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That was the second I realized what I’d chosen, the first set of clothing I could get my hands on: a simple black pull-on skirt and a crimson top that had been neatly folded after doing laundry, waiting for me to find the time to put them away. The outfit was body hugging, showing off every curve. As if I was trying to seduce him. Oh, God. Oh… God. At least I’d slipped my feet into flat shoes.
I hid behind the glass, mortified that my nipples remained hard as tiny pebbles. As he sat down, it was obvious by his expression that he was paying attention to my state of arousal.
“Answer the question, Jade.”
“Was there a question?”
“Tell me about your family.”
I glared at him, more self-conscious than ever, but I knew he’d badger me until I told him something. “You met my mother. Maybe someone likeyoudoesn’t remember. Maybeyouwere too intent on lying in court. But she was the sweetest, most amazing person. At least most of her life.”
“I do remember her, Jade. And I didn’t lie in court. What happened with your mother?”
I wasn’t going to correct him. “She was depressed. She never got over the death of the man she loved since she was young. She started drinking while I was in college. Then she was introduced to cocaine then heroin.”
“Drugs are repulsive.”
“Isn’t that what mafia families do? Sell drugs?”
His laugh seemed genuine, if there was such a thing. “Believe it or not, we’re in a new century with social media, electronic banking, and Zoom business calls. The majority of my multimillion-dollar corporation is legitimate, whether you want to believe that or not. My father started with various real estate holdings, which eventually allowed him to purchase a property that he turned into one of the largest and most profitable resorts and casinos in the Midwest. He continued building the empire from there.”
“But I’m sure you’re involved in blackmail and extortion.” I wasn’t certain why I was pushing his buttons, but it felt good to almost have a moment of control.
“You can think what you want, Jade. However, we have a business plan, a corporate structure, a board of directors and stockholders for the Thorn Corporation. We pay taxes. We provide bonuses to our employees, and we even provide full health care and other benefits. All in all, our various businesses are not bad places to work.”
Who was he trying to convince, me or himself that he was a decent man?
“Do your brother and sister know how you handle this business?” I threw at him.
He almost seemed uncomfortable. “There are no secrets within our family.” There was a sore point with regard to his siblings. Maybe I could use it against him.
“Oh, goody for you.”
“Tell me about your father.”
I rolled my eyes, wanting nothing more than silence for a little while. “He was an absentee father. He was a sweet man, although his business kept him traveling all over the world. That’s why he never had time for his only child. He broke my mother’s heart long before he died of an apparent heart attack. I never forgave him for keeping her on the hook, giving her false hope that we could be a real family.” I had no idea why I was telling him anything about a man I knew in passing, much like you would a distant uncle. You knew he was blood, but you had no idea what kind of man he was.
“That’s truly sad. Did he at least provide financial support?”
“Yes, even promising to send me through college, but he died before that could happen. No will. The money stopped. Eventually, what little money my mother had was sucked dry by drugs and alcohol.”
“That’s why you started cheating at cards.”
“Why are you doing this? Why? What do you want from me?” The exasperation in my voice made his eyes sparkle. Goddamn him.
“What I want is everything. Including the truth.”
My head ached as much as my heart just thinking about my mother. I only hoped she was finally finding the peace she deserved. “That’s why I accepted that life was going to be what I made it. I couldn’t make ends meet waiting tables or bartending alone, so I augmented.”
“Where did you learn how to do it?”
“What are you so intent on getting to know me? Do you want to know my favorite color? My favorite movie? How about what I like on a pizza?”
Exhaling, he remained unblinking, obviously trying to figure out how he could handle such a firecracker. He would soon become unhinged as I would never give into him on anything. “Yes, eventually.”
Translation. He couldn’t care less about the person. He was angling for information about something. What was it? “Yes, my father taught me. It was the one thing he did. Not take me to ballet lessons or going to a school meeting. He was only around for two Christmases that I can remember, but I guess I was lucky in that he sent a birthday card with five crisp hundred-dollar bills every year. And once, he bought me a baby doll I’d begged my mother for. That’s how fatherly he was so it certainly didn’t seem odd to me that he taught me how to play cards. Counting them came later when I was older.”
“What was his name?”
