Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 83550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
I glance around the outer sanctum and find his secretary’s desk empty, which is unusual. Maybe luck is finally on my side and he’s not here.
Nothing would thrill me more.
I knock once and hear a muffled thud from inside, followed by the faint sound of rustling papers and the low hum of conversation.
Is it possible the old man is stroking out?
Again, nothing would thrill me—
We’ll just leave it at that.
My brow furrows, and I’m about to rap my knuckles for a second time when the door creaks open and his secretary slips out. A flush fills her cheeks and her blouse is buttoned wrong. She avoids eye contact as she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
My stomach twists with a sick mix of disbelief and disgust.
She looks like she could be my age.
And Dick has the audacity to lecture me about propriety?
Un-fucking-believable.
“Go on in,” she mumbles before scurrying to her desk.
With a shake of my head, I step inside and shut the door behind me. Dad is seated behind his massive mahogany desk, looking like the king of his little fiefdom. He glances up, his expression cool and unreadable. It’s the tension in his jaw that gives him away.
The man is pissed.
Maybe even embarrassed to be caught in such a compromising situation.
Tough shit for him.
Here’s an idea—don’t fuck around at work.
“You’re late,” he says in a clipped tone. “I expected you an hour ago.”
“Sorry. Didn’t realize we’d set up an appointment,” I shoot back before glancing at the door as if I can see his secretary seated out front. “Kind of seems like I interrupted something important.”
Ignoring the comment, he points to the chair parked in front of the desk. “Sit your ass down.”
Instead of following the command, I stay put. I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible and get on with my day.
His eyes narrow when I don’t immediately fall into line, and he exhales slowly, as if trying to keep his temper in check. I’m surprised he’s making the effort. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t bother.
“Isn’t it enough that your unsavory activities have become public fodder, now you’re getting into fights on campus with your teammates? Is there no end to the humiliation you’re hell-bent on causing me?”
My jaw tenses. “It wasn’t a fight.”
“It looked moments away from becoming one. And for what?” There’s a beat of silence. “Some piece of ass?”
Anger surges inside me that he would refer to Holland that way. “She’s not a piece of ass.”
With a snort, he shakes his head. “Haven’t you figured out by now that they all are? Your mother was a perfect example. Couldn’t hack it and walked away, leaving me with a child to raise myself.”
My hands clench at my sides. As much as I want to defend my mother, I can’t. She wasn’t mentally or emotionally equipped to handle life with Dick. So, she took the easy way out and ran away as fast as she could. I can’t blame her for that. She should have taken me with her, though.
I remind myself that in a few months, I’ll be able to leave him behind too. Some days, it’s the only thing that gets me through.
“Have you forgotten that everything you do reflects on me? On this university? Perhaps you should give serious consideration to stepping away from the team. It’s become a distraction. An embarrassment.”
My eyes widen as his words whip around in my head.
Step away from the team?
They’re more of a family to me than he’ll ever be.
“No.”
He lifts a brow. “Excuse me?”
I straighten as tension fills my shoulders. “I said no. I won’t quit the team. Especially when we’re in the middle of playoffs.”
“Then maybe I’ll have a conversation with the coach myself. I’m sure he’ll see things my way.”
A disbelieving laugh falls from my lips as I shake my head. “You’d actually do that to me?”
His icy glare never wavers. “Yes, I would.”
My blood boils as the words shoot out of my mouth. “You do that, and I can’t guarantee people won’t find out that you’re screwing your secretary. What is she? Twenty-five or six?” I pop a brow. “Possibly younger?”
The room goes deathly quiet. I tighten my hands again to stop them from shaking.
Dick’s eyes darken and a muscle in his jaw tics as he rises from his chair with deliberate slowness. “Are you threatening me, you little shit? After everything I’ve done for you?”
The only thing he’s done is beat me down.
And I’m fucking over it.
I lift my chin and hold his stare. “I won’t quit the team.”
“You’ll do exactly what I tell you to do,” he barks, slamming his fist on the desk. The sound echoes in the room.
“How about we cut the crap.” I force out the words I’ve always secretly feared but hoped weren’t true. “You don’t give a damn about me. Only how I make you look.”