Nicco - Season 2

13. Touch Her and Die

NICCO

Oliver and I are still on the fucking balcony, sizing each other up. He claimed to always deliver on promises. A bold statement. Only time can tell whether or not he lives up to the hype. For now, I pretend to believe him. I hope he will not disappoint me.

He clears his throat. "Does this mean you're willing to accept my offer?"

I do not give him a straight answer, opting instead to say, "If you have an employment contract on hand, I would like to review it with my lawyers."

An eager gleam shines from Oliver's eyes. "Excellent. I will have my assistant send it to you soon."

"Within twenty-four hours?"

"That can be arranged."

I want to create an alliance with him for several reasons. There is some truth in the sentiments I shared with him just now. I do want to step out of Papà's shadow and build my own empire.

If I stay at Jackson & James, no matter how impressive my achievements may be from here on out, naysayers will always question my abilities simply because I share the same last name as my father.

If I can find success at Danmore, however, many of those naysayers will be forced to shut the fuck up.

We shake hands. It is a gentleman's agreement. At last, our negotiation has made some kind of progress. I can take a step back for now. "Bene. I will let you know my decision in two weeks."

Two weeks should give Carl enough time to dig up any major red flags on Oliver.

"I look forward to hearing from you."

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

He shakes his head. "Not until I have your answer."

Impatiently, I glance at the glass doors. Unease crawls over my skin. Out of seemingly nowhere, I cannot fight the feeling that something is wrong. Very wrong. My chest grows tight. I do not know why, but I think Aria is in trouble. "Very well. Then, I will head back inside."

"What's your hurry?"

I try to keep the urgency from my tone. "I need to find my assistant."

I am an idiot for worrying about her.

She does not deserve my concern, I tell myself.

But I am itching to ditch this balcony and go search for her.

She does not deserve anything from me, I repeat again, I only wish to find Aria to stop her from fucking with my plans.

Completely unsupervised, who knows what kind of treachery Aria might be stirring up on her own?

With a sly expression, Oliver remarks, "You seem rather attached to her."

I shrug, careful to wipe all emotion from my face. "Aria is someone I used to fuck, and she is good at her job. That is all."

"Used to?" he repeats in disbelief. "You two looked pretty chummy when I walked in."

"Did we?"

"Your hand couldn't seem to get enough of her ass."

"Trust me. Tonight is the last time my hand will go anywhere near her ass."

"Can I have a go at her, then?"

Touch her and die.

Red flashes before my eyes. For the first time this evening, I can see his appeal in the eyes of others. He exudes wealth and success. Tall, athletic build. Oliver is fairly young for a CEO. Only late forties. The bastard even has a full head of hair. One might describe him as attractive in the classic, distinguished sense.