38. Misogynists
Misogynists
Cerise
Iplaced another piece of fruit on my plate, unable to keep myself from worrying about Liam.
I’d never seen him so antsy, so unsure of himself.
Though he tried to keep it hidden, it was like all his usual confidence and swagger disappeared the moment we stepped over the threshold of his parents’ home.
It was like a mirror. I saw myself in him when I had to face my mother. And now I wanted to whisk him away and rescue him from the remainder of this night, exactly like he had done for me at the gala.
“Let me get that for you, sweetheart,” a low voice spoke close behind me as a hand reached around and took my plate from my hands.
I spun around, face-to-face with an imposing man.
White hair, emerald eyes, a perfectly tailored ebony suit.
He looked so similar to Liam, I froze for a moment.
But it wasn’t him. This man was bulkier, taller, lacking the easy smiles and friendliness.
Instead, he emanated an air of condescension and disdain.
I backed up a step. “Excuse me?”
“I’ll fill your plate for you. What’s your name? I’ve never seen you before.” His eyes wandered lazily over my figure.
I straightened. “That won’t be necessary. Keep that plate. I’ll get another.”
Seconds later, Liam appeared at my side, slipping an arm around my waist. “Hey, sunshine. I see you’ve had the displeasure of meeting my brother.” He looked at the other man. “Callahan, this is Cerise. She’s here with me. Cerise, this is Callahan.”
Whatever interest Callahan’s eyes held moments ago vanished, as if he was bored with me now that he knew I was unavailable.
Trying to be polite, I held out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He ignored it. “Charmed. Well, Liam. Haven’t seen you in a while. Still messing around at that school of yours?”
Liam’s face was a mask of calm, but I saw the irritation flare in his eyes. “Still spending your days licking Father’s boots?”
The tension in the air was palpable. Squeezing Liam’s arm, I prepared to extricate him from the conversation when another man approached with a woman who appeared about my age at his side.
“Brother!” The second man exclaimed, friendlier than Callahan but still with a hint of superiority in his voice.
Liam sighed, rolling his eyes. “Cerise, this is Otto. My other brother. And his wife, Sera.”
Otto was the shortest of the three, about my height, with the same deep brown hair as Liam’s sister. His wife wore a scarlet gown accentuating her generous curves, her chestnut locks pulled back in an intricate updo.
After the introductions, Otto turned his gaze on Liam. “Our dear baby brother has finally decided to grace us with his presence, eh?”
“Don’t get too excited,” Liam said. “I’m just here to wish dad the happiest of birthdays and then I’ll go back to my ‘teaching cave’ and stay out of your hair.”
“How disappointing,” Otto said, but it was obvious he didn’t mean it.
“Well”—he flicked his eyes to me—“you brought a woman, which you never do. I was hoping that indicated you’d grown up.
Sera would love to introduce her to all of her friends.
She can join the little wifey club they have. Maybe attend a luncheon?”
I had no intention of befriending any of these women. Though Sera seemed kind, I was tired of putting on airs and worrying about impressing people all the time. I had enough of that to manage with my own mother.
“Thank you for the invitation,” I said. “However, I am rather busy and don’t live nearby.”
“That’s quite all right,” Sera said, her husband now in a heated conversation with Callahan. “So…what do you do?”
“She’s a lowly professor, just like me,” Liam interrupted, holding another glass of champagne—his fourth, I believed.
And it was already almost empty. “And now I’m tired of this conversation.
We’re going to go find Father and do the whole birthday thing.
” He dragged me away as he took the last sip of his drink.
I took the now empty glass from him, setting it on a bare table. “Why thank you, sunshine.” He reached for another as a waiter passed by and I pulled his arm back.
“No, Liam. You’ve already had four.”
“Actually, that was the fifth…or sixth…Well, perhaps it was only four. I can’t recall anymore.”
Oh, gods. This is going to be bad.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m cutting you off. You’re already too tipsy.”
Liam adjusted his glasses. “Well that’s the only thing that makes it tolerable to be around my horrid family.”
“Come here,” I said, pulling him away from the crowd and into a large garden in the back of the yard. “Let’s take a walk.”
Clutching his hand in mine, I led him through a path surrounded by tall flowering shrubs, sitting on a bench beneath a large deciduous tree.
I cupped the side of his face and turned him to look at me. “Are you all right?”
He gave me a warm smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The man seemed to be falling apart right in front of me.
And I knew exactly how that felt.
“Not really, to be honest. This is more difficult than I imagined it would be.”
I brushed his hair from his face. This sweet, ridiculous man I was falling for. Who looked at me like I was the air he needed to breathe. Who always seemed to be able to read my every thought and knew how to get me out of my head.
Now it was my turn to do that for him.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to find your father and wish him a happy birthday. Then, we are going to leave and go back to your house. You’re going to take a hot shower and drink plenty of water and I’m going to cook you dinner. How does that sound?”
Liam’s hand gripped the back of my neck, pulling my forehead to touch his. “Gods, Cerise. You are…” He gave me a light kiss on the lips. “You are everything.”
My heart twisted with something I didn’t know how to name as my fingers dug into the hair at the nape of his neck. We stayed like this for a long moment, foreheads pressed together, just gazing at each other.
Breaking the trance, I took a breath. “Are you ready?”
We stood, making our way back to the party and trying to avoid talking to whoever we could as we pushed through the crowd.
It wasn’t long before a voice spoke behind us.
“There you are, son. I heard you were here.”
Liam’s demeanor immediately shifted when we heard his father speak. I hadn’t ever seen him so tense, so on edge. It was even worse than when his brothers had bombarded us.
We turned around as a tall, slender man approached. His gray hair was carefully combed, his shrewd green eyes—Liam’s eyes—evaluating us. He wore a deep blue bespoke suit, everything tailored to perfection.
“Father,” Liam said with a nod. “Happy Birthday.”
“I had assumed you’d forgotten. It’s been so long since you’ve deigned to visit.” His eyes moved to me, assessing the way Liam and I stood close, catching on his arm around me. “And you are?”
I reached out my hand before Liam had a chance to speak. “Cerise Thornheart. It’s wonderful to meet you, Mister Pendragon.”
He stiffly shook it, then let go. “Are you a professor too?” he asked, spitting it out like it was difficult to say.
“Yes, I—”
Liam interrupted. “Cerise here is the most brilliant woman I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.” He pulled me closer.
His father squinted. “It’s about time you settle down, son. You’re almost thirty, you—”
Liam’s laugh cut his father off. “Almost thirty? Of course, you don’t even know how old I am. Typical.” Liam began to lead me away. “Well, we’ve done our duty for the night. Happy Birthday again. Enjoy your party.”
“I need to speak with you,” his father said.
“Not now.”
Liam dragged me away, but his father caught his arm. I froze, looking in between the two men.
“My office,” his father said, letting go and turning to enter the house. “Now.”
Liam clenched his jaw so hard, I thought his teeth would shatter as we followed after him. After going back through the living room and down a dark hallway lined with sconces, we stopped before a set of heavy wooden doors. His father was already inside.
“Will you wait out here for me?” Liam whispered, cupping my face.
“Of course.”
After kissing my forehead, he disappeared, leaving the door cracked. I took my place against the wall, crossed my arms, and waited.
The conversation started off quiet and I was unable to make out what they were saying. But it wasn’t long before I heard raised voices.
“I’ve waited long enough, son. It’s time for you to stop playing teacher and join your family’s legacy.”
“Fuck your godsdamned legacy. I want no part of it.”
“This was always your future. And now that you apparently have a woman, it’s time. You don’t want her to work.”
I gripped my dress, my hands trembling. What a misogynistic thing to say, though I was hardly surprised.
In just the hour or so we’d been here, I’d gotten the impression most of the men in attendance were that way, their wives attending frivolous luncheons while leaving the men to do the ‘real work.’
Typical.
A mirthless laugh burst out of Liam. “I would never seek to control her like you do Mother. Cerise isn’t one for trifling social gatherings and schmoozing with the other pretentious wives.
She can do whatever she wants. If she wants to work, she can work.
Whatever job she wants. And if she doesn’t want to, I have plenty of money. I don’t need you.”
My heart grew a size at his declaration.
“Do you have any idea what your refusal means? I will be retiring in the next few years. Our business has always been passed down to the sons of the family. No one has ever refused, Liam. This is an embarrassment. Your brothers are already flourishing. It’s time you joined them.”
“That’s all that ever mattered to you. That I didn’t embarrass you. Shall I make a scene, father? Shall I get on a table and wax poetic about how all you care about is your reputation?”
Oh, gods. This was about to get ugly. I pushed off the wall and opened the door, stepping inside the room. Both men turned to me, surprised.
Straightening my spine, I stopped beside Liam and took his hand in mine.
“That’s enough. This conversation isn’t productive.
” I faced Liam’s father. “I don’t know you, but from what I just heard, you don’t seem to care to understand your son at all.
But let me tell you something. Liam is one of the most passionate people I have ever known.
His students adore him, his colleagues respect him.
He’s intelligent. He’s kind, unlike you.
And if you can’t see how special he is, then you are missing out on an amazing human. Your son.”
Liam’s father was speechless, his eyes narrowed as he glared at me. “Get out.”
“Gladly,” Liam said, pulling me after him.
He hurried farther down the hall, turning a corner.
“Liam, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
He shoved me against the wall, his lips meeting mine in a bruising kiss, hands gripping my face. His kiss was all dominance, all power. A low rumble sounded in the back of his throat as he deepened it.
Parting my lips, our tongues clashed as my hands wound around his neck. The kiss was messy, rough. As if Liam was releasing all of the pent up emotions from the night.
At last he pulled away, panting, eyes wild. “Shit. I’m sorry. That was just—I…” He took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“It’s all right. Are you okay?”
“Yes. That was nothing compared to what he’s said in the past.”
“Well then”—I straightened my dress—“are you ready to leave?”
“Let’s get out of here.”