Page 53 of Master of Pleasure (Lessons From the Rack 3)

Finally, when several long seconds passed and he still hadn’t said anything, she asked, “What? What’s that expression for?”

He looked down to where her hand still rested on his shoulder. “That’s the first time you’ve ever touched me first.”

His words made her want to jerk her hand away, but she left it where it was. “That can’t be right.”

“It is. Trust me, I’d remember otherwise.” His lips were so close to hers if he leaned down just a bit or if she stood on her toes, they’d be kissing.

She wanted so badly to kiss him. She closed her eyes.

Her phone rang and she backed down with a curse, recognizing the ringtone. “Fuck. It’s my dad.”

Chapter 27

VERONICA

Veronica reached for the phone. “I have to take this.”

“I wasn’t aware that you and your father were on speaking terms,” Terrence said.

Her heart pounded in her ears. “We’re not, so it must be something major.” Preparing for the worst, she answered, “Hello?”

“I was wondering if you’d have enough nerve to answer when I called,” her father said. It’d been years since she’d heard him, but his voice hadn’t changed at all. He still sounded as if he’d been chewing on rocks all day.

“What can I do for you, Father?” she asked. There was no other way she knew of to reply to his nonexistent greeting.

“Since when have you ever concerned yourself on what you could do for me?” he asked. “But since you asked, how about this? How about you keep your clothes on and your knees together so I don’t have to deal with the derelicts of society trying to blackmail me?”

“What?”

“If I’d had any idea you would turn out to be a trollop whose favorite pastime was seducing anything with a dick, I’d have sent you to a nunnery when you were in grade school.”

She made herself swallow his rejection and judgment, somehow managing to sound calm when she replied. “That would have probably backfired on you, seeing as how we aren’t Catholics.”

“Do you think this is funny?” he nearly yelled.

“Not at all,” she said, still managing to sound disinterested in the conversation. “Just pointing out the obvious.”

“What’s obvious to me is you have no regard for family loyalty or respect for my position in this country.”

“It’s taken you this long to figure that out? I thought I made my feelings known on those matters five years ago when I left your house and dropped your name.”

“That’s enough, Veronica,” he was pissed now, and she didn’t care. “I called you because I wanted you to know I’m not going to allow myself to be blackmailed because you decided to fornicate in front of a window and ended up getting photographed. I’m going to let the bastard print whatever he wants about you. It shouldn’t affect me anyway. Like you so eloquently stated, we don’t even share the same last name.” And with that, he disconnected.

The adrenaline that had been rushing through her body while arguing with her father began to level off. She closed her eyes and told herself she was not going to cry. Not over that man.

“Ronnie?”

Terrence. Damn it. She’d forgotten she wasn’t alone. Mentally, she pulled herself together. Or at least enough to attempt to ease Terrence’s mind. He looked worried.

“It appears as if your agent wasn’t the only person to receive that photo of us in the window,” she said.

Understanding crossed Terrence’s face, and he flinched. “Your father? Fuck, Ronnie. I’m so sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be done about it now, and let’s face it, I’d already hit rock bottom in my father’s eyes. It’s not like thephoto could make me sink lower than I was.” She shook her head. “He was just letting me know he wasn’t going to give in to the blackmailer. He’s going to tell him to print whatever the hell he wants.” She paused for a second. “Maybe I should start making sex videos. I mean why not? Pretty soon everyone will have seen me naked anyway.”

“This isn’t over yet,” Terrence said. “And I have a feeling whoever has those photos isn’t going to stop just because your father didn’t give in to his demands. In fact, he might have gotten the reaction he expected.”

“That my father would tell him off?”

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