Page 55 of Baby Duke

"Where is she?" I demand, hastily looking away and heading to East’s ensuite. It is quickly apparent that Roe isn't here if the empty bathroom is anything to go by.

"Where is who?" East gasps. "Honestly, West, what if I was getting dressed? What if I had been masturbating?"

I wave my hands by my ears, trying to erase the last question from my brain. "Jesus, fuck, East! Not something I need to know you do!"

Her face burns bright red. Fucking fantastic. I turn back to the door, eager to continue my search.

"Wait- West! Who are you looking for?" her eyes widen and as she comes to some form of conclusion. "Wait… are you talking aboutRoe?" I pause, tilting my head. So, shehadseen her. "Why the fuck is Roe in our house at-" shecuts herself off as she reaches for her phone on the nightstand. Ok, so she hadn’t seen Roe after all. "Nine thirty in the morning on a Saturday?Did you fuck my best friend?"

"Felix is your best friend," I say, rolling my eyes at her demands. "And watch your mouth. You know Dad doesn't tolerate that kind of language coming from you."

I slam her door closed behind me, hearing an exasperated "West!" call after me as I jog towards the stairs.

I sigh in relief as I reach the ground floor and hear Roe's voice coming from the dining area. Then I hearhisvoice.

"I do love a girl who knows her place."

I storm into the room, jaw clenched and muscles tense.

My father is lounging in his usual chair at the head of the table, legs spread, chin high. Roe is standing a few feet away, hands clasped behind her back, chin tucked into her chest, and an innocent smile on her face.

"Of course, Mr. Mazzuchelli," she says, sweet as sugar, barely sparing me a glance as she continues. "Now, as to those questions…" she trails off, smiling shyly at the floor.

The fuck is she playing at?

"Of course, my dear," I ground my teeth together at his use of endearment. "West, you didn't tell me the school had set an assignment on interviewing local business owners."

I almost snort. Roe sends me a quick glare before returning her gaze to the floor.Of coursemy girl would spin this bullshit to get a story for her Dukes assignment. I pull out a chair, keen to hear what she has to say.

"Not one of my classes," I shrug, flicking a finger at the coffee pot that Roe had obviously just served for my father. Turning her back on my father, she sends me a scathing look as she pours me a cup. I grin. "Told you I'd have her kissing my toes in no time," I tell my father, not taking my eyes off Roe.

"Indeed," he laughs, helping himself to a sip of his steaming mug of black. Roe's lips thin, before she gives herself a little shake and brings that pretty, fake smile back. "So, tell me, Miss Nixon, what questions do you have for me today?"

Roe smiles at her toes before glancing up through her eyelashes at my father, who practically preens under her gaze.

"Well," she starts, throwing in a quick lip bite, "to tell you the truth, we haven't actually started planning out our interview questions just yet. I hope you don't mind if I wing it?"

Vincent laughs. "Not at all. Please, take a seat. Help yourself to some coffee."

Roe pulls out the seat opposite mine. She throws me a blank glance as she helps herself to some coffee. Taking a sip, she closes her eyes and lets out a throaty moan, making my cock jump to attention.

Infuriatingly, I spy my father tilting his chin in interest, the sick fuck.

"Do you mind if I record this, Mr. Mazzuchelli?" Roe asks, pulling her phone out. "I am afraid I came completely unprepared for this and haven't even brought a pen and paper." She wrings her hands in a nervous gesture and I raise an eyebrow, lifting my cup. This girl should be in Hollywood.

"Not at all," he says. He gestures for Roe to start. "And, please, call me Vincent."

She taps at her phone for a moment before setting it between the two of them, a microphone image visible as the recording starts.

Roe clears her throat. "Why don't we start at the beginning? How did you come to be in business, Vincent?"

Dad leans back in his chair. "To be honest, Miss Nixon, business ownership and management is in my blood. My father passed his legacy on to me just as his father did to him, and so on. The Mazzuchelli's have been of money for many generations, you see. Actually, my great-great-grandfather almost blew it for us all. Gambling and whoring his way to an early grave. Luckily, he left behind a son with brains as big as his balls. It was he who formed the Dukes, in fact. But I am getting sidetracked. My father signed off his businesses to me on his retirement.

"Being a well-educated man, I decided to sell off what I could while the stakes were high. Yes, they were dropping drastically, but they had not yet fallen too far to get out of. Some of those businesses are still going, though their income is not quite like it used to be. Others fell to bankruptcy, as I had predicted."

"That was so very clever of you, Vincent," Roe preens appropriately.

My dad nods. "Thank you, my dear."

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