Page 57 of Empire of Lust
I don’t think she knows I’m watching, even if it seems by now she should assume. She’s crazier than I thought if she believes I’d let her live in the middle of town, surrounded by god only knows what.
Yeah, like I’d let that happen.
I won’t lie. As inconvenient as it is, I admire her desire for independence. I’d rather her try to do her own thing than sponge off me the way Amanda did and continues to do. The slightest thought of that bitch enrages me. It also reminds me of something I meant to take care of already. Bianca’s long gone now, on her way home, and I plan to follow. Before easing out into the street, I pull up Tatum’s contact details and call her through the car’s Bluetooth. She knows better than to ignore me.
“Dad.” Her overly chipper response rouses my instincts. “How’s it going on the other side of the Atlantic?”
She’s trying too hard. “Do you know why I’m calling?” I ask in a carefully measured voice.
“Because you miss your little girl and wish I would come home?”
Wiseass.“That’s true, but it’s not why I called. Let’s be serious. You ran two of your cards over their limit. I know you’re aware I get an alert when that happens.”
“Oh, Dad.” She sighs like a woman with the weight of the world on her delicate shoulders and not a girl whose father is footing the bill for her trip across Europe. “I apologize. I lost track. I don’t think you know how easy it is to forget how much you’ve spent.”
“You act like I’ve never traveled. Being an adult means staying on top of your expenses.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Sorry enough to quit buying your boyfriend clothes?”
It’s a momentary pause, but a significant one. “What are you trying to say? Yeah, I bought him a few suits,” she mumbles.
A few suits. “Thirty-thousand dollars’ worth of suits at a men’s store in Milan is not afewsuits.”
“Right.”
I draw a deep breath in through my nose and count to five while waiting at a red light. “Tatum. I agreed to foot the bill for him up to a point. I covered the rental properties and, of course, the jet, but otherwise, the plan was for him to pay his own way, and you both told me he would.”
“And he has, mostly,” she defends.
“Doesn’t he have any pride? A real man would not let his girlfriend pay for everything.”
“Dad, can you please not turn this into something it isn’t?” She blows out a heavy breath. “You act like you’re the only one with unanswered questions.”
“No. You’re not turning this around on me.”
“I’m not. I just don’t like secrets, and I heard a rumor that you’ve been sneaking around with Bianca while I’m out of the country. Are you trying to hide it from me?”
Damn it. Who the fuck is she talking to? Better yet, who knows—and how? It’s incredible how many names and faces can fly through my head in the blink of an eye. I’ve been discreet. Not even Romero knows we’re on a more than a friendly basis, though if he did, I doubt he’d tell Tatum. They’re not on friendly terms.
“Dad?” she prompts once a length of uncomfortable silence has unfolded between us. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” I have to pretend I don’t have the first idea of what’s going on if I’m going to convince her.
“Don’t make me say it, please,” she grumbles. “You know what I’m saying, and I know Bianca’s had a crush on you forever. All that matters to me is making sure she doesn’t get her heart broken again.”
I blurt it out without thinking. “You knew she had a crush on me?”
“Dad!” She groans. “Yes, I knew. It was painfully obvious. But she never admitted it to me, and we never talked about it.”
“All you need to know is that I’m being careful with her. I promise.” When she stays silent, I ask, “Are you okay? You’re not upset, are you? She’d be crushed if she thought that.”
“No. I’m not upset. Like I said, it’s not a huge surprise. I mean, it’s a little weird, but not at the same time.”
I’m almost at the compound now, and the familiar anticipation builds in my gut. How many years has it been since I last anticipated going home to a woman?
“Don’t worry,” I murmur as I roll through the gate, lifting a hand to wave at Henry in passing. “Everything will be all right.”