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“If you’re paying,” Harvey said with a wink.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, sir,” William asserted, taking his turn to shake hands. “We may be new to the company, but I can already see that you are a great asset. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I hope we have a long and fruitful partnership.”
“I’ve circled your father for years. He has a nose for business. If you three share the same talents, I’m looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table. As long as this little lady is at the table, that is.”
Sabrina shook her head, laughing along with the men. Harvey was an old coot with a saucy personality. He was also a huge flirt and could at times be inappropriate, but she’d learned to deal with it.
The way Conner’s jaw flexed and the tight smile he wore when he reached out to shake Harvey’s hand suggested he didn’t find the man quite as humorous or likeable as the rest of them, but he remained professional.
Harvey turned to Sabrina. Ignoring her proffered hand, he pulled her into a warm embrace that wasn’t entirely fatherly, but close enough not to spark her irritation. There was nothing worse than being groped by a client and having no recourse to rebuff them without suffering the consequences. In business, you had to choose your battles wisely.
As a group, they walked Harvey out and waited curbside for the valet to bring his car around. When it pulled up, Sabrina delighted in watching the stunned expressions of the three Hargreaves. Harvey might have been a tycoon with millions in the bank and several houses in exotic locations to his name, but when it came to automotive matters, he was a classic American-made man.
The rumble of the old 1942 Chevy convertible was distinct, and even though she wasn’t a car guru, she could appreciate the look and cut of the old wagon. It was sleek, painted a shiny maroon, and detailed in chrome, with pristine leather interior and white wall tires. Sabrina knew, because Harvey had told her about it at great length at a previous dinner, and it called everyone’s attention, whether they liked cars or not.
William let out a long, low whistle as the valet stopped in front of them and held the door open for Harvey. “That’s a hell of a ride you have there, Mr. Thomas.”
“She’s a classic, isn’t she?” Harvey ran his gaze over its body lovingly. “She was my father’s. I inherited her after he passed and had her fully restored. She runs even better today than she did the day she came off the line.” He shot the men a conspiratorial look. “The ladies love her.”
“I have no doubt,” Conner commented, a slight edge still present in his voice. It made Sabrina wonder if he was soured to the old man simply because he was an incurable flirt. The idea that he was territorial over her made Sabrina’s senses tingle, giving her an acute awareness of Conner that was somehow even stronger than it had been at the club.
Shaking it off, she said, “Well, I’m sure you have lots of ladies to choose from. We won’t keep you waiting. It was great seeing you again, Mr. Thomas.”
Harvey wore a ready smile. “As it was you, my dear.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, his breath smelling of wine and garlic from dinner, and, with a simple wave, he got into his car and pulled away.
Sabrina was ready to call it a night. With a wave of her hand, she flagged down their waiting car, indicating to their driver, who was as punctual as ever, he should bring the car around.
“Well, that was an interesting meeting,” Conner said moments later as he opened the back door for Sabrina to climb in first.
“Mr. Thomas is an interesting man.”
Sliding in beside her, Conner allowed his knees to fall open and touch hers in comfortable intimacy as they waited for William and Oliver to get settled in the seat opposite and the car to pull away before continuing the conversation. “You two seemed pretty friendly.”
Sabrina huffed a disbelieving laugh. “Are you accusing me of sleeping with Mr. Thomas?” She was already at the top. She didn’t need to degrade herself to climb even higher.
“Not at all. I just noticed you two seemed…familiar.”
Sabrina shot him a sideways glance. “He’s been a longtime client, starting when my father ran the company. I’ve known him practically my whole life.”
“So a family friend?” William interjected. “That would explain it.”
“Explain what?” she snapped, feeling touchy.
“He treated you almost like a daughter,” Oliver spoke up.
“Is that how you saw it? Because I wouldn’t call his behavior tonight fatherly,” Conner denied.
“What would you call it?” Sabrina asked. Despite her almost waspish tone, she had to admit she felt the same way. Harvey was still living in the thirties mindset with an old man’s libido who’s surrounded by too much wealth and power and women. Everything was an object to be bought.
The muscle in Conner’s jaw flexed as it had been doing all evening. “He’s a pervert. An old man poking at everything with boobs to see what’s willing to fall into his lap. I don’t like him.”
“He’s an important client,” she muttered, agreeing with him fully.
“And that’s the only reason I didn’t break his hand when he touched you.”
Those dark eyes fell on her, filled with malice and fierce desire to protect and claim her that shook Sabrina down to her core. She wasn’t sure if she should be afraid or turned on, but a quick gut check revealed she was a little bit of both.
“He doesn’t mean anything by it. He’s just an old man.”
