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She nods, a look of relief washing over her face. “Agreed.”
“Good. You’re excused.”
As she turns to leave, I watch the sway of her hips and the graceful curve of her neck as she looks back at me before exiting.
Even after she’s gone, I find my eyes drifting to her desk through the glass partition.
I try to focus on work, but my gaze keeps wandering. I watch the way she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as she concentrates on the screen. The slight furrow of her brow as she turns my way. It’s maddening.
She’s maddening.
She’s also single for the first time since she started working for me.
Don’t go there.
Not yet. Don’t be a rebound. Give her some time.
Half an hour later the door to my office bursts open. I groan as my father storms in, his face red with anger.
He throws a newspaper on my desk. I swallow at the headline on the front page and my photograph with Dom.
I stare at the newspaper. My throat goes dry as I read the headline.
NeuroPort COO caught in a sex club scandal!
Beneath the headline, there is an unmistakable picture of me. It shows me talking to Dominic Russo. Dom is the joint owner of Club Elysium and its sister clubs in other parts of America.
We’re leaning close, clearly engrossed in discussion. That’s fine. What’s not fine is the topless dancer writhing on the table next to us.
My father’s voice cuts through the silence. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. There’s no excuse, no explanation that could make this okay.
I can’t tell him Club Elysium is my escape, my refuge from the pressures of being a COO. The place that I go to unwind. Not only to watch beautiful women dance but also the place I can forget about quarterly reports and board meetings.
And yes, occasionally, I’ve paid for a little extra attention. A discreet blowjob in a private room, nothing more. But how can I explain that to my father?
“I’m waiting, Westley,” he growls, only using my full name when he’s angry.
I look up at him, seeing the disappointment etched into every line of his face. “I...”
“No! Save it,” he snaps. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. I’m disgusted with you. Do you have any idea what this could do to the company? To our family’s reputation?”
I wince at his words, feeling like a child being scolded. But I’m not a child. I’m a grown man, dammit. I straighten my spine and meet his gaze.
“It’s my private life. What I do in my free time—”
“Becomes everyone’s business when it’s splashed across the front page!” he roars, slamming his hand on my desk. “Fix this, West. I don’t care how but fix it. Or you can kiss your CEO position goodbye.”
“Are you threatening me again?”
He glares back, his face flushed with anger. “I’m still the owner of this business, and if you or your brother think you can get away with this type of behavior, you’re wrong. You and your brother need wives, West. You need to settle down.”
“I don’t need you to tell me what I need,” I spit back.
He ignores my protest. “I’ve been speaking to Hilton Jameson. His daughter, Elizabeth, will be a suitable match.”
I blink, caught off guard. “Who the fuck is Elizabeth? I thought he only had sons.” I stare at my father, incredulous. “And are you being serious right now? You’re trying to arrange a marriage for me like we’re living in the eighteen hundreds?”