Chapter 30
Geneva
Breathing in the complex, vaguely sweet scent of the cigar smoke, thick enough to walk on in his sumptuous office, I glanced over at Chester. My uncle loved the things.
He drew on the cigar, the tip glowing a bright orange, the light caught in his dark, deep-set eyes, the crags of his brows almost monumental in their prominence.
The translucent curtains at his open office windows stirred slightly with the breeze. Chester sat stiffly in his chair, one hand laid flat on his desk while he took another puff. His chiseled features hardened, coldness seeping into his gaze as he regarded the man seated next to me.
“You’re probably wondering why I asked you both to come down here to see me.” Chester’s eyes darted between Rick and me. His face was expressionless, but his jaw clenched and unclenched slowly before he continued. “You and him? How long has this been going on?”
Oh. Oh, shit.
He balled his fist atop his desk, as if struggling to contain his rage. Surprisingly, he addressed me first. “I thought I could trust you, Genie. More than anyone in the world. You said it would never happen.”
Sure, I had promised my uncle I wouldn’t get into any trouble interning for Rick. But my uncle had never specifically said I couldn’t fuck my boss.
That mattered about as much as a piss in the ocean at that moment.
My heart was already pounding, my throat tightening.
Keep it together, stupid. You knew this day would come, eventually. You can’t keep it from him forever.
I’d just hoped that that day wouldn’t come so soon.
I had to tell my uncle the truth. “I-I’m sorry. I should have told you first, but… I knew you wouldn’t approve. I think there’s something there.” I glanced at Rick, but his gaze was focused like a laser beam on my uncle. “Maybe something great. But… I have to know, to try. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t.”
Chester’s eyes flashed. “You think this is something special, don’t you? That it’s different with him? You don’t even know what love is. You’re young and dumb. This is ridiculous. You and Rick were supposed to work together, not fuck each other. If this is the kind of respect you show to me, then you aren’t the Genie I used to know. The Genie I helped raise.”
Thathurt, his words like a dagger that knew unerringly where most effectively to strike.
That seemed to be enough for Rick, his voice low and careful. “Chester, I understand if you’re angry. We never meant to deceive you, I swear. Intent matters here. It matters a lot. We just didn’t know how to tell you, and?—”
Chester shook his head, raising his hand to stop Rick. “That doesn’t matter. I don’t care why you did it. All I want is a sign that you two can be trusted. Prove it to me, and maybe I’ll forgive you. Maybe I can forget that when you wanted to get your dick wet, the woman you chose for the task was my own fucking niece.”
“Uncle Chester!” I blurted out. “It’s not like that!”
“How is it then, dear?” His voice dripped with condescension. “You’re not a kid anymore. Yes, you’re young. But you’re a grown woman. Old enough to take responsibility for your actions. Did you ever stop, just once, to think about the consequences of fucking your boss?” His gaze slid to Rick, then back to me. “Where do you think this is going? Do you have any idea what sort of man he actually is? What do you think he does with women who spread their whore legs for him at the drop of a hat?”
“What the fuck?” The words spilled out of my mouth. How could he say such a thing? I was his family!
“That’s enough, Nantes.” The warning in Rick’s voice had my mouth going dry, my tummy flipping.
It seemed not to faze my uncle at all.
“I’ll tell you when it’s enough, Trafford. You’d do well to shut the fuck up at this moment, if you knew what was good for?—”
“You can say what you want to me, Chester. I’m a big boy. I can take it. But I’ll be damned if I let you—or anyone—talk to Genie like that. I don’t give a fuck if you’re blood. You watch your mouth when talking to her.”
Rick and I exchanged glances, as if we were both mystified as to what to do. My entire world seemed to be shifting under my feet.
How was this happening?
Rick held out a hand, perhaps trying to deescalate things a little. “Look. I know you’re pissed. We should have told you. You’re right about that. I apologize for that. Just as Genie does.”
My uncle leaned back in his chair, his gaze flashing. “How magnanimous of you, Trafford.”
“There should be a way we can make this right. Or at least tolerable. We’re all adults here.” Rick said it carefully, his eyes never leaving my uncle as he said them.
Chester stared at Rick for a long moment, his expression unreadable. The tension was so high in the room, I could barely breathe.
Rick remained deathly still.
Finally, my uncle nodded, stubbing out his cigar. “Fine. Both of you, prove your loyalty to me. If I’m not convinced, then you’re done.”
“How?” I asked.
“I’ll let you know.” He turned his attention to Rick. “As for you, well, I have something in mind right now, actually.”
Rick took my hand, squeezing it. “Wait for me outside.”
He didn’t even look at me as he said it, apparently convinced I’d jump instantly to doing anything he commanded. “I don’t want to…”
Fixing me with a baleful gaze, Rick’s voice was low and tense with warning. “Wait outside. I wasn’t asking.”
I looked at my uncle. But rather than him jumping to my defense, he flicked the husk of the used cigar into the small trashcan at the side of his desk, the hollow thunk echoing through the office. He seemed not to care one bit that Rick had so obviously ordered me out as if I were his property.
Maybe that’s because you are his property.
Rising on rubbery legs, I fled for the door, slamming it behind me. I tried to ignore the fact that despite the humiliation of being dismissed so cursorily, the tone and strength in Rick’s voice had my nipples tightening.
I’d have to unpack that later. First, I’d have to worry about whether or not I’d caused Rick to lose his best client.
And if I’d permanently damaged my relationship with my uncle.