No woman had ever spent the night at my penthouse in the three years I’d been here. I didn’t want to be reminded of heartbreak when the relationship inevitably went sour after I found outthey were using me for money or social-media likes. And any casual hookups, well, they didn’t need to come into my world.
But Faith was different. Was I risking my heart? Yes. But I didn’t know how to take it slower with her. I wanted her with me every minute of every day, and that meant my common sense could fuck off. Besides, it was easier for us to work on the project if she was here—the less time she spent running back and forth to her apartment, the better. It was for convenience as much as anything else.
Jack’s smirk popped into my head. Phantom Jack said, “Mmhmm, bullshit.”Smartass.
The intercom buzzed. I turned to look toward the vestibule. It was too early for Faith to be back already, unless something had happened. I frowned. I was about to head to the elevator, but Isabella walked through from the hallway. “I’ve got this Mr. Knight. It’s Miss Worthington.”
My stomach tensed. What did she want? Was my father sending her to check up on me, or was she here for her own nefarious reasons? I really needed to have her computers checked out. Another item on my list that I couldn’t trust just anyone with. My father had been right in one respect—I wasn’t the best CEO. But it wasn’t for the reasons he thought. I was too lax in surrounding myself with people who had loyalty to me and not him. I’d stupidly assumed if I changed as little as possible, it would make my transition as CEO for Knight Advertising smoother and my father happier. All it had done is put me in a precarious position. Lesson learned.
The elevator dinged, and muffled voices reached me before Victoria led the way into the living room, and Isabella returned to whatever she’d been doing before. Dressed in a white skirt suit, silk royal-blue shirt, and sky-high blue heels, Victoria strode toward me, Chanel tote over her shoulder, every inch the princess… of the ice variety. I’d known she wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but we’d been friends for so long that I’d dismissed her spikiness as just her being a woman who knew what she liked and didn’t. She’d always been nice to me, sometimes overly so. Twice I’d turned down her romantic advances—once as teens and more recently at a work Christmas party. The latest one I put down to her being upset after a breakup of a six-month-old relationship. But it wasn’t until now, with everything Faith had brought to my attention, that it struck me—maybe she simply wasn’t a nice person. Her short temper and impatience weren’t about perfection; they were about her disdain for people and things that were “beneath” her. Maybe I’d turned a blind eye or made excuses for her lack of empathy because I’d thought she, deep down, was a good person. Maybe it was because she was a family friend, and we shared history. But that wasn’t a good reason to keep my eyes shut. I was done.
I finally saw her smile for what it was—faker than her sharp, two-inch fingernails and designed to disarm me. But I was armed, protective walls at full height, bolstered by Faith’s belief in me.
She glanced around before reaching me. Placing a palm on my chest, she leaned in to give me an air kiss on either side of my cheeks—something she refrained from in the office, thank God. “Curt, darling, we’re missing you in the office, so I thought I’d bring the office to you.” She dropped her hand and reached into her tote. “I need your okay on these and two signatures for the budget sign off.”
“Bring them into the kitchen.” I led the way at a good pace, not wanting her to stay too long—Faith would be back in thirty to forty minutes. Victoria would run back to my father with the news that Faith was here, and it would be another stressor to deal with when I already had my hands full. Even if I used the excuse that I was dating her, my father would not be pleased. He might even fire me over it since Faith had worked for me as late as Wednesday. He would argue it made me look bad—in light of everything else I’dbeen accused of—and he wouldn’t be wrong. And there was no way I could say Faith was helping me with work.
I stood at the island and held out my hand.
Her eyes widened for a moment, but she stayed quiet. Victoria pulled the papers from her bag and handed them over. “Why aren’t we doing this in your study?” Was she fishing for information? Maybe I was being paranoid, but she couldn’t have known that Faith had just been here.
“Why walk all the way there when this countertop is good enough? I’m sure you need to get back to the office ASAP. There are two projects due on Tuesday.” And I had no idea what we’d left in there. After getting hot and heavy with Faith last night, her laptop could be on my desk for all I remembered. My smile at remembering the feel of her soft skin under my fingertips stayed buried under a mound of self-preservation.
As she’d done in the living area, she peered around the room, looking for… something. “Fair enough.” As I perused the papers, she folded her arms. “So, I hear you’re out of the office all next week. Care to share?”
I kept my voice neutral as I answered, “I’d prefer to work without the threat of my father bursting in at any moment. Hopefully after Friday’s meeting, we can put the issues to bed, and it will be safe to work from HQ.” At the risk of my reluctant face cracking and falling apart, I gave her a rueful smile. If I didn’t behave as per normal, she’d ask more questions. “Have you got a pen?”
“Right here.” She pulled a gold pen out of her bag—it probably was real gold, knowing her—and gave it to me.
I looked over everything, then signed, took my phone out of my pocket, and snapped a picture of the details. Victoria’s forehead couldn’t move because of Botox, but one of her eyes twitched and spasmed as if I’d just squirted lemon in it. “What are you doing?”
“Saving your secretary time. She won’t have to scan these andemail them to me. I’m nothing if not efficient.” This time my smile didn’t hurt because it was at the pleasure of annoying her. Had she planned to fudge these figures too and send me amended copies, which I probably wouldn’t have checked? Which reminded me—I had to find someone loyal to me who could investigate Faith’s claims about Victoria. It would’ve been good to have everything sorted by Friday and my meeting with my father and the board of directors, but at this stage, it wasn’t looking promising.
I looked over the graphics and initialed the bottom, then handed them back. “Who did these? They’re good.”
Her face relaxed into an “of course I’m amazing” expression. “Teddy did the initial layout, and I tweaked a few things to get it perfect. Thank you for noticing.” She smiled and stepped right into my personal space. I couldn’t step away because the island was at my back. She rested a hand on my bicep. “I’m sorry if I’m overstepping, but is everything okay? I know you’re stressed about the thing with your father, but is anything else going on? That witch hasn’t threatened to go to the press, has she?”
I raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t sorry for overstepping—she was gleefully stomping all over me, trying to make a meaty mash. How had I been a fool for so many years, thinking she was an ally and friend? It sucked to grow up and realize some home truths. I held in a sigh. I couldn’t even be angry that she was calling Faith a witch. She was just so obvious and pathetic. “Everything is fine. Faith hasn’t made any threats or bothered me in the slightest.”
“I don’t know, Curt. You seem… not yourself. Maybe I should stay and work here with you today.” A scythe of calculation cleaved her irises but disappeared as quickly as it came. What was her endgame?
I gently removed her hand from my arm. “That’s not necessary, but thanks for offering. I have a couple of overseas calls that will take a while. As I said, I prefer to work without being bothered at the drop of a hat.” I gave her pen back and beamed—two couldplay the fake-smile game. The shocked look in her eyes—I didn’t usually smile this enthusiastically—made me think her forehead would’ve furrowed if it could. “Thanks for coming to make sure I was okay, but it’s time I got to work.” I made a show of looking at my watch. “I have one of those meetings in fifteen minutes, and I need to prepare.”
Her gaze and mouth flattened, her fake pleasantness hitting the deck like an ice-cream-and-sprinkle-topped dropped pancake. I could almost hear the splat of indignation. I felt like Faith had a hand in my silly pancake metaphor. She’d inserted herself into my thoughts, and I was happier for it. Faith would also, in her fearless and quirky way, probably point out loudly that Victoria was displeased, but I didn’t want to escalate the situation. I just wanted to get my job done and keep my position.
Without waiting for Victoria’s answer, I made my way to the front door, counting on her well-mannered upbringing to ensure she followed. If she didn’t, I wasn’t averse to leaving her here and going to Faith’s. I chuckled to myself imaging Victoria’s reaction to that.
When we reached the elevator, she narrowed her eyes. “You’re awfully cheery today. I thought you were nervous about next week. What gives?” She was a persistent little peach.
“Seeing you has brightened my day.” I pressed the button, and the doors slid open. “Have a great day.” I grinned as she slid past me, disgust coating her pinched lips. She’d had a taste of my bullshit and didn’t enjoy it. Was I overdoing it? Yes. I’d learned from the best—Donut Girl.
Just before the door closed, Victoria pinned me with her “I’m superior” look. Maybe I’d pushed her too far. Her hand strangled her tote straps to the point of turning her knuckles white. “Well, Curt, you have agreatday too. Make the most of it before next week.”
When the shiny, bronze-colored elevator doors shut, mysurprised face stared back at me from in between the elegant lines of the art deco pattern.
Yep, there was no maybe about it. I’d definitely pushed her too far. A mistake? But then again, if she was behind any of my attempted demise, maybe she’d show her hand, speed up my discovery process. Whatever it was, I didn’t have time to think it through. Faith would be here soon, and we had work to do.
CHAPTER 30
