Chapter 46 THE SHARKS' DEN ii

Chapter 46 THE SHARKS' DEN ii
Although my pulse was pounding like a drum, I gave him a slow, lazy smirk. "Mr Maddox.” I drawled, sashaying deeper into the room. "A girl has to make an entrance." I countered.

He smirked and extended his hand to the chair beside his. “Sit,” he said.

I crossed the room carefully before lowering myself onto the couch opposite him instead.

Without breaking eye contact, I leaned back while I crossed my legs, letting the dress slide higher and expose the small knife strapped to my upper thigh. 

His eyes darkened in challenge. “Viper was nice,” he said. “You do clean up nicely.”

I tilted my head. “You sound surprised.”

“Well, to be honest,” he mused, his eyes searching my face. “I didn’t expect… this.”

I raised a brow. “Are you disappointed?”

His eyes heated as he looked almost fascinated by me, and that stung more than I expected. 

He never liked me when I was prim, proper, and desperate to please Elena.

He liked the tattooed, scantily dressed, borderline rude version of me. 

I quickly tried to swallow the bitterness crawling up my throat before it leaked into my expression. 

His mouth twitched slightly. “You look delectable,” he drawled, his voice so heated and raspy that it vibrated in my chest.

A thrill slid down my spine at his compliment before I could steel myself.

God. I hated that tiny, almost-smile because Elena used to live for those rare moments.

Our attention was diverted when a group of waiters brought in a bucket of champagne. We watched as they popped it and served it.

Fuck. How was I going to survive the evening if I was already letting something as little as a compliment from the asshole affect me? 

I still had way more of the old Elena buried in me than I had thought.

I wiggled my fingers one by one, then shook them as the familiar prick of nervousness stung at my nerves. 

Then I froze when I looked up to Kanan once the waiters had left.

The mild fascination had left his face and was now replaced by a dark and intense look, his eyes glued to my hands. 

"What?" I asked, my voice was slightly breathless. "Why are you looking at my hands like that?"

"That move," he said thoughtfully, his voice dropping an octave. "It reminds me of someone I used to know. She used to do that when she was nervous".

The jolt of adrenaline and surprise was so sharp it felt like a physical blow shot through me. 

He was talking about me. He was sitting inches away while he described my own dead habits to my face. 

I forced a flirtatious smile while my heart hammered against my ribs. "Interesting,” I drawled, picking my glass up and champagne to hide my nervousness. “They sound like a special somebody," I said. "Should I be worried about her? Did she meet you somewhere I should be careful of?"

"No," Kanan said, his voice almost sharp. He picked up his glass and took a sip before continuing. "She's dead."

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry for your loss.” I gasped, putting on my best look of shocked sympathy. “What happened?"

He looked at me for a long beat, his gray eyes unreadable as they searched mine as if he were trying to see if I was being serious. 

"She was just a victim of circumstances,” he said finally, swirling the liquid in his cup. “Wrong place, wrong time kind of situation."

A surge of white-hot anger shot through me so rapidly I wanted to scream and claw at his stupidly handsome face. Wrong place, wrong time? That was what he was calling the massacre of my family?!

He said it as if I I had been in a bank robbery or street corner and not in my own fucking father’s house. 

I took a slow sip of champagne, stalling as I used every bit of my willpower to force the rage that was threatening to drown me down. 

When I was sure I could speak without snarling, I shifted the conversation to the reason I was here.

"Viper said you think the attacks on your projects are corporate. Why?” I commented, keeping my tone professional. “Surely a man in your position has street rivals to spare."

He looked taken aback by the abrupt change of topic, but immediately adapted. 

"Yeah. Street criminals don't sabotage zoning permits or development timelines," Kanan said with a serious tone, leaning forward. "I believe someone is trying to stop me from going clean because they know I’ll become a huge rival in the business world.”

Satisfaction rushed through me. My plan had worked really well. 

"You?" I tilted my head, feigning curiosity. "So the rumor is true then? You're actually trying to go clean?"

Kanan smirked, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "In this world, there is no such thing as actually clean. But yeah, I think you can say that.” He gestured. “Clean money is better and more fulfilling. My motto is: chase the money wherever it leads."

He wasn't being sincere. I could hear the lie in his voice. 

Interesting. I mused, observing him discreetly.

He almost sounded like he was repeating a script he thought someone like me… a member of the underworld… would want to hear. 

Before I could pry further, he suddenly stood up and walked around the table, startling me. 

Then he sat down beside me. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body, and the familiar scent of his cologne wrapped around me. 

He reached out and lightly traced the lines of a tattoo on my forearm, and for a second, I forgot to be Sienna.

I was back in silk sheets with his mouth dragging slowly across my stomach while he murmured, “You like that?”

I shivered before I could stop myself and he noticed. 

He gave me a knowing look, and masculine satisfaction darkened his expression.

Embarrassment rose in me, and I immediately pulled my hand out of his reach. 

I gave him what I hoped was a playfully scolding look that didn’t betray how shaken I was.

Then I casually stood up and started walking around the room, acting like I was inspecting paintings in the room. 

"I heard the news about your late wife," I said after I was sure I had gotten myself under control, keeping my back to him so he couldn't see the dissonance on my face. "My condolences. I guess she is the special someone whose habits you remembered earlier, right?"

My self-irritation turned to smugness when I caught his expression change behind me through the glass of the painting in front of me.

“But,” I continued, keeping my tone casually curious. “The story I heard was weird. Did they ever find out who did it? I heard you weren’t even there the day it happened.”

Kanan stiffened, his jaw tightening. His eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t there.”

I turned and faced him, giving him an understanding smirk. “Of course you weren’t.”

His eyes darkened with anger.

“Don’t worry, I understand,” I continued smoothly, ignoring the danger. “Sometimes rich men get tired of the boring society wife.”

Kanan’s eyes flashed, all the softness and interest gone from his face now. His face was a mask of cold, absolute rage.

"I did not bring you here to talk about my late wife," he hissed, his voice sounding like cracking ice. "I would really appreciate it if you stopped talking about her."

My pulse spiked with surprise.

Why was he so angry? Was it guilt? Ego? Or was he just offended that a lowly street girl like me would speak so fearlessly about his crimes?

Before I could figure it out, he got to his feet so abruptly I almost jumped. “This meeting is over,” he said, his voice frigidly calm. "Viper will reach out to you with the duties I would like you to carry out."

Fuck. I thought in panic. I had pushed too far too fast, and now he was closing up. 

He started walking to the door, causing my thoughts to race as I tried to figure out what to do to calm him down or shake him out of his mood. 

I was supposed to seduce him. I was supposed to get inside his organization. I had just closed the door.

Think, Elena.

Then instinct took over. I crossed the room quickly, reached for the back of his neck, and did the first thing that came to my mind.

I placed my hands at the back of his neck, then slowly feathered my fingers along his hairline.

It was something I used to do in my past life when I noticed he was tense during sex after I had accidentally discovered that the spot was literally like his weak button. 

Kanan jolted and spun around as if I had stung him. 

He slowly turned to me, looking at me with wide eyes bordered on terror as if he had just seen a ghost.

I pulled my hand away from his nape and gave him a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. “I didn’t know you were that sensitive there.”

He quickly composed himself, shaking his head. “No,” he said quickly. “It’s just that you caught me unaware.” 

“Ohhh,” I drawled. "I apologize for my statement, Mr. Maddox. I didn't mean it like that."

His gray eyes searched mine with unsettling intensity. Then he gave me a slight smile. “Ok then. Apology accepted.”

“Thank you so much,” I gushed innocently, grabbing his arm. Then I tilted my head slightly. “So…” I whispered, making my voice low and smoky. “Are we going to be seeing each other again?”

Though there was still confusion warring in his eyes, his expression softened just a fraction. "We'll see about that," he muttered.

I watched with a racing heart as he walked out of the room, the scent of his perfume still clinging to my skin. 

I had survived the gallows, but as the door clicked shut, I knew the game had only just begun.