Page 5 of The Temptation (Executive Suite Secrets #4)

PIERCE SUTTON

It took me days to get over what I’d done.

I kissed him.

Years ago, I’d sworn I would never touch Simon Miller—an easy enough promise to keep when he’d been a squirrelly, cheeky teenager who I’d also seen as a little brother.

But time liked to make liars and fools of us all. Simon didn’t stay a brash, skinny teenager. He grew up and became a handsome, confident man who haunted my dreams. He was a brilliant, shining star, and his bright light called to me, drawing me closer, though I knew I needed to stay away from him.

That night at Declan’s, I’d had way too much to drink.

I’d overindulged to help numb the anxiety and guilt that gnawed at me.

I couldn’t skip the party—Declan was too good of a friend.

It had been easy enough to avoid Simon. It had actually seemed as though he’d attempted to keep his distance, giving me breathing room.

But I hadn’t. I’d constantly tried to track him down, searching from room to room, driving myself crazy with my need to see him and yet never speaking to him, until I’d finally spotted him.

The meeting on the patio should never have happened. As soon as I’d seen him step outside, I should have remained hidden. Or at least, gone straight inside without talking to him.

Yet, I couldn’t do it. I’d had to say something.

And when he’d touched me, I’d been lost, all that control shattered in an instant. No way could I have stopped the years of longing from seizing me and tossing all my denial out the window.

But no matter how perfect he’d felt in my arms, reality had slammed into my brain all too quickly.

My promise.

Sawyer’s final words to me.

I couldn’t turn my back on it, so I had to let it go.

Deep down, I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Simon was never one to let things go. Chasing me for the last fourteen years was proof of that. This kiss was going to make things worse.

Thankfully, work kept me busy and distracted until a fresh problem stole all my focus.

My parents came to town for a visit.

My family had resided in the New England area for several generations, my parents living outside of Boston to this day.

The family law firm was based in Boston with a smaller branch office in New York City, which my younger brother, Archer, managed.

I’d had to be the different one. It was more like cracking under the pressure, though, of having generations of Sutton lawyers resting on my shoulder.

I’d always known I would be a lawyer, and my father had been so excited when I’d passed the bar, immediately spinning fantasies of me taking over for him.

Naturally, as I’d panicked, Sebastian had waltzed in with his special brand of coaxing and cajoling.

It hadn’t been hard to convince me to move to Cincinnati, giving me some breathing room between me and my ultimate fate.

Also, I’d taken the opportunity to open another branch of Sutton Law, allowing me to get my feet wet.

Regardless of my attempts to tweak my fate, I had no illusions about my father’s expectations. The goal was for me to return to Boston eventually to take over the management of the firm.

But this visit wasn’t about my returning home. No, my mother had cooked up something far more nefarious.

She was “concerned for my happiness.”

God, was there an eviler four-word phrase?

The Bistro was a quiet, elegant restaurant with a superb wine list that was more than enough to keep my picky father happy and a relatively healthy menu that was sure to keep my mother happy as she continued to monitor my father’s cholesterol.

“Did Archer send you the latest pictures of Blake and Zane? He took them ice skating last week,” my mom asked, already picking up her phone to find the pictures of her grandchildren. The server had just left after taking our order.

“Yes, I was on the same group text. I think it’s more amazing that Archer didn’t spend most of the outing on his ass.

He hasn’t ice skated in years, and he was never all that good at it in the first place.

” My younger brother was built like me but possessed only half of my coordination.

His wife, Jessica, on the other hand, was a graceful swan.

It was a wonder what she saw in my dopey brother.

“I think Archer stuck pretty close to the wall most of the time. Jessica was the one who got the boys out onto the ice,” my father murmured.

The conversation fell into a lull, and my gaze wandered about the restaurant, taking in the dim lighting and rich atmosphere.

Crystal and silverware clinked softly, accents to the low burble of people talking.

Unfortunately, it didn’t help as I searched for a topic of conversation that wasn’t work related.

Sometimes, my father popped into town to check on the company, and we always chatted about shifts and developments in law or contracts we were working on.

However, each time my mother was present, he and I tried to steer away from work talk.

I didn’t have to search for a topic for long. My mother had come to town preloaded with something she was itching to tackle.

“Why didn’t you bring a date to our dinner?” she inquired.

For a second, I could only stare at her. This felt out of left field. “It’s news to me that a date is a requirement for a dinner with my parents. I thought it was enough that I wore a tie.”

My mother’s eyes narrowed. She was not in a joking mood. “Pierce.”

Shoot me now.

“Are you seeing anyone?” she pressed, her tone taking on an edge.

“Not at the moment.”

“Why?”

I glanced over at my father, but he was suddenly very interested in his water goblet.

Traitor . My dad was very much of the “Let the boys take care of themselves” mindset.

My mom needed to meddle. It was her job.

Her purpose. Her raison d’être . She loved to micromanage our lives.

Which was probably why I’d been more than happy to move to Cincinnati and my brother had jumped at the chance to move to New York.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean, ‘why’? I’m not seeing anyone because I haven’t met anyone that I would be interested in dating. Work has kept me busy, and I’ve been hanging out with my friends.”

“ Friends who have all started dating someone seriously in the past year.”

My eyes fell shut, and I briefly cursed the person who’d decided it had been wise to teach my mother all about social media.

“Yes, Sebastian and Declan are in serious relationships.”

“So is Rome,” she pointed out. “Sebastian posted an adorable picture of them together at Declan’s birthday party. It’s so nice to see Rome so happy and settled. He’s always been too restless.”

My curses shifted to Sebastian’s head.

“Yes, I was there. I’ve met Liam. He’s very nice.”

“But what about you?” she continued.

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m happy. My life is good.” I fought the urge to tug at my suddenly too-tight collar. Is it hot in here? When the hell did it get so hot?

This dinner was spiraling fast. Dad had kicked it off by commenting on how tired I looked, Mom had segued into the cuteness of my nephews, and was now moving in for the kill with demands that I dive into a serious relationship.

“Yes, but you’re not married ,” she stressed, as if my life couldn’t possibly be good while I’m single. “Not even seeing someone seriously. I can’t remember the last time you told me you were dating someone.”

“Mom—”

“Don’t Mom me. Pierce Sutton, you are going to be thirty-five this year.

Don’t you think it’s time that you settled down?

You have always said that you wanted to get married and have kids.

Your younger brother has been married for seven years now.

And that marriage law…what was it?” She waved a hand at my father, urging him to fill in the blank.

“ Obergefell v. Hodges was the Supreme Court case,” my father stated promptly, lifting his eyes to me at last.

“Exactly. It’s been ten years since that. Of course, you could have remained in Massachusetts and gotten married earlier than that. Not that we wished to rush you.”

I almost rolled my eyes, because she wasn’t at all trying to rush me now. “I appreciate you not trying to rush me.”

That earned me a new glare despite my attempt to not sound sarcastic, so I must have failed.

“Oh, I wouldn’t have rushed you when you were in your twenties or even early thirties, but those days are gone now,” Mom announced. It was as if I could hear a distant, heavy door slamming shut. Good-bye, youthful, carefree days. Hello, old age and back pain.

“Think about it, Pierce,” my father chimed in, but not in my favor.

“It takes time to meet someone and then settle down with them. If you decide to have kids, you want to be young enough to really enjoy their rambunctious years. Do you think it will be that easy keeping up with them after you turn forty?”

Ouch! I was still in great shape.

And where the hell was our server? I needed to change my drink from an iced tea to a Long Island. That was the only way I was getting out of this conversation in one piece.

“Yes, you both make great points, but remember that meeting the right person isn’t that easy.

It takes time and a bit of luck. Sebastian and Declan are the same age as me, and they’ve only just gotten into serious relationships.

With Rome taken, I’m sure it’s a matter of time now for me to find someone. ”

My mother sighed, picking at the linen napkin resting beside her plate.

“I worry about you here. We see you no more than a few times a year. God knows what kind of hours you’re truly working.

And if your friends are now in serious relationships, that means they aren’t going out to help you meet new single men. ”

Shit . She was building up to something. She had been since she’d begun this conversation. I could feel it, and it wasn’t good.

“Your father and I feel that maybe it’s time for you to return to Boston. You can start formally training with your father to take over the firm, and you may have better luck at finding someone to spend your life with. It certainly hasn’t worked out for you here in Cincinnati.”

“No.”

The word jumped from my lips before I could catch it. I knew I should say something else to soften my rejection, but my brain had gone into full fight-or-flight mode, and all I wanted to do was run.

“Please consider it, dear,” my mother pushed. “We merely want you to be happy. We worry that you’ve been single for too long. Don’t you think it’s time for you to come home?”

I clenched my teeth. It was hard for my mother to see Cincinnati as my home.

She’d grown up and lived in the Boston area her entire life.

That her children could want to live anywhere else was insane to her.

Archer got a free pass because he returned for visits all the time, but grabbing a train or a plane meant he was there in the blink of an eye.

Not that a plane from Cincinnati to Boston took all that much time.

It was that I made a lot of excuses not to make constant trips there.

“I know, and I appreciate your concern. I don’t think moving back now is good. The timing…it’s…” I fumbled for something, anything that could put them off, and in my desperation, I blurted out the worst thing I could have. “I’ve recently started seeing someone.”

“What?” my mom gasped.

My father tilted his head slightly to the side, his brow furrowing. “I thought you said earlier that you weren’t seeing anyone.”

“Yes, but Mom was asking why I didn’t bring a date tonight, and we’ve only just begun seeing each other. It’s far too early for a meet-the-parents dinner. That would be far too much pressure.”

Mom lifted an eyebrow, clearly skeptical of my sudden double talk. “And you’re arguing that you should stay in Cincinnati because you wish to continue seeing this person?”

“I’m kind of hoping that things will go well, but it’s still early. I don’t want to be too hopeful and get disappointed.”

Yes, yes, disappointed about getting dumped by a nonexistent person.

“Understandable,” Dad agreed with a nod. “How about this? Why don’t you ask your new date out for dinner with us in two nights? We’ll be in the city for a few more days.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but my mom beat me to it.

“That’s a wonderful idea. It’ll give you a chance to get to know this person better, and then we’ll all get to meet. We’ll keep it a low-key, informal dinner. Nothing for anyone to be anxious about.”

Dad put the final nail in the coffin. “And if you discover that this isn’t a person who you believe you can make a life with, we can talk more about your plans to move to Boston.”

Yep, totally screwed.

Oh, I could put my foot down and tell them in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t moving to Boston under any circumstances.

Just torch that bridge and upset everyone in my family.

But why? I saw their point. I’d thought I’d be married and settled into a sweet domestic life by now.

More than Sebastian or Rome, I wanted married life and kids.

And who was going to beat us to that finish line?

Fucking Declan . The man who hadn’t wanted marriage or kids.

For now, I needed to buy myself some time in order to find a more permanent solution to this problem. It was time to call in my friends and pray they could think of something that would keep me in Cincinnati.