The Fling (18+)

Chapter 10

As we approached my father, I saw him eye the cocktail in my hand with pointed disapproval.

He wouldn't be worried about the drink if he knew what I had done to the man next to me last night...

The man in question, Adam Baker, walked in step beside me, long legs effortlessly matching my stride.

In that moment, I remembered what it felt like to have him standing behind me, hips pounding against my ass as he fucked me into oblivion.

Jesus-

Breathing in, I inhaled his maddeningly intoxicating scent, feeling my knees weaken beneath my skirt.

Oh, god-

I brought the glass up for a sip, trying to mask my thoughts.

"Adam, Nora, I'd like to introduce you to Bruce Warner." Turning to the steel-haired man next to him, he explained, "Adam is one of the co-founders of the company-"

Reaching over, Adam shook his hand, "Good to see you. I'm not sure if you remember, but we've actually met before."

Bruce's welcoming smile faltered for a moment, and then he beamed, "The golf tournament!" He laughed, "I honestly can't remember what charity that was benefitting, but I do remember that you beat my score by one point!"

Adam grinned, "Well, for what it's worth, that is probably the best game I will ever play - I've never been great at golf, I was just in rare form that day."

Raising his glass in a brief toast, Bruce said, "I appreciate you trying to soothe my ego." Then, he turned to me, "What about you?"

"Hmm?" I glanced up as I took another sip of my gin and tonic. "Oh, um..." Swallowing, I joked, "You'll never have to worry about me beating your golf score, I assure you."

Bruce chuckled while, behind him, my father glared at me.

Extending my hand, I introduced myself, "Hi, I'm the erstwhile, liberal arts studying daughter."

"Oh?" Bruce asked while we shook, "Which liberal art in particular?"

"Psychology." I answered, flashing back to the numerous times Dad had tried to talk me out of it.

"Ah, so we're basically in the same field?"

I frowned, confused. "Hmm?"

Grinning, Bruce elaborated, "I've been in business long enough to know that it's really just applied psychology."

Smiling, I said, "Oh, I see; so, we're colleagues then?"

We laughed companionably as Dad cut in, "Bruce, I think they're about to start serving dinner - would you like to join us at our table?"

"I'd love to - do you think the caterers will mind?"

"It's just one extra place - I'm sure it's no big deal." Gesturing to the nearest waiter, Dad turned to speak to him, pointing toward our table where Jessica sat-

-watching Bruce...

Her eyes averted quickly, but I knew what I had seen.

Tucking that piece of information away for later, I raised my glass for a small, smug sip.

Dinner was an ornately presented parade of immaculately made dishes, and I wanted to be anywhere else.

Sitting across from Adam, I was forced to listen as Dad related stories of their college years, tales of wild misadventures, all starring my father and the man I'd fucked last night.

Grimacing down at my plate, I stabbed my last bite of honey glazed carrot, barely tasting the morsel as it hit my tongue.

"...and that's how Caroline," he turned to Bruce to explain, "my first wife, found us the next morning."

I froze my face to hide my sudden anger.

Keep Mom's name out of your fucking mouth.

"And did you ever find his clothes?"

Dad shook his head, "It remains a mystery to this very day."

There was a momentary flicker of annoyance on Adam's face as he picked up his tumbler for a drink.

Somebody's embarrassed.

If Dad had any sense, he would be embarrassed, too. He'd crossed the line into oversharing several anecdotes back.

Bruce chuckled, "And somehow, between all of this, you found the time to establish your company?"

"Well," Dad shrugged, "I'm glossing over all of the studying and brainstorming and planning that happened in between. There was a lot of hard work that went into it."

Glancing between Dad and Adam, Bruce asked, "How did you all meet?"

"Well," Dad began, "I transferred schools in my junior year and wound up having to take a World Civ class because of the different Gen Ed course requirements. We got grouped together for a project, and things just grew from there."

"Really?"

He nodded, "That's how I met Katherine and Adam, which led to Money Mojo and," he gestured around him, "all this. Later, Adam went on to introduce me to Caroline-" Dad shrugged, "That class absolutely changed my life, just... probably not in the way the professor was expecting."

Adam introduced my parents?

A chill raced through me, and I looked up at him. "...you knew my mom before Dad did?"

Did they...

The unspoken question hung in the air, audible only to the two of us.

If I have to find out that he dated my Mom, I'm going to fling myself off of the roof.

Adam gave me the subtlest shake of the head, putting my worry to rest, "She was the valedictorian of my graduating class in high school. Then, one night, we ran into her at a party and, well, the rest is history."

I relaxed in my seat, relieved that I'd been spared the horror of hooking up with one of my mother's exes.

Later, after dessert had been served, my father took the stage to address his guests, blossoming in the spotlight like a flower in the sun.

As he began to speak, I felt Jessica lean over to me, "Are you okay?"

Turning to my right, I frowned, "What?"

Her expression was neutral as she whispered, "You've just seemed really on-edge since Adam got here - are you okay?"

Cold horror washed over me.

She knows.

Glancing across the table, I saw Adam watching my father speak, dark eyes focused in rapt attention-

-the same attention he'd given me last night.

Looking away, I fired back, "Funny, I could say the same thing about you and Bruce."

In my periphery, I saw the way that she stiffened as my accusation hit its mark.

Then, I heard her sigh quietly. "Look, I know I'll never be your favorite person, but it still bothers me to see you this upset."

Shame settled in, and I muttered, "Your concern is noted, but I'm fine."

"Okay," she whispered, disbelief dripping from every syllable. "Just know that I'm around if you want to talk."

My hands tightened into fists as I rolled my eyes. Hell would have to freeze over before I went to my father's mistress for emotional support.