The tie around my neck feels too tight, so I pull it away from my skin to relieve the sudden choking sensation. “I assure you, that isn’t the case.”
“Uh-huh. Then you have no problem flying out to see Yamada on his private island on Thursday.”
“A private island? When did you buy a fucking island? That’s not really your scene.”
“Everywhere Yamada chooses to be is Yamada’s scene. Besides, it was a good investment. Everyone loves the British Virgin Islands. This place has a resort on it and a full staff. There are some fly honies that work there. We’ll have a good time. No visitors on the island while Yamada’s there either.”
I rub my temple as I groan. “Now isn’t really a good time. I have to sort out this crazy Vegas wedding you got me wrapped up in.”
“Now is the perfect time,” he chimes in. “We never talked business in Vegas. If you want Yamada Enterprises in on the Buchanan deal, then we sit down before Yamada goes back to Japan. Oh, and bring Dime Piece too or no deal.”
“Yamada . . .”
“No is not an answer Yamada will respond to. You want to talk business, you come Thursday to see my new island. Yamada’s Booty Paradise has a nice ring to it, no?” A female giggle cuts over the line and Yamada chuckles and then shushes her. “Got to go, King. I’ll text you the island coordinates. See you Thursday.”
“No. Wait. Yamada—” Silence is all I’m met with, and I curse as I hang up the phone.
A few seconds later, he sends coordinates to one of the small pieces of land in the British Virgin Islands via text.
I scrub both hands down my face. I’m not blind as to what Yamada is trying to do. His matchmaking between Margo and me isn’t going to work. I’m not interested in a relationship, and Margo hates my guts, so I know she doesn’t want one with me either. Earlier today, she clearly showed her disdain about being married to me. I know she won’t appreciate Yamada’s meddling with our lives any more than I do.
I jerk my gaze over to Margo. She chose to take the seat across the aisle instead of bravely facing me as she did on the way out here. In her current seat, her head faces away from me, causing me to take note of her striking profile. Her dark hair is pulled back in a low-set ponytail and those dark-rimmed glasses that she tends to wear around the office covers her eyes. Even when she doesn’t seem to be trying to attract my attention, she always manages to capture it. She’s really one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen.
Too bad she’s also one of the biggest bitches on the planet.
“Bad news.” She whips her head in my direction and meets my gaze. “It seems that Yamada has requested my presence at a private island this week.”
Margo clutches her chest in dramatic shock. “That sounds so horrible for you. A private island? You poor thing. How will you ever survive?”
The sarcasm isn’t missed in her voice, and it only makes me want to burst her little attitude bubble. “Trust me. It will be a complete fucking nightmare, especially since he says that I have to bring you along.”
I fully expect her to get pissed and start shouting about all the reasons that she can’t possibly accompany me to this island, but she doesn’t do that. Instead, a wicked smile crosses her face. Instantly, that irritates me off. I don’t like that she’s pleased about this one damn bit.
“I don’t know why you’re so happy about this,” I grumble.
That only causes her smile to widen. “Just means that Yamada is starting to like me too. I told you that he would be my friend.”
My nostrils flare at that thought, but I know that no matter what Margo Buchanan believes, Yamada would never take her side over mine.
“When do we leave?” she asks.
“Yamada apparently owns one of the islands next to the British Virgin Islands, so it’ll take us about six hours to fly there. Then we’ll need to get a helicopter or boat to take us over to wherever this place is. If I want to make a deal with Yamada, then we have no other choice but to go. Once Yamada gets his mind stuck on something, he tends to get his way.”
“Looks like the game is still on when it comes to Yamada,” Margo muses.
It’s time to remind her that I’m still the boss in this situation. “Don’t get your hopes up, Princess. Yamada will never sign a deal with you over me. He’s my friend.”
She lifts her eyebrow. “You’re not the only one who got an invite to chat, King, so it looks like he’s my friend, too.”
Dammit. I hate that she’s right. Yamada does like her or else he would have never been so welcoming once he figured out that he wasn’t getting into her pants. That also means this could be big trouble for me if she can figure out a way to sweet talk him in to doing a deal directly with her father instead of me. It will cost me far too much money and I won’t allow that to happen.
When we land at the airstrip just outside the city, Margo rushes off the plane. She demanded that I order a car to be waiting for her because she refused to be trapped with me any longer than she had to. She doesn’t even glance in my direction as she heads toward it.
Guess the fucking honeymoon’s over.
I shove myself up from the smooth leather seat and button my jacket as I make my way off the plane. The late afternoon sun hits me full force as I step outside, causing me to whip out a pair of sunglasses from my inside pocket and then slide them on my face.