4. Sterling
4
STERLING
I lean back in my armchair, one leg crossed over the other, arms draped over the sides as I watch my daughter’s ‘gift’ to me take a seat opposite and retrieve a notebook from her purse.
Halliday Burton.
I’ve heard of her company. My brother, Clay, said she found a match for a business associate of his. The guy is expecting his second kid now. I don’t buy into all the cosmic-universe-sends-you-gifts, though. If that were true, my son would still be alive, and Sinclair and Sullivan would still have their mother.
She tucks a strand of short ice-blonde hair behind her ear, her fingers catching a pink stone in her earring, which she rubs like it’s a lucky talisman. She opens the notebook in her lap and smooths her hand over the pages.
“I have these questions in a digital file. So any you can’t answer now, or want to take more time to think over, I can send you a copy, okay? At this stage though, I like to write your answers for my own reference. I get a stronger feel of the intention that way.”
“Okay.” I smile at her, watching the way her eyes fall closed for a moment and a peaceful expression overtakes her face as she takes a deep breath and picks up her pen.
“Right. Let’s begin.”
Sullivan crosses his arms from where he’s chosen to stand, leaning against the kitchen counter, Monty on the stool beside him. Sinclair sits on the sofa, close to Halliday.
Everyone’s eyes are on me.
“Do you see yourself with a woman, a man, both, or a multiple combination?”
Halliday blinks innocently as my brows shoot up. “That’s…” I tilt my head, pursing my lips as I think. “… something I’ve never considered before.”
“A woman,” Sullivan clips. “ One woman.”
I chuckle and turn my palms upward. “One woman, like my son says.”
“Mm-hm.” Halliday writes something in her notebook. “And when was the last time you went on a date?”
“I don’t recall.”
“Two Saturdays ago, he took Lavinia to see a play,” Sinclair offers.
“She’s just a friend,” I interject.
“Lavinia Weston? She runs the charity that raised five million for Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, correct?” Halliday waits patiently for me to elaborate.
“You’ve done your research.” I shift in my seat.
“I saw photographs of you at a fundraiser. Hmm, good.” Halliday smiles. “I look forward to meeting her. Okay, next question.”
“Go ahead.”
“When was the last time you had sexual relations? That can include oral sex, manual stimulation from another… anything more than kissing.”
Sullivan scoffs. “Fuck, I don’t want to hear this.”
“Shut up,” Sinclair snaps at him, then looks at me expectantly. “It’s fine, Dad. We’re all adults here.” Her eyes track to her brother’s and narrow in warning. “Do you want Dad to be happy or not?”
“I am happy, Sweetheart. I’ve got Seasons, and you two and Molly keep me busy.”
“I’ll mark that one down as something you can let me know later,” Halliday says as she writes in her notebook again.
Sullivan grunts, and Sinclair widens her eyes, shaking her head at him.
“I know we’re getting straight to personal questions. But there’s a reason they are structured this way. It really helps me get a read on your energy doing it like this,” she explains patiently.
“Carry on.” I roll my wrist, encouraging her. The sooner we’re done, the sooner I can get something to drink that’s stronger than the iced lemon spritzers Sinclair fixed for us.
“Thank you. Okay, what kind of kisser are you?”
“Jesus Christ, what did I do to deserve this today?” Sullivan grumbles under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Amusement rumbles in my chest. If nothing else, she’s giving me some interesting topics to talk about with Mal later. Makes a change from diamond mines and club business.
“Do you require a demonstration?” I breathe out with a raspy chuckle.
Halliday fixes her gaze on mine, unblinking. “You’re my client. That would be a gross breach of trust.”
“Right.” I clear my throat, my chuckle ceasing instantly. “Forgive me. That wasn’t very gentlemanly of me.”
Sullivan curses quietly before pushing off from the counter. “I need to go and pick up Molly. Halliday, it was nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again over the course of the month. Sinclair, Dad.” He nods at us before striding from the room without looking back, his phone already up to his ear as he makes a call.
“My son runs our family business, Beaufort Diamonds,” I explain. “He’s got a new line about to launch. And he has a two-year-old daughter who still wakes in the night. He’s busier than usual.”
“I understand. He works hard. And he’s a perfectionist. I could see it in his aura,” Halliday says, unruffled by his swift departure.
“That he is.” I run my pointer finger over my lips as she turns the page in her notebook before looking at me.
“Perhaps you can think on my last question and then give me your answer? It’s important. Sex is great. But kissing and other intimate acts that are more subtle will strengthen bonds between partners and help align your frequencies.” She twists her lips in thought. “For now, I’ll put it requires work.”
“Right.” I frown.
“Okay, we’re almost done with this section. Now, can you tell me the last time you saw a woman you were attracted to? How did you feel? How did your body react? What was it about her that drew you in?”
I take a deep breath as Sinclair nods at me encouragingly. She’s glowing like a bright ball of sunshine. She honestly believes this is what I need.
“Well. I suppose it was…” I concentrate hard, trying to recall the last time I felt a deep pull of attraction, something deeper than mere surface lust for a physical itch that needed scratching.
I take in Halliday’s feet clad in high heels, her fitted pencil skirt and pearly pink silk blouse with the top two buttons undone, all the way up to her neck, where her pulse flutters beneath her smooth skin.
The need to lick my lips is overwhelming.
“It was…”
Her eyes capture mine, and my heart thuds out a deep rhythm against my ribs. She’s built a business from nothing and carries herself with the grace and elegance that I usually only see in women closer to my age. Women who’ve had longer to become confident in their unique strengths and beauty.
An allure that I very much admire.
She’s not much older than my daughter.
I shake my head, holding her gaze.
“Like I said, I’m not looking for love.”