Stolen:The Billionaire Deception(24)

"Hey gorgeous." I was working on a proposal on my computer when Seth   stuck his head in the door. It had been three weeks since James Hunter's   ball and our relationship was stronger than ever.



"Hi boss! How's the day going?"



He came in and closed the door. I could see by the look on his face that   he had something he wanted to discuss with me. I knew before he opened   his mouth that it had something to do with James. "My father just   called," he said.



"Oh," I'd been doing my best every time he mentioned James to subtly   remind him that he was everything his father wasn't. I was hoping it   would give him the confidence he needed to stand up to him when he   needed to.         

     



 



He smiled and mimicking me he said, "Oh."



I laughed, "I was just waiting for the details," I said.



"Which are usually not good," he grinned. "This case is as iffy as most …he wants us to come to dinner tomorrow night at the estate."



"Us?"



"Yes, us. He specifically asked me to bring you."



"Wow. So is this good or bad news?"



"I'm hoping that this is him trying to be a decent human being. Maybe   he's finally feeling bad about his behavior. Maybe he wants to apologize   to you."



I laughed again. "Sorry, I'm sorry. I just have a hard time imagining   that. But anything is possible." He had looked so hopeful for a few   seconds and I realized I'd taken that from him. "I'm really sorry, babe.   You're probably right."



He reached over and took my hand and squeezed it. "You have every right   to be skeptical. If you don't want to go, I completely understand."



"No!" I wanted to go. I wanted to go for Seth's sake and I also wanted   another crack at the papers in that study. "I do want to go. Everyone   deserves a second chance, right? I wouldn't be a very nice person myself   if I didn't give him at least that."



He squeezed my hand again and smiled. "Thank you," he said. "This is his   last chance. I've already asked him to be polite to you. I will do  more  than ask if he's rude to you again."



"I know you will," I told him with a smile. He had come a long way where   James was concerned. Harlan even told me that as CEO he'd over-ridden a   couple of James's ideas lately. That was huge for Seth.





***





The following day I did some more shopping and finally settled on a   beige dress that ended just above my knees. The neckline was rounded and   appropriate for a family dinner yet it was elegant and made me feel   pretty. Seth solidified that thought with a low whistle when I opened   the door. "Wow. Let's skip dinner and stay here. You look …  wow, I don't   even have words."



I laughed, "Thank you. Sometimes no words are better than words could   ever be. You look pretty wordless yourself." He was wearing a black suit   with a red paisley tie. He was beautiful, as usual.



"Are you ready? Or …  did you like my idea about just staying here?"



I picked up my jacket and my purse and said, "I loved your idea, but it would be rude of us to cancel so late."



With a chuckle he said, "By all means then, let's go. We wouldn't want   to be rude to someone who is always so sensitive to our feelings." I let   that one fall in the air as we headed down to the limousine.



Once again as we pulled up to the front of the estate I was both   enthralled and sickened by it. I was also anxious. No matter how hard I   tried, the idea of being in the same room with James made me a nervous   wreck. We were shown into the big, formal dining room by the   housekeeper. The table was huge with seating for at least twenty. Seth   pulled out a chair for me at one end and took the seat on the other side   of the table. That meant the spot between us at the head of the table   was left open for his majesty the thief. I wasn't looking forward to   being in such close quarters with him. I took a deep breath and smiled   at Seth. I guess at least I knew I had company in my misery. When James   walked into the room I saw Seth's posture stiffen and then he took a   deep breath of his own before standing.



"Hello, father."



"Seth." They shook hands. It was an oddly formal greeting I thought for a father and son who saw each other so often.



"You remember Erin?" Seth asked.



James looked at me. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stand in his   highness's presence or not, so I stayed seated. "Mr. Hunter. Thank you   for having me."



He fixed his stare on me for what seemed like an inordinate amount of   time before saying, "Miss Summers." Then Seth waited for his father to   take his seat before sitting down. I found myself hoping that we weren't   just going to have a repeat performance of the other night.



James tapped his spoon on the side of his glass and a young woman   appeared in the same uniform the housekeeper had worn. She brought a   bottle of wine and showed it to James before he gave her the go-ahead to   pour. Then he said, "We're ready to begin." The young woman curtsied   and left the room. I had been around wealthy people my entire life, but   I'd never seen anything like this. This guy was a piece of work. "So   Seth, tell me again how you found Miss …  Summers, is it?" He knew it was,   he'd just said it three minutes earlier.         

     



 



I saw Seth's Adam's apple flex as he swallowed hard before saying, "She   applied for the CMBO position. Harlan and I interviewed her … ."



"No," James stopped him. "I suppose I should ask her this, I wanted to know how she knew about the position being open."



"I heard through a headhunter that I was familiar with," I told him.



He raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? You hadn't been watching the website, waiting for an opening to come up?"



"Father, what are you getting at?" Seth asked.



"Nothing at all, son. I'm getting to know your …  lady friend. Isn't that   what you wanted?" James's words were innocent enough but something  about  his facial expression told me that his intentions were not.



Seth didn't say anything, but as he took a sip of his wine he looked at   me over the top of his glass. I could see in his eyes that he thought   the same. Luckily, the staff brought in our soup and we ate quietly for a   bit with nothing but the sounds of the spoons echoing off of the high   ceilings and painted stone walls. When James finished his, he tapped  his  glass again and the young woman came running. I was appalled by the   rude way he treated his staff. He never looked directly at them when  he  issued orders and never once said thank you. After she left with our   soup bowls he said, "Tell me …  Erin …  where did you grow up."



"Mostly upstate, sir. I spent my teenage years in the Bronx." It was the   truth and not a truth I really wanted to discuss with James …  but it  was  what I told Seth. I hadn't wanted to tell too many lies.



He raised a gray eyebrow and said, "The Bronx? That's a rough   neighborhood. I suppose that's the roughness I sense around your edges."



"Father!"



"What?" James said, giving Seth a similar look to the one he used on his staff. "I'm making conversation."



"It's fine," I said. "I am a little rough around the edges. Some of the   things life threw at me were tough. I had to be tougher to overcome   them."



"So where are your parents?"



"They're dead sir."



"Too bad. Where did you go to school?"



The staff came in then with the entrée. When they were gone I said, "I went to MIT."



"Erin graduated in the top four of her class," Seth said.



"Impressive," he said. "I suppose it's good that you were at least   qualified for the job. I'm sure my son handed it to you because of your   other considerable assets."



"Father! Stop it! Erin is completely qualified for the job she does and that is why I hired her."



"And how long from hiring did she get you into her bed?" Seth stood up. I   suddenly didn't want him to fight with his father over me. It wasn't   worth it. I could see the vein pulsing in his neck as his father looked   over at him and said, "Oh please Seth, sit down. Are you going to   pretend that she's not spreading her legs for you?"



"That's enough!" Seth said through clenched teeth.



I stood up then too and said, "It's okay, Seth …  really."