But there was no way they could keep their relationship a secret forever. What she had to do was sit her father down and tell him what was what. He would not interfere in her and Braxton’s future together, and he would not take anything out on Brax; she’d disown him if he did.
Lying to her family was starting to wear on her. She wanted a normal relationship with her Prince Charming. She wanted to be able to brag about him to her mother and take him home for Sunday suppers. She wanted the world to know he was hers.
Somehow, some way, she’d make Tom see things her way.
Braxton plopped down on the bed next to her and took a huge bite of pizza only to have a string of hot cheese drip down his chin.
Forgetting Tom, Lenna laughed and leaned forward to lick the cheese off his chin. He murmured approvingly and bent his head to retrieve the string from her mouth. But she teasingly pulled back. Seeing a challenge where one was offered, Braxton pounced.
And Lenna learned just how creative and exciting sex with food could be.
CHAPTER 19
Friday afternoon, Ben entered Tom’s office with a solemn expression. In the midst of typing a correspondence email to a client, Tom glanced up, saw who was visiting, and promptly returned to typing.
“Look, I don’t care. Stop bothering me with this shit.”
Ben was really getting on his nerves with his unrelenting quest to discover Braxton Farris’s secrets. Sure, Tom wouldn’t mind knowing if the boy had any more surprise business decisions hiding up his sleeve, like going international. But Ben was taking it too far when he even investigated the kid’s private life.
Without speaking, Ben settled into the chair across from Tom and watched him type. Tom continued to ignore him. He hoped Ben would get the hint and leave. He didn’t care what kind of Boss Boy report his friend delivered today. Farris had probably just used the bathroom, and Ben was running around like crazy to spread the news. Yes, Braxton Farris did relieve his bladder like everyone else on earth. What a shocker.
“I know who she is,” Ben said. “I know who Farris took to France with him.”
“Good for you.” Tom continued to type. “Still don’t care.” He didn’t even bother to look interested.
Ben tossed a CD onto Tom’s desk; it landed on the keyboard, obstructing his typing. Tom looked up in surprise. “What—”
“I was snooping in Farris’s computer and found this,” Ben said. “Thought you should see it.”
Tom’s eyes sprang open wide. “You were what? Are you crazy? What were you doing, getting into his computer? Do you want to be fired, Ben? Good Lord.” Tom wiped his hand through his hair and glanced nervously at the CD, wondering how to get the thing off his desk without touching it with his fingerprints.
Ben rolled his eyes. “I know how to cover my tracks, okay? He’ll never know I was in there.”
Then he surged to his feet and leaned over Tom’s desk, his eyes gleaming with urgency. “Forget about the computer. It’s not important.” He snatched the CD off the keyboard and he waved it in Tom’s face. “You need to look at this.”
“No,” Tom said, shoving Ben’s hand away. “I don’t want to see anything you took off Farris’s computer.”
“But they’re pictures of Lenna.”
Tom froze. “What?” He snapped the CD out of Ben’s hand. “What the hell do you mean, pictures of Lenna?”
“There’s hundreds of them,” Ben said. “In some, she’s in front of the Eiffel Tower, smiling at the camera. Some pictures have her and Farris both in the shot. Some of them were taken here in town. You name it. There are even some of her in a bed, sleeping...I’m guessing it’s his bed.” Ben paused and rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily. “His computer’s full them, Tom.”
Tom stared at the disc, unable to speak.
“Tell me honestly,” Ben said. “Did you know about this?”
Tom merely transferred his frozen stare to his friend. “They’re...are you sure they’re of Lenna and Braxton together? Not...not the younger brother? Not Tyler?”
Ben sighed as he patted Tom’s shoulder. “There’s no mistake. Our boss is definitely dating your daughter.”
Tom made a choked sound, but otherwise didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry,” Ben murmured, looking truly regretful. “I hate like hell that I’m the one who had to break this to you.”
* * * *
Tom followed Braxton home from work. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d been able to wait until after hours, but he’d managed to keep his temper cool throughout the day. Then again, he’d purposely avoided running into the boy too.
This didn’t have anything to do with business, though, so he couldn’t do it at work. It was personal. It was very personal. That slimy piece of shit had touched his baby. Nothing hit closer to home than that.
He wasn’t sure what to say to the backstabbing little asshole but he knew he couldn’t let this slide. Lenna was his pride and joy. She didn’t need someone like that smug bastard ruining her and using her just to irritate him. And, yes, that had to be why the kid was after her: to get back at Tom for being a belligerent employee. The son of a bitch had even told her he loved her during that phone call. He had brainwashed her and would probably end up breaking her heart.
Unacceptable.
Finding a parking spot half a block down from Braxton’s brownstone, Tom killed the engine as Braxton parked his Land Rover. Prepared for confrontation time, he reached out to open his driver’s side door when the front door to the kid’s place opened. On the sidewalk below, Braxton lifted his face to find Lenna skipping down the steps to meet him.
Unprepared to see her, Tom paused and gaped as the girl he used to rock to sleep and scold for talking too much at dinner time leapt into his nemesis’s arms. Braxton dropped his briefcase to catch her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips as she kissed him, and the punk put his hands on her ass to support her while he kissed her back.
Tom’s hands curled into fists. The boy might’ve brainwashed his child, but she’d let him.
His own daughter had betrayed him.
He couldn’t believe his first born had turned traitor. It didn’t matter what kind of charming words Farris had used to get her into bed, she’d still given in. She’d gone to fucking Paris with him. And she’d purposefully kept it all a secret.
Farris would pay for turning Tom’s daughter against him. He would pay dearly.
When Tom was through with him, he’d think twice before ever messing with a Davenport again.
CHAPTER 20
By the time Sunday evening rolled around, Tom had calmed himself considerably. He was still mad, but now it was a controlled anger. Seething calculation.
He sat at the head of the supper table, deep in thought while Lenna sat to his left, eating quietly. Looking innocent.
Glancing subtly her way, Tom clenched his fist under the table as uncontrollable rage seized him. She was so good at her act. He couldn’t tell at all. By looking at her, he couldn’t guess she saw Braxton Farris behind his back.
He wondered how long she’d been seeing him. The back-stabbing little—
Needing to calm himself, he lifted his gaze toward his wife, and immediately, his muscles loosened. God, he loved the relaxing effect Maxine had on him.
Softening toward her, he smiled. “Supper’s excellent tonight, dear.”
Maxine looked up and blinked. For this family, it was a typical, average meal of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, and hot rolls.
“Well,” she said, blushing, making guilt grow because he obviously didn’t compliment her enough. “Thank you.” Then she gave him a suspicious look. “What’s gotten you into such a good mood?”
He shrugged, not daring to glance Lenna’s way. He was tempted to say something nasty like, “It’s just nice to know some members of my family members aren’t sleeping with my boss behind my back,” but restrained himself.
His wife, however, press
ed the issue. “Work must be going better for you, I guess.”
Unable to help himself, Tom glanced sideways at Lenna. She merely picked up a drumstick and pulled a piece of chicken off the bone with her teeth as if she weren’t listening to every word he was about to say about her boyfriend.
“Dare I hope this means you’re finally starting to get along with Braxton?” Maxine asked.
The back of Tom’s teeth clenched together.
He didn’t want to hear that name. Shooting another look Lenna’s way, he was even more enraged when she didn’t even bat an eyelash at the mention of her precious Braxton.
“Actually,” Tom said, grinding his molars, “he’s eased up on us in the last couple of weeks. I think it’s that new girlfriend he has.”
From the corner of his eye, Tom saw Lenna’s head lift.
Well, well. That got her attention.
“Braxton has a girlfriend?” Maxine asked with an arch of her eyebrows. “How do you know?”
“Oh, Ben found out about it. He’s good at discovering that kind of information.” When no one—namely Lenna—reacted, he continued. “I guess when he went to Paris a couple weeks ago, he took her along. When he got back, he went over his expense receipts with his secretary and paid out-of-pocket for a second breakfast in his room.”
Dying to know how his daughter was reacting to that, Tom nonchalantly peeked over. She’d stopped eating with such gusto, and her face had paled. He almost snickered.
“Oh, my,” Maxine said, blushing and covering her mouth with her hand. “That sounds serious.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Tom murmured.
He wanted to reach over and strangle Lenna. She wasn’t going to confess. The little brat wasn’t going to say a word. His jaw bunched and his pulse spiked; Tom forced a smile toward his wife.
“It’s hard to tell which one of them he actually took. He parades any number of women through his office. Though it might’ve been the one he sent two dozen roses to the other day.”
“Roses are nice.” Maxine nodded in approval.
Beside Tom, Lenna sucked in a breath, then snatched up her cup and took a long drink.
Tom narrowed his eyes and kept lying. “He’s brought that one around the office a few times. I think he likes to show her off.”
Lenna choked on the iced tea she was gulping.
“Why?” Aaron wanted to know. “Is she hot?”
Tom could’ve hugged his son. “Oh, sure,” he said readily. “She’s a pretty little thing. Short and petite with long, dark hair. Of course, the redhead he had before her, last week, was better looking, in my opinion. That one had really big...” He started to cup his chest before he remembered his wife and youngest daughter were also present.
“Tom!” Maxine scolded, glaring accusingly. “It’s a woman’s character that’s important. Don’t you dare go teaching our son the size of one’s...anatomy has anything to do with it.”
“Sorry,” Tom mumbled. “But it’s not my fault the boy goes through more exotic women than some people go through toilet paper.”
He looked fully at Lenna then.
Head bowed, she pushed her mashed potatoes across her plate with her fork, but didn’t eat. Her face had drained completely of color, the skin over her cheeks strained taut and tense. He almost looked devastated.
Good. It served her right for betraying her own father.
CHAPTER 21
Lenna wasn’t sure what she wanted to do first, curl into a ball and cry, or confront Braxton and kick the piss out of him.
He’d lied to her. She’d suspected another woman in Paris, but she’d been stupid in love and had talked herself out of the notion.
It was true, though. She couldn’t reject the facts now. He’d been seeing other people all along.
And here, she’d been ready to tell her father the entire truth tonight.
The betrayal that tore through her made her hands shake and her breathing escalate. Braxton had cheated on her...and not just with one girl.
He’d been with a lot, from the sound of it. Nothing she’d ever shared with him meant anything.
All the times they’d been together, all the nights they’d curled in bed and held each other ‘til dawn, talking for hours upon hours...it was meaningless. That’s what hurt the most.
As she approached his brownstone, her heart thumped against her ribcage. A black mustang sat parked in front of his place.
Oh, God, there was someone with him right now. She’d just caught him in the act.
Lenna’s fingers turned to ice. She was tempted to keep driving. But, no. She had to do this. She had to see his deceit with her own eyes.
She parked at the curb across the street and stayed in her car for a second to steady her breathing. Didn’t help. In fact, the more she thought about him in there with a busty little brunette, the more distressed she became.
Tears threatened; she decided she’d better act now before they started. Straightening her spine, she squared her shoulders and pushed out of the car.
As soon as she reached his door, she’d already fisted and lifted her trembling hand, ready to pound.
It took him almost a minute to answer.
Wondering if he was taking so long because he had to put his clothes on, she pressed her palm to her quaking stomach.
The door opened; her eyes flashed over his attire, but nothing appeared to have been thrown on in haste. He was in nice jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and even wore shoes. To Lenna, he looked magnificent.
That hurt too, that he could look so lovable and handsome while he so ruthlessly stabbed her in the back.
“Lenna?” He jerked back in surprise and then smiled, stepping toward her. The jerk actually smiled at her. “What’re you doing here? It’s Sunday. Didn’t you go to your family night thing?”
Lenna evaded him before he could touch her.
He halted and blinked. “Lenna? What’s wrong?”
She bit down on the back of her teeth so hard she could hear them creak under the strain. Hands fisted down at her side, she hissed, “I just came to tell you what a vile piece of scum I think you are.”
“What?” His mouth fell open; the breath whooshed from his lungs.
“I did go my parents’ house tonight. And the entire evening, I had to sit there and listen to my father talk on and on about all the different women you parade through your office.”
“What?” he said again. Then he shook his head. “No.” After crinkling his brow, he let out an incredulous laugh. “Lenna, come on.” He reached for her once more, smiling as if he thought this was some kind of joke.
Yeah, ha, ha, so funny. He was caught cheating.
She lurched back. “Don’t even try to deny it.”
He finally scowled. “Hell, yes, I’m going to deny that. It’s a damn lie. The only woman that’s even seen the inside of my office since I started at Farris is my secretary, who’s gotta be close to seventy years old.”
“Oh, yeah? Then whose car is that?” Lenna folded her arms across her chest and sketched an eyebrow.
He glanced at the mustang, and his frown deepened. “It’s Tyler’s.”
“Um, hi again,” a male voice came from behind him.
Lenna couldn’t help but look. When her gaze latched onto Tyler, her insides burned with more anger. She couldn’t even nod in acknowledgement. Tears filled her eyes.
Spinning away, she hurried toward her car.
“Whoa.” Braxton shot out his door after her. He caught her arm and whirled her around. “What the hell?”
“Get your hands off me,” she spat and tugged away.
“Lenna. Jesus. Where is this coming from? What is going on?”
“What’s going on?” she repeated as she spun back to glare. “What’s going on? You’re cheating on me, you piece of slime. You’re—”
“No. I’m not,” he growled. When she could only glare at him, he hissed out a curse and ran his hands through his hair. “What exactly did your dad
tell you?”
Unable to look into his beautiful, lying eyes, Lenna turned, wrapped her arms over her stomach and muttered, “He didn’t tell me anything. He just talked randomly throughout dinner to everyone about the brunette you sent two dozen roses and the redhead you brought to work—”
“Redhead? Roses? No.” Shaking his head, he repeated, “No, I don’t know what he’s talking about. I haven’t sent anyone flowers since my mother’s birthday last October. I wasn’t even working at Farris then. And those were carnations, not roses. I don’t...He’s lying, Lenna. You’re the only—”
“My father doesn’t lie,” Lenna barked, her back stiffening.
“Well, he did,” Braxton retorted.
She ground her hands into her hips. “Why would he lie about this?”
“Hell, how should I know? He’s your—” Suddenly, his eyes cleared. “Shit. He must know about us.”
Lenna shook her head. “No. He doesn’t know.”
Braxton nodded. “He has to. Lenna, there’s no other explanation.”
“Just give up, Braxton.” Her voice cracked as she spoke; another trickle of tears started down her cheek. “You can’t keep this from me any longer.”
He saw the moisture and his face changed, softened. “Lenna,” he whispered his reprimand, his eyes pleading as he reached out to wipe away a tear. “How could I cheat on you? Just think about that, will you? When would I even have the time? If I’m not at work, I’m with you. The only day I really can’t see you is Sunday and, obviously, I spend that with my freaking brother.”
Remembering the night she’d sat on his porch waiting an hour for him to get home and the night she’d called him to announce her new job, she shook her head, denying. He’d probably been with other women then, too.
She pushed his hand away when he reached for another tear. “He doesn’t know. And even if he did, he wouldn’t do this. My dad’s too direct. He would never try some underhanded manipu—”
“Oh, come on. The man hates my guts. I think this sounds exactly like something he’d do.”