“That I couldn’t tell you.” He glances at the wall behind me as the goosebumps on my arms rise.Perfect. My dad is an asshole.
“Forget, I asked.”
I march to the dining room threshold and survey the guests in attendance. Many of the guests are in their fifties and sixties and dressed to the nine’s. They reek of wealth. The women are wearing high-end gowns and are dripping in diamond and gold. And they conveniently all have daughters. I’ll give him credit. The women are attractive, tall, slender, and blonde. They would have been my type until I met Daisy. Now, none of them hold a candle to her.
I cross my arms over my chest and stare in disbelief as my parents work the room–chatting, flattering, and kissing ass.
What did he do? Put out an ad in the classified section?
Son, with loads of potential, needs an up-and-coming wife.
Must be motivated by power and money.
You will move to the top of the list if you own a business that would enhance mine–making it a dual marriage of convenience.
Son is skittish about marriage. So, we’ll disguise the audition as a business dinner.
One of the blondes places her hand on my dad’s forearm and turns her head sideways. Heather. Is that Heather? It is. My heart skips a beat. How did she finagle her way in here?
Clearly, her father is in a business that mine sees as mutually beneficial. Or he could exploit whether it was beneficial to Heather’s family or not. But as my student, Heather will be out of the running.
I cringe. They’re all out of the running.
When my dad sees me, he smiles. “Son!” He beckons me forward with his hand. “Come on over here.”
I weave through the crowd as clusters of people huddle together and whisper. This is ridiculous. Do they all know why they’re here?
“Son, I’d love for you to meet Heather Chandler. Heather, this is my son, Alexander.”
I tip my head toward her. Her eyes are predatory as she steps closer to prevent my speedy retreat. “Alexander.” Her voice is low and sultry, making it clear that her initial offer still stands. She’d gladly take me for a test drive, get knocked up, and never have to work a day in her life.
“Ms. Chandler.” I shift my attention to my father. “I already know Ms. Chandler. She’s one of my students.”
“What?” My father’s head snaps backward as disgust fills his face. “I had no idea.” He grabs my arm and pulls me away from her. “Her parents should have told me.”
“Why?” I glare at him as my jaw flexes.
“Don’t get all riled up.”
“Maybe you should have consulted me before putting on this….” I wave my hand to encompass the dining room. “Disaster. What did you tell these people? That whichever one of these ladies I select gets a free butcher block?”
“Please, that’s stupid.” My dad’s eyes flash angrily as he squares off across from me.
Bring it. I dare you.The words stay in my head by the curling of my fingers into fists as the fight part of my fight or flight response is ready to kick in.
“I apologize for inviting a student’s family to dinner. I realize that is out of line and would have never done it if I had known.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have done any of this in the first place.” The scent of pork roast proceeds Doris, who’s carrying a silver dome-covered platter from the kitchen to the dining room table. The room is fit for a king. Crystal cut glasses. Fine China plates. Gold silverware. The real stuff, not gold coated.
“You haven’t been moving forward in the marriage department. I told you I’m ready to turn over the reins.”
I glance over to Heather, who’s chatting on her cell phone and shooting darts at me with her eyes. What happens if I tell him I’m seeing someone? A student? A part of me wants to shove it in his face and shock him, and the other side wants to toss out the idea so he can start warming up to the inevitable. Because once she graduates and moves in, everyone will know we’re a couple. And he’s going to need to suck it up. “What if I said Heather was it?”
“Don’t be an asshole,” he snaps and leans toward me while speaking in an angry whisper. “You know you can’t date a student. That would be career suicide for you and would destroy the company. Our success is steeped in the foundation of family tradition. Dating a student would be immoral and….” His chest heaves as he tries to catch his breath from his tirade.
He straightens his back and clears his throat. “Stop spouting such utter nonsense, I realize you’re trying to fuck with me, but that’s going too far. Heather is off the table as a potential spouse, and so is every other student you have. Don’t say anything that ridiculous again. Do you understand?”
“Crystal.” My jaw flexes as anger swells inside of me.