Page 4 of Cocky Prince
He nods.
I’d like to say, yes, of course they’re happy, but the truth is, I don’t know. Sometimes I suspect my brothers are as lost as I am.
I sit forward. “They’re grown men. They make their own choices.”
He studies me for a long moment before his gaze flickers away. “Congratulations. On the promotion. You like it there?” He looks over at this last question as if my answer is important, when my happiness has never been important to him. In my entire life, my father has never asked what I wanted.
“I enjoy the work.” Better to agree and get this uncomfortable conversation over with, but as soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize they’re true. Working at Blue has felt right from the beginning. Or at least, from the moment I set eyes on Hayden Tate.
Hayden is…different. She doesn’t cower. For some twisted reason, I like that. She’s refreshing in a lifestyle that grows stale. Or maybe it’s the way her curvy hips swish back and forth after I’ve pissed her off and she’s storming away from me—I haven’t decided. Either way, she’s made Blue bearable, and now I’ve been promoted. It can only get better from here.
From what I’ve heard, management bonuses, coupled with the increased income I’ll be receiving, will keep me in comfort. I won’t need my father’s money to stay flush. And I’d give anything to prove to my brothers that I can make it on my own.
I lost my brothers’ respect when I started cashing in on the trust fund payments our father dangled while they walked away to live their own lives. My brothers have my back, but they’ve never understood why I put up with our father’s crap.
I thought the job my father ordered me to take at Blue Casino was to ensure he still had me as his lackey, just more experienced. Some part of me still believes it. But if his words are true, and he’s open to me working somewhere else, I’d just as soon never work at Club Tahoe again. I’d like to become my own man, the way my brothers have. Which means I can’t screw up the opportunity Blue has given me.
I stand and reach across the desk, shaking my father’s hand with a firm grip, the way he taught me to when I was four years old. “I’d better get back. I’m meeting with friends to celebrate.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Adam.” He squeezes my palm, the look in his eyes sincere.
“No,” I stammer. “Of course not.” But I have no idea what he’s talking about. My brothers and I are all strangers to him. It just so happens I’m a closer stranger than the rest of them.
I exit his office and stop in the reception area, staring blindly at the opposite wall. Whatever is going on with him, it can’t be important, or I’d have heard about it in the local news. He’ll be back to his overbearing, ornery self in no time.
“Everything all right?” Esther is sitting at her desk, her eyebrows pinched in concern.
“Fine.” I grin and pull a butterscotch candy from my pocket, placing it in front of her. My brothers and I used to leave Esther her favorite candy whenever we visited. Now, I’m the only one who sets foot in this place.
I walk toward the exit, and Esther’s soft voice drifts toward me. “He’s proud of you, you know.”
My back stiffens and I freeze, a prickle of unease floating across my neck. The atmosphere in here is off. I’m not used to heart-to-hearts with my father. Or with Esther, as kind as she’s been over the years.
I thought I wanted my father’s pride in me. Now that I have it, I’m too disturbed by his behavior to feel anything but confusion.
I offer a confident smile that I don’t feel over my shoulder, and exit Club Tahoe.
Chapter Two
Hayden
The receptionist informsBlackwell that I’m here and receives verbal approval for me to enter, but my boss is an all-around scary man, and he’s never liked me.
I hesitate at the door, pray he’s in a good mood, then step inside. “Do you have a moment?”
He doesn’t look up from his computer. “Make it quick. I’m expecting a call.”
I close the door behind me and put on my best game face. “I wanted to talk to you about the hospitality manager position.”
“It’s been filled,” he says, clicking through a document on the screen.
“Yes…that’s why I’m here. You asked me to hire someone.”
Blackwell looks over, his beady brown eyes even smaller behind the wire-rimmed glasses he wears. “And? Do you have a problem with the person I selected?” His curt voice indicates I had better not have a problem. “Mary!” he calls. His receptionist scrambles in, and he hands her a file. “Deliver this. You know where. Do it now.”
Scary. Ass. Boss.
“No, of course there’s no problem,” I say once his receptionist has left. “I just thought you’d want to consult with me about the candidates I’ve been interviewing before you made a decision. And announced it to the entire company.”
