Page 40 of It Kills Me

He gently pulled out of me then left me in the bed.

I watched him walk to the bathroom and shut the door. A moment later, the shower started to run, and steam escaped from the crack under the door.

I rolled over and went back to sleep.

When I woke up, he was already gone.

He didn’t leave a note, but I woke up to a clean kitchen because he’d done all the dishes. We were just two people hooking up in secret, and he already had me in bed, so there was no reason to try to impress me…but he did impress me.

Since I was in a good mood, I whipped up some mini quiches then headed to my father’s house. I usually went over there most days to work on paperwork, because profits were coming from several different places and if I didn’t stay on top of it on a daily basis, it could easily snowball.

I let myself into the house and then entered his study. No one was allowed inside except me and his butler. I set the platter of quiches on the surface then sat behind the desk to pull up his email. Overnight, the inbox had exploded, and there were all kinds of reports sent by his contacts. I got everything from him because he didn’t want me to interact with anyone directly. I forwarded everything to myself and was about to leave when the door opened.

“Morning, sweetheart.” My father walked inside, wearing his workout pants and a gray shirt, his fit body filling out his clothing well. There was still a sheen of sweat on his forehead and his neck, but he smiled like he wasn’t remotely uncomfortable. “What’s this?” He looked down at the plate.

“Mini quiches.”

He grabbed one and took a bite, giving a nod in appreciation. “These are good. You picked them up at the bakery?”

“No, I made them.”

“They’re good, sweetheart.” He took another one and popped it into his mouth.

“Thanks.” I left his chair and walked around the desk. “I just came to get today’s numbers. I’ll work on this and have your numbers in a bit.”

“Let’s sit and have some coffee.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” I said. “I know you’re probably anxious to shower.”

“I look that bad?” He looked down at himself, seeing the sweat stains around his neckline and underneath his arms.

“No,” I said with a laugh. “I just don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“Alright,” he said as he watched me walk out. “Leave those quiches.”

I grinned. “You got it.”

My father sat across from me at the dinner table. After a long day of both of us working, we had dinner together in the parlor. If it was just the two of us, he never lit his cigars or drank his scotch. He stuck to wine and clean air. “How have you been?”

“What do you mean? You saw me yesterday…and the day before.”

“I meant with the falling-out with Ryan.”

“Oh.” I realized I hadn’t thought of him at all. Ever since I’d seen Axel at the bar, Ryan had left my mind permanently. That relationship had lasted a couple months, but now it was as if it had never happened. “I’m fine. Haven’t really thought about him, to be honest…”

“Good.” He took a drink of his wine. “He’s not worth thinking about.”

“What about you?”

“You know me, all work and no play.”

“Well, maybe you should think about getting a girlfriend.”

He smirked like it was a joke. “Me? A girlfriend?”

“Why not?”

“I’m a little old to have a girlfriend.”