Page 121

With a deft movement of his hand, he took her open phone away to cancel the car. Haley tried to snatch the phone back, becoming just as furious as the woman at her back at her failed attempt before Desmond pocketed the cell phone in his sweatpants.

Angry as she was, Haley didn’t attempt to fight for it, despite the daring gleam in his eyes. She would happily die a wimp rather than reach her hand into the pocket where the outline of his cock could be seen under the material.

“Wait in the study. I’ll be there in a minute.” He pointed in the direction for her to go.

Haley nearly ignored the command. Instead, she edged away from them and made her way down the long hallway.

Without her phone, the walk back would take forever, never mind that she was maliciously beginning to enjoy hearing Desmond’s girlfriend’s gag-worthy use of baby talk on him. She was going to have a field day when her phone was returned and she called Nadia.

Staring interestedly around as she walked down the long passageway, Haley had to admit that Desmond’s home was gorgeous. The hallway didn’t have normal walls. Instead, they were made of glass, where you could see bottles of liquor and wine interspersed with pieces of art that showed Desmond had a vast variety of tastes, from the iconic, to easily recognizable, like Andy Warhol, to more contemporary, like Faye Bridgewater.

Restraining herself from losing herself in just staring at the paintings, she looked to the left to see what she assumed was the main room. Sleek, black leather couches were placed opposite each other, sitting atop an opulent black and white rug, giving the room an elegant appearance that mirrored the owner. Glossy gold lights hung down from the ceiling, highlighted from the open shelves with recessed lighting. This one room had probably cost more than the furnishings in her whole house, Haley estimated from the prints alone.

Moving into Desmond’s study, she was struck by the difference. While the other parts of the house were all modern, this area was filled with antiques. The huge oak desk was massive, as well as the high-backed, tufted chairs sitting by a glass encased liquor cabinet.

Refusing to take one of the rigid chairs sitting in front of the desk, Haley went to the liquor cabinet and poured herself a shot of brandy. She could count the number of times on one hand how often she had drunk hard liquor but decided to splurge today.

Swirling the amber liquid in her glass, she gave a small laugh before taking a sip. How could she not laugh? The whole situation was hilarious.

“Mind telling me what you find so amusing?”

Startled at Desmond’s voice behind her, she nearly dropped her glass. “I thought you would be much longer.”

“What does that have to do with me hearing you laugh?”

Rather than fabricating a lie, she gave him the truth. “I don’t think you would find it funny.”

“You, on the other hand, find something hilarious.”

“Chill, Desmond. It was just a small laugh.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge and tell me the joke?”

“Are you sure you want to hear it?”

Desmond stepped around her, pouring himself a glass of brandy then refilling hers. “Go ahead. Right now, I could use a laugh, even at my own expense.”

“I find it funny that she was calling you daddy, and you actually looked like that was normal.” Yeah, she should have tried harder to make something up.

Desmond swallowed his drink then refilled the glass half-full. “I’m not old enough to be her father.”

“It wasn’t the age difference between you two that made me think it was funny; it was the way you looked at her that did. You looked like you wanted to spank her.”

Choking back more laughter at his piqued expression, she said, “Come on, Desmond, ease up. I was trying to lighten the situation.” She hadn’t, but he didn’t know that.

Finding herself in an inexplicably good mood, Haley sat down in one of the soft-as-butter chairs. “Jesus, how much do these bad boys cost? I need one in my life.”

Desmond’s lips quirked in a semblance of a smile. “Twelve thousand.”

“Damn, that’s a no-go for me, then.”

Sitting down on the other chair, Desmond crossed his legs at the ankles. “I happen to know you can more than pay for one if you wanted to.”

Haley shrugged, her good mood not even letting it bother her that Desmond was aware of her financial situation. “I’m curious. Is there anything about me you don’t know?”

“No.”

“Gilbert was a surprise,” she pointed out badly, as her good humor was starting to ebb. “Moving on … Shouldn’t you be with Janine? If you give me my phone back, I can call for a driver.”

“She’s good. At this point, the less she sees of me, the better. Care to explain what was so important that has you in here instead of waiting until I came into the office today?”