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“Things are different these days,” Devin shrugs, his voice low as it begins to dawn on him how public this argument has become. “She’s just a college student, and as a successful man, I have certain expectations–”
Shooting him a hostile glare, I huff out an exasperated breath. I can't stand the way he talks about her like she's some kind of inconvenience. That he thinks he can demand sex from her like it’s nothing. What kind of man-child is he? Real men don’t demand women to sleep with them. Only pathetic losers do.
Jesus Christ. Is this the boy I raised?
"You should treat her better than that," I say, my tone hard and unyielding. “I have never taught you to treat someone like this, Devin, especially a woman.” Devin tries to speak, but I cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. The way you're speaking to this young lady is completely unacceptable."
Kasey’s gaze is on us, and I know that she’s crying at this point. I quickly look at her, and the sight of mascara-tinted tears streaming down her cheeks makes me want to shake my son until his teeth rattle.
“Franky, Dad, it’s none of your business, and–”
Devin tries to defend himself, but my rage only intensifies. "As the owner and CEO of this company, it is absolutely my business. And I won't tolerate any mistreatment of my guests, especially not from my own employees, even if he is my own fucking son, Devin. Get the hell out of here. Now.”
He shoots one last look at Kasey, who is being handed a small stack of tissues by one of the gala servers, and storms off. I watch him go, headed straight for the bar, and wonder briefly if this is because of something I’ve done wrong as a father. But the thought can’t stay because someone else is waiting behind me, patting a tissue on her face to soak up her tears.
I turn to her and momentarily forget everyone else in the room. Even crying, she’s stunning, and she doesn’t flee either. Kasey is brave, but I know in my bones that she’s desperate to get out of this situation without looking like she’s weak.
This woman—this beautiful, wounded woman—needs me. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone hurt her again.
"Are you okay?" I ask, my voice coming out deeper and more commanding than I intend. The other partygoers stare at us. Let them. All I can think about is this woman in front of me.
She looks up at me. "I'm fine," she says but her voice trembles slightly, betraying her words.
I can't stand to see her in pain, especially not at an event that's meant to be a celebration. “My son….he's a real piece of work at times," I say, my jaw clenching with anger. "You deserve better than him."
She looks surprised by my bluntness, but I don't care. I'm not usually one to mince words, especially when it comes to protecting what's mine. And something about this woman makes me feel like she could be mine. No, that she will be.
“Better than your son?” Kasey asks, tilting her head to the side as she contemplates my words. “I would have thought that as his father, you’d be trying to convince me that he’s not always like this and that I should give him a second chance or something.”
“No,” I tell her simply, moving close enough to her that no one can eavesdrop on our talk. “I’ve never raised Devin to expect anything extra just because we’re wealthy. He is his own man and as of right now, a poor one in my eyes. And you–” I can’t help myself as I reach out to tuck a strand of that golden hair behind one of her ears, making her eyes go wide. “You, Kasey, are something special.”
“T-thank you,” she breathes, her chest rapidly rising and falling.
Kasey looks up at me with those big, shimmering green doe-like eyes, and my resolve starts to crumble. I want to wrap her up in my arms and make all her problems disappear. I want to show her what it feels like to be loved by a real man, not some boy who doesn't know how to treat a woman. But I can't let myself get carried away.
She might be a beautiful, captivating girl but still my son’s now ex-girlfriend, and I'm a powerful CEO with a reputation to uphold. Logically, I know I need to keep my distance.
Every part of me that isn’t logical, though, is taking control.
I’ve got to break away and get myself under control before I make a stupid mistake. Most of the crowd has gone back to mingling and celebrating, but there are quite a few sets of eyes still watching the two of us. I take a small risk laying my large hand on Kasey’s shoulder, making sure all of her attention is on me.
“Go get yourself a drink, Kasey,” I command. “It’s an open bar, so get whatever you want to settle your nerves. Hell, order a bottle of champagne if you want. Then, go back to your suite, order whatever services you want from the spa, and put it on my tab. Do you understand?”
She nods slowly, opening her full lips to say something else to me, but I break away and stalk towards the table where a few of my big investors are seated, needing to get some distance between the girl and myself. Just the feeling of the skin of her shoulder in my palm was too much to bear, knowing I can’t have more. And yes I want more. So much more.
I walk away hoping no one notices the sudden swell in my pants. There’s a lot going on in my mind, not least of all the long-overdue talk I need to have with my son, who is nowhere to be found now. I make my rounds through the gala, talking to everyone and welcoming them to the retreat, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries for what feels like hours.
For some time, I think I might be able to get away from this night without having to face the object of my desires again…but fate, the universe, or whatever the fuck it is, has something else in mind.
From the corner of my eye, I see the familiar silhouette of my son, and he’s got his arm around a woman. For a terrible moment, I think that Kasey has already gone back to him, but when I turn to get a closer look, I realize that the woman is one of the secretaries from my office building—Tina or Tara. Both she and Devin look beyond drunk.
Worst of all is Kasey, standing in front of them, with her eyes once more full of tears and her mouth pulled into an expression of outrage. Devin is flaunting another woman in front of the girl he left less than an hour ago. A vein pulses in my temple and I ball my fingers into a fist. What the hell does he think he's doing after just dumping Kasey and humiliating her in front of my guests?
Devin sees me before either of the women, and he removes his arms from around Tina or Tara quickly, trying to act nonchalant. He’s telling Kasey that he's done with her for good and he's moving on with his life. But he looks guilty. He knows he's done wrong.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Devin?" I say, my voice low and full of danger.
He turns around, his face confused and then embarrassed when he sees that I’m not leaving. "Uh, Dad, I didn't see you there," he stammers, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I’m just trying to settle things here with Kasey so there aren’t any hard feelings.”
