Page 94 of Seductive Scoundrel

Neither father nor son has joined me yet, so they must be in cahoots. Dex pretended he had no idea what his dad wanted to see us about, but surely he’s in the loop. He’s the one running the company now, and his dad is just supposed to be a figurehead.

I’m back at The Breakers, waiting to hear the fate of Seneca. Even though I’m not one for idle movements or nervous energy, I find myself spinning my water glass compulsively. Surely it’s too early for whiskey, but I could use one.

My mind keeps returning to Mia. I’m a solutions guy and even though I’ve run the situation through my analytical brain a thousand times to try and justify giving Mia another chance, I can’t think of a way that wouldn’t make me a total chump.

“Thanks for coming, Dean.”

Apparently, I was lost to another world because I didn’t notice that both of the men I’ve been waiting for have joined me at the table.

“Of course. Happy to be here.”

That’s a load of shit. I’d like to be anywhere but here, especially if I’m about to find out that I’ve lost millions of dollars and, more importantly, wasted my time. Those are hours I will never get back, and if it was for nothing, I’m going to be livid.

But why the hell else would Dexter Senior want to see me so urgently in person?

I guess he doesn’t break up with people over the phone.

Dex isn’t making eye contact with me and that can’t be a good sign.

“There’s not an easy way to say this.” Dexter Senior is staring at the table even though I’m looking intently at him. “I’m not sure how you’re going to take it.”

“I understand the concerns about the TBA audit,” I start, “but I wasn’t aware of Mia’s role, and I trust that she kept her work professional. Her boss verified everything she did and –”

Dexter Senior waves a hand dismissively. “I don’t care about the audit. It was a formality. Our forensic accountants already went over your records with a fine-tooth comb, and I trust them way more than an external vendor. Their role was just for the banking aspect.”

“So then what is this meeting actually about?” I ask while Dex remains silent. “You said you wanted to see us about the audit, and we both rearranged our schedules to accommodate.”

Dexter Senior meets my eyes, and I swear he looks older than the last time I saw him. But there’s something else. A level of nervousness I haven’t seen before from such a confident man.

What the actual fuck is going on?

“I told you it was about the audit to make sure youwouldrearrange your schedule to accommodate,” Dexter Senior explains.

“You’re just going to have to spell it out for me,” I tell him.

I don’t add the cliché that time is money, but I’m sure my face communicates the message that I’m getting impatient. If this isn’t about the deal, then I have no clue what I’m doing in Florida, and I’d much rather be home.

Brooding.

Alone.

“The reason I was so interested in your company, Dean, has to do with my interest in you personally. It’s not that Seneca isn’t a good buy. It is. But everyone at this table knows I overpaid to guarantee that I’d get it when you weren’t even looking to sell. But what I actually wanted to guarantee was getting time with you and getting you next to Dex.”

Dex finally meets my gaze, and his eyes are full of sympathy. He understands some nuances that are flying right over my head. I’m used to being the smartest guy in the room – not the village idiot.

“I’m sorry, guys, but I still don’t understand,” I admit. “Unless you’re proposing marriage, which I’ll respectfully decline, I don’t understand this keen interest in getting my time. Besides, all you had to do was ask, and I would have met up for dinner or drinks.”

“Your mother’s name is Evelynn,” Dexter Senior says, and I flinch at the sharp turn of the conversational trajectory. This is a little too personal for comfort now.

“She worked for me and we had an affair shortly before she fell pregnant. I’m almost 100 percent certain that you’re my son because your father is infertile. Your mother told me that information herself, and the wedge that being childless put between them is what sent her to me. Your dad either assumed it was a miracle, or turned a blind eye.”

The world stops moving.

But then everything starts spinning.

I’m going to be sick.

My ears are ringing and my hands are shaking.

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