Page 18 of Merging with the Billionaire

“I thought you said this has nothing to do with work,” Tiffany objected, stiffening in her father’s arms.

“It doesn’t. It’s a personal matter.”

“What do you mean?” Tiffany questioned with apprehension. Did her father know about the kiss? Had someone seen her with Conrad after all? If that was the case, he probably wanted to chastise her for her unprofessional behavior, perhaps even discuss removing her from her position. How was she going to convince him he didn’t need to do that? Her mind starting going over her counter arguments. To her surprise, what he said next wasn’t a scolding at all.

“I wanted to let you know, I was the one who invited Conrad to the wedding.”

“Why did you do that? You know that Roger doesn’t get along with him,” Tiffany objected, though her real reason for being upset wasn’t about her brother at all, but because she didn’t want to find herself alone with Conrad. If she did, she might let him kiss her again.

“I do, but frankly, Roger needs to grow up and let it go. Conrad is not only good for the company, he’s good for you, too.”

Tiffany tried to pull away from her father. “Do you need to sit down, Dad? You’re not making any sense.”

Though still fighting an illness, her father was stronger than he looked. He didn’t let her leave, holding on to her tightly instead. “You need to hear this, Tiffany. As I’m nearing the end of my life, I’ve realized I’ve made a lot of mistakes, mostly where my family was concerned. I spent too much time focusing on my company and not enough time on all of you. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes as me.”

“Dad, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“I know you are, Tiffany, but that’s part of the problem. All of the years your mother and I were busy with anything other than parenting, resulted in your thinking you didn’t need anyone. That’s just not true. You need to find someone to spend your life with, the right someone.”

Tiffany shook her head. “Well, that’s never going to happen. I’m horrible at relationships. Besides, most men want a woman to dote on them, to give up their career for them.”

“Not the right man,” her father corrected. “The right man will love that about you, and will encourage you to follow your passions, wherever they may lie.”

“Apparently, I haven’t met him yet then,” Tiffany stated snidely, remembering that Artie constantly talked about the day when she would quit working for the company once they were married. It was the largest source of contention between them, that and his cheating.

“I think you might be wrong about that,” her father gently rebuked, delivering her to the side of the dance floor where Conrad came into the view. Her father leaned forward and added in a whisper, “He could be right in front of you.”

Her father gave Conrad a firm handshake. “I need to sit down for a rest. Do you mind dancing with my daughter for the next song?”

Conrad nodded, reaching out to take Tiffany by the hand. He escorted her onto the dance floor. “I didn’t plan this, I swear, but I can’t say I mind it. I love feeling you in my arms again.”

“All of this is so overwhelming,” Tiffany stammered out. “One minute I’m talking with my father, and the next you’re dragging me onto the dance floor.”

“I hardly think I was dragging you,” Conrad teased. “You seemed to come pretty willingly with me.”

“I suppose it just felt that way then,” she reluctantly admitted. “I’m not even sure why I let you bring me out here.”

“You know why; you secretly want to have an excuse to be close to me.”

She wanted to argue with him, deny that it was the case, but she couldn’t manage to find the words to do it. The truth was, Conrad was right. She did like having the excuse. It felt good to be held by him again.

Tiffany let herself lean into his frame, enjoying his strong hold and signature scent of earthy notes with a hint of mint. The stubble along his jaw tickled her face, causing her cheek to tingle from where their skin touched. She found herself getting lost in the sway of the dance, the rhythmic sound of the music, and the intoxicating affect Conrad had on her.

“Who was that guy you were talking to earlier? You seemed to be upset with him.”

Tiffany leaned back and looked up at Conrad. “It was my ex, Artie Frankhurst.”

“What did he want?”

“He wants me back, but that’s never going to happen,” she stated firmly.

“Why is that? Is there a chance your interest lies elsewhere now?” Conrad probed with a hopeful smile.

Was that the case? Did she have feelings for Conrad? Tiffany wanted to keep herself from dwelling on Conrad and their secret kiss, but no matter how hard she tried to push it from her thoughts, it was always in the back of her mind.

“To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel right now,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering with anticipation due to the look of desire she saw in his eyes. She could see he wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted him to.

The sudden jarring sound of the New Year countdown reminded them both where they were.

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