“How are you adjusting to the new house?”
I shrugged. “Fine. How are you adjusting to your new husband?”
“Frank is a good man. I wish you’d get to know him.”
“I’m sure you wish a lot of things, Cindy.”
“Don’t be a brat,” she spat at me. “You can at least be civil.”
I took a deep breath and let it out. “Fine. Frank seems nice enough.”
She nodded curtly. “Thank you.”
“I’m told there’s trouble in paradise, though.”
“With Frank? Things are great.”
“Your job.”
“Ah.” She nodded and looked away. “That’s great, too.”
I knew she was lying. My mother had only ever cared about one thing, and that was power. People sometimes called her the Ice Queen, and for good reason. I liked to call her Mussolini behind her back. She was intense and task-driven, always on to the next thing that would further her desires.
We were similar like that. I was driven to be the best at what I did, just like she was. The biggest difference was, Cindy was willing to sacrifice anyone or anything for her own personal gain.
I believed in hard work. I trained my ass off and put my body on the line. I didn’t need anything from anyone, and I never would. I also didn’t believe in fucking others over just because you wanted something.
“Not what I heard,” I said.
She gave me a frown. “My work is not your concern, Cole.”
“Please, mother. You’ve been trying to get me to act proper for years because of your job.”
“And now you’re interested?”
I shrugged, sipping my coffee. “Trying to make pleasant conversation.”
She sat up and looked at me. “Okay. My marriage to Frank has caused some problems, it’s true. There’s talk of nepotism and other scandalous lies.”
“You wouldn’t marry a man to further you career,” I said, nodding, though I knew full well that she would.
“Of course not,” she said quickly. “It was just a coincidence.”
“Of course.”
She gave me a look and nodded to herself. “If you suddenly care about all this, there is something you can do.”
“Maybe,” I grunted.
“There’s a dinner for certain shareholders and other prominent members of the company tomorrow night. I’d like you to attend with your stepsister.”
“And why would I do this for you?”
“I thought you were trying to be a family, Cole.”
I laughed, shaking my head. The idea of her trying to be a family again was absurd. She didn’t have a nurturing bone in her body, which was probably why I had ended up seeking pain for a living.
But that was just stupid armchair psychology.
“You have no interest in being a family. If you want something, you have to give up something. You know how this works; you’re a businesswoman,” I said.
She nodded, thinking. “Very well then. If you do this for me, I’ll give you free reign of the cars all summer.”
I raised an eyebrow. It was an intriguing proposition, especially considering her fondness for vintage muscle cars. It wasn’t exactly a feminine hobby, but my mother never cared much for gender stereotypes. She was something of a feminist like that.
“You have a deal.”
She smiled. “Good. Now convince your stepsister to come along.”
“That wasn’t part of this.”
“I need you both.”
I grunted. “She doesn’t listen to me.”
“You seem to be getting along. Try.”
“Fine.”
She nodded again and went back to her paper. I took my coffee upstairs.
I didn’t usually give in to my mother’s bribes. Normally, the idea of taking something from her made my stomach churn. But I was beginning to realize that if I was staying in that house with her and Frank and Alex, I had to at least pretend to get along with everyone.
As I crested the staircase, I saw her sneak out of her room. Alex was wearing short cotton shorts and a tight tank top, her long brown hair spilling down along her back. I could see the bottom of her ass, and I felt my cock stiffen instantly.
She was the reason I was going through all this bullshit. If we weren’t married, I didn’t think I’d stick around. But we were, and I had to admit that I was having a ton of fucking fun with it.
I took a long drink of coffee as I came up behind her. “Good morning, sis,” I said.
She whirled around. “What are you doing?”
“Going to my room.”
“You scared me. Quit being a creep.”
I walked up closer to her. “You look good this morning. Bedhead suits you.”