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I wasn’t going to let this hurt Tammy. I loved my daughter more than anything, but I could compartmentalize my life. I could do what made me happy with Selena, even if she was Tammy’s best friend, but I could also have my affair with my tiger. I was a master of publishing, a titan of industry in New York, damn it. Men like me never had to pay penalties. That was for
mortal men.
Men who didn’t have much left in their bank accounts at the end of the month.
A knock on my office door startled me out of my thoughts. I frowned when it turned out to be Jonathan poking his head into my office. He’d been giving me withering glances all week. I wasn’t an idiot, and I’d worked with my right-hand for decades. I knew when he wanted to take me to task. Frankly, it was why I kept him around. A CEO who only surrounded himself with “Yes Men” became a CEO who was out on his ass and broke.
That didn’t mean I wanted to be grilled with whatever concern over the Orbit merger he was harboring.
“I have early dinner plans.”
Jonathan stalked into the room and shut the door behind himself.
Oh, he knew. He definitely knew.
“That’s why I have to talk to you, Brandon. What the hell are you thinking?”
I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m dense about what you mean. So, you’ve figured out that things between Selena Cole and me over at Swagger are less than professional?”
“Yes.”
“My personal business isn’t part of your job, Jonathan.”
“Yes,” he said, shaking his head. “But this is more than just where you wet your dick. This is about doing something very stupid with a friend of your daughter’s.”
“How dare you say that about Selena.” I clenched my jaw and reminded myself that the last thing I needed to do was slug my best friend. That would be a scene I couldn’t explain away. But the asshole had said something unforgivable about Selena; implied she was some goddamn pump and dump when she was anything but. “She’s not just some whore.”
“I didn’t say that, exactly, but it’s what it looks like, man. You look like you had a mid-life crisis, and now you’re jeopardizing everything this company was built for, everything we’ve all wanted. Do you know how crazy this looks? Orbit already has a reputation for being tight European asses. If it gets out to them what you’re doing, they’ll dump any chance to merge with us. It’ll be far too tabloid-esque for them.”
“No one is going to find out.”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “You say that, but does that mean everyone?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You really think that Tammy’s so dumb that she won’t put the pieces together? Hell, you and I both know that Mel’s as suspicious as they come. You think she’ll miss a trick? Seriously? You don’t like it when I imply that Selena’s just another piece of ass—”
“She’s not!” I slammed my fist down on the desk. “She isn’t.”
“Seriously, Brandon. This isn’t going anywhere. This isn’t going to go anywhere. All it’s going to do is have the potential to ruin a billion-dollar merger and your relationship with your family.” He blanched. “Okay, what’s left of it where Melanie is concerned.”
“So, is this about the bottom line?”
Jonathan shook his head. “This is about far more than that. I know how hard you’ve worked to have Tammy back in your life after the mother of all bitter divorces. Fucking The War of the Roses had nothing on you and Mel. Don’t fuck this all up because you’re, well, fucking it all up.”
I clenched my jaw and cycled through my thoughts before I replied, “I don’t want to hurt Tammy. I couldn’t give a shit about Melanie.”
He snorted. “That woman is like a fire-breathing dragon. I don’t know why you ever married her.”
“She wasn’t always like that. I think, to be fair, she hardened up because I was always gone.”
“Her being a raging bitch is not your fault. I have just seen how much you’ve built up man, what you have now with your daughter, and what we could have if Orbit signs. To lose that because you can’t keep it in your pants is crazy.”
“It’s not like that.”
Jonathan considered my words and narrowed his eyes. “Do you love her?”
“It’s too early for that. All I know is that I care about her in a way I haven’t cared about a woman since Mel and I started dating eons ago. She makes me feel alive and satisfied, like everything really is enough.” I raked a hand through my hair. “I’m always grasping for the new thing, always trying to conquer the next challenge. I don’t know, man, but when I have Selena in my arms, I feel complete. And that’s a feeling I’m not willing to give up.”
