Prince Pucking Charming
“Make an appointment,” he snaps. “I’m busy.”
I glance down at the white towel and nod. “Yeah, you look busy, Ted.”
“Hey, baby,” a woman says from inside the house. “What are you doing down there?”
For a split second, I swear she sounds like Lila. My blood boils, and a fire simmers beneath my burning skin. Instinctively, I ball my hands into fists, ready to pound him into next week. Until a young blonde woman who could pass as Lila’s twin, only a few years younger and with smaller tits, steps into the entryway. She’s also wearing a towel, with her hair piled on top of her head. Her eyes travel up and down my body. I almost laugh when our eyes meet, and she licks her lips.
“Duke Baldwin,” she coos. “Wow! What are you doing here?” Her towel dips slightly, giving me a better view of her tits. She did that on purpose.
Ignoring her, I look at Ted. “I sat in your office for two hours. You owe me five minutes for my time.”
He laughs. “I don’t owe you anything.”
“I’m sure Senator Banks would love to know that you canceled your afternoon to fuck the help.”
The blonde gasps and her cheeks flush red.
“Fine,” Ted sighs, opening the door wide enough for me to step inside. “Five minutes.” He turns to the blonde and says, “Wait for me upstairs.”
Her gaze shifts between us, and then she disappears in the opposite direction. Ted leads me down a long hallway and into his office. Paneled floor to ceiling in wood, it looks like the office of a rich asshole. Every movie cliché is present in this room. I feel like I’m waiting for members of the Skull and Bones to pop out from a hidden doorway in the wall.
A mahogany desk sits in front of a long row of windows that overlook the backyard. A giant deer head is mounted on the wall above a wood burning fireplace. Two oversized leather armchairs are on the right side of the room, with a decanter of amber liquid sitting on the table between them.
Ted motions for me to sit, and then pours me a glass
. I wave him off. I’m not here to sit around and bullshit with him. I’m all business today.
He sips from the glass and then sets it on the table. “You wanted a meeting. So, talk.”
“I need your help getting Lila’s contract with the Caps back.”
He gives me a smug look I want to knock from his face with my fist. “What makes you think I can help you with that?”
“Senator Banks knows the team owner personally.”
He snorts. “And why would he want to help you?”
I lean forward, measuring him up with my eyes, and he cowers at my intense gaze. When I was in middle school, my math teacher told my mom that I scared her. She thought there was something wrong with me. It’s not like I went home and killed rabbits or burnt bugs with magnifying glasses, but the Baldwin stare works every time.
Ted leans back in his chair and tips the glass to his mouth.
“You should do this for Lila,” I challenge. “And for your daughter, who you stand up every chance you get.”
He slams the glass on the table, and liquid spills out. “Stay out of my business.”
“Lila is my business. If you don’t want to do this for me, do it for your daughter. Lila won’t tell you because she’s too proud, but she needs the money. She couldn’t afford to lose this job.”
“She didn’t want alimony,” he says. “Instead, I gave her full custody of Max. If she needed the money, she should have fought me harder.”
I grind my teeth, commanding every ounce of energy to stop myself from knocking him out. He deserves worse than what I did to Dean. Hell, now that I know the truth, Dean didn’t deserve it at all. Okay, well, maybe a little ass-kicking. After all, he did get my baby sister pregnant. That has to count for something.
“I know how this works. I’m sure there’s something you want. Money for the senator’s next campaign? A public appearance for a fundraiser?”
He cocks an eyebrow at me. “Not quite.”
“Spit it out.”
“There’s a cheerleader,” he says, and I shake my head, not the least bit surprised.