Page 24 of The Temptation
How was I supposed to do that when being near him was the only thing that made me truly happy?
But Sawyer’s warning pertained to dating Simon, being physically intimate with him. That I could avoid. This was fake dating, and that was fine.
Besides, my earlier plan of being standoffish and avoiding him completely was bound to fail. There was no way in the world Sebastian and the others were going to give him up. They were dedicated to Sawyer, and they genuinely liked Simon.
No, the best plan was to make it clear to Simon that the only future we could have would be as friends. As soon as I removed all hope, he would lose all interest in me. He’d realize that I was the most boring guy in existence.
I enjoyed going to the symphony and the theater. Yes, I wanted a family and a spouse, but there was no way I could have that with Simon.
Meetings filled my morning, and I was grateful for every one of them as they offered plenty to distract me. However, my father stopped by the office shortly after lunch. My assistant, Marie, hurried in as soon as the whispers rippled through the office that the head of the firm was visiting from Boston.
“Sir, Mr. Sutton is here,” she hissed, her dark brown eyes wide with panic. She swept her hand over her neat black hair, pulled back in a perfect bun. It even looked as if she’d refreshed her lipstick since lunch. It was all about maintaining the appearance of perfection in front of the big boss.
A weary sigh left me. I’d known this was going to happen. There was no way this trip to Cincinnati would remain a visit with his eldest son and some leisurely sightseeing. No, he had to meddle. Oliver Sutton was sixty-five and supposed to be on the fast track to retirement. Why couldn’t he quietly retire and travel like Sebastian’s father? Or pick up a woodworking hobby like Rome’s father?
“Deep breath, Marie. It’ll be fine. This isn’t a big deal.”
“Yes, but Mr. Sutton hasn’t visited this office in more than a year. Is there a problem? Are the partners in Boston thinking of laying people off or closing down this branch?”
I snapped straight in my chair and frowned at her. “Absolutely not. Everything is fine. My parents are in town for a visit. It has nothing to do with the law firm. My father is simply here because he’s in town.”
Marie exhaled and nodded. Her shoulders eased slightly as the tension slid away, but she was clearly still anxious, which stunned me. We’d had all types of executives and even a few celebrities in, and not one of them had rattled her. Of course, the economy wasn’t the greatest, and people were still loaded with bills from the holidays. It wasn’t a good time to get laid off—not that anytime technically was.
I briefly considered asking her whether she would be willing to relocate to Boston. She was an amazing assistant, and I hated the idea of losing her if I did have to move. But I swallowed the question at the last second. While it might seem like an innocent question, it would undoubtedly stir up unnecessary trouble. If Iadhered to Simon’s plan, I wouldn’t have to move to Boston if I didn’t want to.
“Could you make some tea for us with the silver tea service and rose-petal china? The Earl Grey would be perfect. I’ll go round my father up and herd him to my office so he doesn’t disturb anyone else.”
“Yes, sir. Right away.” She hurried out of my office and to the small kitchenette while I strode in the opposite direction. Naturally, I found him right where I’d expected—terrifying the paralegals for probably the same reason Marie had been rattled. They all thought the head of the firm wouldn’t make a sudden appearance unless there was a problem.
Yeah, well, the problem was Oliver’s eldest son and his failure to get himself married off in a timely fashion. It had nothing to do with the profitability of the firm.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to visit today?” I inquired with a stiff smile as soon as I reached my father’s side.
He heaved a sigh as if the weight of the world was resting on his head. “Your mother wanted to do some shopping today, and she didn’t want me tagging along.”
“Likely because you have no patience for her browsing. You want to walk into a store, buy something, and leave.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I wouldn’t mind browsing for a new set of golf clubs.”
“And I’m sure Mother had no interest in shopping for golf clubs. Why don’t you come with me to my office? I don’t need you distracting everyone from their work.” I stepped back and motioned for him to precede me down the aisle.
“Distraction? I’m a distraction? That couldn’t be.”
Several paralegals were grouped together in cubicles and could peer over the top of their low walls. Each of them blushed and quickly looked away, keeping their mouths shut. Yeah, Ididn’t envy them. At least they were smart enough not to say anything.
“Come on. You can tell me where Mother has gone shopping,” I urged him and finally got him moving to my office.
As Father followed me, he told a rambling story that I only half listened to about my mother hiring a car and a personal shopper to help her pick up a few things. Except I knew my mother didn’t need anything in particular. This was her way of sending my father out to gather information about Simon and me under the guise of checking out how things were going at work. My parents were crafty but in very different ways.
“Your mother wanted me to tell you she had a lovely time at dinner last night. She thinks Simon is very handsome and witty,” Dad stated as we entered my office. I hummed in agreement, leaving the door open so Marie could bring in the tea as soon as it was ready.
“Is this the part where you and Mom play good cop, bad cop and tell me that Simon isn’t good enough for me? Or that you don’t believe we’re dating at all and this is all a ruse to remain in Cincinnati?”
Father paused in the act of sitting in one of the high-back chairs covered in a thick brocade and lifted one arched eyebrow at me. “Is this an admission of guilt on your part?”
“I thought we would cut through all the crap and get straight to the point. My calendar has a few other appointments on it. If you had wanted to play a round of mental chess with me, you should have called ahead.”
Father smirked and resumed sitting, crossing his left leg over his right. “You used to love arguing with me.”
