I Want You To Stay Behind

                                    

                                          
Sterling
"Relax." I grabbed Izzy's hand as we sat in the back of the car. "We've got this, if he's up to something I don't like then I will figure out how to handle it."
Isabelle had pulled me aside and brought up the concerning feeling in her gut. Little did she know, I was already on guard. I didn't like his arrogant demeanor and like Isabelle, I felt something was off.
I've decided to do some digging myself but nothing has come back. So for now I have to keep business as usual, which includes going to the dinner we're on our way to. If I backed out then he may think something is up and that would cause him to suspect I'm looking into him or he would refuse the contract.
"Okay." Isabelle took in a deep breath and let it out. "How long do you think this dinner will last?"
I know she's not thrilled to be going but she's doing it for me. She agrees that we don't need Mr. King thinking something is wrong. Besides, the more time I spend with him myself the more I can learn about him. It won't be that hard to decipher what's bullshit and what's the truth.
"Maybe an hour and a half." I answered. "I won't let it go past two, I still have something I need to take care of."
She raised a brow. "What's that?"
I placed my hand on her knee and slid it up to her thigh with a smirk on my lips. "You."
My original plan was to take her back to the penthouse after the meeting and ravage her. That didn't happen because she asked me to talk about Mr. King. Then we spent the next few hours going over everything and then getting ready for the evening.
I watched her cheeks turn pink as she blushed from my comment. She looks stunning tonight, but I mean she always does. It's taking everything within me to not just take her right here in the back seat of the car.
The car came to a stop, we had reached the restaurant that Mr. King picked out for tonight. It's a high class place but I expected nothing less. There's one thing I do already know about Mr. King, he likes to flaunt his money anywhere and everywhere he can.
Opening the door, I stepped out and offered my hand to Isabelle. She took it and got out of the car. I continued holding her hand as I led the way into the restaurant. Once inside the hostess spotted us immediately, as if she was given the task to watch for me specifically.
"Mr. Tipton." She smiled. "Mr. King is already seated and waiting for you, I'll show you right to your table."
"Thank you." I gave her a nod before she turned around and led the way through the restaurant.
The table he had set for us was in the back, of course that's typical for people who are well known around town. He got up from his seat as we approached and a smile appeared on his lips. I can tell he's trying his best to seem harmless but those dark eyes continue to deceive him.
"Mr. Tipton, thank you for joining me this evening." He shook my hand and turned his attentioned to Isabelle. He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the top of it. "It's quite a pleasure to have someone so lovely joining us as well."
Isabelle gave him a gentle smile but I could see her shift as she was uncomfortable. I had to take in a deep breath and let it out, forcing myself to remain calm. There's still nothing I have against this man and letting my anger lead this interaction would be bad.
"Thank you for having us." I walked behind a chair and pulled it out. Isabelle took the hint and sat down. I proceeded to sit next to her and as close as I could get.
We made some small talk as the waitress came around for our drink and meal orders. We didn't really start getting on to any topic in depth until the waitress brought out our meals. Even then, it was me and Mr. King who were talking and Isabelle just sat and watched the interaction.
"So Mr. Tipton, I noticed you came in your father's place for this meeting." Mr. King's gaze met mine. "How has it been being the Vice President of such a major company?"
"It's been great." I paused to take a sip of my water, setting the glass back down before continuing on further. "My father's been preparing me for this the moment I took interest in what he did, honestly it's as if it all comes naturally at this point."
"Understandable." A pleased expression crossed his lips. "I would expect nothing less from the son of Damon Tipton. My father was kind of the same way with me, which is why it was a no-brainer for me to take over when he passed."
We continued to talk back and forth about business here and there. The conversation was relatively normal for a dinner like this. While Mr. King seemed harmless right now, I still wasn't buying it. There's still that darkness in his eyes that tells me he's got something he's hiding.
We finished our meal and I decided I didn't want to stay around for much longer. Isabelle has already been around this man longer than she would have liked, the least I can do is to keep my promise that this dinner wasn't going to go over two hours.
"Well Mr. King, it was a nice time." I stood up from my chair. "However I must be going, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow to finish up the contract."
"I look forward to it as well." He stood up and gave my hand another shake before turning back to Isabelle. "You have quite a stunning woman with you Mr. Tipton, such a lucky man you are."
I watched those dark eyes flicker and I didn't like it one bit. I grabbed Isabelle's hand as I began to feel the need to get her out of her as quickly as possible.
"That I am." I gently pulled her closer to me, she was more than happy to fight me on it either. "Again, thank you Mr. King, I'll see you tomorrow."
I proceeded to hold her close to me as we exited the restaurant. She glanced up at me but I kept my face straight forward until we got to the car. Once we were alone we could talk better.
I opened the door to the car and she slipped into the backseat. As I got in and shut the door I noticed she was looking over at me again. A mix of confusion and curiosity was one her face. 
"What's wrong Sterling?"
"I'm not sure." A low breath escaped my body. "Tomorrow, I want you to stay behind at the hotel. Killian, Eve and I will got to complete the contract."
"Okay." She nodded, clearly not opposed to the idea. "May I ask why?"
It's hard to give her a valid reason when I don't have one. "Just a gut feeling."