Page 10 of His Plaything (Slade, Inc.)

Chapter Ten

"Excuse me, bro." A young man nodded at Connor with a smile.

"No problem, bro." He narrowed his eyes as the other man turned back to his woman.

Connor shifted his weight onto his other foot as he waited in line at the bank behind the sickening couple. He had to make what he hoped would be a quick stop here before his meeting. Connor looked at his watch. I'm going to be late. He then flicked his stare up to the couple.

The man kept rubbing his hands up and down her back while the young woman had her hand in his back pocket. She kept giggling as the man would lean down to rub his nose against hers, every so often.

Connor exhaled loudly while shifting his weight again. The urge to push them out of the way and storm the counter was growing by the second. First of all, he hated going to the bank. It seemed pointless and a waste of time, but this bit of business he wanted to take care of in person. It wasn't anything spectacular but still important.

There was an old account that a recent business associate had been depositing money into. Their business had concluded, and Connor wanted to move the money to a more secure location. The amount of money made him want to do it in person. He liked to see the computer screen on the bank's side to make sure people were doing their jobs correctly.

"I can't wait for tomorrow. Honeymoon!" The young woman bounced on her toes, giggling again.

Connor closed his eyes trying to stop his tension from going haywire. He hated super sappy couples. Everything about them pissed him off. The overly dramatic smiles, the cutesy touches. It just seemed so fake to him. If this couple started talking in baby talk, so help him, he might lose control of his tongue and tell them what he thought of their behavior.

"Babe, I love you." The man leaned down to give her another Eskimo kiss.

"Kill me," Connor whispered under his breath.

He inhaled and held it for a moment before forcing his mind to retreat from the thought of yelling at the people in front of him. A scene from his childhood popped into his head, probably because he was smart enough to know that the relationship between his father and mother had colored how he felt about romantic relationships today.

His parents were great, he thought. There was no abuse. His father had instilled a deep sense of respect and hard work into his son. Robert Slade was business driven in all aspects of his life. That included his marriage.

Again, he was never abusive to Connor's mother, Irene, but he was far from affectionate. In fact, Connor had never seen his parents kiss and had only seen them hug once. It was when his maternal grandmother had died. Connor's dad had hugged his mom at the funeral, only once.

Irene Slade was there to do a job. She was to look presentable and polite on Robert's arm at social gatherings and company parties. She was to take care of all things that dealt with the home and their two boys so that Robert would never have to waste any of his precious time with such things.

This memory wasn't a particularly special one. Connor was unsure why it played so easily in his mind. He was about ten, and his brother was around eight.

"Irene, I got a call at my office yesterday from the school asking me about some fundraiser. Why am I getting calls from their school?" Robert set down his newspaper on the kitchen table with a scowl.

Connor's mother set down a glass of orange juice in front of him before shuffling over to her seat. She sat down while answering her husband.

"Sorry, Robert. I thought I made it clear to the school office you were not to be contacted unless it was an emergency."

"Well, take care of it. I don't want to be bothered again." He picked back up his newspaper as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Yes, dear." Irene turned to look at her boys. Her eyes were kind, but she gave them no smile.

"My coffee is cold." Robert set his cup down without looking away from his paper.

Irene set down her not-yet-tasted piece of toast and went straight for the counter to retrieve the coffee pot. After refreshing her husband's drink, she returned to her seat. Connor watched her take a bite as his father spoke again.

"Connor, is your book bag packed and ready?"

"No." He started to stand from his chair but was stopped by his mother.

She held up a finger before standing from the table. Connor stilled in his chair as his mother walked to the living room. He heard her messing with some papers and a few books. She was packing his bag. After a minute, she returned to her breakfast.

Irene took another bite as her husband flicked his newspaper.

"Irene, don't forget my dry cleaning again today."

"Yes, dear."

"Sir, can I help you?" Connor opened his eyes to see the annoying couple was gone and he was next in line. He nodded at the attractive female behind the counter before stepping forward. He didn't question his views on love or relationships. They were his, and they were part of his personality. For better or worse.

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