Boss Romance

by Victoria Quinn

“Nervous?” Thorn turned to me, one hand resting on the table.

  “No. Why?”

  “You look nervous.”

  “I don’t look like anything.”

  He grinned. “Even when you wear a blank expression, I can tell when you’re nervous.”

  “How?”

  “Your eyebrows are slightly furrowed.”

  I forced myself to relax, and when I felt the tension release, I knew he was right.

  He grinned wider. “Told ya.”

  I playfully slapped his arm and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Our relationship seemed to be back to what it used to be. I was happy, I could actually cry.

  “Go to Diesel’s last night?”

  “Yeah. I tried to sleep on my own, but I just lay there.”

  “You just lie there even when he’s there,” he teased.

  I slapped his arm again. “I do not just lie there.”

  He chuckled. “Is that why you look so tired today?”

  I shrugged, a smile on my face.

  When Thorn smiled back, it seemed genuine. “What now? The world knows you’re together, and the media seems to be responding to it well enough.”

  “He’ll come back to Stratosphere. We made a great team.”

  “I don’t mean professionally.” Thorn was in a black t-shirt with dark jeans, looking like a different man when he was dressed casually. He was much softer when he wasn’t in a suit, the veins on his arms more noticeable. He had the kind of boyish smile that melted the hearts of everyone around him. “Romantically.”

  “What’s next?” I asked. “Happiness.”

  “I mean, are you still going to marry him?”

  “I hope so.”

  “You haven’t talked about it?”

  “Not really.” We spent most of our time just being together. Talking wasn’t always included. We’d talked about getting married when we had our different arrangement, but now that it was just a real relationship, it wasn’t so straightforward. “I think we should wait awhile so it doesn’t look like I jumped from one engagement to the next, but if he asked, I’d say yes.”

  Thorn faced forward again when he saw his parents approach. “Here we go…”

  Liv wasn’t her usual bubbly self. She looked grief-stricken, like someone had died rather than just broken up. Thorn’s father had a hard expression, looking pissed rather than hurt. Liv sat down, thudding into the chair like anchors were tied to her. “After all this time, I get a text message asking for us to meet you?” Like a mother about to scold her child, she was already at the top level of anger. “A text message?”

  Thorn kept the same expression, doing his best not to add fuel to the fire.

  Thorn’s father continued to stare.

  “Well,” Liv hissed. “What the hell is going on? One moment, you two are happy. And then the next…I don’t even know what happened. Thorn, straighten this out now.” She turned to me, her eyes furious but not full of hate. “You better not have hurt my son, Titan. I don’t care how much you mean to us. This is my baby and—”

  “Mom.” Thorn held up his hand, silencing her. “Let me talk, alright?”

  I took the insult well because I’d been expecting a lot worse.

  Liv was quiet, but she was practically shaking.

  Thorn continued. “There’s something I have to tell you guys. It’s gonna be a lot to take in, and let me apologize beforehand. I lied to you…and I know I shouldn’t have. It was the wrong thing to do.”

  “Lied about what?” Liv asked.

  Thorn glanced at me before he kept going. “Titan and I have never been in love. While we love each other a great deal and we’re very good friends, our romance was fabricated. I wanted a wife to have children, and she wanted a husband she could trust. We both wanted to have our physical relationships outside the marriage—”

  “Are you gay?” Liv blurted.

  Thorn was much more patient with her than he ever was with anyone else. “No. Neither is Titan.”

  “Oh…” Liv’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “If neither one of you is gay, then what do you need a fake marriage for?”

  “Well…” Thorn paused as he tried to figure out how to word it.

  “I gave up on love.” I wanted to give Thorn some time to come up with a suitable answer, so I took the lead. “I had a bad relationship when I was younger, and I didn’t believe in men anymore. I wanted a husband who would love me unconditionally, who would never hurt me, and would be a great business partner. Thorn and I are very close, and I knew he would be a great father. Since he’s my best friend, I thought he would be the perfect man to spend my life with.”

  Liv’s mouth shut and her eyes narrowed. She didn’t seem confused anymore, simply surprised. Thorn’s dad still listened to the discussion, absorbing everything like a sponge.

  Thorn added to the conversation. “I…I’m not really the kind of man who wants to settle down with a woman. I’m more… I like to be free.” There was no easy way for a son to say this to his mother, that he preferred one-night stands with various flings. That he didn’t do romance or commitment. He just wanted to fuck—simple as that. “But I do want a family, so I thought Titan and I could start one. We could be great partners and great friends. But I would retain my freedom to still enjoy the things I like.”

  Liv covered her mouth, clearly unsure what to say.

  His father was speechless too.

  “I’m sorry I lied,” Thorn continued. “I lied to the whole world, and I lied to you. The reason it came apart was because Titan fell in love with someone else. We were already engaged and it was a complicated situation, but she decided she couldn’t live without him. So don’t get angry with Titan. She did nothing wrong. I’ve seen other women, and she’s seen other men. There was no cheating. Titan and I got into an argument about it and didn’t speak for a while, but we’re still as good of friends as we were before. We may not be getting married, but she’ll always be a huge part of my life.”

  Liv finally looked at her husband, a silent conversation passing between them.

  I didn’t know what they would say in response. It was a delicate situation, an extremely awkward one.

  More time passed. More silence.

  I looked at Thorn, and he looked at me.

  Finally, Liv Spoke. “Thorn…I don’t know what to say.” The disappointment was written all over her face. She didn’t need to say it. “This is a shock to your father and me. This entire time we thought you loved Titan—”

  “I do love her,” Thorn said. “Just not romantically.”

  “Even so,” Liv said. “I don’t know why you felt the need to lie about it. You could have told us the truth, Thorn.”

  “I didn’t think you would understand,” Thorn said quietly. “It was easier to let the world believe we were in love.”

  “Thorn, if you want a family, why don’t you fall in love and start one?” his mother asked.

  Thorn clenched his jaw as he considered what to say. “I…I’m not interested in love. I know that’s hard to understand, but I’m incapable of it.”

  “You are not incapable of it,” she countered. “You’re a wonderful man, Thorn. We couldn’t be prouder of you. You have a heart that’s so big and beautiful.”

  “You just haven’t found the right one,” his father said. “But when you do, you’ll know.”

  Thorn didn’t argue again, knowing they would never understand the way he felt. “Anyway…that’s the truth. I’d like you to keep it to yourselves. It’ll be a lot easier for us this way. And you have no reason to be angry with Titan. She’s still my closest friend. She’s still family to me.”

  “Of course,” his mother said gently. “We’ll always love Titan even if she’s not your wife.” Liv looked at me, the motherly affection back in her expression. “So…Diesel Hunt, huh?”

  It was nearly impossible for me not to smile when his name was mentioned. “Yes.”

  “That is one good-looking man,” Liv s
aid with a laugh.

  Thorn’s father shot her a glare. “Is he now?”

  “I’m just saying…” Liv brushed it off. “And his father…they don’t make them like that anymore.”

  Thorn cringed. “Mom.”

  “Hey, it’s something to think about,” Liv said. “At least you’ll know Diesel will still be a good-looking man when he gets older.”

  I had no doubt he would be a beautiful man for a very long time. His touch would always send shivers down my spine, and I would always need him. When we were old and gray, that attraction might dwindle, but we would love each other on a much deeper level. “I’m sure he will be.”

  “Do you like him, Thorn?” Liv asked. “He seems like the strong and silent type, but that’s not a bad thing.”

  Thorn nodded. “I do like him. He’s a good guy.” It didn’t seem like he was just giving the answer I wanted him to. It seemed like he meant it.

  “We would love to meet him, Titan,” Liv said. “Make sure he’s good enough for you.”

  I’d always been jealous of Thorn for having both of his parents in his life. Having the unconditional love of a guardian was something you couldn’t put a price on. But when they showered me with the same parental love, I felt like I was part of their family. “You guys will love him.”

  11

  Hunt

  I slid into the booth across from Brett, still in my suit because I’d come immediately after work. He was in slacks and a gray collared shirt, his dark hair styled like he’d been somewhere important that afternoon. “Hey.”

  There was a noticeable tension in the air between us because we were both thinking about the exact same thing. “Hey.” He was on his second beer, his first bottle off to the side and ready to be taken by the waiter.

  I waved down the bartender and ordered what he was having. The second the cap was off, I took a deep drink. Right now, I had nothing but good things going on in my life. My relationship with my father wasn’t perfect, but my woman was happy now that Thorn was back in the picture.

  And that made me happy.

  “Vincent said the same thing to me that he said to you.” It was pointless to beat around the bush when the topic was so profound for both of us. Our father was trying to get back into our lives. He’d done terrible things to me, but what Brett had experienced was much worse. He was young at the time, much more vulnerable than he was now. Time had scarred him, and he’d turned into a man just like me. But he smiled more often—something I’ll never understand.

  “And what do you think about it?” He drank his beer again, taking bigger gulps than he usually would.

  “I’m not sure. Seemed like he meant it.”

  “Yeah, I got the same impression.” He rested his arms on the table, his shoulders slouched and the joy in his eyes gone. “I never would have agreed to meet him in a million years, and when I sat across from him, he said everything I didn’t expect him to say. I thought I would hear excuses…but I didn’t hear any of that.”

  “No.”

  “But I’m closer to forty than I am thirty, and I don’t need him. When I was young, it was a different story. But so much time has passed, it seems like it’s too late. What kind of relationship can we have now? What would be the point of it?”

  “I see what you mean.”

  He sighed as he stared at his beer. “But I don’t want to deny forgiveness to someone who’s being sincere either. I’ve never been the kind of guy to hold a grudge. I let things go, and I’ll live longer for it. But with Vincent…it’s different. He told me I was never the problem, but he was jealous of my father. Couldn’t handle it.”

  “He said the same to me.”

  “And he’s not even my father…so we really don’t need a relationship.”

  It was already difficult enough to connect with someone you were related to, but to share a connection with someone who was practically a stranger was even more difficult, especially when that person did terrible things.

  “Whatever happens between us, I don’t want it to influence your relationship with him.” Brett picked at the label on the bottle, peeling the sticker away. “He is your flesh and blood, and he never did anything to you.”

  “You’re my flesh and blood too, Brett. And he did do something to you.”

  His brown eyes narrowed in intensity. “You’ve always been loyal to me, and I appreciate that. But he’s apologized for his wrongdoing, so you have no reason to shut him out anymore. He made things right with me. Now you need to make things right with him.”

  It wasn’t so easy; the situation wasn’t black and white. “He did a lot of fucked-up shit to me.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t think I can sweep that under the rug.”

  “Don’t blame you.”

  “But he seems sincere in his remorse. He’s helped Titan with a lot of things. He’s been good to both of us, kind and understanding. It’s hard to say no to him when it seems like he’s changed.”

  “If you want to forgive him, you should.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “You don’t have to make a decision now. But don’t let my feelings affect your decision.”

  “You think I should forgive him?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I can’t answer that.”

  “I want your opinion, Brett.”

  He sighed before he took another drink of his beer. “If he’s changed and he’s living up to his word…maybe you should. At the end of the day, he is your father. He’s in great shape, but he’s not going to be around forever. If there’s a possibility you can make things right and start over, why shouldn’t you?”

  “You really believe that?” I whispered.

  He nodded. “Family is family.”

  “And you’re my family, Brett.”

  “I know, man. I never met my father. Have no idea what he was like. The way I see it…you do have a father.”

  “He should have been a father to you too.”

  “It doesn’t matter what he should have been…it’s in the past. Honestly, I wished he loved me the way he loves the two of you. That always hurt the most…never being good enough.”

  I’d never heard Brett say anything like this. He was usually carefree and lighthearted. He didn’t pour out his feelings like this. “It sounds like you can’t forgive him.”

  “Sometimes I think I can. Sometimes I think I can’t.” He stared at the peeled wrapper on the table, the hard lines around his jaw more pronounced because of the tension. “What does Titan think?”

  “That he deserves another chance.”

  “She’s usually right about everything…”

  “Yeah, but don’t ever tell her that,” I said with a chuckle.

  He smiled back. “So, you guys are official now?”

  “I’m sure you saw the headlines.”

  “She must be head over heels for you to go through all of that…”

  “She is.” I grinned like an idiot, remembering how she’d crawled into my bed the other night. A single night apart was too much for her. I didn’t like it either, but it was nice to see her cave first.

  “You’re a lucky guy. Titan is a great woman. You couldn’t have settled down with anyone better.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “If she pities Vincent and even has a relationship with him…you may not have much of a choice. She’s going to get her way on this.”

  Very true. Titan managed to manipulate me like she did the rest of the world—because I let her. “You’re right. But she’s going to do the same to you.”

  He scoffed. “Damn, you’re right.”

  “Looks like we’re both going down.”

  I clinked my beer against his. “You got that right.”

  I had just finished all my meetings for the afternoon when I wondered what I should do for lunch. Now I had the luxury to ask Titan to lunch whenever I felt like it. I could show up at her office without even needing a reason.

  It was nice.
/>
  But my plans changed when Natalie spoke through the intercom. “Sir, Mr. Vincent Hunt is here to see you.”

  His random visits no longer caught me by surprise. An unexpected appearance could happen at any moment in time. Instead of just calling, he chose to speak to me in person. I wasn’t sure if that was a gesture of respect on his part. “Send him in.”

  My father walked in a moment later, looking sleek in his three-piece suit. He was dressed in black, the dark color suiting his expression perfectly. Black was my preferred color as well. It fit our brooding demeanors.

  When he reached my desk, he didn’t take a seat. With one hand in his pocket, he stopped just a few feet away and stared at me with his typical look of confidence. He could be caught off guard, but his attitude would never change. All through my childhood, he had always been that way. Always strong, quiet, and resilient. “I’m heading to lunch. Join me.”

  This would be the second time we would have lunch together, and it was beginning to become a routine. I wasn’t sure if that was the kind of relationship I wanted, one where expectations would start. I sat in my chair as I stared at him, debating my decision.

  “You can always say no, Diesel. I never want you to feel obligated.”

  I didn’t feel obligated. A part of me actually wanted to go, and that scared me.

  My father patiently waited for a more concrete answer.

  “Alright.”

  He didn’t question my decision. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Something light.”

  “I know just the place.”

  We left the office and walked a few blocks until we found a small deli. It wasn’t a formal restaurant like it had been the first time, and the casual atmosphere made the situation less tense. We ordered our food separately then sat down.

  He sat across from me at the table, eating a vegetarian sandwich with no pickles. He’d always hated pickles.

  Without Titan there, it wasn’t always easy to have a conversation. She somehow defused tense situations as a moderator. It kept everyone comfortable. A lifetime of working in challenging situations had given her an incredible wealth of knowledge and intuition. “I saw Brett yesterday.”