Page 22 of Earn Me

Jealous rage simmered in Keiran's blood as he watched Marvin jovially throw one arm around his daughter's shoulders and another one over Grant's...before pulling the two close for a group hug that also happened to cause Cadence's body to press closely against the other man's.

Damn him.

Keiran had seen enough. But just as he was about to give both Marvin and Grant a taste of reality, and have them fucking enjoy a glimpse of the monster inside of him—-

We found him.

It was a text from Viktor's messenger, and tension gripped Keiran's frame.

Finally.

He pulled Cadence to the side, saying quietly, "I'm sorry about this, but do you think you can sleep over at your parents' place for now?"

"I...I could, but...why?"

"Just some business to attend to."

A weak laugh escaped her. "At ten in the evening?"

He kissed her forehead, thinking she was just being cute. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." With his mind already on what could possibly be his last mission before he could safely reveal the truth to his wife, Keiran missed the devastated look on his wife's face as she watched him drive away.

Cadence

PRESENT TIME

I'm no longer seated on Keiran's lap, but everyone is still staring. No surprise since it's obvious that the other members definitely remember my dad treating Keiran as just the hired help when we were "dating" years ago.

Michael Preston and his son James are with us. Michael, a former business partner of my dad, looks uncomfortable seeing me with Keiran. And James? Well, he's about my age and struggling not to stare at me in this barely-there red dress.

"Cadence," Michael says carefully, "are you here to represent your father's interests?"

Before Keiran can answer, I say cheerfully, "I'm just here as Keiran's lunch date."

"Oh." The weight of that single syllable is crushing. Everyone at the table seems to reach the same conclusion simultaneously: I'm selling myself to Keiran because my dad is bankrupt.

As Michael and Keiran talk business, James leans closer to me, his voice low. "So, does this mean Grant is out of the picture?"

---