Page 51 of The Charmer

He loved his dad; Eric may as well have died for all the attention he’d paid Cooper since he joined the firm.

He learned love wasn’t a reliable emotion but one thing was for certain, he loved Ariel, and he’d make damn sure he gave it his best shot.

Her steady gaze eyeballed him. “Why is this deal so important to you? You’ve used words like imperative to justify it yet I don’t understand why a ruthless businessman like you would fluff around for a few weeks, posing almost naked, going out for coffees, attending art shows, when you could’ve shafted me right from the start. What’s really going on?”

Cooper bit back an ironic smile. She’d given him a chance to hint at his burgeoning feelings.

And get the same reaction he had last night before they’d had sensational sex and he’d revealed how much he liked her? No way. Making a total ass of himself twice in less than twenty-four hours wasn’t his style.

He settled for semi-truth. The least he could do considering she’d stood up to everything he’d thrown at her and then some.

“This deal is my ticket out of here. It’s something I’ve been planning for a while now and I really need to make it happen.”

Her lips twisted in a cynical smile. “Why? Aren’t they paying you enough? Not enough perks? The boss got you over a barrel?” She snorted. “Though with a company name like Vance Corporation, I’m guessing you big shots keep it all in the family.”

Ironic, considering he’d lost the remainder of his family—his dad—that fateful day a year ago when he’d signed on the dotted line, beyond excited to be working with someone of Eric’s reputation. Back then, he had big dreams, the two of them working side by side and taking this company into the stratosphere.

Too bad his dreams had turned into nightmares.

“My father’s the CEO,” Cooper said, knowing how chuffed Eric would be about being labelled a big shot. That’s all his father cared about these days: making money, acquiring prime land, developing properties. At the expense of the things that used to matter to him, like fishing, four wheel driving, and camping with his son.

Despite Cooper’s drive to leave Vance Corporation behind, he knew he’d miss his dad. It was the only time they saw each other these days and as much as it hurt to be shut out of Eric’s life, Cooper hadn’t given up on him completely. Maybe his father would realise the cliche ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ held an element of truth and would make an effort to patch things up once Cooper left?

He hoped so, but he wouldn’t hold his breath.

Ariel quirked an eyebrow, losing none of her sass despite the anger tightening her exquisite features. “So it can’t be the pay or the perks that’s the problem if daddy holds the purse strings. What is it? The executive bathroom not up to scratch? You’ve lost your car park?”

I’ve lost my best mate, my dad.

And it hurts like the devil.

He could’ve articulated his loss, but now wasn’t the time. Not when she bristled like an angry echidna. He settled for “It’s time for me to go it alone. You of all people should understand that.”

Ariel blushed and squirmed in her seat, and he held up his hand to ward off whatever she was about to say when she opened her mouth.

“My motivation is irrelevant. What needs to be done right now is you placing your signature on the dotted line before five o’clock today. That’s all that matters.”

He rustled papers, hoping she got the message. He needed to concentrate on the business at hand and away from the sensitive topic of his motivation, because the momentary concern he’d glimpsed in her eyes had him wanting to blurt the sorry tale just to get it off his chest.

But he couldn’t. He was a guy, a tough Aussie bloke, a man’s man supposed to stifle his feelings and get on with things. His dad’s mantra, not his. And for the last year, he thought his dad’s mantra sucked.

“All that matters?” she muttered, grabbing her bag and leaping from her chair like she’d sat on hot coals. “What matters is that you’re a selfish, spoiled rich boy who always gets what he wants. You don’t care about who gets trampled on the way or whose dreams you ruin. And to think, I was actually feeling empathy for you a few seconds ago, about the going it alone doing it tough thing.”

“I don’t need your pity.” He shot to his feet, torn between wanting to blurt the truth and telling her to get the hell out for her damning character assessment.

Though he didn’t know what rankled more: that she thought so poorly of him or the tiny, niggle of truth in what she’d said.

He was selfish.

He did want this deal to go through, whatever the cost.

But what if it cost him the woman he loved?

“I guess not. A guy like you wouldn’t need anything from a girl like me.” She sneered. “Besides sex, of course, and now that you’ve got that, it’s back to business as usual.”

He’d been grateful she hadn’t mentioned what had happened at her place last night, preferring to focus on their business discussion, separate from the other important issue: them. But now she’d mentioned it, they had another confrontation looming and he hoped the fallout wouldn’t ruin them completely.

“That’s not fair,” he said. “We talked about what happened last night before I left this morning. Our relationship has nothing to do with this.”

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