“Dad, what an unexpected surprise.” And unwelcome. “Good to see you, Lucas.”
Even more than getting caught with a half-naked Missy in his suite, the appearance of his father knocked Sebastian off balance. What the hell was he doing here? And with Lucas Smythe? Brandon had been against the purchase of Smythe Industries from the start. Not that he had a say in the way Case Consolidated Holdings was run since his retirement nine months ago. Still, this hadn’t stopped him from popping into the office to say hello and lingering to voice his opinion of how his sons were running things.
Sebastian advanced past his assistant to shake hands with Lucas, making sure his body blocked Missy, giving her a chance to fade backward.
“Glad you could join us this week.”
“Glad to be here,” Lucas replied, his attention edging past Sebastian. “I’ll admit I’ve been a bit curious how you run things. Want to mak
e sure my company’s going to be in good hands before I sign her over to you.”
Strong in his opinions about professionalism in the work-place, Sebastian now looked like a hypocrite. The fact that Missy had quit before they’d had sex didn’t make the situation any easier to stomach. Debaucher of female employees was not the image Sebastian wanted to portray.
“Have you eaten?” Sebastian asked as a waiter arrived, pushing a cart loaded with covered dishes into the room. “Looks like there’s plenty of food.”
“I’ve already eaten,” said Lucas, his gaze following Missy as she disappeared into a room Sebastian hadn’t noticed yesterday.
They were sharing the suite?
Giving the appearance of being oblivious to the undercurrents in the room, Brandon followed the waiter. “I’ll take a cup of coffee.”
“Of course.” Frustration engulfed Sebastian.
Uncharacteristically, he wanted to offer an explanation for Missy’s presence in his suite and her attire, but his father’s smirk and Lucas’s frown told Sebastian they’d already formed opinions.
With ruthless determination, he banned Missy from his mind, slamming the door on his personal life so he could concentrate on the business at hand.
“Too bad you didn’t bring your appetite.” He began uncovering trays. “Looks like Missy ordered everything on the menu.”
Brandon glanced toward the door she’d departed through. His lips formed a sly grin. “Have we caught you at a bad time?”
“Not at all.”
Filling his plate with eggs, bacon, pancakes and toast, Sebastian sipped coffee and fixed his gaze on Lucas. Seeing the speculation in the man’s eyes, Sebastian ground his teeth. He refused to feel guilty about what had happened in this suite last night, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to make excuses for his behavior.
“I think you’ll be impressed with the division executives you’ll meet this week,” Sebastian said. “We believe our employees are our most important assets.”
“I’m sure he can tell that you appreciate your employees’ assets,” Brandon said, stirring the pot with a heavy dose of irony.
Sebastian ignored the dig. His father had no business judging. Brandon had indulged in his own indiscretions in years past.
He turned to his father and decided to be blunt. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I came by to see if you could tear yourself away long enough for a round of golf.”
“Not here in the suite,” Sebastian countered, working hard to keep his tone even while nettles drove into his gut. “I mean in Las Vegas.”
“This is your first time in charge of the leadership summit. With both your brothers putting out fires elsewhere, I thought you could use my help.”
More likely he’d thought to take over the leadership summit and undermine Sebastian’s authority as the current CEO of Case Consolidated Holdings. Brandon hadn’t wanted to resign after his heart surgery nine months ago. He’d only agreed to step down to appease his wife of forty years.
“I appreciate the offer,” Sebastian lied, regarding his father over the rim of his coffee cup. “But I have everything under control.”
Missy closed the door between her room and Sebastian’s suite and leaned back against it, heart pounding. Dismay tightened around her chest like a vise. She’d never seen Sebastian that angry before. Usually when irritated he froze someone in place. For the first six months she worked for him, she had heard one horror story after another of how he’d terrified her predecessors, and she waited for him to turn his icy disapproval on her. But he never had. Maybe because she made sure everything was done to his exacting specifications, giving him no reason to be annoyed with her.
But was that any way to live?
She deserved a job where she was appreciated for her talents.