The Billionaire's Forbidden Desire (16 page)

“And unlikely to cause indigestion.” He stopped. That was more than he would’ve normally revealed. His dates never had any clue how he felt about his family.
Or anything else
,
really
.

“You should give Salazar a chance,” she said softly. “He’s actually not a bad guy.”

Dane felt his mouth curl.
Not a bad guy
. Sure. He merely wished Dane had never been born, used his children in a “game” to hurt his wife, and cheated on her. Not that Dane held Ceinlys blameless—she too had used her children in a bid to control Salazar, and she’d taken her share of lovers. Moving deliberately, Dane dunked a fry in ketchup. “Some things are irreversible.”

“What happened between the two of you?”

“Something too boring and pointless for me to remember now.” He wolfed down more than half his burger, not wanting to talk about it. “So, Miss Former World Champion, why aren’t you coaching or something instead of working in my office?”

“I didn’t go into coaching because I was getting my college degree. And it’s not like there are tons of job openings for figure skating coaching.”

“Mm.” Dane chewed contemplatively for a moment. “You know, I never really followed skating, but I do watch the Olympics. Don’t remember ever seeing you.”

She dropped the fry she was holding and looked away. “No. It wasn’t meant to be.”

“Your bad shoulder?”

A curt nod. “Among other things.”

“How? Did you fall while skating?”

“Boring and pointless to talk about now,” she said, throwing his words back at him. “It’s been years.”

But pain darkened her eyes. Going to the Olympics was a skater’s lifelong dream. For somebody like Sophia, who’d been good enough to be a world champion, not going would’ve gutted her.

His heart squeezed. He wanted to call it pity, but it wasn’t. He reserved that for pathetic people, and she was anything but.

No matter the sport, to be world class took unspeakable amounts of dedication and effort. And to be a world champion people remembered years later… Dane couldn’t imagine how hard she must’ve worked for it.

People like that didn’t go around expecting others to hand them what they wanted. Anybody without the work ethic would’ve given up long before they could be any good, much less reached the top.

Had he misjudged her? Twisted everything to fit the most logical worldview for him?

People around him generally thought him too cold and cynical. He’d never had reason to be anything else since people never gave him a cause to doubt his beliefs. But Sophia was different.

She kept challenging him, making him think about things he’d been certain he already knew very well.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

The question startled him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d dined with a woman who actually noticed anything except how much money it cost to buy the latest fashion items. He shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, then picked up a napkin and dabbed a corner of her mouth. “You had a little ketchup.”

“Really?”

“Didn’t know, did you? I told you the burgers here are great.”

“That you did.” She finished the last bite. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Dinner. It’s nice to be out.”

Her smile, full of gratitude and joy, made him feel like he was going to fall off his chair. He pressed his fingers onto the table, dazzled by the brilliance of her expression.

Apprehension uncurled in his belly. After Shirley had died, he’d been so certain nobody would ever breach the walls around his heart. But now, he knew, they were cracking. All because of a smile.

Dane had kept his promise, but being fair didn’t mean being easy on Sophia. He’d dumped a giant list of tasks on her the next morning before disappearing into his office. Sophia sighed. At least it was real work, not some stuff he’d made up just to keep her busy. Around ten o’clock, Roxie went into his office.

When she reappeared her eyes were glassy and wide. She was walking stiffly, like she’d aged twenty years in the ten minutes she’d spent in Dane’s office.

Sophia got up and reached out for the other assistant’s hand. “You all right?”

Roxie blinked. “Uh. Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing. I’m going to help you transition until you get the hang of things around here.”

“Oh.” Sophia wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Well…thank you.”

“No problem.”

And true to her word, she spent the rest of the morning helping out. Sophia couldn’t believe how smart and efficient Roxie was. Everything she’d struggled with for hours the day before, Roxie got done in half an hour or less.

After they finished a memo on some biotech ideas, Roxie said, “Want to grab lunch with me and Amy? It’s almost noon.”

“Sure. Who’s Amy?”

“She’s the receptionist.”

Ah. Sophia remembered a super elegant-looking brunette. “Okay.”

The three of them went to a sandwich shop a couple of blocks away. It served food made with local, organic ingredients. Sophia breathed out a sigh. Thank god Dane had remembered the money part of the prize the night before. She hadn’t because she’d been too excited about winning in the first place. The two hundred bucks had been something extra she’d tossed in there. She really needed some spending money, and she hadn’t been able to bring herself to ask Salazar to advance her some until she got paid.

After they grabbed their food, they took a table in the corner. Roxie took a long sip of her iced latte, then said, “You have to tell me what you did to him.”

“Who?”

“The boss.”

Sophia blinked. “What do you mean?”

“He asked me to mentor you. He’s never asked anybody to do anything like that before.”

Amy leaned closer. “Does he like you?”

An alarm bell went off. Sophia didn’t want to be the center of any office gossip. She snorted. “I don’t think so.”

Roxie and Amy raised their eyebrows and exchanged a quick glance.

“What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?” Sophia asked. Did they not believe her?

Amy smoothed her napkin. “It’s just that you don’t seem affected by him.”

“Like how?”

“He’s so cold, you know? Every time he looks at me, I feel like my whole body’s gonna freeze solid.”

“Me, too.” Roxie shuddered. “I can feel my blood going sluggish.”

Sophia chuckled. “You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not. Most people coming in to pitch act like the office’s twenty degrees too cold. Don’t you feel even a little chilled, Sophia?”

“Um…not really.” What she’d felt was complicated and conflicting, but there had always been warmth underneath—the kind of soft gooey warmth that spread all over her body in languid pleasure, making her pulse with longing.
And that makes me dumb
,
because he doesn’t want me like that
.
Not really
.

“It’s too bad, because he’s so good looking. When I see his picture somewhere, I think, ‘Hot, hot
hot
,’…and then I get to the office and see him for real and it’s like cold, cold
cold
.” Roxie shivered. “I still can’t decide if I should call him Dane or Mr. Pryce or sir. And the bastard knows I’m unsure, but he’s never said anything one way or the other.”

“You’re lucky that’s your reaction though,” Amy said to Roxie. “Otherwise you would’ve ended up like JJ.”

“Who’s JJ?” Sophia said.

“His previous assistant.”

“What happened to her?”

“The rumor is…” Amy lowered her voice. “She propositioned him.”

Sophia gasped. “Really? So what happened?”

“Got canned the next day. The boss does
not
mix business and pleasure. You can say a lot about the man, but he isn’t inappropriate.”

“The complete opposite of his horn-dog father,” Roxie said.

Sophia chewed on that. Dane had said Salazar had a certain reputation. So had Betsy. “Is his father as bad as I heard?”

“Probably worse,” Amy said. “I mean, you know, don’t always believe everything you see on the Internet and all that, but…” She shrugged.

Had Dane moved into the Pryce mansion because he was that upset about the situation with his father? Sophia considered. The mansion was grand, and it had staff, but his own place was probably just as grand and closer to work.

“He used to be nicer when his grandmother was alive,” Roxie said.

“Salazar?” Sophia asked, momentarily confused.

“No, the boss. Ever since she passed away three years ago, he hasn’t been the same.”

Three years ago. That explained Mexico.

Sophia thought back to meeting Dane for the first time. He’d been quiet…and hurting. And he hadn’t sought solace with his family or friends. Bottles of scotch, no matter how expensive and soothing, couldn’t compare.

Maybe he hadn’t had anybody he could turn to. Maybe he still didn’t, as he’d grown colder and more aloof since then.

Crazily enough, she wanted him to be able to turn to her. She didn’t know why—she wasn’t the type who opened up to people easily, and most people didn’t confide in her, probably because she didn’t invite them to do so. Libby and Chad were the only confidants she had, but it’d taken her years to warm up to them.

Roxie sucked down the last of her latte. “Ladies, are you finished? If so, we need to get back.” She looked at Sophia. “We have those reports and statistics for the latest portfolio to organize before COB today. I’d hate to make him wait.”

“Me too.” Sophia dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “Ready whenever you are.”

* * *

Dane reviewed the slides and memos from the morning’s presentation. The concept was excellent, and the man behind it was smart, driven and ambitious.

It was a sizzling proposal with incredible, industry-changing potential. Dane should be excited.

Except he wasn’t.

His thoughts kept drifting to the woman sitting outside his office, and it irritated him that his attention was wandering. Normally a woman would never have disrupted his focus.

But Sophia wasn’t just any woman, was she?

His mobile rang. Glad for the interruption, he answered without checking to see who it was.

“Is it true you’ve moved back in with your father?” came Ceinlys’s voice.

Damn it
. He put a hand behind his neck. The muscles there felt like rocks under his fingers. He really should be screening his calls.

Just hang up?
The idea was seductively appealing. “Yes.”

“But why?”

“Haven’t you heard?”

“The Reed girl?”

“The Reed girl.”

His mother sighed. “What does it matter who your father dates? And when did you start caring? Once he signs the papers, he’s free to do what he wants.”

“So you aren’t even slightly jealous of this younger, prettier woman?”

A slight pause. “Are you certain you’re well? It’s not like you to worry about my feelings.”

“I’m fine.” He wasn’t acknowledging the second part of her statement.

“Dear, I know being near your father makes you uncomfortable. There’s really no need to linger around on my account. I’m not at all bothered by his little houseguest. It’s not as though I expected him to remain celibate after our divorce. He”—her voice cracked for a moment before it returned to normal—“he couldn’t even stay faithful during our marriage.”

Dane leaned back in his seat. She was saying the same things he’d told Vanessa when she’d freaked out about their “stepmom.” Somehow, hearing Ceinlys say them made the whole situation sound much worse.

Like she’d simply given up.

Well, she didn’t get to give up now, not after putting him and his siblings through any number of ringers. “Don’t even pretend you’re hurt. Every year your men got younger, like you wanted to signal to the world how older men just didn’t have what it took to keep you happy in bed. You’re no better than Dad, and I wouldn’t lift a finger on your behalf.”

She gasped. “How could you say such a thing?”

Suddenly he couldn’t stand it anymore. “Why do you care what I do,
Mother?
” he asked. “You stopped playing the game with him. Gave up your seat and walked away from the board. Who gives a damn what happens to the pawns?”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that what I was? A pawn? Except I disappointed you because I didn’t get Dad to do what you wanted him to.” Dane breathed roughly through his nose and kept his voice down. “It didn’t take me long to figure out what my purpose was, and how I failed miserably in my role. He hated the fact that I was ever born, and you were embarrassed about me.”

“That is absolutely not tr—”

“Admit it. Neither of you thought I should’ve ever been born.”

Ceinlys gasped. “Dane!”

“Why did you keep having children while your marriage was falling apart, if not to create new pawns?”

“It wasn’t like that. You have to understand.”

“Oh, I understand quite well. I’ve had decades to understand.”

“I thought maybe if we had enough children, created a large and loyal family, he’d change.” Her voice sounded wet and thick. “I was young and foolish…and, quite frankly, desperate.”

Goddamn it
. Was he supposed to feel sorry for her now?

“Dane, don’t make the same mistake I made. Don’t do things because of your father or for Shirley or anyone else.”

“Believe me, I don’t.”

She went on like he hadn’t spoken. “Do them because they’re what
you
want to do. That’s all I called to tell you.” She exhaled, the sound tinged with defeat. “I’m sure you’re very busy. I have to go.” She hung up.

He tossed the phone on the desk and pressed his thumbs over his eyes. Easy for her to say. She hadn’t been created to serve her parents’ need for control, or to hurt each other.

He slumped in his seat and stared at the ceiling. Lashing out at her had been a mistake. All that was in the past, and he’d told himself numerous times that he wouldn’t let his parents get to him. Not worth his mental energy.

Still… Her parting remark wouldn’t leave his mind.

If he really could do whatever he wanted, consequences be damned…