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“Wait. I thought your brother was his favorite boy toy.”
“Steinbeck is the vice president of finance. Up until this point, my father was in control of all aspects of operations.”
“Oh, so he’s seriously considering retiring after all these years.”
“It would appear that’s the case.” I ran my finger around the rim of the glass, thinking about my father’s words when he tossed out his proclamation as if telling me in no uncertain terms I wasn’t good enough to be considered for the helm of the business.
“Your brother is everything the Warrington Empire requires and deserves, but he will need a solid second in command to have his back.”
“And you want that position.”
The smile on Morgan’s face was one of many reasons we’d gotten along from day one as freshmen. “I’m bored with Atlanta and in truth, I need to get away from Christian’s shadow. I’ve thought about the inns and wineries we own, developing incredible plans for them my father never gave a shit about.”
“You could always change your name.”
“You know that will be challenging.”
She lifted her wineglass. “You used to love a challenge. What bothers me about this is that you worked your butt off to get out from under your father’s thumb. Now, you want back in?”
“On my terms. My salary. My job description, one I’ve already created.” I had other demands as well, but they weren’t ones I felt comfortable talking with Morgan or anyone else about.
She glanced at the other two girls, who were actively flirting with two good-looking guys who’d stopped by. When she leaned over another couple of inches, I braced for impact. “Your father isn’t exactly… the kind of man with high morals. No offense, but it’s well known how ruthless your father has been over the years, destroying his competition.”
“I’ve never known you to tiptoe around the obvious. Yes, my father has always played with the gray areas of right and wrong with regard to criminal activity.” Why I was sugarcoating it with my bestie was beyond me. There was no doubt in my mind my father had used extortion and blackmail to get what he wanted. He’d also punished anyone who’d gotten in his way, including members of law enforcement. Politicians. You name it. I could swear the man had a little black book of nasty proclivities. I’d long suspected he’d assassinated certain enemies as well.
And Steinbeck was just like him.
I had to wonder if Ashley knew what she was getting in the middle of by marrying into the family.
“I don’t mean any disrespect to your family, but is this the kind of life you want to live?”
“Let’s put it this way. I don’t want anyone else to obtain a position that belongs to me.”
Morgan shook her head and eased her hand through her long hair. “Then that means you’re willing to jump through your father’s hoops, as in pretending you’re engaged to a fabulous billionaire. Right?”
“That would be ideal.” A tickling sense of electricity slipped down the back of my neck, crawling ever so slowly down my spine. I sensed his presence, Mr. Mile High. My mouth was suddenly dry, red-hot heat searing my nerve endings. When I turned my head to the left, I noticed he’d returned to the bar and he was watching me. While the dim lighting hid his expression, there was no doubt given the vibes flowing from one side of the room to the other we had a strange connection.
And that he was very hungry.
Morgan followed my gaze, grinning in her usual seductive way. “Then it really does sound like the mystery man you fucked might be the perfect person for the job. I get there are risks but no pain, no gain. Right? Why not consider it?”
“Because I don’t know him.”
“It’s Tuesday. The first event isn’t until late Thursday. Right?”
“A fabulous wine and cheese party at one of our wineries.”
“That’s plenty of time. Think of it this way. You already know each other carnally.” Her laugh was even more lilting. She didn’t understand my family at all, her parents as close to the representation of the Hallmark family as I’d ever encountered. Being in their house for any festivity or celebration reminded me of what it would be like to go to Disney World. Not that I would know. I’d never been to an amusement park.
Far too beneath the Warrington family.
“My father is able to see through a ruse from a mile away. I don’t know this guy and I seriously doubt he’d want to deal with my family’s craziness.”
“Girl. Do you see the way that man is looking at you? As if he could eat you alive. It’s worth a conversation or perhaps a quiet drink in your hotel room.” She pushed my arm, trying to get me to step out on a limb. She had no way of knowing I’d been doing that for years, just in entirely different ways.
As required by my family.
“I don’t know anything about him,” I told her for the third or fourth time, trying to remain vigilant. It would be enough to deal with days of interacting with my family. To have a complete stranger with me that I was required to pretend I was marrying, let alone that I was in love with, was dicey.
