Royal Seductions: Secrets: The Duke's Boardroom Affair. Michelle Celmer

you have a serving platter?” Charles called from the kitchen.

      “Somewhere in this mess,” she said. The truth was she usually just ate straight from the carryout containers. “I haven’t gotten that far in my unpacking.” She paused, guilt getting the best of her, and called, “Do you want help?”

      “No, I’ve got it.”

      Good. She rested her head back on the cushions, sipped her wine, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, he was setting everything down on the coffee table.

      “Wake up. Time to eat.”

      “Just resting my eyes,” she said. She sat up and he sat down beside her, so close their thighs were touching. His was solid and warm. She didn’t normally let her size bother her, but he just seemed so large in comparison. Intimidating, although not in a threatening way, if that made any sense at all. And, God help her, he was sexy as hell with his collar open and his sleeves rolled up.

      She took a tuna roll, dipped it in soy sauce, and popped it into her mouth. He did the same. The delicious flavors were completely lost on her as she watched him eat. He even managed to chew sexy, if that was possible.

      She peeled her eyes away, before he noticed her staring, just as the doorbell chimed again.

      “Expecting someone?” he asked, like maybe she had a date with some other man that had slipped her mind.

      “Not that I recall.” She sighed irritably and dragged herself up and walked to the door.

      If she weren’t so relaxed from the wine, she would have remembered to check the peephole. And if she had, she would have seen it was her father standing there.

       Nine

      Victoria stepped into the hall and edged the door shut behind her so her father wouldn’t see who was sitting on her couch. “Daddy, what are you doing here?”

      “You haven’t returned my calls. I was concerned.”

      I’ll bet you were, she thought. Concerned that all of those lies have started catching up to you. The idea made her heart hurt, but she was too angry to cut him any slack right now.

      Besides, now was not the time for that unpleasant discussion. “I’m a little busy right now.”

      “Too busy for your own father?” He looked old and tired, but she couldn’t feel sympathy for him.

      She needed another day to think about exactly what she wanted to say to him. Not that she’d thought of much else lately. Maybe she just needed time to be less angry. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

      His mouth fell open and he stared at her, aghast, as though he couldn’t believe she would deny him entrance into her home. “Victoria, I demand to know what’s going on.”

      The door pulled open and Charles appeared behind her wearing a concerned expression. “Everything okay, Victoria?”

      She knew he meant well, he was being protective, and in many instances she might have appreciated his intervention.

      Now was not one of them.

      He’d just done more harm than good.

      “What is he doing here?” her father said, spitting out the question.

      As if she owed him any explanation at all. Or cared that he was displeased. “Having dinner.”

      “Dinner?” he said, not bothering to hide his disdain. “You’re having dinner with him?”

      “Yes, I am.”

      He looked from her to Charles, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Are you—?”

      “It’s just dinner,” she said, not that it was any of his business. “And right now you should leave. We’ll talk about this another time.”

      But her father wasn’t listening. He was too angry. He knew better than to let himself get upset. It wasn’t good for his heart. Or maybe his heart was just fine now, and that was a lie, too.

      “How could you do this to me?” he asked. “How could you betray me this way?”

      How could she do this? Who was he to accuse her of deception? “There’s been some betrayal going on, but it certainly isn’t coming from my end.”

      “What do you mean?” He shot Charles a venomous glare. “What has he been telling you?”

      “What you should have told me a long time ago.”

      The angry facade slipped a fraction. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

      “I saw the files from the sale of the hotel, Daddy. I know about all of your debt. All the lies you told me.”

      “He’s trying to turn you against me.”

      He was still going to deny it? Lie to her face? At the very least she had expected a humbled apology, maybe a plea for forgiveness. Instead he continued to try to deceive her?

      She wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him.

      She was stunned and angry and hurt. And even worse, she was disappointed. All of her life she had looked up to him. Idolized him even. But he had changed that forever.

      “The only one doing that is you, Daddy,” she said sadly, knowing that she would never look at her father the same way again.

      “I should go,” Charles said, taking a step backward from the door. This was a little too intense for his taste. Had he known it was her father at the door, he never would have interfered. He had enough of his own family issues to deal with without taking on someone else’s.

      Victoria held up a hand to stop him. “No. You stay. You were invited. My father is the one who needs to go.”

      Technically, Charles had shown up unannounced and muscled his way inside. But he didn’t think now was the time to argue with her.

      “I can’t believe you’re choosing him over me,” her father said.

      “And I can’t believe you’re still lying to me,” she shot back, although she sounded more resigned than angry. “Until you can be honest with me, we have nothing left to say to each other.”

      Before her father could utter another word, she shut the door and flipped the deadbolt, and for several seconds she just stood there. Maybe waiting for him to have a change of heart.

      After a moment of silence, she rose up on her toes and peered out the peephole. She sighed quietly, then turned to face Charles and leaned against the door. “He’s gone.”

      “Victoria, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

      “It’s not your fault. He’s the one who lied to me. He’s still lying to me.”

      “I’m sure he’ll come around.”

      She shook her head. “I’m not so sure. You have no idea how stubborn he can be.”

      If he was anything like Victoria, Charles had a pretty good idea. “What are you going to do?”

      “I’m not sure. But I do know what I’m not going to do.”

      “What’s that?”

      “All my life I’ve been doing what my father asked of me. What was expected of me. Not anymore.”

      She surprised him by taking his hand, lacing her fingers through his. She gave it a tug. “Come on.”

      “Where?”

      “Where do you think, genius? To my bedroom.”

      Wait…what? How had they jumped from