Page 242 of The First Taste

Eleven

Dare

Standing in the middle of the echoing hallway, I watch Talia’s retreating figure as she practically sprints out of the mansion. I let her go, feeling as though she will come around. Maybe Talia will be mad for a couple of days. But money motivates her. Like all the other women I’ve ever known, she will eventually fold and take my money.

I look to my left and find Clive standing there, hands behind his back, his eyes narrowing on the door. I jerk my head toward the entrance to the house. "Can you send one of the chauffeurs after her and offer her a ride home? Otherwise, I think she’s actually stubborn enough to walk the whole way despite the weather."

Clive bows his head and wordlessly bustles off toward the driveway.

No sooner do I watch Clive disappear do I hear a low rumble of the pocket doors to Remy’s study opening. "Dare! Gather all the family. Tell them all that I need to see them now. I expect that they will all be waiting in my study in an hour. I have an announcement to make that I think everyone will find important."

I feel a flutter low in my belly. It may be something like anxiety—a feeling of uncertainty that I usually don’t have. I narrow my eyes and push the feeling down, pushing my shoulders back and tensing my jaw. I believe that a person is exactly whatever they want to be; if I want to be confident and ruthless in my business dealings, then by wanting that I shall be. It doesn’t work for everyone, I find. But it works for me.

I make my own destiny.

A while later, I’m sitting, drumming my fingers against the dark leather of the couch when Burn arrives with Daisy on his arm. I straighten my posture and cut a glance toward them as they enter. Burn scowls at me. Daisy looks at me, her eyes brightening and a smirk forming on her beautiful lips.

She sashays over to me, her hips swinging, her long hair a dark mass that wraps around her nearly like a cape. She comes right up to me with a hand on her hip and stops to pose and toss her hair.

"Hello, Dare." Her eyes twinkle with a dark kind of mystery.

I struggle not to express my true feelings, which are anger and annoyance at her presence.

"Daisy," I say with a nod. "Don’t you have lives to ruin somewhere else?"

She smiles, showing me a hint of her teeth. "Come on now, Dare." She touches my arm, which is honestly almost painful. She rejected me. Doesn’t that mean that she doesn’t get to pass off such friendly gestures anymore?

I study her, not giving her the satisfaction of knowing that she is having any effect on me. I tilt my head to the side and give her a once-over with a glance.

When I don’t say anything, she gives me a little smile and turns, stalking back across the room to where Burn stands with my Uncle Felix, talking about something dastardly, no doubt.

The big surprise is my father showing up. He comes into the room, his suit rumpled, his graying hair sticking out oddly. He looks around the room with a watery blue-green gaze, his smile wobbly. He’s drunk, as usual. But he seems like he’s only just begun drinking. Usually on any given day, he starts off jovial, then a few hours later he turns morose, and for his final act, he’s like a toddler that’s gone too long without a nap.

He is a man that’s furious with the world and is not afraid to let everyone know it.

"Burn!" he exclaims. He ambles over to his favorite child, giving Burn a rousing clap on the back.

I look away because otherwise I will sneer at this show of filial love.

Burn gives my father a bland smile and slides his arm around Daisy, using her like a shield.

"Dad," Burn says cordially. "I didn’t really…"

My father’s eyebrows fly up in surprise. He raises his arms, looking around the room as if puzzled. "Do I not belong? I would think you would be glad to see me."

Burn’s grip tightens on Daisy’s waist. He forces a smile and says, "Of course. Welcome, of course."

My dad laughs; the sound is hard and calloused. “Thank you for your approval of my being here in my own father’s home, son.”

He claps Burn on the back again, making Burn flinch. Before he even bothers noticing what effects he just had on his child, his gaze swings around to me. A large group of my cousins, aunts, and uncles come in, their faces lighting up as soon as they lay eyes on my twin and his perfect fiancée. I glare at Burn, wishing for a second that I were not part of this family.

My dad is looking me up and down like he is deciding whether or not to even greet me. He smiles again, the expression colder now than it was only a moment ago when he was looking at Burn. I’ve always been the disappointment, the one who disapproved of my father and his drinking so strongly that I was rigid, even as a child.

"Dare, I didn’t realize that you would be joining us."

I arch my brow. "Joining who? I have been here for the better part of two weeks. I think that you are just now joining the family now that Remy might announce some kind of asset splitting in his will or something."

Dad looks at me with disgust. "No. That is not why I’m here. Or not the only reason, anyhow." He fusses with his tie, a dark blue piece of cloth that has seen better days and is wrinkled beyond imagination. He makes a sound, flapping his hand dismissively.