Page 51 of Sensual Games

“Oh, this is nothing,” she assured me, wearing a bright, welcoming smile that instantly melted the layer of ice that had formed over my body as we rode up here in the elevator.

Though it wasn’t Pepper I was afraid of. Her warmth melted the ice, but it wasn’t enough to calm the worst of my fears.

The fact was, though Lucian and I had been working beautifully together, there was still something that always tickled the back of my mind. What did his father think about me? Sure, Connor was nice in the office—pleasant and professional. He offered praise when it was due—not all the time, which meant those rare moments meant that much more. They felt earned.

Still, I wasn’t naïve. I knew how the world worked, and I knew Connor hadn’t intended to keep me with the company in the first place. He had been completely prepared to throw me overboard, even after my success with the retreat and even after the results my team had achieved.

So, there was always something unspoken between us, and it was obvious he felt its presence. The way he refrained from making eye contact for more than a heartbeat before looking away. The strained smile on the rare occasion when we would pass each other in the hall. Sure, I could have brushed it all aside and told myself this was the side effect of our personal and professional lives intermingling.

He knew Lucian and I were together, obviously, so I told myself that was where the discomfort came from. Like he was overcompensating, making sure nobody thought I was getting special treatment.

I could understand that. If only I believed it was the complete truth.

Connor’s footsteps rang out, growing louder as he approached the dining room after he and Lucian had peeled off to find the perfect bottle of wine to go with our chateaubriand, which now glistened enticingly on the table. “I think this will do,“ he announced, holding up a bottle of red.

I didn’t bother asking for the brand or the vintage since I wouldn’t have known the difference, anyway. I could only follow his lead, the way I followed Lucian’s lead on so many things that were outside my realm of experience. Considering where I came from, that meant just about everything.

Lucian followed close behind him, and the sight of his knowing grin let me breathe easier. Clearly, he and his father had shared a brief, private conversation while going through the family’s extensive wine collection.

Pepper ran a hand over her gray streaked curls like she was making sure she was in place too. I hoped by the time I was her age, I looked half as good—fit, trim, and energetic with hardly a line on her dewy skin. “Terrific. I’m starving, and the catering service worked so hard on this meal. We should enjoy it, right?”

I also appreciated the way she didn’t bother pretending she put all of this together on her own. “Mom’s greatest talent has never been in the kitchen,” Lucian warned me on the way to the penthouse. There had been nothing but fond laughter in his voice. “I mean, she makes a mean pot of pasta, but something tells me she’s going to want to impress you tonight.”

The fact that somebody like her wanted to impress a nobody like me left me feeling a little overwhelmed. I hoped I was hiding it as Lucian pulled out a chair for me. While Connor uncorked the wine, I offered, “Mr. Diamond, like I was telling your wife, this is so generous of you. Thank you.”

His soft laughter preceded a gentle hand wave. “Nonsense. For one thing, while you’re here, you can call me Connor. We don’t have to be formal.”

“The same goes for me,” Pepper added as she took her seat across from me, winking.

“You want her to call you Connor?” her husband asked, laughing as she swatted at him with the back of her hand. Funny, but that simple exchange went the rest of the way toward easing my apprehension. Seeing Connor out of the office, without his professional façade in place, was damn refreshing.

“She knew what I meant,” Pepper insisted while I nodded, giggling. “Ivy is part of the family now. It’s only right.”

Lucian grinned at me as he reached for a big bowl of salad. “I like the sound of that,” he murmured, and we exchanged a look that spoke volumes. These six months had been a dream like every wish I’d ever made in the deepest depths of my heart came true. It wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t like deciding we loved each other meant all of our conflicts were magically resolved, and we would never rub each other the wrong way again.

But now, when we inevitably caused friction, it was almost sort of fun to work it out, especially when our arguments ended with at least some of our clothes dropping onto the floor.

“Yes, and it’s taken too long for us to have this dinner. Ivy, I apologize,” Connor murmured as he plated thick slices of chateaubriand for the four of us. “I hate to offer up the usual excuse of life being busy and everything else getting in the way, but I assure you, this has been on my mind.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” I told him, even if his words meant so much. I was sort of wondering, even though I hadn’t brought it up to anybody. Not even to Lucian. Would we ever clear the air completely? Or would it be assumed that we were on good footing, that we could move on from our past complications?

“I think there is. And so does my son,” he added, smirking at Lucian as he handed him a plate. “And he’s right. I was a fool, plain and simple.”

“Is somebody recording this?” Pepper whispered, checking under the tablecloth like she was looking for a microphone.

“I’m glad my wife finds this so funny,” he continued, giving her the sort of exasperated look that came from decades together. “But I’m serious. I lost sight of what truly mattered. When a man reaches my age, and it’s clear he needs to think about his legacy and what he’s leaving behind, it’s only natural for him to be a little…”

“Pigheaded?” Lucian suggested, and I kicked him under the table, but he pretended not to feel it.

“I was going to say overly cautious,” Connor retorted, rolling his eyes as he sat once we were all served. “I turned into someone I always told myself I would never become. I was looking at numbers alone. Forgetting about the people behind those numbers. I’m sorry. Really, I am.” As he spread a silk napkin across his lap, he added, “And I’m grateful to my son, the smartass he is, for opening my eyes. I also got a little too rigid in my thinking. I needed someone younger and more creative to come up with a solution that kept everyone’s jobs in place.” Finally, his gaze landed on me again. “You’ve done remarkable work. I’ve gone out of my way to be fair in the office. I don’t want anyone thinking it only takes sleeping with the boss’s son to earn accolades.”

“Charming,” Pepper whispered, snickering.

Connor scowled lovingly at her before continuing. “Now we’re alone, the four of us. I can be more open with my praise. Together, the two of you have ushered in a new era for the company, and that’s the way it should be. We need to be able to move into the future. I can finally say with complete confidence that we’re on the right track, and that’s thanks to you.”

“Wow, Dad,” Lucian breathed out. It wasn’t often he was stunned into silence, but this was one of those times. He must not have expected to hear that kind of praise tonight. For me, sure, and I knew he was happy to hear it. But for himself?

“I mean it,” Connor told him, his tone softening along with his gaze. He wasn’t a boss anymore. He was a father, proud of his son. “I feel confident when I think about stepping back and handing over the reins. I know you have what it takes to maintain our legacy… no, to improve upon it.”

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