Page 11 of Wicked Love

3

JOE

Standing in the foyer of my father’s mansion, I surveyed the space around me. Since he sold his company two years ago, my dad had turned into a freaking multi-millionaire. Not that there was anything wrong with that. I loved the title. One I myself aspired to reach one day. But now random women tried to attach themselves to his status. Dad couldn’t care less about the wealth and all that came with it. He just spent it to realize some of his dreams while he could still enjoy them. A villa in the Caribbean, this house, three cars, a yacht. Nice things made affordable by millions of dollars.

The only thing in his plan that I didn’t agree with was his girlfriend, Clarissa. She was a full-time job on her own. The woman had no shame. And all she ever tried to do was to get my dad to spend more. On her. She was a viper, but my old man—for a reason I still couldn’t decipher—loved her.

I was glad he was happy. He deserved it. After my mother died when I was a kid, he had put all his energy into raising me and bringing the business he started from scratch to what it had become today. His needs, they had always come last.

I just wished he had dated a little more before tying himself to the first woman who got into his bed in years and moving her in with her kid.

Since I started college, I’d been living full-time in New York. And the fact I had got a job on Broadway after graduation meant I rarely came to Silverville anymore. My father had insisted on flying me here this weekend because he had big news to announce, and I feared what it would be. With Clarissa in the picture, anything was possible. And if the offspring was half as intense as her mother, three days here would feel like an eternity. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with a pretentious high schooler. Some days, I was glad I didn’t live so close that I was pressured to come to Sunday dinner every week.

When I had parked in the driveway of my father’s mansion and hauled out of the rental a few minutes ago, my dad had welcomed me with open arms, not knowing that I had spent my night at Dick’s Hole and fucked Isla senseless.

“I can’t believe you’re home. It’s been too long. We missed you around here.”

My free time these days was rare, and it saved me from having to fly here too often and watch my dad and Clarissa give each other googly eyes and whisper dirty secrets.

“Well, when you’re the new guy on a long-running, coveted Broadway show, you can’t say no when they book your schedule.”

He clapped my back before pulling me into a hug. “Still. I’ve missed you, son. I’m glad you’re here for a few days.” He released me. “Your bedroom is ready for you. I’m so glad to have you home. This place is too big for me. What was I thinking?”

I chuckled. “I’m sure Clarissa doesn’t complain.”

“Nah. She’s more than happy to have an entire floor dedicated to her. Her daughter is here. We can’t wait for you two to meet.”

“Huh, yeah, the kid?”

“Joe. She’s seventeen, not who I would call a kid. Be open-minded, please. She’s nice. A bit shy, but she’s a good girl with a bright future in front of her. She could learn a lot from you.”

“I’m not babysitting.”

My dad snickered. “Stop being a brat. If anyone, between the two of you, needed a babysitter in high school, it certainly would not be her.”

We both turned around at the sound of high heels clicking on the tiled floor.

Seconds later, my dad’s girlfriend neared us. “Ohmygod, look at you.” She hugged me, and I stayed still, unsure of what to do. From over her shoulder, I watched my father grinning, so I wrapped my arms stiffly around Clarissa, giving her back a pat, making an effort. We broke apart, and she moved to my father’s side. “We’re so happy you’re joining us tonight.” She clasped her hands. “Our first family outing. This deserves a celebration. We’ll have some champagne later. The good stuff.” She and my dad exchanged a heated gaze, and I looked away.

My eyes landed on the figure coming down the stairs.

A girl. A young girl. Dressed down in baggy sweatpants and an old white T-shirt, drying her hair with a towel in hand.

She lifted her head, and all the air in my lungs was vacuumed. Every molecule of oxygen left my body. Dizziness made my head turn. I tried to swallow, but my mouth had become dry.

We eyed each other, and her lips parted. Neither of us said a thing as we took each other in.

“Grace,” Clarissa barked, her voice high-pitched. My head reared back. I looked at the girl, then at the mother as she yelled, “What did I tell you earlier? When will you learn to act like a lady? Not only are you looking like a lazy cat, but you are also parading around this house dressed like a homeless person.”

My dad kissed Clarissa’s temple. “Give the girl a break. We were teenagers too once. She’s a nice kid. Come on, let her be.”

“Yeah, well, I was busy working fifty hours a week in Milan when I was her age, not wasting my time with insignificant details no one cares about.”

The girl held my gaze, as if daring me to say something about our night together. My brain seemed to catch up. What Clarissa had said seconds ago sent alarm bells to my conscience. Grace. Last night she said her name was Isla.

The audacity.

She had played me. Lied to me. For hours.