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“Language!”
“I’m twenty, not five. Also, Dad? You swear like a Jersey Shore guido.”
“I do not.”
I was not some reality show meathead. That said, I was a big fucking fan of curse words. There were some things that you couldn’t get across without the right language. But I still had some paternal instincts, even if I wasn’t exactly a disciplinarian where Tammy was concerned. If she really wanted to make it in publishing and business, she’d need to learn when to wield her swears like swords for a killing stroke, and when to wait. Otherwise?
It was a fucking waste.
“Point is, she’s awesome. She’ll be here in twenty minutes because we are not doing lunch today, and you will do this.” She smirked at me in triumph.
“You tricky kiddo. What makes you think that I’ll go along with your nefarious plans?” I asked, the amusement clear in my voice.
“Because my birthday is in two months, and you can consider this part of my present.”
“So, I’m canceling that Sak’s Fifth Avenue shopping spree?”
She shook her head. “As if. I said part of my present, not all. Get ready. Selena’s in the lobby. Get all game face on and be ready to be blown away.”
With that, she stomped back out the door. The view of her back after she’d made a dramatic proclamation reminded me of her mother too. Sighing, I rubbed at the bridge of my nose. The last thing I needed to do was interview a girl I didn’t know from a mailroom employee. Then again, my daughter was smart—of course, she got that from me—and now that Tammy had canceled lunch, I legitimately had nowhere else to be.
Damn it. Too fucking smart for her own good.
The door creaked open, and I stood up instantly, buttoning the front of my blazer. Might as well get this over with and then go back to my work. After all, I could bluster a good game, but my little girl always got what she wanted. Maybe that was shit parenting, but back when Tammy was in middle school, she’d refused to talk to me for the first three years after the divorce. That changed when I bought her a horse and finally got better when I paid for her to see Europe the summer after she turned sixteen. Maybe I was bribing a little… Okay, a lot, but once she’d opened back up to me, we’d built back a real relationship.
If this Selena seemed like a total no go, then I could still put her into a high paying internship at Swagger, but make sure she did nothing more harmful than getting coffee. After all, it was good to be king and ensure that my interests didn’t get totally ruined, no matter what my princess wanted.
I frowned when I turned to see my CFO, Jonathan Meyers, at the doorway instead. Well, Tammy had mentioned that Selena was going to be in after a few more minutes. Though I wasn’t sure why she was making me wait. They’d already strong-armed me into it. Could be the girl was scared of interviewing or bad at it. Could explain why someone with her resume wasn’t getting bites. My best friend and right-hand man stared pointedly at me as he raked a hand through his sandy blond hair.
“You’re babysitting today?”
“I was having lunch with Tammy, which just became a free run on nepotism and sinecures. It’s not a big deal.”
Jonathan chuckled. “It’s always a big deal. First, you hate being told what to do.”
“True, but I have to make exceptions for Tammy. Damn that kid starts to tear up, and I’d buy her a new penthouse.”
“Don’t say that in earshot of her or you’ll find yourself doling out for a Central Park view you don’t even get to regularly enjoy,” Jonathan said. “An intern is an intern. They’re a dime a dozen in any business, but it’s a slippery slope. You always said that Duncan Multimedia was different and part of that is because for twenty years our board doesn’t pull the same self-serving bullshit that gets Enron or whatever else dead and fast. Or worse, shit PR.”
I rolled my eyes. Now I knew what Jonathan was angling at. “This is about you being paranoid over the Orbit Channel merger? Seriously? I’m interviewing one of her friends for five minutes and then giving her a form to take to HR to get fast-tracked to her first day. I’m not holding an open season to hire everyone’s best friends and deadbeat nephews here.”
“Precedents.” Jonathan shrugged. “But that’s not why I’m worried.”
“Why?”
He shook his head. “I saw both girls come in and wait in front of your secretary’s desk. I mean, shit, Brandon, I’ve known you for the better part of three decades.”
“Yeah, make me feel more like fifty.”
“Forty-seven. God knows you never let me forget it and act like you’re fifteen.”
“Peter Pan is my role model.” I deadpanned. “What’s your point?”
“Selena’s hot—completely your type. I’m worried about you seeing her and thinking with your dick.”
“I’m perfectly capable of not thinking with my dick until this merger is finished. I know Orbit’s owners have set ideas about the right image for partners they align with. They’re just a little weird. Besides, my dick? Happily satisfied every night and with whoever I want.” I cracked my knuckles. “I’m not exactly hunting for a good time.”
Jonathan shook his head. “This girl’s a knockout. Just don’t fuck things up. I’ve spent eight months on this deal, and I don’t want one of your typical lapses in judgment to dick it all over.”
