Page 33 of No Way Forward

Azalie’s mom left the room, shutting the door behind her. Azalie studied the man behind the desk. He might be old as the earth, but he still looked decent. Strong, fit, and tanned during the warmer months of the year, Richard could give a younger man a run for his money.

And money will always put him over top of the competition.

She sashayed over to his desk and slipped onto it to cross her legs. The movement raised her skirt and showed off her figure to advantage. She loved the shoes and the outfit she wore because it made her look fantastic. It should since it cost a fortune. Not that she’d paid for it.

“What’s up? You want to buy me lunch?” She smoothly ignored the fact that he’d said he wanted to talk about Novette. That was another boring conversation if she ever heard one.

“Who is she interested in?” He didn’t beat around the bush.

“Interested in? What do you mean?”

“Don’t play games with me, Azalie. I don’t have the time. This case is far more complicated than any I’ve had in a long time. Tell me. Is my daughter seeing someone, and if so, who?”

“She just got back. I can’t see Novette dating anyone so quickly. She’s always been a slow starter.”

Richard’s frown deepened.

“Uh, I mean, she’s a sweet girl. Picky and all that.” Azalie waved a dismissive hand. “Unless she changed while she was gone, Novette has to be really into a guy to get serious about him. We’re talking love.”

She rolled her eyes and shivered like love was disgusting. Of course, every time she went out with a guy, she called it love. That was beside the point. Azalie knew it wasn’t love she felt when she chose a new man. It was all a part of getting what she wanted at the moment. Novette was different.

Richard rubbed his chin, thinking about her words. She wondered what brought all this on. Then she recalled Richard was always trying to marry Novette off. It made Azalie question whether he loved his daughter. Didn’t doting fathers try to beat off their daughter’s suitors? Maybe in the movies they did.

Azalie suppressed a laugh. Richard might regret ever adopting Novette. She couldn’t help feeling good about the idea. After that scene with Felix the other night at the party, she didn’t blame him.

After Richard blew her off, Azalie spent most of the party in a bedroom with—whatever his name was—and had missed the drama between Novette and Felix. She heard the news through gossip. What a pity.

Felix insulted Novette right to her face and in front of everyone. He was bold. She had to give him that. Then his mom almost had a heart attack. She lived in fear that Richard would turn against her. A lot of people in his circle feared him, but not Azalie. She had been trying for years to seduce him without success.

Azalie slid over on the desk until she sat right in front of Richard. She ran the toe of one foot along the inside of his leg. “If you want, I can talk to her and find out all the juicy details.”

He moved out of reach. “Yes, do that for me. Let me know as soon as possible.”

Azalie grumbled under her breath. Why didn’t he ever fall for her? Not even once. It was as if he didn’t recognize what she was doing. A man couldn’t get more clueless.

She jumped to her feet and pretended to stumble. Falling to the side, she let her hand bang down on the phone and disconnected the call. “Oh shoot, I’m sorry, Richard.”

He growled in annoyance. “Don’t worry about it. Just go, and send Sheila in here.”

“You got it. I’m always glad to do you a favor. I’ll call you, K?” She blew him a kiss and tipped out of the room while swinging her purse. Richard was already dialing on the phone, obviously having dismissed her from his thoughts.

Azalie dropped the smile and the act and stomped over to her mom’s desk. She flopped into the nearest chair. “

Why is he so obsessed with her?”

“Azalie, you’re too loud, and if you’re talking about Richard, why wouldn’t he be interested in his own daughter? He loves Novette. He’s happy to see her again after so long. Knowing she’s safe is everything to him.”

“Huh!”

“You’re not acting like her best friend.”

“I am her best friend.”

“Well, stop complaining about her relationship with her dad and get out of here. I have to work.”

“Aren’t you curious about what he asked me?”

“Not really.” Her mom’s head never came up as her fingers flew over the computer keyboard. “If you put as much energy into making something of your life, you could find a lot of success. You’re an intelligent woman, and I would love for you to go back to school to get your degree.”

---