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“Well, you’re sure acting like one, Dick.”
Richard “Dick” King has a reputation for being a hardass. He’s gone by Dick since college, and the name is fitting.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through this morning? What you’ve put this company through?” He tugs at his hair that’s now more white than black and groans. “We’re going to lose everything. You knew how much we needed a partnership with Titan Tech. They think we’re heathens. That you’re some kind of sexual predator. Do you have any idea what you have done?”
Turning my back to him, I walk over to the mini bar on the opposite side of my office. After I fix each of us a glass of whiskey, I hand one to my dad. He shakes his head in disgust but takes the drink without complaint. We take a sip from our glasses, which gives me a few seconds to think without him yelling. My dad blows hotter than a furnace when he’s mad.
I sit behind my desk, and he takes the chair across from me, kicking his foot up on the edge of the wood.
“Titan Tech is a family company,” he says through clenched teeth.
I set my drink on my desk and lean back in my leather chair. “So is Queen Takes King.”
“They have certain standards, morals you don’t seem to possess. Titan believes in family values, and screwing around with models doesn’t fit their values. I just spent thirty minutes on the phone with Carl Voss, pleading with him to hear us out. I told him the girl in the pictures is your fiancée.”
My mouth falls open in shock. “My what? I don’t even have a girlfriend. No one would believe that.”
The worry lines on his forehead pop as he leans forward, his anger seething through him. “Well, you had better find one. The Vosses won’t do business with people who aren’t wholesome.”
I snort at his comment. “There’s nothing wholesome about any of us.”
“You need a wife, Nathan. It’s the only way to make this partnership work.”
Taking a swig from my glass, I glare at him. “You’re serious? You want me to get married?”
He nods. “Our new product line is dependent on their capital investment, and without it, we’re screwed.”
“What if I found another investor? Reid Grayson is back in town.”
His cheeks flush crimson. “We don’t have enough time.”
“There’s no way the press will believe I’m engaged. Not after all of the articles about me being Philadelphia’s most eligible bachelor.”
“You seem to have a thing for blondes,” he spits back with fire behind his words. “Danika can spin a few tales about the girl in the pictures. You need this girl’s help to bail you out of this mess.”
“I don’t even know her name,” I lie.
“It doesn’t matter. You need someone who has as much to lose as you. Someone who will benefit from this unlawful union.”
I cock an eyebrow at him. “Who?”
“Harley McQueen.” His voice doesn’t even waver when he says her name.
Chills roll down my arms. The thought of putting Harley through this…
“Absolutely not. Harley hates me. She would never go through with a fake marriage.”
“She will if her dad tells her to do it.” He tips the glass to his lips and smirks. “She’s our best chance. The woman in the pictures could easily be Harley.”
“Who came up with this plan, you or Danika?”
“Danika might have mentioned it to me,” he says with a wink.
“Did you ask Jonathan what he thinks about this plan? I’m sure he doesn’t want you pimping out his daughter for sport.”
“This is business, Nate. I’ve worked my entire life to take this company public. So has Jonathan. We’re not losing everything because of your childish behavior.” His eyes narrow into slits as he looks across the desk at me. “You better convince Harley to marry you. I don’t care how you do it. Just make it happen.”
“No, I’m not doing that to her. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“Boy, you will do it, or you won’t be the CTO of this company for long.”
“I’m not a boy,” I snap. “And I’d like to see how this place runs without me.”
“Jonathan will make Harley see this is for the good of the company. Why can’t you be more like her?”
His words trigger an intense rage inside me. Even though I’m the oldest and a better coder than Stefan, he’s still the favorite son. I’ve earned a position of power by taking what I want, but my dad will never see me as his equal. I will always be the fuck-up.
After a long pause, I dig my elbows into the wood and lean forward, meeting his gaze. “Because I’ve never been one to follow the rules.”
“No, you haven’t.” He sighs. “You’re nothing but a pain in my ass,” he says as he slams his empty glass down on my desk. He rises to his full height, a scowl on his withered face as he looks down at me with disdain. “You either fix this, or I will fix it for you.”
