Page 48 of Sensual Games

“What are you doing?” Dad asked as I sat behind the desk, pushing the box aside and opening my MacBook to pull up the research I’d conducted.

“I might be making a mistake, but we’ll have to see.” I pulled up a contact number, glancing his way. “If you don’t mind, I need a little privacy. If you could have Cynthia send something out to the digital team, letting them know I want to hold a meeting in twenty minutes, I’d appreciate it.”

“I’m not sure I recognize you.” He couldn’t pretend to be upset as he strode from the room. “Not that I’m complaining.”

He wasn’t alone. I barely recognized myself.

I knew who I wanted to be and couldn’t wait to get started.

I could only hope I wouldn’t have to be without the woman who made me want to be a better man. I was going to get her back. This time, she would know this was more than a fling. She was never getting rid of me.

20

IVY

Life was a nightmare that insisted on getting worse all the time.

“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless, like I’d just been punched in the stomach. Like I needed this. Walking into Mom’s room on Saturday morning, prepared to tell her I’d have to find somewhere new for her to stay, only to find her room being packed up.

“Stop!” I had to get between the aide and the box in which she was packing toiletries. “You don’t understand. Or I don’t understand, either way. You’re kicking her out?” Like I needed this. I was on the verge of collapse as it was, and things kept getting worse. The world spun out of control, and I had nothing to grab onto.

The young aide was about as clueless as the rest of the people she worked with. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, shrugging. “They told me to pack her things up. They didn’t tell me why.”

“I’m going to talk to somebody about this, dammit. I pay the bills on time. If you’re kicking her out, I want a reason.” I looked at Mom, fighting to understand.God, I did pay all the bills, didn’t I? I’d been so busy at work.“Did they say anything to you? Why are they doing this? Nobody called me!” I was losing it. It was official. This was the last straw.

“All they told me was I wouldn’t be here anymore. I thought you knew something.” Mom’s chin trembled as her eyes filled with tears. “What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?”

Good question. The same question that had been ringing out in my head since I walked into the room to find it in disarray. “I want the administrator. I don’t care if she’s not here on weekends,” I barked at the aide, who stood in the corner. “Now!” I shouted when she didn’t move quickly enough. My blood pressure was at an all-time high, and every heartbeat was pounding in my head like a bass drum.

She wasn’t out of the room before I decided to go with her. “I’ll be right back,” I told Mom. I was on the warpath, ready to start threatening jobs if it came to that.

I had never seen this level of incompetence, which was saying something considering the company I just left. The sort of company where somebody like Lucian, with no experience at all, could keep their job over an actual, experienced professional. Somewhere where they used people, pumped them for information, and then left them in the cold.

Right, like I needed another reason to be beside myself with rage as I stormed up one hallway and down another, unable to find anybody in an office. What happened if a patient became seriously ill or there was an emergency? Didn’t anybody care?

The fact that I couldn’t find anyone to vent my rage on—not to mention get a few answers from—had me on the verge of tears by the time I gave up and headed back to Mom’s room. The last thing she needed was to see me cry, but I couldn’t imagine a scenario in which I didn’t eventually break down sobbing. It was a shithole, but it was the best I could do, and now she was out, and nobody would tell me why. How was it even legal to do that?

“I don’t know, Mom…” Anything I was about to say died as I rounded Mom’s doorway and found her sitting up, chatting with a visitor who sat in the small chair beside her bed.

How did he make my heart skip a beat even after I promised myself I wouldn’t let him manipulate me into forgiving him? It had only been a couple of days since we had that terrible fight, and all I wanted was to drink in the sight of him. He and Mom were smiling and turned their heads when they heard me come in.

“Honey, you won’t believe it.” Mom’s face shone, her eyes sparkled, and for a moment there, it was like nothing had ever happened. She was herself, same as she had ever been, smiling radiantly and full of hope. “They aren’t kicking me out.”

“I don’t understand.” I was almost afraid to look at him because he was looking at me, and the second our eyes met, I’d be a goner. It had been torture ignoring his calls, forcing myself not to call him no matter how I wanted to. Now, for some reason, we were in the same room and somehow, he had made Mom very happy. “What is going on?”

“I think I can clear it up.” Lucian grinned at Mom before explaining, “I’ve arranged for your mother to receive care at a top-rated nursing facility in Manhattan.”

“What? How is that possible?” Forget drowning in his eyes. I had way too many other things to think about now, such as where the hell he got off. “You can’t just, like, make a phone call and?—”

“Except I can, and I did.” There was no ego involved there. For once, there was no arrogance. He said it as a simple fact, shrugging, while I gaped at him in disbelief. “There are specifics to be ironed out, but she’s paid up for the next year. At that point, we can reassess. She may be able to move up to assisted living, in which case there are half a dozen excellent facilities in the city. It’s really all a matter of who can give her the best care.”

“It’s a miracle,” Mom declared, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Honey, are you hearing this? It’s a miracle!”

A miracle with strings attached. Did I want to throw my arms around him, kiss his face off, and thank him until I lost my voice? Obviously. I sort of hated that I couldn’t accept this gesture openly with my whole heart.

“Can I see you in the hallway?” I asked him. I had to leave the room before my sourness ruined Mom’s joy. How could he do this? I fucking told him not to, and he did it anyway. Just another Lucian Diamond special.

As soon as he joined me, I whirled on him, poking a finger at his chest. “How dare you?” I whispered. “What is this all about? What is it going to take for you to understand you can’t force your way into things like this?”

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