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She wasn’t mad. She was furious. She had to take a minute to collect herself so she didn’t go off on him.
Kevin filled the silence. In what she was beginning to recognize as true Kevin Clooney fashion, his reaction was dramatic and completely unapologetic. “Not everyone is as fortunate as the almighty Fortunes. I won’t apologize for being ambitious. I bet if you went back to the days before Miles Fortune made his money, he probably had to stick his neck out and take opportunities when he could get them, too. And then you have Austin Fortune—”
Don’t say it. Do not talk about Austin. Do not even hint that he was handed everything.
“The guy was born holding the silver spoon—”
Felicity snapped. “Do not talk about Austin. I have seen few people work as hard as he does. So, don’t even go there. The guy hardly has a life outside of this building.”
“Look, don’t get salty. I am not doubting that the guy works hard. What I was going to say was, you’d think a guy who was born into privilege—” Kevin held out his hand like a traffic cop, effectively stopping Felicity from interrupting “—because he was born into it—good, bad, or whatever, you can’t dispute that fact. I’d think that if he had any decency, he would want to pay his good fortune forward. Any decent person would.”
“Look—” Felicity started, but Kevin’s hand went out again and it was starting to annoy her.
“All I’m saying is the best way he could pay it forward would be to help an ambitious, hardworking businessperson like me.”
Felicity put her hands on her hips. “I am going to ask you one thing, Kevin, and I want you to tell me the truth. And then we are not going to mention Austin again tonight, or I am going to turn around and walk away. Do you understand me?”
Kevin nodded and looked slightly annoyed. “What’s your question?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d met Austin before?”
Kevin’s brows knit. “Because you never asked?”
Tired of his patronizing tone, she turned around and walked away.
“Felicity, come back. I’m sorry. It’s a good thing I didn’t mention it since it seems to piss you off when I do talk about him.”
Felicity whirled around. “Let’s get a couple of things straight, Kevin. First, Austin Fortune—or any of the Fortunes, for that matter—do not owe you anything. They are decent people who give back more than their fair share to their community. And the other thing is, you will not use me to get to my boss. That’s what pisses me off.”
Kevin gave her the big-eyed innocent look, which made Felicity even more mad. Body Language 101.
“I think it’s best for us to call it a night,” she said.
She turned to walk to her car.
“You really want to know why I didn’t tell you?”
Felicity kept walking.
“Let’s go get some dinner and I’ll tell you why I didn’t mention I knew your boss.”
When Felicity hesitated, he said, “If it makes you feel better, you can drive yourself and leave whenever you want. But please hear me out.”
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Austin got into the office earlier than usual, even before Felicity, which had happened maybe three or four times since she had been working for him. Last night, he hadn’t been able to sleep thinking about what had transpired in the office right before Felicity had left for the day.
He had tossed and turned, debating whether or not he should sit Felicity down and tell her exactly what Kevin Clooney was all about, or at least Austin’s perception of the guy. And in all fairness, being ambitious wasn’t a crime. Austin knew that.
However, he wanted to make sure Felicity knew Kevin’s game so she could make sure the guy wasn’t just using her as an entrée into Fortune Investments. But that sounded smug, even to his own ears. God, it even sounded disrespectful. She was a beautiful woman. Clearly, access to Fortune Investments financing wasn’t the only reason Kevin was interested in her. And that was a problem. If Felicity was dating the guy, it meant that she was taken. Austin would never know if his feelings for her were real or if they had sprung from the very real fact that he couldn’t have her.
