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Now she was serving five to fifteen instead of soaking up Hollywood.
“What is it you really want? I do have a lot of work to do.”
“Fine. You haven’t been in a serious relationship,” he continued. “You run around San Diego acting like a spoiled playboy, even making scenes inside restaurants and clubs.”
Why in God’s name was he bringing up my behavior from well over a decade before if not because of the article? It had unnerved him. Very odd. “Yeah, Pops. I almost died. For four years I had a special room at the hospital. You even had it painted purple, my favorite color at the time. Not that you knew or gave a damn. You’re right in that when I was supposedly cured, I wanted to live my life to the fullest but that was fucking years ago.”
“Don’t raise your voice to me.”
“I’ll ask one last time. What do you want, Dad? It’s a Saturday. I have things to do.”
“What I want is for you to settle down, to act like a grown and responsible man so when I leave the company to you to handle, the respect of my colleagues will continue.”
“As well as asshole reporters. And what does that involve, not being seen at one of two very successful resorts?” I didn’t mind digging a stake into his gut every once in a while. He’d been red-faced and my brothers and I had been certain he was going to have a heart attack the moment we’d told him about the Royal Players Club. He’d forbidden us from talking about it among his friends.
Secretly, I’d already known then he had a membership to one of the local kink clubs. Hell, half the men sitting in this room had been to one or both of my islands. I neglected to tell him that. I had a feeling his head would blow off.
He tossed his napkin onto the table, glaring at me with what appeared to be hate. “I’m going to give you an ultimatum. You need to get married within three months and clean up your act or I will dissolve the corporation, but not before I change my will. I think maybe I’ll leave everything to charity.”
I wouldn’t care except the company was worth billions and he wasn’t just talking about hurting my future. He was determined to take down my brothers’ possibilities as well.
“This is all about me getting married?”
“And I don’t mean a quickie overnight going to Las Vegas kind of marriage or a quick annulment. Your mother wants a huge church wedding with a lavish reception and she deserves that.”
The way he pounded his fist on the table was a clear indication something else was going on. But I knew my father too well. He would never tell me the truth and I was weary of doing the same old dance.
“You’d really do that?”
He lifted his glass as if in a toast. “Unfortunately, you’ve pushed me into more ruthless tactics.”
I could possibly fight my father in court, but it would be costly in more than one way. “Marriage? That’s what it will take to get you off my back?”
“That and coming to work with me for one day a week until the transfer is made over to you completely. I don’t think it’s too much for a father to ask his son when preparing to turn over the most powerful media production firm in the entire country. Do you?”
The man knew he had me by the balls. My two brothers would likely never forgive me. How the hell was I going to find a fucking wife? It would need to be in name only and there would be a tightly woven prenup agreement that neither she nor her goons for attorneys could break.
And I was seriously considering this bullshit.
“So, I just find a girl off the streets. Right?”
“Not just any girl. Caldwell Michaels has a daughter.”
Oh, for the love of God. “The owner of Task Force United?” A stupid name for a media firm. However, the owner had made inroads into our world, taking several advertisers over the years.
“I gotta go, Pops. I’ll let you know.” Not that I’d marry some enemy’s daughter. Over my dead body.
“Don’t take too long, son. I have a press conference already scheduled for Wednesday.”
The bastard. He’d played me and he knew it.
I glared at him before I walked out. Money wasn’t everything, especially if it meant being tied to someone for a full year.
As soon as I left the building, smashing my hand against the door, I couldn’t help but yank out my phone.
And for the life of me, I couldn’t answer why my cock was completely and totally aroused by such a simply yet seductive photograph.
She’d taken a picture of her leg with three long strings of colorful icing curling over her knee to her pointed and very pretty toes.
