Page 44

No, you want to see your fake girlfriend.

I pushed all thoughts of her from my mind. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?” I asked, turning to face him.

He sucked in air through his teeth, his hands curled into fists at his side. “My office,” he said, making an abrupt turn on his Italian loafers and storming away. There was no need to check to see if I’d follow. He knew I would.

I let out a sigh, rolling out my neck in an attempt to loosen some of the stress he always seemed to cause in my upper shoulders. The man was cold and calculated, his image well-crafted. Which was what he wanted of me. But I seemed to have a hard time learning that particular lesson—along with not calling him dad when we were in the building.

Oh, is that the only time he doesn’t want you to call him that?

Pushing away the negative inner voice, I moved into his office, closing the door before sitting in my usual chair.

He’d ditched his suit jacket and was at the bar cart pouring two glasses of scotch.

I hated scotch.

“Dalton, what is this I hear that you are dating someone on staff?” He handed me the low ball.

There was one sure thing about Vincent Langley: you weren’t going to know what he was thinking or feeling until he wanted you to. And at that moment, he didn’t want me knowing jack shit.

I took a sip of the amber liquid, letting the sting of the alcohol clear my mind before answering. The only reason this conversation hadn’t happened earlier was that he’d been in New York. I kept my face schooled, attempting to play his own game.

“Yes, I’m seeing our new coach,” I replied casually. “Figured it would be an advantage. Get some extra gym time from it. You know, improve my game a little more.”

My stomach soured. Even lying about using Ari made me sick, but I knew how my father worked. If he assumed I was using this relationship to gain an advantage on the ice, he’d be more likely to change the policy to keep her. At least, that was my hope.

“Hmm.” He took a swig of his drink, peering at me from over the rim. “So this thing with the girl isn’t serious?”

Ice crawled up my veins, but I kept the panic out of my face. “It’s only a few weeks old. And you know how long I was with Emma. I’m not sure I’m ready to get that involved with a woman again. This is all just fun, and like I said, I can get some extra conditioning time in.”

My lower back was soaked with sweat. Lying was not my forte.

It felt like eons before he finally gave a curt nod and moved from in front of me to sit in his office chair.

“Well then, that sounds like a smart move.” From how his mouth pulled up at the corner and the glint in his eyes, I knew I wouldn’t like what he was about to say. “I’m sure this goes without saying, but make sure you wear a condom if you are sleeping with this girl, and never use one that you didn’t bring yourself. You know how women like that can be.” The smirk on his face, as if we were bonding, had irritation itching under my skin like hot needles.

The comment felt an awful lot like a dig at my mom, and I was thankful he’d sat in his office chair so he wouldn’t see my fisted hands.

“I’m not sure I do.” The green of his eyes seemed to turn icy at my words. “Women like what?” I asked, hiding my mouth with the rim of the glass.

He huffed, throwing back the rest of his drink. The thud of the glass hitting his desk filled the silence. “Dalton, men with power and wealth like us are a meal ticket for women like her. All I’m saying, son, is to be careful and not let this girl too close. We pay well, but still. You’re in a different tax bracket. You have a bright future ahead of you.” He let out a condescending chuckle. “I’m not even sure if she’s good at her job. I let Monroe hire a new coach. Didn’t expect he’d pick a woman.”

I battled to keep my anger under control.

If it were a player who spoke about Ari like this, he’d have been on his way to the hospital. But it wasn’t a player, it was my father. Honestly, that wasn’t really enough to hold me back from clocking him. What had me hesitating was the fact that he wrote Ari’s checks, and she was trusting me to help convince him she was an asset to the team.

“Actually, she’s damn good at what she does,” I said, trying to keep my tone cool.

“I look forward to meeting her then at Media Day,” he said smoothly, leaning back in his chair. “If she’s as good as you say, maybe she’ll prove to be useful as more than just our inclusive hire. But even if we have to bring in someone better at the job, having her on staff will make us look good.”

Rage boiled in my gut, threatening to spill over, but I fought to keep a lid on my reaction, not wanting to cause Ari more problems.

“She’s the right person for the job.” The bite in my voice didn’t go unnoticed, likely because I almost never spoke back to him.

His dark brow quirked upward, a look of interest on his normally blank face.

“I can’t wait to get to know this woman who has you so…invested. See if she’s as good as you seem to think,” he said condescendingly, like he didn’t trust my judgment.

I gave a curt nod, ready to finish this meeting, and stood, swallowing back the frustration boiling under the surface. I could almost see it. Him meeting Ari, evaluating her with that intense gaze of his, and either finding her valuable or dismissing her without a second thought.