Page 10 of Forbidden Romeo

He didn’t fucking scare me. He could pound his fists and shout all he wanted.

I wasn’t going to cower and hide from this man ever again.

I lowered to a seat on the armrest of the couch and folded my arms. “And Professor McCay is?”

Dad’s face went gray with a gasp. “What did you say?”

“You heard me. Tell me, is that why Mom drank herself to death? Because she found out about your affair when you came down to see me at school?”

The slip of the curtain was quickly fixed and Dad’s stoic, angry expression shifted firmly back in place. “We’re not talking about me right now. We’re talking about you and how you’re throwing everything away for some young, little actress.”

“You know what I don’t understand? You risked everything three and a half years ago to extract Meg from my life. You fucked my girlfriend. Had her expelled from culinary school. And convinced Mrs. Lawrence to ship her off overseas to study. Yet now she’s back. And you’re weirdly pushing us together. Why?”

“I’m certainly not trying to push you back together, trust me. You are not to get back together with that girl. However, for your mother’s funeral, I’m not going to turn them away. Meg has shown a lot of growth,” he hissed, stepping closer to me. “Her mother has been a valued constituent?—”

A laugh bubbled up out of me. “Of course,” I sneered. “Of fucking course. This was never about Meg. Or even me. It’s about your Senate seat. What? Did the Lawrences offer to make a huge campaign contribution or something? I didn’t realize they had that kind of money.”

“They didn’t.” Dad paused for a beat and my brows shot higher.

“Didn’t. Past tense. Which means…” I thought for a moment, remembering someone on Facebook mentioned Meg’s grandfather passing away. “Inheritance. They inherited her grandfather’s fortune, didn’t they?” I give three tuts of my tongue, hoping my dad feels the condescension in my tone. “You really should do your research before you run off my girlfriends. If only you’d known her grandfather had that fortune squirreled away.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you marry Meg Lawrence or not,” Dad growls.

“You’re only saying that because you know I don’t want her now,” I sneer.

“Fuck her, use her, ignore her, I don’t care! But that actress you’re hanging around? She needs to go.”

“The difference is, Dad? Katherine isn’t as easily bought off as Meg. She’s loyal. Mom already tried and failed.”

“Everyone has their price, Holden. Don’t forget that.”

We’re nearly nose to nose now in a standoff in his study. Thank God for the sound proofing Dad put into these walls when he built the place, otherwise I was pretty sure the entire funeral would hear us fighting.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice the way she cowered around me?” Dad asked. “You weren’t there when I opened the door and let them inside. Her fucking fingers were trembling when she shook my hand.”

I gulped, my fingers finding the spinner ring on my thumb and nervously tracing the filigree. Of course I’d noticed how nervous she got around my dad. I’d seen it when he had burst into my condo the other night. Hell, I’ve been trained, conditioned even, to be able to spot weaknesses in people and exploit them… just like my dad. Just like grandfather.

“If she’s going to be a Dorsey, she’s going to need a thicker skin,” he sneered.

My dad was a formidable force. I was used to dealing with people like him. I’d been doing it my whole life. But I didn’t blame Kate for being intimidated. Hell, if anything, that innocence was partially what drew me to her. And it was also why I so desperately tried to stay away. The Dorseys ate girls like her for breakfast.

“Why does everything have to be about that?” I asked. “Why can’t I just be a normal college guy who dates a girl he likes? Not every date is a potential wife.”

“That’s where you're wrong. When you live in the spotlight like we do, every person you date has to be wife material.”

“Like Meg?” I would have laughed if I wasn’t so pissed. “You spent the better part of my freshman year trying to break us up. But suddenly, she’s good enough to be Mrs. Holden Dorsey.”

“Jesus Christ,” Dad scoffed. “I’m not making this about Meg, you are! But all that being said, a girl like Megan is a hell of a lot closer to Dorsey material than Kate. She proved herself. After everything she’s been through, she persevered. She didn’t let me ruin her life. A woman like that has a spine. We need to find you a woman who’s got the loyalty of Kate but the breeding of Megan for when you start campaigning.”

Campaigning. Of course. My dad and grandfather had had this plan for me from the start. Political science undergrad. Law degree. Several years working as a lawyer before I began the slow, painful climb up the political ladder, eventually taking my dad’s seat on the senate while he ascended to the White House.

I groaned and swiped a hand down my face. “This is fucking ridiculous. Can we not do this at mom’s funeral, for fuck’s sake?”

Sadness passed over Dad’s features and for once, he agreed with me. “You’re right. This isn’t the time.”

He started heading toward the door, but paused over my shoulder. “But think about what I said. I’m sure Kate’s a sweet girl. But does she have what it takes to be a Dorsey?”

No. She doesn’t.

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