing by dressing like that.
She’d barely said a word as I led her into the formaldining room and pulled out a chair for her, but she seemed to be on high alert in the new surroundings. I caught her surveying my place with a sharp eye, but I didn’t show her where she’d be staying yet, because we both knew it didn’t matter if I gave her a closet to sleep in. She gets what comes with the contract that she signed. Part of being a trophy wife is being obedient and agreeable.
But she’ll learn that soon enough.