Owning Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy 3)

I shook my head. It was pathetic, really. He probably had some twenty-something waiting for him in the wings, hanging on his every word while he reaped the benefits of her youth. I didn’t want my father’s approval anymore. I didn’t want anything to do with a man who would put everyone around him at risk just because he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

As the conversation devolved further, I’d finally had enough. I cleared my throat loudly and watched my father spin around, his eyes widening.

“Darling, I have to go,” he said and hung up his phone.

I stared him down, waiting to hear him concoct some excuse for his behavior. But all he said to me was, “How much did you hear?”

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “Enough to know you’re cheating on Madison’s mother,” I said.

For just a moment, my father looked like he didn’t know what to do. For once in his life, it was like he had no clue what to say or how to talk his way out of it. For a minute there, he resembled something close to human. But then he just snorted and sat down across from me, leaning back in his leather chair as he said:

“Don’t be naïve, Preston. Do you really think Vivian’s marrying me for love?”

I thought back to all the things Madison had told me about her mother. I couldn’t deny my father’s allegation, but that didn’t make him right. I hardly knew what the two of them did in private together, but I was betting that whatever it was, Vivian had come to have a reasonable expectation of fidelity from the man she was about to marry.

As always, my father thought that money excused everything. I shook my head in disgust.

“How long has this been going on?” I asked him. And then, “I don’t just mean this one, either. Was this what made Mom leave?”

That he chose not to answer. Instead he waved his hand dismissively and muttered something about his private life before getting to the task at hand.

“You might still have a lot to learn about the nature of the world, Preston, but your performance with Harold Verger speaks for itself.”

“Speaking of which, I thought we might talk about the Verger deal…” I began, but my father cut me off, continuing as if I hadn’t said a word.

“You’ve proven that I can rely on you, son, and that’s no small feat. I think you’re ready to start taking on more responsibility for the company. I think you’re ready to move up in the ranks.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “And what does that mean?”

My father laughed. “It means that my time at Harvey Enterprises is coming to an end. Maybe not this year or even the next—but soon. You are my heir, and it’s time that I treated you like one.”

He paused, as if expecting me to say something in return. When I didn’t, he said, “You’re going to get more involved in the day-to-day operations of Harvey Enterprises, which means more money for you and a bigger office. You’ll come work for me in the Harvey Tower downtown. No more telecommuting from that little hole in the wall.”

That ‘hole in the wall’ was my oasis, my sanctuary. It kept a firm boundary between me and my father, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to demolish it for any amount of money.

“What about Maddy?” I said. “Are you going to hire her, too?”

My father shrugged. “Sure. We can find something for her. Those part-time mail clerk positions have high turnover. No reason I can’t stick her there.”

“What, for eight dollars an hour?” I asked, raising my brows. “She’s making a hell of a lot more than that now, and she deserves it. I know you’ve seen my productivity this month.”

“Yes, yes, you’ve been busy, but with the exception of the Verger deal, I must admit much of what you’ve accomplished hasn’t been to the level of profitability that I expect. Profits are down nearly eight percent, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you went soft right about the time you hired on your sweet little stepsister.”

I tried to keep my cool, avoiding his attempt at putting me on the defensive. “Profits are down, but employee morale is higher than it has been in years. Sure, I’ve made a few hard choices that will negatively effect this quarter, but I did the right thing, and people respect me for it. If you really want me to take over this company some day, I’m going to need the chain of command to know that I’m a man worth respecting.”

My father slammed his hand down on a table, my body instinctively wincing against its impact. “Respect is far easier attained through fear. Do you think I reached my station in life being nice? Did you think I wouldn’t notice that you pushed dozens of part time workers into enough hours that they qualify for benefits? That includes Maddy. There isn’t a personal assistant on the planet worth the kind of money you’re paying her.”

“I’m not going to argue with you about this. Maddy deserves…” I began, but he cut me off again, his voice raising to an octave I’d only heard when he was truly angry.

“It’s not about what people deserve, son,” my dad said, his body visibly working to keep his rage contained as he pulled a cigar box out of one of his desk drawers. “It’s about giving them just enough to keep them from revolting. I thought I taught you better than that.”

I shook my head, standing up. “I don’t think this is going to work out,” I said. “Not unless Maddy gets a fair shake in all this. I mean, if I’m going to take on more responsibilities, I’m going to need a personal assistant. Why demote her and hire someone else when we could just transfer her position to the tower? You want to pay her less, fine. I can cover the difference out of my own salary. I’m not cutting her pay, and that’s not up for negotiation.”

My father waved his hand as he lit the end of his imported cigar. “We’re not having a negotiation. Perhaps you’ve forgotten which name is on the building? I already took care of everything. Maddy is out, and your personal assistant position has been filled.”

I blinked, unable to form a better response than two simple words that escaped my lips. “By who?”

He sucked in a long draw before he answered, blowing a smoke ring as he said the word I somehow knew would bring me yet another dose of pain.

“Jane.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “Jane?” I echoed. “You’re trying to get rid of the best assistant I’ve ever had, and now you tell me you hired Jane on as my new PA after I personally fired her? What the hell, Dad?”

“She does good work,” he said with a shrug. “And she keeps you on tra

ck. You’ve softened up since you hired on Madison, and I know damn well Jane can fix that.”

“You’re insane,” I hissed, clenching my hands into fists at my sides. “Maddy was on my staff when I fixed that deal with Harold Verger. I haven’t gone soft at all.”

“Oh is that so? You’d blow that deal to smithereens in an instant, if it meant pleasing sweet precious Maddy. I saw the way you looked at her over dinner as the little bitch dressed me down in my own house,” my father said, his piercing gaze meeting mine. “Wouldn’t you, Preston? I’d bet you’re already considering it. I can see the wheels turning in that head of yours. You’re angry, aren’t you? That’s good. I want you angry. That’s the fire you need burning if you’re going to carry this company into the future, son.”

I stared. I wasn’t sure how to answer him, but he didn’t give me time.

“And besides, you can’t keep fucking your stepsister, Preston.”

I watched as his lips curled into a crooked smile, my breath catching as my heart skipped a beat. “Maybe she’s not family yet, but she will be, and then this little dalliance will have to stop. And when it does, it’ll all go bad, Preston. Believe me, I’ve seen what Madison’s mother is like. She’ll go after you and your money faster than you can pull out of her tight little cunt. Maybe she’ll say you raped her, or that you threatened her job if she didn’t go along with your twisted little fucking games. Now, maybe accusations like that don’t hold a hell of a lot of weight between men like us, but fucking your stepsister? Now that’s just plain unacceptable.”

He stood up, his bones creaking as he made his way to my side. He blew a puff of smoke in my face as he said, “You’ll be a pariah, Preston. And so will I. They’ll be wagging this story up and down the news stations and dragging our stock value through the mud. Is that what you want?”

My vision was tunneling. I could feel heat prickling my face. How the hell did he know about Maddy and me? How the hell could he know?