Seriously, I want to puke.
I swallow my last mouthful, chase it with the rest of my water, and glare at him. “Enough, already. What the fuck do you want, Lambert?”
“Sure you don’t want a drink? A real one?”
“I told you I don’t drink during working hours,” I grit out.
“Fine, fine.” He dabs his red cloth napkin to his lips. “I came across your sister a week or so ago in Denver.”
“Oh?” I sure don’t like where this is going.
“She’s a pretty little thing.”
“No.” My voice is strong. Direct.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.”
“I’m not pimping my sister out for a favor, John. Not in this lifetime or any other. You can go to the police if you want. I’ll lose my license, my career, possibly my freedom. I’ll do it gladly if my sister’s at stake.”
“Christ, Don.”
“Make no mistake, though. I’ll take you down with me. So you’d best tread carefully here.”
“For God’s sake,” Lambert says, “Diana’s not even on my radar.”
“Then why’d you bring her up?” My nerves are on edge, my body tensed.
“I want a new house, Steel. I want her to design it.”
I raise an eyebrow. I’m not buying. Not even slightly. “She’s an intern, John. An intern. They’ll never let her design on her own.”
“That’s what I want. A Diana Steel original. You can make that happen.”
“John, I can get you the best architect in Colorado, okay? As much as I love my sister, she’s not it.”
“I want the Steel name behind my new house,” he says. “It’ll increase the resell value a hundredfold.”
“There is no Steel name in architecture yet,” I tell him adamantly. “Dee’s good, sure, but she’s brand-new. Fresh out of school.”
He looks down at his empty plate. “That’s what I want, Don.”
I eye him, trying to figure out his angle. Whatever it is, I hate it. “And you’re telling me this is to increase resell value, not because you want to bed my sister.”
“She’s way too young for me.”
“You can say that again.” Lambert’s in his forties and Dee is twenty-five. “Something doesn’t jibe with this, Lambert.”
He raises his head and meets my gaze. “Don’t read something into this that’s not there, Steel. This is what I want. A home designed by your sister.”
“You don’t want me to build it for you? Buy it for you?”
“Are you offering?”
“I’m offering you the world on a platter, John, which is why I don’t understand your request.”
“Maybe I want to get her started on the right foot. In the world of architecture. Take my request for what it is. There’s no hidden meaning.”
I resist an eye roll. I’m still not buying, not for a minute.
“Something else,” I say. “What about a design by Dee once she’s up and running her own firm? Or when she’s established?”
“Nope. I want it now.”
“How about a new house, then? Not designed by Dee but to your specs, and I foot the bill?”
“It’s tempting, but I’ve thought a lot about this. This is what I want.”
“You’re not getting into my sister’s pants.”
“That’s not my plan, but should things progress to that, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need her big brother’s permission.”
I stand, my plate still a quarter full of spaghetti. “We’re done here. Take me down if you want. I don’t give a fuck.”
“Sit down, Don. People are looking at us.”
He’s not wrong. I take my seat. I certainly don’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to our lunch. Someone from the Murphy family could walk in, and though I could play my part, I’d still rather it not happen.
“This is what I want,” he says again. “It can only help Diana’s career.”
Again, he’s not wrong. But, “I’m not dragging my sister into this. Nor any other members of my family. That’s not negotiable.”
“Everything’s negotiable.”
“Not my family,” I say through clenched teeth. “I’ve told you. Take me down if you want. It’s a small price to pay for leaving my family out of this mess.”
I’m bluffing, of course. I don’t want him to take me down. And I’m betting he won’t, because I’ll take him with me, and he has a hell of a lot more to lose.
“Have it your way,” he finally says. “I guess I’ll keep thinking on how you can repay me, then.”
“You do that.” I pull out my wallet and throw some bills on the table. “This will cover lunch. Have a good day, John.”
I rise and walk swiftly out of the restaurant, still holding back puke.
Only now I’m angrier than I was when I walked in.
I didn’t think it was possible.
One thing’s for certain—Lambert’s request has some kind of hidden motive. I’ve a hunch he’s hot for Diana, which is probably accurate, but there’s something else behind the request. Something more sinister.
I don’t know what it is, but if it’s more sinister than bedding my little sister, it’s bad. Really bad.