Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I held the phone tighter, grounding myself with breath.
“Good. I need to get the location’s address to handle security and transportation. Truthfully, I would have preferred having this information yesterday.”
I smiled politely even though he couldn’t see it. “I understand.”
“I’m glad you do, Ms. Palmer.”
“However. . . I won’t be sending the location until one hour before the date.”
A pause followed, then Reo spoke but his tone was sharp. “I understand but if I may be frank, this is. . .outside of protocol. I will need that location.”
“Understood. I know how unusual it is. But I really need this to stay a surprise. And if I give you the address this morning, I assume Kenji will have it by lunch. Am I wrong?”
Another pause came from his side of the line.
Longer this time.
Then the truth dropped, casual but heavy. “You’re not wrong, Ms. Palmer. Kenji would ask. And I would tell him.”
I cocked my head, teasing. “Do you think there’s any chance you could keep it from him? Maybe, you’re just like. . .I’m not going to tell you, Kenji because it is a surprise. Could you do that?”
“There’s no chance. If Kenji asks me, I will answer.”
“Well. . .do you think maybe. . . he won’t ask?”
A quiet, tired sigh slipped through the line. “Kenji will ask the moment he knows I’ve finished this call with you. He is rather. . .eager to know about your plans for this date.”
I laughed. “So Kenji is really nosy.”
Reo didn’t laugh back.
I cleared my throat and softened. “I like your honesty.”
“And I would still like the location.”
“I get that. But I really want this to be special. Just let me have this one thing. . .please.”
“Ms. Palmer, I have to tell you—you’re planning a date for the Dragon while our current security situation is. . .tense to say the least.”
“Oh. Should we not have the date, then?”
“You should. The Dragon would not allow your canceling tonight but. . .I would prefer the proper preparation time.”
“We could have that. If Kenji wasn’t so damn nosy. This is technically his fault, not mine.”
Another long pause.
I could hear Reo recalculating—measuring risk against reward, protocol against romance.
“Again,” Reo said slower now, his voice dipping with practiced patience. “When it comes to the Dragon, I don’t typically allow unknown variables. It’s not just about surprise. It’s about safety. For him. For you.”
“I figured that might be the concern.”
“It is. Therefore, I will need you to do what I am asking.” He wasn’t threatening me. If anything, he sounded like a gangster project manager trying not to pull out a clipboard and color-coded risk map. “Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Good. What is the location?”
“I will give it to you an hour before the time.”
More silence.
I imagined him desperately trying not to break something near him.
Which made me pause.
Because if this man had earned the title of the Dragon’s Roar then he wasn’t just some glorified secretary with a sexy voice—he was probably a bad-ass motherfucker in his own right.
Calm on the outside, deadly on the inside.
A man like Reo didn’t get that kind of proximity to power without being able to enforce it. Which meant I needed to tread carefully. But still. . .if I were going to practice standing in my own power—if I wanted to actually explore dominance, control, and vulnerability with Kenji—then his nosy, over possessive ass would have to learn how to let go, starting with this.
Reo finally spoke.; “May I ask how many people will be involved during the date?”
“Well. . .about five people will be present—not counting my new guards, of course.”
“These people will be staff?”
“Yes. And the owner, who’ll be assisting with the second part of the evening.”
“The owner will serve as a sort of. . . event assistant?”
“Yes,” I tried not to laugh. “That’s a good way to say it.”
“Has the staff been vetted?”
“Well. . .not exactly.”
“But they’re professionals?”
“Oh yeah. We’re talking chef, sous chef, owner, and two waitresses. Oh wait. There’s a five-person band too. So actually. . .closer to ten people.”
“I’ll need to have my team speak with every one of them before the date.”
“That’s fine. Let’s do that an hour before the date.”
“How about three hours.”
“One hour.”
“Two hours before.”
“Reo,” I sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. “You know damn well the moment you get the location; Kenji will sniff it out like a bloodhound. This is a surprise. I don’t want Kenji showing up too early. Would he show up early if he has the address three hours before?”
“Yes.”
“Then, one hour.”
A long silence.
Then, finally, “understood, Ms. Palmer.”
I smiled. “Thank you.”
“And is this a restaurant?”
“It’s a private club.”
“Fully secured?”
“Extremely. There’s full staff on-site, plus a front door team and a head of security. So damn. . .add another five people to that list.”
“No need. The property’s security can take the night off. My people will handle the perimeter and interior.”