by Grant, KT
“There’s my beautiful girl,” her father announced.
She gave him a hug and a kiss. “Dad, you look exhausted. Remember the doctor said all this stress isn’t good for your heart.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m just burning the midnight oil like I’ve done for the past forty years or so. Soon, it will all come to an end.”
She gestured toward her ex-crush. “At least you have Chris to take over, so you can relax after so many decades of hard work.”
“Speaking of burning the midnight oil, you look tired, too. Busy writing the next best seller?” The younger man raised his brow, apparently teasing, but the words came out stilted.
“I’m working on something different. I’m taking a break from the Tammy and Whiskers series. I thought I might try writing something for an adult audience.” She rubbed her palms together. “I’m hoping this project will be what I need to get the creative juices flowing.”
He didn’t seem impressed. The side of his mouth twitched. “You’ll have to tell me all about it.”
“Dinner will be served in a few minutes,” Patty announced and left the room.
“What would you like to drink?” her dad asked.
“Just club soda for now.” When he went over to the wet bar, she moved next to Chris. “Are you okay?”
“I have to talk to you about something important after dinner but not in front of your dad. We’ll go up to you place after dessert,” he ordered.
He didn’t smile or make a light remark, just finished his drink while staring at her in silence. The air in the room thickened, and she tugged on the collar of her dress. She almost told him to stop staring, but then her father came over with her drink.
With a twinkle in his eye, he raised his glass in the air. “To family and wonderful friends.”
“And to those we can trust and love, who would never hurt us,” Chris tacked on, tapping his glass to hers.
She shared a look with her father, but he just shrugged. She started to ask about their day, but then Patty announced they could sit down to eat.
Her father escorted the housekeeper out of the room while she and Chris pulled up the rear. He didn’t hold her by the waist or take her arm, and ever so often would glance at her out of the corner of his eye.
Before they entered the dining room, she grabbed his elbow. “Are you angry at me?”
Irritation floating in his eyes, he gulped down his drink. “I met with a photographer before I came here. He had some interesting photos of you at a restaurant with a man then leaving with that same man, going into a housing complex, and not coming out until early afternoon today.” He leaned down until their faces were almost in line with one another. “It was M.L. Crawford’s building.”
Tugging on her turtleneck again, she looked away. She refused to argue while her dad sat in the next room. “I think we should continue our discussion after dinner.”
“You bet we will.” He stomped away.
She didn’t follow. His voice rose in the next room, laughing when her father replied to something he said.
She took slow, deep breaths, trying to remain calm. She wouldn’t panic or run and hide upstairs. She’d soldier through dinner after which they would have their talk. She would hear him out, but she’d done nothing wrong. She had made a decision concerning Max and was sticking to it. She just needed to figure out a way to explain to her father why she wanted to be with his business competitor.
With one final deep inhale, she entered the dining room with a big smile. She sat down next to her father, ignoring Chris and complimenting Patty on the spread.
***
The men talked about work and some sports while she remained quiet, picking at her food. Her father didn’t seem to notice, but Chris gave her side looks, never engaging her in conversation. She wanted to fling her fork at his head. She was ready to leave the table with some excuse, but then her father took her hand in his.
“I’m so happy to have two of my favorite people in the world here with me tonight.”
“Hey, what about me?” Patty walked into the room and grabbed his plate.
He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. “And you of course. If I was a younger man—”
“Don’t start that again.” She kissed the top of his head then gathered the plates together before she left.
Erika giggled, catching Chris’s eye. He stopped laughing, his mouth thinning into a straight line.
Her father seemed oblivious to the tension in the room. He started speaking again but then coughed, tapping his chest with his fist.
“You okay?” she asked, concerned his face had reddened.
“Indigestion. If you two will excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” He stood, leaving them alone.
“I can’t wait any longer for us to talk. Dad may be awhile. Let’s go into the living room,” she suggested.
Not taking any chances, she closed the door behind Chris and crossed her arms, waiting for him to start.
He slid his hands into his pockets and scraped the toe of his shoe across the rug. When he didn’t say anything, she slapped the sides of her legs.
“Why do you care who I see and whether or not I may or may have not spent the night with a man?”
The tick in his cheek became more pronounced. He thrust his bangs away from his forehead and stomped over to her. When he took her by her arms, she didn’t push him away. Let him have his fit. He would never hurt her in anger.
“How can you ask me that when we shared…?” He exhaled loudly through his nose. “You’re playing with fire. Crawford is dangerous. He’ll eat you alive and not just break your heart, but destroy every bit of goodness inside you.”
“I understand your concern because you don’t like him, but I’m a grown woman who can handle herself. As you can see, I’m all in one piece.” She lifted her chin, daring him to argue.
“He’s using you to get to me. You’ve fallen for him, just like Page did.”
Page, his older sister he never talks about? She shook her head in confusion. “What does she have to do with Max?”
“He didn’t mention his fucked-up relationship with her? Of course not. If he had, you would run in the opposite direction.” He gave her a harder shake.
“Are you telling me Max and your older sister were together at one point?”
“She was screwing around with him on her husband.”
Her stomach dropped to her knees. “What? How?”
He gave her a bitter look. “It was six years ago. He destroyed her marriage and much more. Page was never the same after he cut her loose.”
She’d met Page a handful of times. They didn’t say more than a few words to one another. Now that she thought of it, Kim had mentioned how Page had moved with her parents to California because of her messy divorce. “I don’t understand—”
“Later tonight I’ll tell you everything about Crawford and how he….”
“How he what?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
Deep grooves bracketed his mouth, his eyes. “It would kill me if he hurt someone else I loved. If anything happened to you, I-I….”
His shallow breathing was the only sound in the room. Somewhere outside a phone rang. She stared, waiting for him to continue. When he leaned in, she turned her head, and his mouth landed on her cheek.
“It’s obvious you’re upset about my relationship with Max,” she whispered. He had been so honest about everything. Why hadn’t he told her this?
“I’ve waited for you for so long.” His thumb brushed over her lips then traveled down her neck. Before she could stop him, he tugged down her turtleneck. Cursing, he dropped his hands away as if burned. “He marked you,” he said in disgust, his mouth twisting.
She’d never seen him so angry. “Um, it’s a hickey. We got a little carried away last night….”
He balled his hands into fists, his chest expanding as he inhaled. “If he injured you anywhere else, so help me—”
“It’s just a
love mark. It’ll vanish.” She shrugged. “Think of it like a pimple.”
Wiping his palms over his face, he sat down in a chair. He dropped his forearms on his knees and folded his hands behind his neck. “I could force you to stay and listen to what I have to say, but you won’t. Page didn’t either. Ask him about my mentally fragile sister. When he explains his side of story, come to me. I’ll tell you my end. I would put you on the phone with Page, but she might have an episode if she hears Crawford’s name.”
The ringing in her ears magnified. Whatever happened between Max and Page couldn’t be good. She’d be stupid to ignore it. Maybe she should hear Chris out first. Sitting next to him, she rested her palm on his knee. He dropped his hand over hers and sat back.
“Okay, tell me about Max and your sister. Don’t leave out any details. But you should know I’ll ask him about it.”
He nodded, squeezing her hand.
The door opened and Patty appeared. “Sorry to intrude, but Roger is asking for you, Chris. He got a call from the office and wants you to join him in the study.”
“I’ll be there momentarily.”
The older woman nodded. “Erika, join me in the kitchen. We can have coffee and cake. I’ll tell you about my niece’s wedding I went to in Sonoma.”
“Sounds great,” she said, and Patty left.
Chris started to stand, but she tugged on his hand. “You can’t leave me in suspense. Dad can take care of things without you.”
“But it could be important.” He helped her to her feet then tucked some strands of hair behind her ear. “Your father relies on me.”
“And I don’t? A minute ago you were livid about Max and me. Now, you’re just brushing it off for something that’s more of a false alarm.”
“As the future CEO, I have to be there. I’m guessing an hour at the most. By then, Roger will want to go to bed. I’ll join you upstairs where you’ll have me at your disposal. I’ll tell you everything. The truth.”
Not bothering to hide her agitation, she wrenched her hands away. He gave her a hurt look, but she didn’t care. “Go then. See what my father wants.” She backed away, hugging herself.
He didn’t apologize or try to plead for her to understand. He stood near the door, looking at her as if she was a work of art in a museum. With a nod, he walked out of the room. “I’ll be up to see you soon.”
She twirled a piece of her hair. It could be hours before her father and Chris finished with whatever was going with the company. She should barge in there and be a part of the discussion or meeting, but she would be in the way. She’d never intruded on her father’s business because he’d always managed things so well. With Chris as his right hand, she wasn’t needed anyway.
Having lost the urge for any sweets and no longer in the mood to talk with Patty about her vacation, she decided to get ready for bed while she waited. She needed to learn what horrible thing Max had done to Page.
Or…she could always call Max, ask to see him again. Was it too soon? There were so-called rules a woman should follow after having sex for the first time with a man, right? Shaking her head, she left her father’s home to climb the stairs to her apartment.
Perched on the top step, she took her cell out of her pocket, tapping her fingers on the touch screen. All she needed was to scroll down for Max’s number and she could call him. Why shouldn’t she? The ball was in her court.
He would give her the answers she wanted. He’d been so open about his childhood and brother’s death. Why wouldn’t he be the same about Page?
Ah, screw it. She tapped the screen and held the phone to her ear. It rang once, twice….
“Hello, Miss Walsh. How are you this fine evening?”
She bit her lip, saying the first thing that popped in her head. “I need to see you as soon as possible.”
“That can be arranged.” He told her where she would find him and how.
Chapter Thirteen
He was a dick asking her to come see him at The Gate, but he did call a car to pick her up. Then she would see the other world he inhabited. He hoped she didn’t faint or end up in the ER because of a panic attack.
And tonight was the most crowded it had been in weeks. Fuck.
Dropping his feet down from his desk, he opened a drawer where he kept a bottle of tequila. He grabbed his glass, poured enough to equal a healthy shot, and drank it. He leaned back in his chair, allowing the burn to calm him. He checked his watch—like he’d done at least five times in the last ten minutes—waiting for one of the bouncers to call him when Erika arrived.
“God, I hope I don’t scare the poor girl.” He dropped his head into his palms.
“Hope you don’t scare who?”
He looked up at Catherine, who shut the door and the pounding music behind her. She was in rare form tonight, decked out in the shortest, tightest skirt possible, an even tighter tube top with no bra, and spiked heeled boots covered in red rhinestones. Her makeup was extra garish, her multiple bracelets and rings completing her outfit.
“How many clients do you have tonight?” he asked.
She sat on the edge of the desk and grabbed the tequila. “One. Some guy wants to spend sixty minutes licking my boots and then have me fuck him in the ass with a strap on. Typical night. Fun times.” Saluting him with the bottle, she took a chug.
He sat up straighter, waiting for her to get whatever was bothering her off her chest.
She smacked her lips and set the drink down, but eyed it as though she planned to do another round. He snatched it away, shoving it back in his drawer.
She pouted. “You’re no fun, Maxwell.”
“You know not to get drunk while working.”
“Then what were you doing before I walked in? Waiting for the worm at the bottom of the bottle to appear?” With a weak laugh, she twisted one of her bracelets around.
“The woman I mentioned who I want to make my submissive is on her way here. I’m going to give her a tour, let her witness some of the sessions. See how she fairs.” He rubbed his chest where it stung. After Erika left him that afternoon, he’d been plagued with horrible heartburn. No matter how many antacids he chewed or cans of ginger ale he drank, he couldn’t get rid of the ache.
“Now this should be interesting.” Catherine swung one leg over the other, showing off her thong—a hot pink number that would have any man, or woman for that matter, panting in lust. She also had one of the best asses he’d ever seen. He could only imagine what her pussy must feel and taste like—not that he ever had the urge to find out. His stomach rolled. Thinking of her that way while he wanted Erika nauseated him.
“You look like you’re going to be sick. Does your new plaything mean that much to you?”
He couldn’t define the relationship between Erika and himself yet. Tonight was a test for both of them. He would push her, but not too much since she was still recovering from what they’d done together the night before. “I look sick? What about you? You’re twitchy, on edge. You wear your raunchy clothes and that clown makeup of yours when you want to send out a vibe to stay the fuck away. Is it Raymond?”
Standing, she paced back and forth, hugging herself then stopped, dropping her arms to her side.
He sprawled back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “You better tell me soon because in less than fifteen minutes my guest arrives, and I’ll be busy the rest of the night.”
“Raymond is threatening to come here to make me heel, or so he told me in a long, graphic phone message. To top it off, I have a twenty-one-year-old virgin who’s the heir to some big hotel conglomerate willing to pay me top dollar to beat him, degrade him, and de-virginize him.” She raised her finger in the air to bring her point home. “Plus, he’s a cutter, so I expect him to ask me to do that, too. Everything is so fucked-up. All I want to do is run away and hide.”
“Quite the clusterfuck.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” She kicked the front of the desk then plopped down on the small
couch in front of the wall. “He’s out there right now, sitting at his normal spot, waiting for me.”
“Who, Raymond?”
“No, the other one. Bryan.” She lay back on the couch, crossing her one leg over the other.
“I can get rid of the boy. But Raymond? You’re on your own. Last time I tried to talk to him on your behalf, it didn’t go over well.” He rubbed his chin, remembering when he and the Frenchman spoke after Catherine had left him the first time. He had been accused of stealing her, and their discussion ended with the older man punching him.
“I know. I’m waiting for another text or voice message from him tonight.” Sitting up, she swept her hair behind her ears. “I’m thinking of staying with my parents for a few months.”
“You’re playing with fire.” His phone rang, and anticipation filled his belly, the tightness in his chest vanishing. “If I was Raymond, I’d never let you go.” He answered the phone.
The bouncer at the front door told him Erika had arrived. He thanked the man. Rising from his chair, he tugged at his shirt and swiped away the wrinkles from his pants.
“Who’s the lucky lady you’re going to shock tonight?” Catherine asked in a snide tone and cracked her knuckles.
“Erika. She’s Roger Walsh’s daughter.”
She slapped her knees. “You’ve got to be kidding me! What are you going to do when she finds out your plans for Walsh Publications after her father retires? You better hope she falls head over heels in love with you or you’re able to control her as her new master because when she finds out, she’s going to flip.”
“I haven’t decided if I want to acquire Walsh Publications. It’s become more complicated than I’d expected,” he grumbled as he headed to the door.
“It looks like we both have complications.” Lying back on the couch, she raised her leg high in the air, showing off too much flesh. He’d seen a great deal of her body in the past, so her teasing didn’t affect him at all. She was acting bratty and cranky, trying to make his temper rise.