The Billionaire’s Forbidden Desire(43)
Gossip traveled fast. Didn’t his family have more productive things to do? “Who told you?”
“Iain.” Blake regarded the lettering on his mug. “Technically.”
“Technically?”
“He called Elizabeth, which is how I heard.”
Iain couldn’t have found out that fast. He generally kept to himself. So that meant Al must’ve called…and he wouldn’t have done that without a direct order from Salazar.
“What’s going on?” Blake asked. “I thought you were dying from some kind of inoperable tumor when I heard you’d moved back in…although Elizabeth assured me you were perfectly healthy.”
“As a horse. I’m there because of Sophia.”
“This same Sophia?”
Dane nodded.
“So what’s the problem?”
“Are you joking? A young, nubile woman under Salazar’s roof? With no chaperone? I don’t want to end up with a stepmom who’s younger than Vanessa.”
“Ah, the old guy’s getting divorced. It’s a rebound thing. He’s not going to marry her.”
“You don’t get it. He let her drive the Aston Martin.”
Blake sat up straighter. “No way.” He shook his head. “I guess he must be serious then. But really, why do you care? It’s not like you spend a lot of time with your dad or anything. If Salazar wants to remarry, he isn’t going to settle for less than younger and prettier. And—no offense—your mom’s friggin’ hot. She sets the bar pretty high.”
“You remember that time after Shirley’s funeral? When I disappeared for a while?”
Blake nodded.
“I met Sophia then.”
“Okay, so? That was, what, three years ag—” Realization dawned on his face. “You slept with her.”
“Yes.”
“Well, all right, but still. Why not let Salazar have his fun”—once again Blake stopped in mid-sentence—“You still want her.”
Dane didn’t say anything.
“Dude. So do something about it.”
“Such as?”
“Fuck her until you get your fill. It’s not like you to let a woman mess with your head.”
“I don’t fuck my employees.”
“Then fire her first.”
“I’m not emulating Salazar.” Fire ’em and fuck ’em was his MO. Dane raised a finger when Blake opened his mouth. “Not anymore than you’re going to emulate Julian.”
“Okay, okay. Point made.”
“In any case, I have a plan to get rid of her by the end of the week at the latest.”
“You sure it’s going to work?”
Dane nodded. He’d only played hockey for a few years, but his coach had remarked on his speed and power. “Believe me. She won’t know what hit her.”
Chapter Twenty
Sophia worked well past six. Since Dane didn’t look like he was about to leave, and she didn’t have a ride, she was stuck. Roxie had offered, but Sophia didn’t think it was prudent to reveal she was staying with the boss’s father. Of course she still had tons of work left to do. It was incredible how much got piled on. But at the same time she was learning what Dane did—finding and funding promising startups in the technology sector.
She didn’t understand how he chose what startups to invest in or why he was so successful. Digital Angel didn’t fit her image of a big, bustling corporation with thousands of busy workers. On the other hand, maybe you didn’t need a lot of staff to be successful. What did she know about the business world anyway?
The door to Dane’s office opened. “You ready for our competition?”
She frowned. “What competition?”
“You’ve forgotten already?”
Oh. That. “Now?”
“I found a suitable rink. Pack your things.”
She bit her lower lip. She hadn’t finished one of the reports he wanted, but she could probably work on that afterward. “Okay.”
He drove them to a humble rink not too far from the office. Outside a sign read, “Closed.” She pointed to it with an enquiring look.
“Doesn’t matter, “ Dane said. “The owner owes me a favor.”
A ropey older gentleman came out and greeted them. He introduced himself as Timothy. He looked at Sophia for a moment too long, then muttered something under his breath. She smiled at him, unsure what he was about.
“The locker rooms are that way, skates over here,” he said.
“Are there any pants I can borrow?” she asked. “I can’t really skate in my skirt.”
He gestured at a small shop. “There’s plenty for sale.”