“I hadn’t realized you were dating anyone,” his father said. “Or bringing her to the wedding. Why don’t you and Brandi go down and find our seats?”
“I don’t need you to dismiss my girlfriend,” he said.
Natalie looked at him, questioning what she should do. “Arik?” she asked.
Maybe he didn’t want her to witness this so early.
“We’ll be down in a few minutes. Sorry.”
“It’s no problem,” she said, moving over and kissing him on the cheek, then rubbing his fingers for comfort.
A classy move.
A loving gesture.
Nothing his father would recognize or could appreciate.
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“She’s hot,” his father said. “Maybe Brandi and she would bond.”
“Not likely. The clock is ticking.” He held his watch up. “Five minutes and I’m out of here.”
“That’s what I told Brandi when we snuck in here and you interrupted us. Hopefully she doesn’t cool off and I’ll find another spot.”
What the fuck!
“I didn’t interrupt you, you came into my room. Second, keep the bedroom talk between the two of you. You’re down to almost four minutes now.”
“Loosen up,” his father said. “Age happens fast so enjoy it while you can.”
“If all you wanted was small talk, we could have done it downstairs.”
“Listen, I’m a little light.”
Seriously? His father was going to hit him up for money? This was a new one.
He wanted him to come out and be specific.
“You look the same to me.”
Even down to the Audemars Piguet watch.
“Yeah, well, life costs and I had to pay out so much to your mother.”
“Decades ago,” he said. “It’s more about your lifestyle to get women like Brandi. I heard you just returned from Monte Carlo.”
“I did. Lost more than I won.”
“Ahh, got it. You shouldn’t bet what you can’t afford. We are down to two minutes.”
“I need some cash to hold me over until my next settlement. I’m going to struggle with payroll. You don’t want me to not pay my staff, do you?”
“That’s what a line of credit is for.”
His father waved a manicured hand. “Going through the bank raises a lot more questions. This is faster. It’s only for a short time. Just a quarter million. That’s easy money for you. I’ve got a few settlements coming in that will be ten times that amount. You’ll get it back. With interest.”
“Sorry,” he said. “You made your bed. Lie in it. Just don’t lie in mine.”
