Page 67 of Miss Trust

Chance

The termination of parental rights document signed by John Fitch sat on my desk at the club in an envelope. It was necessary to file the paperwork with the court, but I wouldn’t do it without Tory’s consent. Frankly, no court would terminate his rights unless she agreed, else they think he was a deadbeat dad trying to get out of the financial obligation. Which meant I had to tell her about it. Which meant dealing with her temper. But I was convinced any anger would be short lived. Once she read the will granting custody to her sister should anything happen to her, she would realize this was the best course of action.

I’d tell her tonight. The anticipation of seeing her had my gaze glued to the clock. Since when the hell had I become a clock watcher? One of the reasons I enjoyed working in my clubs was because it never felt like a job. Instead, it was a pleasure to oversee my investments personally. Yet at the moment I was thinking of a certain blonde.

I found myself thinking about Tory way too much lately, trying to figure out why I was so fascinated with her. Why my body practically craved her. So much for fucking her out of my system. Instead, it seemed she was fucking with me, and my balance of priorities.

Malik knocked on the door, interrupting me from my thoughts. “Boss, FBI is here again. Special Agent Smith.” He handed over the familiar card, the same as the last visit.

“Tell him I’m not here and to make a damn appointment. Make it for a couple weeks from now.” Let them wait. Fucking Feds. I had no idea what they wanted, but it was clear they would keep showing up until I met with them. When that happened, it would be on my terms. I had places to be.

“Will do, boss. You taking off?”

I was already packing up. “It would seem I am. I have some business to attend to.” I tucked the paperwork under my arm, ready to walk out.

“We still on for travel to Barcelona and Berlin tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’ll meet you at the airport in the morning.” I was looking to open nightclubs in Spain and Germany and was in the market for real estate in each location.

It was near ten o’clock at night when I walked into my house. It was quiet, yet I found Tory in the kitchen going over some paperwork at the kitchen table. She was dressed in a faded gray sweatshirt and black shorts.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

She smiled, leading me to believe we were making progress. Maybe she wasn’t as unaffected by me as she’d like me to think.

“I’m going over the details Lorna and I discussed earlier.”

My smirk came easily. “How did that little task go?”

She grinned. “Easier after you put her in her place.”

“I simply paved the road for you to do it.” I paused. “Why did you allow her to speak down to you?” I’d heard enough to know Lorna had been talking down to her before I’d showed up.

Her shrug didn’t convey how tense she looked. “I got the impression you’d told your designer I was simply here to open the door for her.”

Lorna was difficult, to be sure, but I’d never devalue anyone who worked for me that way. “Not true, however she has operated on my other homes without an intermediary, so maybe she formed a false impression of the situation. But know I would never expect anyone to put up with shitty treatment.”

“As much as I’d love to tell most people I meet to fuck right off, I’ve also learned my place in the world. I’m not the first assistant Lorna has been a bitch to, and I won’t be the last.” She took a sip of her tea. “It did feel good to put her in her place, but it couldn’t have happened without you there. With money comes power.”

There was no truer statement. “I could fire her.”

She huffed out a breath, temptation in her expression. “No need. She’s behaving for now.”

“You figure out what we’re remodeling?”

“I think we should concentrate on the kitchen and the bathrooms in the pool house first. Also, we’ll put in new flooring everywhere. Once we get to the main house, it’s again the kitchen and the bathrooms that need updating. A warmer color throughout would look nice too. I was thinking a soft beige. But let me know what else you’d like updated. This is your home.”

“Honestly, it’s more of an investment property, to be sold at some point.” I didn’t get attached.

She regarded me for a moment before setting the paperwork to the side. “They’ll begin on the pool house next week.”

“Good. How was Penelope’s appointment?”

“Good. She has her chemo tomorrow, but hopefully we’ll only be there for a couple days.”

“And the swim lessons?”

“Terrific. She’s part dolphin I think. I know I didn’t appreciate the way you sprung the lessons on me, but I do appreciate them now. Especially with the way she’s enjoying the pool.”

The way her face lit up with joy when she talked about her daughter did something to my chest. It also confirmed the swim lessons had been the right idea. I told myself what I held in the folder in my hand would be another eventual appreciation on her part.

Then why was I hesitating? Why was I setting it on the counter instead of on the table for her to read? Maybe it was because she seemed happy to see me instead of hostile. I didn’t want to ruin the moment.

Instead, I took her hand and pulled her up gently into my embrace. She was soft and warm, and when her face tipped up, there was no hesitation when I took her lips.

“Bedroom or the kitchen table?”

The kitchen table was a much better option considering I preferred her naked now, but she spoke the voice of reason.

“I can’t risk Penny walking in.”

“Good point. Grab the monitor.” She no sooner had it in her hand than I was tugging her down the hallway to my bedroom. Once inside, I took the device from her hand and put it on the nightstand, making quick work out of stripping her down and laying her on my bed.

The unpleasant business could wait until later. Until after I’d ravished the woman in my arms.