Page 51 of Vows In Corruption

That causes Bennett to look up from his phone and give me a confused look. “Elliot doesn’t look like me.”

A small snort come out of me. “Add some facial hair on him, put him in a suit and maybe style his hair and he is the spitting image of you.”

When the car pulled up to the house, I half expected to only see Bennett, maybe a house keeper opening the door, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw two other men there, waiting with smiles on their faces. Both looked like friendly smiles, but one coming from the guy that looks like Bennett, Elliot, looked like he was enjoying himself too much and I was missing an inside joke.

Bennett thinks about my assessment for a few seconds before he shakes his head and goes back to looking down at his phone.

“He’s my nephew. My brother’s kid.”

That make sense.

I remember from reading Thomas and Catherine Lane’s obituary that Bennett’s older brother was sixteen when they died. He must have started his family young.

“Is your brother going to be joining us for the board meeting?” The question comes out without a second thought and when Bennett’s shoulder tense up, I regret it.

I watch as he drops his phone on his lap, face down and turns to look out the window.

He answers a full tow minutes later. “No. My brother hasn’t step foot in Chicago for ten years and I doubt that he is going to do it anytime soon.”

I’ve been around Bennett a lot thee last three weeks and in that time I know when something has hit a nerve and he is trying his hardest to keep his anger in check. This is one of those times.

Feeling embarrassed, I drop my head slightly and apologize. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Curiosity took the best of me.”

It takes a minute, but Bennett finally says and turns back to face me.

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t know.” A weird look crosses his face but then it quickly disappears. “My brother… is a sore subject. Especially on a day like today.”

My curiosity tries to get the best of me, but this is the one time that I don’t let it. I already made him upset with my last question, I don’t want to do that again.

The silence between us last for a few minutes.

“You want to ask why, don’t you?” He says, breaking the silence.

I let out a sigh, I guess I have to learn how to school my facial expressions.

“I do, but I’m not going to.”

“Why not?”

A small smile forms on my face. “Because I respect you, and if you say it’s a sore subject then I have no right asking about it.”

He studies me. His eyes moving across my face as if he is taking every inch to memorize it. My brain is telling me to shy away, but I don’t. I want him to keep looking at me like he is, because even if it’s for a split second it makes me feel like he wants me.

And I hate myself for even thinking that.

A man like Bennett Lane could never want me. He’s one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, who can have any woman that he wants, there is no way he would settle for someone like me.

“How much do you know about my family?” He asks, his question not one that I expect for him to ask.

“Only what I learned when I applied for this job.”

“Which is?”

“Not much. Just that your parents died when you were young and that your brother hasn’t been very public about his life as you have.”

And it’s true. That’s all I know about his family. I’ve heard a few whispers about the Lanes from the day I started working there, all over the building but I don’t stay to listen. It feels wrong learning about the family when I’m working for one of the members.

A small scoop leaves Bennett. “I guess that’s one way to describe my bother.”

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