I drummed my fingers on the arm of the plush leather chair and stared at the painting on the wall across from me. I knew it was by some big-shot trendy artist. I vaguely remembered my father boasting about buying it, but I hadn’t cared enough to remember anything more than the ridiculous price tag.
Art was subjective, and beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but the thick black paint slashes and hunks of what looked like crumpled parchment paper glued to the canvas just looked messy.
“Weston!”
My father’s voice boomed over the speaker on the empty reception desk outside the door to his office. I jumped.
At least he’d given his support staff the day off. It wasn’t unusual for the office to be bustling all weekend when my father was in town.
Not wanting to drag this out any longer than it had to be, I strode into my father’s office, making sure to look confident but not arrogant.
“Weston.” He looked me up and down with a critical eye.
“Dad.” I resisted the urge to fiddle with my tie. I’d spent most of last night watching a bunch of middle-aged men drink themselves stupid and boast about their money and try to one-up each other. The last thing I’d wanted to do this morning was put on a suit to have a “discussion” with my father about it.
He motioned for me to sit in the chair across from his desk. Looked like I passed inspection. Go me.
“What did you learn at the dinner?” He steepled his fingers, looking every bit the part of the corporate villain.
“I emailed you my report this morning.”
He made a hrmph sound. “Summarize it for me.”
I launched into a retelling of the evening, making sure to mention all the points I’d written in my report. I told him everything I’d managed to overhear, including the few bits of gossip about him I’d caught.
“Nothing new, unfortunately.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You’re dismissed, Weston.”
“We need to talk about more than the dinner.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What could we possibly need to discuss?”
“A lot of things. But let’s start with what I learned while going through the files for your student properties.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “And what do you think you’ve found in the files?”
“Evidence of building code violations, neglect, and you knowingly putting your tenants in danger.”
His glare intensified.
“I also found proof you’ve been artificially inflating the market for years.”
“And? It’s common practice with investment properties.”
“Maybe, but how do you think the public will feel once they find out you’re not only putting the lives of children in danger, but that you’ve also been manipulating the market in a town that’s already unaffordable for more than half the people who live there?”
“They’re not children.”
“They’re students. They’re somebody’s child. Parents send their kids to the school trusting they’re going to be living in safe housing. How do you think the school will feel when parents realize they’ve been paying out the ass for subpar accommodations?”
“And what makes you think the school doesn’t know?” He arched an eyebrow coldly.
“They might, but the parents don’t. Do you really think the school wants that getting out?”
“You disappoint me, Weston. I gave you this job because it’s easy. Because not even you could screw it up. But you had to go and dig into things that are none of your business.” He rested his hands on the shiny surface of his giant, ornate desk.
“If I’m in charge of these properties, then it is my business. Why didn’t you replace the water heater in the house on Nightingale? Why did you let it get to the point where the pipe burst and created tens of thousands of dollars of damage that I had to spend last week dealing with?”
“Because it was more cost effective to wait for a problem than fix it pre-emptively,” he said simply.
“More cost effective?” I gaped at him.
He shrugged. “There’s a reason I have insurance.”
“The unit could have exploded. Do you understand that? Five college kids could be dead right now because of your negligence.”
“But it didn’t.” Another shrug. “I took a calculated risk, and it paid off.”
“A calculated risk?”
“Yes. And don’t think I don’t see why you suddenly care about my properties.”
“It’s my job to care about them, especially when I spend a week cleaning up a mess that never should have happened.”
“Or is it because of the Hawthorne kid?”
“What?”
“Do you really think you can do anything in that town without me knowing about it?”
“No.”
The revelation that my father had been keeping tabs on me wasn’t a shock. I’d hoped he’d trust me enough to do my job, but he’d never trust me.
“So that’s how you repay everything I’ve done for you? You run around town with the kid brother of the boy who ruined your life? Who nearly destroyed everything I’ve worked for?”
“He didn’t ruin anyone’s life. I did. I made a mistake, and you’ve been holding it over my head ever since.”
“You proved I couldn’t trust you, and you’ve done nothing to earn my trust back.”
“I’ve done everything you’ve ever wanted of me. I fucked up, but why does one mistake have to define me for the rest of my life?”
“Getting arrested is more than a mistake.”
“It was only a mistake when Lexi and her friends were arrested for shoplifting. You made her ‘mistake’ go away and instead of punishing her, you upped her allowance.”
“Everyone shoplifts.” He snorted. “She just made the mistake of getting caught.”
“What about when she got a DIU at sixteen? You made that go away. Are you going to argue that everyone drives drunk underage and her only mistake was getting caught?”
“It’s not the same, and you know it.”
“I’d say operating a vehicle while intoxicated is worse than getting caught at a party with a few joints in your pocket. We were both sixteen when we made these mistakes, but it’s only a problem when I step out of line?”
“Your sister isn’t going to be taking over my company.” He narrowed his eyes and glared daggers at me.
“So she gets a free pass to do whatever she wants, and I have to spend the rest of my life under your thumb just to prove I’m not that sixteen-year-old kid anymore?”
“It’s about trust,” he snapped. “How can I trust you with my life’s work if I can’t even trust you not to drag my name through the mud with your stupid teenage antics?”
“What makes you think I want your life’s work?”
He blinked, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.
“You don’t trust me. You don’t give a damn about me unless you’re micromanaging every aspect of my life, and you won’t even give me enough freedom to do the job you put me in.”
“What are you saying?” he asked tightly.
“I’m saying I’m done with all of it.” I stood and crossed my arms, needing to move before I lost my shit. “I can’t keep living like this, and I refuse to play this game anymore. It’s been six and a half years, and I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked. I haven’t stepped one toe out of line, but I’m over it.”
“You’re over it?” he bit out. “Sit down.”
“No. We’re having this discussion now.”
“What do you want? What do you possibly think you have to gain from any of this?”
“Give me a chance to prove myself.”
He rolled his lips inward and glared at me.
“Give me full control over the student properties. Let me clean up the mess you let happen because you were more worried about your bottom line than the PR fallout if any of the information I have gets out.”
“And what will that prove?”
“That I can do my damn job without having every move I make scrutinized. That I’m a trustworthy employee when I’m given all the information I need to succeed.”
His jaw ticked, but he stayed quiet.
“We both know the revenue you make from the student properties is a drop in the bucket for the company. Is it worth risking your reputation if the information you’ve been hiding gets out?”
“Are you threatening to leak my private files?” His eyes flashed with anger, and his face twisted into a sneer. That look could bring entire board rooms of subordinates to their knees. I’d become immune to it years ago.
“No. I’m not threatening anything. I’m asking you to consider what would happen if the information did get out.”
“What exactly do you want?”
“Let me do my job. Give me until the end of the school year to fix this mess before it becomes a problem.”
“You think I don’t know you’re doing this because your little boy toy batted his eyelashes at you? You’ve always been a bleeding heart.”
“First of all, do not talk about him. Not ever. Who I’m friends with or have a relationship with is none of your damn business.”
“It’s my business when he’s making my only son turn on me.”
“He has nothing to do with this. I’m ‘turning’ on you because of you. Because of what you’ve done, how you’ve treated me. And I want to fix the properties because it’s the right thing to do. You got lucky it was only a pipe that burst on that water heater. These aren’t just investments. People live in these buildings, and it’s our responsibility to make sure they’re safe.”
He scoffed.
“How much do you think the families would have sued for if the unit had exploded? Five dead students would tug on anyone’s heartstrings. How many millions do you think a judge would have awarded each of them? Not to mention the publicity. What do you think would happen to your reputation or stocks if the country knew you’d allowed a bunch of kids to die because you didn’t want to spend a couple grand replacing a defective water heater? Do you really think your investors and shareholders would stick around after that?”
“And if I go along with this asinine plan? What’s the endgame for you?”
“Freedom. No more deciding where I live. No more using me to pay off properties or expecting me to do the jobs of multiple people. You’ll pay me a fair salary, let me do my job without interference, and stay out of my personal life. That’s it. That’s all I want.”
“Fine.” He stood and met my stare with his cold one. “You have until the end of the school year to prove yourself. But there will be no more ultimatums when you fail.”
I gritted my teeth at his dig.
“No more demands or pushback. You’ll do what you’re told until I decide you’re trustworthy.”
“Fine. But I’m not going to fail.”
“You say that, but we both know you will.”
“Have a good rest of your weekend, Father.” I made sure to keep my voice neutral.
He didn’t return the sentiment, didn’t even blink. I turned and calmly walked out of his office.
Today was a win, but the hollow, empty feeling in my chest didn’t make me feel like I’d won anything.
I’d hoped working for him would show him I wasn’t that stupid kid anymore, but now I understood his anger and treatment of me had nothing to do with my mistake and everything to do with him being a controlling asshole.
I’d always gone along with the assumption that I’d work for my father and eventually take over his business, but I was done with the bullshit. If he couldn’t respect me as a person or think of me as a valuable employee, then I’d never be good enough to be treated like his son.
My mental health mattered, and so did my happiness. The thought of not working for my father was terrifying, but it was time for me to decide what I wanted my future to look like and start working to make it happen.
The car was waiting for me outside the main doors, and I slid into the luxe back seat with a deep sigh.
“Where to, Mr. Daniels?” the driver asked through the partition.
“The hotel so I can get out of this monkey suit and pack up. Then the airport.”
“Yes, sir.”
He lifted the partition, and I slumped in my seat. Exhaustion rolled over me in waves as we drove through Manhattan.
Zzzzz. Zzzzz. Zzzzz.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and smiled at the photo on my screen. Eli had sent it to me last night before his show. He’d put on one of my dress shirts and was smiling sweetly at the camera.
He’d also sent me a full-body photo with the shirt hanging off him. I didn’t know what it said about me that our size difference turned me on, but seeing him in my clothes satisfied both the horn dog and caveman sides of me.
The other photo was relatively tame. He’d taken it while sitting on his bed. The shirt was open except for the bottom button, and his chest, stomach, and legs were on full display while his hard cock pushed at the fabric of the shirt.
The pose was sexy as hell, but it was his bashful smile that made it all the more special. It was playful and cute with a hint of challenge. That was the real Eli. His viewers saw the persona he’d perfected, but I got all of him.
“Hey,” I answered his call.
“Hi. Is this a bad time?”
“No. I’m just in the car. I’m glad you called.”
“You are?” The hope and happiness in his voice both broke my heart and made me smile. I was looking forward to the day when he didn’t think of himself as a burden or like he had to try and fit himself into my life or schedule. I’d always make time for him, no matter what was going on.
“Yeah. I’m always happy to hear from you, but your timing is extra perfect today.”
“What happened? Did the meeting with your dad go badly?”
I sighed. “It went better than I expected.”
“You don’t sound like that’s a good thing.”
“I gave him an ultimatum.”
“What? Wow.”
“Yeah. Remember those files you cloned for me? I found a lot of incriminating shit in them. Your house isn’t the only one with code violations, and the maintenance logs are concerning. I also found out he’s been artificially inflating the market for years.”
“I’m glad you have proof, but nothing you said is all that surprising. Especially about inflating the market.”
“You knew?”
“It’s not hard to figure out when blocks of student properties go up for sale every few years, but there are never any listings and different shell corporations quietly buy them for ridiculously high prices. It’s been going on for decades.”
“It’s not right.”
“No, it’s not. But back to your ultimatum. How do you feel about it?”
“Terrified and relieved.” I sighed. “I’m done living like this, but the thought of not living like this is scaring the fuck out of me.”
“That makes sense. You’ve spent your entire life living by his rules. You’ve essentially been conditioned and programmed into exactly what he wanted you to be. He’s made you completely dependent on him. Any sort of freedom would be scary.”
“You make it sound like I’ve been brainwashed.”
“Haven’t you? When was the last time you got to make a decision that was just for you? Have you ever had any control over where you lived or what you were allowed to do on any given day?”
“No. Never.”
“Exactly. And breaking that conditioning isn’t going to be easy. Your entire life you’ve been told you’re not good enough. Not smart or capable enough. That you’re a bad person and you don’t deserve the same respect or freedom other people do. He’s convinced you there’s something wrong with you, but it’s him. He’s the megalomaniac. He’s the asshole who treats his son like a business asset and not a person.”
“The worst part is I can’t even hate him. I hate what he’s done, and I hate that he’s not a good person, but I can’t hate him.”
“I have a lifetime of dealing with a toxic father, and it’s not easy to cut a parent out of your life. Not even when they do nothing but hurt you.”
Eli never talked about his father. I was curious, but I didn’t want to pry.
“Your dad sounds like he’s even worse than mine,” I said carefully.
“I’d say they’re on par. Mine is just a different kind of asshole.” He sighed. “My dad never wanted to be a dad. He was seventeen, and our mom was sixteen when they got pregnant with Gray. He never forgave her for having him and ‘destroying’ his life. Two years later, she had me, and he made our lives miserable until the day he finally left and didn’t come back.”
“How old were you?”
“Three, and because of the way my brain works, I remember everything. The fighting, the things he said about our mom, about us. The abuse, the affairs, and the drinking. All of it.”
“You said your stepfather has been good to you?”
“He’s wonderful. We really lucked out when he married our mom. He loves us, and he’s always treated us like his own kids. But he’s not our dad. He’s our siblings’ dad. Gray and I were teenagers when he came into our lives, and our siblings got the childhood we didn’t. It’s not their fault, and I’m glad they don’t have to go through what we did. But not having a father in our lives really messed Gray up.”
“Not you?”
“No, because I had him. He stepped up and filled the father role for me when we were kids. But he didn’t have anyone to do the same for him. Glenn tries, and they get along, but he’s not our dad, so Gray still holds on to the hope that one day our father will change and he’ll have the relationship he’s been craving his whole life. But even after all that and seeing what he keeps doing to Gray every time he reappears in his life, only to leave him broken and disappointed again, I still can’t hate him.”
“Your dad sounds a million times worse than mine.”
“Mine’s an absent asshole, but yours is a controlling asshole. Not having a dad sucks, but having one like yours is just as bad. And I have my mom and Glenn and my siblings. My dad might suck donkey balls, but the rest of my family is awesome.”
I huffed out a laugh. How he could be so incredibly insightful but also hilarious was one of the reasons I loved talking with him so much. You never knew what was going to come out of his mouth.
“Do you have that?” he asked softly. “I got the impression you and your sister don’t get along. What about your mom? You never talk about her.”
“Because there’s not much to talk about.” I sighed and glanced out the window. “Lexi and I were raised differently. My mom is… I don’t really know how to describe her. She’s not a bad person, but she’s a product of her environment. She goes along with whatever my father says or wants because that’s how she was raised. She and Lexi are close. They’re basically clones of each other, but she’s always been hands-off with me.”
“Sounds lonely.”
“It is. But even with all that, I still can’t cut the cord. Even after he sat there and told me he expects me to fail at everything and has no remorse for how he’s treated me.”
“You said you gave him an ultimatum. What was it?”
“I asked him to give me control of the student properties and let me fix the mess he’s made of them.”
“And what happens if you do what you set out to do?”
“He stops micromanaging my life and lets me live the way I want.”
“Do you think he’ll hold up his end of the deal if you succeed?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“What do you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“Out of life. You haven’t been allowed to make any of your own decisions for years. What would you do tomorrow if you were able to snap your fingers and completely change your reality?”
“I’m not sure. I never really let myself think too hard about it. I guess have my own place. A job that doesn’t take over my entire life. Friends.”
I didn’t add someone to come home to, but I wanted that more than anything.
“All that sounds achievable.”
“Yeah. It does.”
“How long do you have before your ultimatum deadline?”
“The end of the school year.”
“That gives you a few months to figure out what you want and to start making it happen.”
“It sounds so easy when you say it like that.”
“It’s not. And it won’t be, but you’re so much more than your father has let you believe. You’re smart, capable, kind, resourceful, and driven. You have the power within yourself to decide your own future. You just need someone to remind you that you can do it.”
“Are you that person?” I asked softly.
“I am. I’m proud of you, West. Standing up to him was a huge step. Giving him an ultimatum was an even bigger one. You’ve started a new path, and I’ll be right here to nudge you back onto it when it gets tough.”
My chest squeezed with both love and admiration. This man, this incredible, beautiful man, was everything I’d never allowed myself to want. And I was so grateful fate had brought us back together.
“You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
He made a soft sound like he was brushing off the compliment.
I glanced out the window and sighed again. We were only a few blocks from the hotel now.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just not looking forward to the rest of my day. Are you going to be free in a few hours? I have to get packed up and get my ass to the airport, but maybe we can talk again while I’m waiting to board?”
“Yeah. Definitely,” he said brightly.
“Miss you.”
“Miss you too. And safe travels.”
“Thanks.”
He ended the call, and I was putting my phone back into my pocket when we pulled up in front of the hotel.
Nothing had been solved, and I wasn’t even sure if I’d truly won today, but I felt better after talking things out with Eli. Just having someone to share the burden with made everything a little less daunting and overwhelming.
Hopefully, I’d helped him as much as he’d helped me.
