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“Actually, can you resend it? That last point is quite complicated, and having your notes would be a big help.”
Imaginary Chloe raises her box file and hits The Bastard in the nose! He staggers back, clutching his face, and she comes in from the side with a deadly blow that knocks him to his knees!
“Of course, sir,” I said tightly, putting my bottle down. “Your meeting starts in ten minutes and it’s a video call, so please get yourself dressed properly.”
He sighed, straightening up and finally giving me some space. “I really do think you’re the boss here sometimes, you know.”
I barely resisted the urge to sigh. “Just please do up your shirt and put on your tie.”
“All right, all right.” He walked back to his desk, buttoning his shirt as he went. “By the way, what’s for dinner?”
Vodka and regret, probably.
Maybe that was just my dinner.
“I’ll let you know when I’ve decided what I have the energy to cook,” I replied, glancing over at him. “Your tie is wonky.”
He flashed me a grin. “Fix it for me?”
My work phone trilled, and I picked it up with a smile. “I’m afraid I have to answer this,” I said, swiping to answer the call. “Good afternoon, you’ve reached the office of Vice-President Theodore Black. This is Chloe St. James. How can I help you?”
The Bastard—he was back to that moniker for those antics just now—stared at me across the room, and I smiled my famously cool professional smile as I met his eyes.
“Chloe!”
“Your Grace,” I said quietly, scooting my chair back.
Theodore’s eyes went wide, and he jumped to his feet, waving his arms from side to side as if to tell me not to speak to him.
“Give me a moment. Mr Black is about to start a video meeting, so I’ll have to go elsewhere to talk to you.” I wiggled my fingers at my boss and darted out of the room before he could stop me.
If there was one person Theodore Black was powerless against, it was his grandfather.
“Thank you for waiting,” I said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I don’t want to disturb his meeting.”
“Of course,” the duke replied. “I should have checked to see if it’s a good time.”
“Nonsense. It’s always a good time to talk to you, Your Grace.”
“When will you start calling me Grandpa?”
“When you adopt me, or I marry one of your grandchildren. Neither of which are going to happen.”
He made a little ‘hmm’ noise. “If you don’t marry Theo, let me know. I’ll definitely adopt you.”
This old man was crazy. “Of course. To what do I owe the pleasure today?”
“On the contrary, it’s my pleasure to speak to my favourite girl,” he replied smoothly. “I wanted to make sure that scoundrel wasn’t being a brat to you.”
There it was.
I wondered how long it would take him to use one of his little pet names for his grandson. Honestly, anyone who listened to him would think he hated Theodore, but that couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
If I knew one thing, it was that His Grace, Charles Arthur William Black, the Duke of Ruxleigh, doted on his eldest grandson to the point of the absolute ridiculous.
Sometimes it really did feel like he was mildly obsessed with him.
And that would be because he… well, he was.
