Turning to him, I do my best to remember I need his involvement in the New Zealand deal. If I didn’t absolutely need him for that to go ahead, I’d walk away without a backwards glance because I’m pissed off that he continues to belittle Lorelei. Instead, I keep a tight hold on my thoughts as I respond, “I don’t know who you’re referring to. Either way, though, I’m not interested.”
He nods towards a tall blonde woman standing alone staring out the window that overlooks Sydney Harbour. “Donna Stark. She’s always discreet. Lorelei would never know.”
I clench my jaw as uncharacteristic emotions work their way through me. I’ve never cared about how the people I work with choose to run their lives or relationships. They could have fucked five women in one night before going home to their wife, and I wouldn’t have blinked. Tonight, I’m feeling a whole lot different. Tonight, I want to punch Steele for being a philanderer and for even assuming I’d consider cheating on Lorelei.
Needing to get out of here before I blow this deal with him, I throw the remainder of my whisky down my throat and then demand, “What did you want to discuss with me?”
His eyes remain on Donna as he leisurely takes a drink. “You need to sell those Willow Street properties you’ve been purchasing. To your father.”
Like hell I need to do that. However, I know how this world works, and there’s more to this than Steele just telling me to sell. “Why?”
Shifting his gaze to me, he drops the missing puzzle piece. “The New Zealand deal won’t go ahead if you don’t.”
My eyes bore into his while anger builds deep inside me. “You’ll back out of it if I don’t give those properties to my father? What the fuck has he got on you?”
“Sell, not give, Ashton. And he has nothing on me. This is a simple business transaction. He has something I want, and in return, he wants those properties.”
“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I sell anything to my father. Find another way to get what you want from him.”
His eyes flash with annoyance. “This is the only way, and if you want me to invest in your resort, you’ll make it happen.”
Donna Stark joins us, interrupting our conversation. Her eyes hungrily roam my body before she meets my gaze. Stepping a little too close to me, she purrs, “Ashton Scott. It’s taken us far too long to meet.”
My tone is icy as I let her know how I feel about that. “And it’ll be a long time before we meet again.” Wanting to put some space between Ste
ele and me, I face him again and say, “I’ll be in touch.” I have no intention of meeting his demand, but I need time to process it and come up with an alternative plan.
Ignoring Donna’s shocked expression, I turn to leave.
“Make it soon, Ashton,” Steele calls out. “Gregory wants this sale to go ahead in the next week.”
Everything he’s said tonight has infuriated me, but what angers me the most is that my father has managed to direct Steele’s actions and put my deal at risk. There’s a reason I distanced myself from him, and the fact he would put business before his son in this way is central to that.
I stalk towards the door to leave the party, but Cassia ambushes me on the way out. “Ashton, wait,” she calls as she hurries across the room.
I keep moving, trying to exit before she reaches me, but she closes the distance between us fast. Curling her hand around my wrist, she says, “We need to talk.”
A scowl fills my face. “We don’t. What I need is for you to let me go so I can get the hell out of here.”
My words or my tone or maybe both hurt her, and while she tries to cover that hurt, I see it in her eyes and regret being so harsh with her. But I don’t make an effort to take any of it back; I’m too angry with my father to think about much more than him.
Instead of letting me go, she tightens her grip. “What’s wrong? Why are you so moody tonight?”
I pull out of her hold. “Can we not do this right now, Cassia? I have stuff I need to deal with.”
Again, instead of respecting my wishes, she does the opposite and moves closer to me, her body brushing against mine. Running her hand down my arm, she says, “You look stressed and angry about something. Why don’t you talk it through with me? I’ll get us a drink and find a quiet spot so we can talk. We still haven’t talked about that kiss, and I also want to discuss some things about your mum with you. She’s not doing so well, and I think she’s hiding that from you.”
The kiss is the last thing on my mind, but her mention of my mother catches my attention because I’ve suspected she’s hiding stuff from me. After discovering my father is having another affair, she seems to have chosen her usual way of dealing with their problems and has thrown herself into socialising. She’s presenting a happy face to the world, and if I didn’t know otherwise, I would think she and Dad were happy together.
“We have nothing to talk about regarding that kiss.” I silence her protest with a look that lets her know I’m not changing my mind on this. “I’m interested to hear more about my mother, but I don’t want to do it here. I’ll drive you home and you can tell me what you know on the way.”
She smiles, and I know she assumes my offer to drive her home is more than just a way for us to talk. Cassia has always assumed far too much when it comes to me, and she’s going to be very disappointed when I drop her off without walking her inside. “That sounds perfect,” she murmurs.
I don’t bother to correct her assumptions and place my hand on her back to guide her outside. As we’re leaving, she reaches her hand up to my neck and slows my movement so she can press a kiss to my lips. It happens so suddenly I don’t have time to stop her. When she pulls away and gives me a triumphant smile, I have no idea what it means.
My anger flares and I remove my hand from her back. “Change of plans,” I bark. “I’ll talk to my mother myself. I don’t want to see you again, Cassia. Whatever this is that you think is happening between us, it’s not. I’ve tried to tell you that nicely, but now I’m telling you bluntly—we were done a long time ago and we won’t ever be together again.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Ashton. You’re all messed up about something and not thinking straight.”