I gripped the arms of the chair I occupied, trying not to jump over the table and punch him in the jaw. Fuckface thought he had any say over what I did in my life–he was sorely mistaken.
“Have Xavier take her out,” I suggested.
“She wants Kane,” Dad sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his temples. What a tragic situation this was for him.
“I don’t fucking want her and I told you that. I did my job last night. I went to the stupid fucking fundraiser and talked to all the people. Shook hands, did the small talk, introduced myself, talked up the club. Just like you asked.”
“Well now you need to do damage control, because her dad is pissed and you need to fix it! You can start today by getting your ass dressed and coming with us to the country club. We’re playing golf and eating lunch with Arnold and his brother,the chief of police, Isaac.”
A country club?Has Dad seen me recently? Mafia bro hairstyle, tattoos up my arms, on my hands, and fingers. There was no way I was getting into a country club.
“Do you think they’ll lethiminto the club?” Dante asked, reading my mind and also being an absolute fuckwad.
“I’ve already made the arrangements. Usually there are strict dress requirements but considering Arnold Arlington owns the place and his daughter is so fond of you, for whatever reason, they’re making an exception,” Dad explained as he rose from his chair.
Great.
Dani was pissed at me because I was trying to be considerate, like a gentleman or some shit, which she evidently hated with a fiery passion of a thousand suns. And I had to spend the day with my fake girlfriend’s dad. And make him like me. And impress him. And golf.
Fuck my life.
“Gio,soniceofyou to make an appearance. I’ve only been inviting you for a round of golf for the last year,” Arnold Arlington chuckled as he shook Dad’s hand.
What the fuck kind of name was that anyway? His parents must’ve hated him.
Dad returned the shake with vigor, because even a handshake was a good place to assert his dominance. “We’ve been busy.”
“Or now you’re just desperate,” Arnold smirked and narrowed his eyes on me, observing my attempt at country club attire.
I wore a pair of khakis–which were Bobby’s–and a blue polo–also borrowed from Bobby’s wardrobe. I looked like a geek. Like a rich snob who had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than hit balls into ponds and sand traps, because yes, I was that horrible at the sport.
Dad had dragged me to the country club a few times when I was younger, but it was more of Bobby’s thing. He loved to golf and flirt with the rich bitches who lounged by the pool and played tennis. Dad only stomached the place for business, and now that I was in Bobby’s spot, that meant I too would have to deal with the shit.
Arnold and I shook hands and his grip was stronger than he looked. He was shorter than me, not much muscle on him but he was lean. Probably the type of guy who participated in meatless Mondays and drank green juice for breakfast because it made for wholesome content on The Gram. He had blonde hair like his daughter and eyes that were just as menacing.
“I heard you had an adventurous evening last night,” he sneered, tightening his grip on my hand before dropping it.
“Look sir, about that–”
“Kane wasn’t feeling well after the fundraiser. Lauren had already invited her friends to the club and he didn’t want to interfere with their fun,” Dad explained. He was good at a lot of things, but he was the best at smooth-talking and ass kissing.
We stood awkwardly outside the clubhouse as Arnold adjusted his gloves for the tenth time. I looked around, wishing I could be literally anywhere but here. Even our caddy looked to be in a good mood as he rolled up to us on his golf cart. Another caddy followed him, and in his passenger seat was a person I didn’t have the energy to deal with right now.
“Daddy!” Lauren squealed as she got off the golf cart and hugged Arnold. She was wearing what appeared to be a child’s tennis uniform–super short and super tight.
“Hi, angel. You look like you’re feeling better.” Arnold’s eyes shot to me like I was the one pouring vodka down his daughter’s throat all night
“Yeah,” she giggled. “A rejuvenation IV and I’m as good as new.”
“Damn, I wish they had those when I was in college,” Dad chuckled.
“No shit,” Arnold said. “I’m glad you’re doing better. I thought you were joining us for lunch after our round of golf.”
The smile on her face dropped. “I thought I could join you now.”
“Well, we have some important business to discuss. Why don’t you go wait for us inside and we’ll meet you once we’re done,” Arnold said, dismissing his daughter.
She pouted as she walked over to me, batting her eyelashes and flashing a saccharine smile. “I missed you last night. Did you end up going home?”