Taming the Lone Wolff(65)
Once she made it back down to the ground floor she was ready to follow the smells of lunch being prepared, when suddenly, Vincent Wolff stepped out of what was unmistakably his office.
Once upon a time he must have been a handsome, impressive figure. Now he was stoop-shouldered, and his skin had a sallow tone that bespoke ill health. “Ms. Bellamy,” he said. “What a nice surprise. Do you have a moment to chat?”
His tone indicated he wasn’t really asking a question. Echoes of the dictatorial entrepreneur he had once been shone from fierce eyes.
Winnie grimaced inwardly. “Of course.”
He seated her and closed the door. “Would you care for a drink?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
The old man poured himself a finger of whiskey and sat down in a leather chair opposite its twin, where Winnie perched. He knocked back the liquor, set the glass on a table at his elbow and studied her. “Larkin has never brought a woman here. You must be special.”
“We’re just friends.”
Vincent Wolff’s harrumph carried a world of disbelief. “When he was in his early twenties, I had to pay off at least three bimbos who were after his money. Sometimes young men think with their dicks.”
Winnie’s face flamed with embarrassment. She gripped her hands in her lap, speechless.
Vincent chuckled. “Good Lord. If my plain speaking makes you turn red as a tomato, I’ll have to watch my words. I apologize.”
“Thank you.” Was that the correct response? Winnie felt the walls closing in on her.
Vincent picked up an empty pipe and chewed on the stem. “I know you’ve got more money than you’ll ever need.”
She swallowed. “That’s true.”
“So maybe you’re actually in love with my boy.”
“Larkin and I only recently met.”
“Doesn’t matter. His mother and I first set eyes on each other at Christmas and were wed by Valentine’s.”
Winnie was beginning to wish she had taken the drink he’d offered. How was she supposed to escape this inquisition? “Nevertheless,” she said, her voice steady. “Larkin and I are not in a relationship.”
“Are you sleeping with him?”
“Excuse me, but you just stepped over the line.” Fury bubbled in her veins as she stood up and strode toward the door. He might be Larkin’s father, but she would not sit here and participate in such an inappropriate discussion.
Her hand was on the doorknob when Vincent stopped her cold. “Larkin is a complicated man. You seem like a nice girl. But you should know that.”
Winnie turned to face him, her face hot with a combination of temper and distress. “If Larkin wants me to know certain things, he’ll tell me.”
“Forewarned is forearmed.”
“I’m only here for a short visit. I know all I need to know about your son.”
“I doubt he’ll marry you.”