Reckless (Bertoli Crime Family #2) (27 page)

“I’m sorry Mast-, umm, Tyler,” Jonathan replied, breaking me out of my reverie. “It’s a terrible habit, I suppose. Call me old-fashioned.”

“Well get with the times. This isn’t the 1800s anymore.”

“You’re right, sir. I’ll try to be more thoughtful of that in the future.” He paused. “Will we be taking the customary drive to Armex headquarters?”

I shook my head, turning away from the mirror and walking over to the bed to shoulder on my business coat. “No. I want to head by the Locklin estate. I’d like to pay my father a little visit.”

* * *

“
I
trust
your relationship with Victoria is over,” my dad said as I stood before his desk in his study. A steaming coffee mug was before him, right beside the morning newspaper he routinely read before being chauffeured off to his office at Armex.

I did my best to hide my grin. “No. As a matter of fact, it’s not.”

Dad’s head snapped up sharply. “What did you say?”

“Our relationship, it’s not over. It’s only just begun.”

He pushed the paper across his desk and narrowed his eyes at me. I could tell he was pissed off, though he was doing his best to hide it.

“I warned you what would happen if you didn’t break this thing off, Tyler,” he growled.

“I know,” I said in an offhand manner that I knew would make him want to jump my shit.

His jaw bulged, a sign that I’d indeed gotten to him this time. “So why are you still with her? She’s your stepsister.” He continued, his voice raising a few octaves. “Do you have any idea what kind of image problems this relationship will cause for Armex?”

I chuckled. "You know what? You're hilarious. First you badger the fuck out of me about settling down. Then, when I finally do find a girl to settle down with, she’s not good enough for you."

"That's not true and you know it, Tyler,” Dad growled. "You know very well why I don't approve of this relationship." He snorted with contempt. "If you can even call it that. And by the way, you haven't fooled me one bit. I still don’t believe that you're willing to settle down. You want to know what I think?"

I crossed my arms. “You’re going to tell me anyway, so go ahead.”

"I think you got scared shitless when I threatened to replace you with Charles Whitmore, so you hastily latched onto the first girl you could find to put up with your bullshit to show me you’d changed." He scowled. "Well, you can drop the act now, Tyler. As long as you end this farce of a relationship and continue to behave, you’re in no danger of losing your position with our company."

I hated to admit it, but for the first time since entering the room, I was pissed. My father was implying that I was scared of him and his threats when the truth was, I wasn't afraid of any fucking body. "Is that what you honestly think? You think that my relationship with Victoria is a farce?"

Dad gave me a puzzled expression. "It is, isn't it?"

“No!" I said sternly with my most convincing voice.

My dad stared at me for a few moments before a surprised look took over his face as it dawned on him. "You're telling the truth, aren't you? There really is something between you two. I must admit, Tyler, I'm shocked."

I swallowed, feeling a heavy sensation pressing against my chest. I hated it. I hated how Victoria made me feel . . . like I was in . . .

I can hardly even think those words. I even promised her help with her caree
r, I thought,
when I don't even know if I'd be able to keep my word.

Hiring her was one thing; that I
could
do. But promising that I’d help her start a fashion business? What the fuck was I thinking?

I wasn’t thinking, that's the problem
, I thought.
My mind was mush. I'd have said anything if it meant I’d be able to fuck her again.

There was something about being with Victoria that fucked with me.

She's dangerous
, a voice in the back of my mind warned.
She could ruin you.
Not that I wasn’t well on my way to doing that myself.

My dad's voice broke me out of my reverie as I pushed the unwanted voice out of my thoughts.

“Well, Tyler?”

“Look,” I growled. "We aren't related. I really don’t see the big deal here.”

Dad stared. “You’re not stupid Tyler, but let me spell it out for you. It’s not that big of a deal, you’re right. But you know how the media spins things.”

“Who cares what these people think, Dad? Maybe they shouldn't live their lives judging others and mind their own damn business."

He took a deep breath, gathering himself. "Maybe in another time and place I'd agree with you, Ty, but these people that you need to please are not just regular old people. They’re our customers, or potential customers. The very people that allow you to live the lifestyle that you do. You do care about that, don’t you?" He shook his head. "I don't even see why I have to point this out to you. You know better. You know that our competitors will have a field day with this.”

“Well it’s too late now, Dad. What’s done is done, and this isn’t just any old relationship that I can just end . . .”

“Well, son, I think you’re going to have to make a decision. Victoria or your position at Armex.”

"That's such bullshit! I'm not breaking up with her," I declared defiantly.

"Tyler-"

"In fact," I said loudly, speaking over him, "I'm going to hire her, even if it is short-lived. So not only will you be firing your son, but your stepdaughter too!”

* * *

“
T
hat’s just five
,” Jeff said as he leaned back in his seat across from me. I’d summoned my fellow colleague to my office for a little a private chat about what to do about the soon-to-come vote for my removal. He was enjoying a cheeseburger with bacon and fries from Wendy’s while I dined on a grilled chicken sandwich. “You need at least six.”

“Damn,” I muttered.

“It’s that God damn Charles Whitmore,” Jeff growled, grabbing his Coke and taking a sip before setting it back down. “If it weren’t for him, you’d be in the clear.”

“Fuck that dude.”

“Yeah.” Jeff swallowed and then stared at me. “But why go through all this trouble anyway? Why not just do what your father asked? Your stepsister can’t be worth all this trouble, can she?”

“She’s worth every bit of it, Jeff,” I said firmly.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. A few months ago, there was no chick on planet Earth that was worthy of your affection.” Jeff finished off the rest of his cheeseburger and then shook. “I can’t imagine it, though.”

“Imagine what?”

“Banging my own stepsister.”

I grinned. He caught me off guard on that one.

“Anyway,” I said, abruptly changing the subject, “Who’s on the fence in all this? All we have to do is get one of them to side with me.”

Jeff picked up a napkin and wiped his hands before dropping it in the Wendy’s bag. Grabbing a fry and then dipping it in ketchup, he sat back in his seat and leveled a serious gaze on me. “Well, there’s Ritchie and Kevin.”

“What about them?”

Jeff waved his red-tipped fry at my face. “Well, Rich wants an apology and he might consider voting in your favor. He doesn’t like you, but if he had a chance to stick it to Charles, he’d take it.”

I snorted. “An apology? For what?”

Jeff popped the French fry in his mouth and chewed. “For sleeping with his ex.”

“Seriously?”

Jeff nodded. “Her name is Mandy Lane, remember her?”

I racked my brain for the girl’s face, but I couldn’t come up with an image. “No,” I said finally. “I don’t.”

Jeff grabbed another fry and waved it theatrically. “That’s unfortunate. Very unfortunate.”

“Yeah, even more unfortunate because I’m not apologizing. From what you said, he wasn’t even with her anymore. Why does he even care?”

“Oh come on, Ty. You know how it is, he was hoping to rekindle things.”

“Look, just forget all this scheming. Whatever happens, will happen. If my dad wants to help remove me, then so be it.”

The truth was that my pride would never let me grovel, even if it meant keeping my job. It was just one of my pitfalls as a man. My pride always got in the way.

Shaking his head, Jeff popped his fry into his mouth, smacked his hands together several times to rid himself of salt and then stood up. “Well, it’s your decision, buddy. I’d hate to be in your position,” he warned as he grabbed his leftover fries and dumped them into his Wendy’s bag as he prepared to leave my office. “It’s your future on the line, after all.”

"
I
can't come
work for you,” I said, holding back tears. I was sitting beside Tyler, who'd shown up at the end of my shift in his limo after a long, arduous day at work.

Tyler looked at me, making my heart flip.

My God, I can't get enough of him,
I thought. It never ceased to amaze me how the man could just turn me into mush with one simple look.

"Why not?"

He seems to be taking this news well,
I thought, searching his face for disappointment. I saw none. For some reason, that bothered me.

Holding back my crocodile tears, I explained what happened when I'd confronted Christine. "She doesn't want me to work for anyone else," I said as I finished my tale. "She revels in my misery."

"What a sadistic cunt," growled Tyler.

He still wasn't breaking down in tears. Not that I’d expected that, but I was hoping for a little more disappointment at least.

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "I felt like such an idiot when I remembered my contract. I should've known I'd forgotten something."

"Don’t beat yourself up over it," Tyler soothed. "You were in the heat of the moment. You couldn't have known."

But you should be more upset about this,
I thought.
You seemed so excited this morning, but now you seem . . . subdued.
It pissed me off that I didn’t have the courage to come right out and tell him that.

The cabin fell silent as our driver, Jonathan, rolled to a stop at a stoplight.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked a moment later. "I must admit, I was totally looking forward to working with you.” I flashed a nervous smile at him. "And then later on, maybe be your partner."

Tyler hesitated, and for a second I saw indecision flicker in his eyes.

Is he having second thoughts?
I wondered. I hated that about myself. I’m a pretty headstrong girl most of the time, but I do have my insecurity issues too. The thought bothered me more than I wanted to admit. It meant that I'd been a fool all along.

When Tyler didn't respond right away, I shifted in my seat, feeling an almost overwhelming panic take control of my limbs. "Are you okay?" I asked, trying my hardest to keep my voice level and firm.

Tyler coughed and shook his head. "Uh, yeah. I was just thinking."

"About what?" my voice cracked.

Damnit.
Another moment longer and I was sure I'd burst into tears.
If that happens
, I thought,
I'm jumping out at the next stop light and never looking back.

Tyler finally seemed to sense my anxiety and wrapped a consoling arm over my shoulder. "Don't worry, babe. I think I know who can help."

"Who?" I wondered, trying not to cry.

"Brad, a lawyer friend of mine," Tyler replied confidently. "I had a meeting planned with him at Bixby's diner tomorrow during lunch."

"Bixby's," I muttered. I thought I’d heard of that one, a trendy restaurant near Christine’s. It was a little upscale and out of my league.

"Yeah. Anyway, we were going to go over the legal options I have if I’m removed. How about you stop by on your lunch break tomorrow? We'll talk to him about it, see if there's anything you can do to get out of it. If not, we’ll just have to wait.”

"He'd do that?" I asked, swallowing back the lump in my throat. Just Tyler having his arm around me was doing a lot to calm my nerves. The man was out of this world. He could make me suspicious of him, doubt myself, and love him all at once.