Money Man (King Maker 1)

Kalen didn’t take her offered hand and I wanted to laugh at her disappointment.

“I would say it was nice seeing you again, Scott. But that would be a lie, and that’s your specialty.”

“For your information, I didn’t send you any letter,” Scott’s fiancée said as I walked away.

I hesitated for a second but didn’t turn around. It took me a moment to remember the warning letter I’d given Scott and told him to have his fiancée back off. But would she really be honest about not sending it? Of course not. I shook off the bad vibe I got and waltzed away from the man I once thought I loved. Truth was, I’d loved the idea we created. I’d never loved him. Not completely, anyway.

We wound our way through the crowd, Kalen following my lead. I aimed toward the center buffet with a spread of canapés and hors d’oeuvres. However, it was the waiter with the tray of wine glasses that caught my eye. I relieved him of one before he disappeared to my disappointment. I had a feeling I would need several more to get through the night.

“Was he your former fiancé?” Kalen asked as I drained my drink.

I nodded and swept my eyes, looking for another waiter nearby.

“He’s a skeekit tadger.”

I giggled. The wine might have gone to my head. “I like the sound of that. Before I can use it, I need to know what it means.”

“I think you can guess,” he teased. His eyes lifted over my shoulder and narrowed. “Give me a minute.”

He stalked off and I turned around, wondering who he was going to talk to. Though I was blatantly aware he wasn’t taking me. Then again, how would one introduce one’s fuck buddy?

I closed my eyes, wondering again what I was doing. When I opened them again, I’d been cornered by Scott’s parents. Great.

“Bailey Glicks,” his father said, superiority written all over his face.

Good manners forced a placid smile on my face.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.”

I traded handshakes with his father, and then half-hugs and air kisses with his mother.

“Scott tells me you’ve found a way to work together,” Mr. Hayes said.

It was the reminder that his father was a partner in the firm, and I had to play nice.

“We have,” I admitted.

“That’s good, especially since Scott has found some interesting transactions that need further investigation.”

“You mean, I found. Scott assigned me—”

He waved me off. “I’m sure you’re going to continue to work under my son and perform your duties. If you’ll excuse me.”

I ground my teeth as he left me alone with his wife. First thing Monday, I would send the email I’d composed earlier following up on my findings and would cc the partner-in-charge. While I respected the chain of command, there was no way Scott would screw me over at work too.

“I’m disappointed in you, Bailey.”

I gawked at Scott’s mother. “What?”

She tsked me. “You must have learned by now this is a man’s world.”

The woman before me no longer seemed like the woman I’d admired. She had poise and beauty I’d respected until now. “But we women have our own kind of power and you let my son get away,” she said.

Respectful, yes. A pacifist I was not.

“Your son was cheating on me,” I said, certain I wasn’t hearing her correctly. “There is no denying that.”

Her humorless laugh barely curled her lips. “Yes, well, that was a mistake that could have been hidden away if you stayed. Instead, she wears your ring and that baby in her belly like an award.”

Scott’s soon-to-be-wife was very pregnant, something I noticed when I first walked into the party, causing my steps to falter. It had been another blow to have confirmation that his cheating hadn’t been a one-time thing like he’d claimed. But I wouldn’t let Scott derail my life anymore.

“Don’t be a child, Bailey. Men cheat. But they usually don’t marry their whores.”

I couldn’t help the belly laugh I barked out. “Maybe that’s okay in your world, but not in mine.”

In retrospect, that was the moment I should have walked away.

“And what, you think the man you came with in the five-thousand-dollar suit, wearing a half-million-dollar watch, will settle for just you, a small-town girl with no family connections? Haven’t you noticed all the women checking him out? He could have any one of them with the snap of his finger. Including you. But most of the women here would understand and accept the world he lives in. If you can’t handle Scott, my dear, you most definitely cannot handle that man.”

I had no snappy comebacks. She’d played on my insecurities like a seasoned pro. As she disappeared from my line of sight, I spotted Kalen talking to a well-dressed older man. It shouldn’t have bothered me that he didn’t see me worthy of meeting this person he knew.