Page 57 of The Apprentice
“You can do that at the restaurant.” I didn’t look at Daire, afraid of his reaction to everything that was happening.
Mancini, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly entertained by the situation. He chuckled and let out a low wolf whistle, but I ignored him. I hated that my uncle made us bring him along. We didn’t need him at all.
“Tonight at six?” Michele’s eyes sparkled with wickedness that I should’ve been interested in seeing, but I couldn’t help but peek at Daire from the corner of my eye.
Daire had his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, but he didn’t look at me. His unhappiness made my stomach squirm with guilt.
Raising my chin, I focused on Michele with a smile. “I’ll be there.”
Daire didn’t look at me for the entire drive home.
I felt like I’d done something horrible, like cheat on him. But Daire had made it clear—we couldn’t be in a relationship. You can’t cheat on someone who won’t date you. Yet, the remorse gnawed at my insides, a beast wanting to escape a cage, whichonly made me angry becausehechose this. Not me. Now he had to live with the consequences.
When we got back to the Killough mansion, I slipped out of the sleek black car and stalked up the steps to the front door, where Mr. Hopper was waiting with it open.
Mr. Hopper gave me a short bow, but I ignored him as I stormed into the foyer and up the stairs. I heard someone behind me, but I didn’t bother to look back until I was spun around by the arm.
I raised my fist, ready to strike, but dropped it immediately when I came face-to-face with Conall. If I’d hit my uncle’s partner, I would be dead on the spot, nephew or not.
He grinned. “What happened? Daire’s furious, and you look like someone pissed in your cornflakes. I want to knoweverything.”
I shook my head and held up my palms. I stepped back and moved toward my room. Conall’s footsteps signaled he was right behind me, but I ignored him until I walked through the door into my bedroom. If we were going to have this conversation, it wasn’t going to be in the hallway where every guard could hear us.
I shut the door behind him and crossed my arms. “Michele asked me on a date tonight, finally, and I accepted.”
“Is that why Daire’s stomping around like a kid who lost his favorite toy?” Conall looked too damned smug for his own good. He bounced on the tips of his toes.
I groaned. “He wasn’t happy, but I’m tired of waiting around for him.”
“Good. You should be.” He walked over to the desk near the window and fell into the comfortable black office chair. I hated the furniture in my room because I always believed bedrooms were for sleeping only, but Sloan had insisted it would be useful in the future. I could never say no to my uncle. Conall spun onthe chair to face me. “Do you want to know one thing I learned working in a whore house?”
“How to deep throat?” The corner of my mouth twitched. This new relationship with Conall was strange, and even though we’d become more like friends over the last month, I was waiting for the entire thing to explode in my face. If Sloan noticed the difference between us, he hadn’t said a word, but there was more smiling in my direction.
“I’m naturally talented in that department.” He chuckled. “Men are stupid. And yeah, that does include us.” He shrugged. “We’re built to enjoy sex and made to believe by society we can’t love like women can. Fuck that shit. We can have as much fun as we want with fucking, but also be in love with that person, too. You wanna know how I keep Sloan’s attention?”
I didn’t think he’d have to try hard. He might’ve been right about men being stupid because I suspected Conall couldn’t see how much Sloan loved him. I decided to humor him anyway. “How?”
“I make him fight for it. I don’t just give in to him. Men like Sloan and Daire, they want a challenge. That’s why Sloan chose me that day at the Virtue. I wasn’t on offer, and he wanted someone to fight him. He was bored, and I was a game.” He smirked. “I’m not saying Daire’s the exact same, but that man has pushed you around for too long. You’ve chased him and waited for him. He’s never seen you with another person. You’ve never threatened him with another potential lover because you were a puppy dog, panting for his attention.”
“I wasn’t his puppy,” I snapped, although, I’d had the same thoughts.
He raised his eyebrows.
“I was his boy.”
He blinked. “What?”
“His boy. He was... is Daddy Daire. Well, when we fuck anyway.” The words sounded pathetic to my ears. I gritted my teeth. “But you’re right. I’m done.”
“Remember what you said to those men at the Amatory, Fionn?” Conall shot to his feet and strode toward him. “You’rethe future of this company. You’re not a nobody, you’re Fionn fucking Killough. Change things up. Now it’s Daire’s turn to grovel and chaseyou. You’re in charge of your life.”
A renewed vigor had me straightening, and I squared my shoulders. I smiled. “Conall, will you help me choose the clothes for my date?”
He snickered. “Fuck yeah, I will.”
12
DAIRE
