Page 15 of The Tempo of Truth
She smirked and taunted me with a sassy, “Good.”
I stared at the door after she left until it was pushed open ten minutes later by Lev.He gave me a once-over, then asked, “Why do you look like you just went ten rounds with a heavyweight champion?”
I turned around and turned on the sink.I splashed cold water on my face and looked at my frustrated expression in the mirror.“Dealing with Winnie isn’t as easy as I remember.”
Lev chuckled.“She’s not what I expected.Tougher and smarter than I imagined any woman foolish enough to be in love with you to be.”
I sighed and stared at my reflection as water dripped from the tip of my nose and the edge of my chin.“She’s not in love with me.She wants to own me.I’m like a toy she’s always wanted but could never get her hands on.”
Lev kicked the back of my knee, causing me to nearly buckle.“If she wants to own you, give yourself to her at the highest price possible.You could do a lot worse than being Winnie Halliday’s boy toy.You’re already stuck with her because of the kid.Might as well make the most of it.”He shook his head.“Don’t even try to tell me that you aren’t for sale.We both know you’ve always had a price, Ky.”
I did have a price.
One Winnie couldn’t pay.
If only she had never asked me if I helped her grandfather kidnap her.If she didn’t doubt me and question if I had it in me to harm her, I would’ve melted in her hands years ago.Her suspicion, no matter how valid, was an insurmountable hurdle in my heart.Even if she showed absolute faith in me by allowing me into our son’s life, I still couldn’t overcome the lingering resentment that followed from her initial distrust.
I slicked my wet hair back with my palms and asked Lev, “Do you think her security guard wants to fuck her?”
I noticed the way he watched her wasn’t entirely professional.And his barely concealed disgust toward me served no point unless the basis was jealousy.I’d never given the guy a reason to have an issue with me, but every time our eyes locked, I could sense him silently cursing me out.
Lev hummed in agreement.“He’s got his eyes on the prize, unlike you.If he weren’t on the clock, he would’ve taken the opportunity to pound you into the ring in a heartbeat.He doesn’t want you anywhere near his boss.”
“Were you really willing to bet that I’d beat him in a fight?He’s got professional training.The Hallidays don’t mess around when it comes to personal security, especially after Winnie got snatched right out from under them.”
Lev grunted and gave me a narrow-eyed look.“In my experience, training only gets someone so far.Desperation, on the other hand,” he pointed at me with no shame, “there is no limit to how far a truly desperate man can go.”
I rolled my shoulder and gave the older man a dirty look.“Out of the two of us, I think you might be the one who is desperate, old man.Don’t think I’m going to ignore your messaging Winnie so you could get her to come down to the gym behind my back.Leave her alone, Lev.If you think she’s tough, you don’t want to know what her uncles are like.Especially Win.I was scared shitless of him when I was a kid.”
“He’s paid you once to get out of his niece’s life.You’re a lot worse as a person now.Maybe there’s another massive payday on the horizon.”He slapped my shoulder before I could tell him to fuck off.He was going to play with fire despite my numerous warnings.All I could do was try and keep myself from getting burned by standing next to him.“Pack it in for the night, Ky.That kid sucks.He doesn’t have what it takes if he can’t even hold his own with you.”
I grunted in agreement while picking up my still buzzing phone.Typically, I’d answer one of the messages and find some soft and sweet company to take my mind off how far off track my life had gone.
Tonight, I didn’t want anyone else to touch the place where Winnie’s lips had touched mine.
Winnie
“Thank you so much for taking the time to meet me for lunch.I was getting tired of eating out of to-go containers in the boardroom.”
I glanced across the table at the attractive man who’d been asking me out for lunch and dinner every time we met for business.Initially, I planned to keep turning him down because I didn’t want Oliver Byrd to get the impression I was interested in anything more than our shared business interests.The only reason I agreed to have a meal with him today was to divert attention away from Lowe and Ky.I thought the media frenzy around my private life would die down once there was something else to stir up the news cycle, but so far, my relationship—or lack thereof—with Lowe’s father was still dominating headlines in both entertainment and financial media.I hoped stepping out with a handsome, well-connected man might act like chum in the water and divert the sharks looking for blood onto a new target.
I had no clue if Oliver knew he was being used or not, but he appeared to be treating the meal as a first date.I’d done my best to set the record straight and insisted I had no intention of leading him on.The words made no difference, and he was still pouring on the charm as if he were looking for an opportunity to win me over.He’d been nothing but a gentleman.I could tell we’d survived the same sort of rigorous upbringing.It wasn’t a stretch to assume he’d had to suffer through the same etiquette and manners classes my grandmother forced upon me, although he didn’t appear as resentful of all the time spent learning to be as proper and polished as I was.
I took a sip of water and forked a mouthful of saucy pasta into my mouth.The restaurant was newly opened, a couple of streets over from Halliday headquarters.The portions were big, and the food was hearty.I had no complaints about the ambiance or what was on my plate.The company was also fine, other than Oliver only eating a Caesar salad while doing his best to impress me with his lengthy list of accomplishments.I didn’t want to interrupt him when he was talking about attending an Ivy League college, or when he mentioned he was a season ticket holder to both the ballet and the city’s major league baseball team.I knew he was trying to show that he had diverse interests, but I would’ve been more impressed if he shoveled some carbs into his mouth and chugged a glass of wine during the middle of the day.It was a tad arduous to spend time with someone who was just as proper and polite as I was.
I wiped my mouth and tried to cast a subtle look at the time on my phone screen.“I’m not really a ballet fan.My grandmother made me take lessons when I was in middle school.Even though I was thin as a toothpick back then, the teacher told me I wasn’t built right for ballet.”I motioned to my much healthier and rounder figure.“Definitely not cut out to be a dancer these days.My best friend is an opera singer.I’m a lifetime ticket holder for classical theater.”I smiled faintly when I mentioned Lowe.“My son likes football.Maybe he’ll branch out as he gets older; for now, he’s not interested in anything other than kicking the ball around and protecting the goal.”
Oliver’s knife scratched across his plate.The sound made my back teeth hurt.I looked at him in surprise since it was the first faux pas he’d made while in my presence.
He cleared his throat and reached for his glass of water.“What about you?I’ve heard that you were a big soccer fan.So much so that you decided to attend college abroad.”
I laughed and motioned for the server to bring me the dessert menu.“I went overseas for a lot of reasons.It’s easier to be a Halliday when there is an ocean between you and the town named after your family.Plus, my father was recently married at the time, and my aunt and uncle had a house full of kids.Everyone did their job and raised me to the point I was old enough and confident enough to make my own choices about things.Attending an international school was the first big decision I made on my own.”I handed the menu back, and he looked confused when asked if he wanted dessert as well.It seemed like sugar was also a foreign concept to him.“I still enjoy football.I follow whichever team Lowe is rooting for at the time.Now that I’m officially learning the ropes at the company, I have less time to indulge in outside interests.I’m going to have to work on the whole work-life balance thing.”
Oliver cleared his throat and gave me a probing look.So far, he’d been on his best behavior, but I felt the shift in his energy as he asked, “What about boxing?Is that a new interest, or is your enthusiasm limited to a specific fighter?”
I sat back in my chair and felt both of my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline.“Are you having me followed?”I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was.His nice-guy act was nearly flawless.
Oliver shook his head, his features showing blatant disgust when a fat piece of cheesecake covered in strawberries was placed in front of me.I’d most definitely inherited my Uncle Win’s sweet tooth.Any sugary, decadent dessert reminded me of all the times he’d snuck me away from my grandmother to indulge in something she would never allow.
