“Cinderella?” Tamara interrupted my reverie.
Laughing, I raked a hand through my hair. “I helped a damsel in distress. Then she kissed me and ran off, leaving her shoes behind.” The surprising gesture baffled me, and while her delicious mouth promised a mysterious ecstasy, her eyes conveyed a vulnerability I found more intriguing. I wanted to keep her in my arms until she told me what troubled her, why she’d just sat there, unmoving when she had a flight to catch.
“And you took her shoes?” Tamara’s soft laugh cut through my musings. “Drink?”
I nodded. “They looked expensive, and one heel needed repairs.”
Tamara moved to the bar near the window. She poured a bourbon for me and a glass of wine for herself. “Well, they are expensive. Jimmy Choos.”
I accepted the glass she offered. “Jimmy, who?”
“Not who, Choo. For a man who’s been married for how long?” Her brow shot up at the quip before she continued, “I’m surprised you don’t know the brand name.”
“Let’s not go there.” I eyed my sister with a combination of annoyance and admiration. She was the only woman capable of testing my patience and getting away with it.
“You’re forty-two, Drake, and you have two beautiful kids. Why do you let that woman rule your life? Well, more like ruin your life.” Tamara took a sip of her wine and shook her head. “I hate seeing you miserable, and you seriously can’t tell me you’re still with her for the sex.”
“It wasn’t always—” I broke off and moved away to stare out the floor to ceiling windows of my office. My sister was right. Maybe I was too much of a gentleman. There was nothing between Angela, and I, accept heated arguments that ensured I hardly spent time at home. Given she occupied the position of HR manager within our family run business, escaping her wasn’t an easy task.
“It’s because of Dad, isn’t it?” she enquired. I glanced over my shoulder at her.
“You have to give old people credit, Tam. Relationships in the old days were based on solidarity.” I turned fully. A small smile played around my lips.
She rolled her eyes. “Tell that to my dear brother, who’s stuck in a deadbeat relationship he doesn’t want. She takes advantage of that promise, Drake, and you know it. What makes this whole situation worse is that the woman works here too. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
I chuckled at her candor. Her annoyance stemmed from a lot more than hating Angela as my wife. Not only were they both forty-one, but they also shared the same star sign, which pissed off my sister. Tamara, however, didn’t look a day over thirty. Apart from good genes that ran in our family, she spent an impressive amount of time in the gym mixed with daily yoga sessions.
“You haven’t told the old man, have you?” Tamara neared me. “You’re a damn good-looking man, Drake. Gray hair and all,” she teased. “There’s still plenty of meat in these gorgeous bones to give to a deserving woman. Hell, I have friends that lust after you.” She punched me lightly on the arm. “But I know my brother well. You’re very selective over women...” she left the words hanging, and I laughed.
I eyed the amber liquid in my glass and gave it a slow swirl. “Yes. I never told Dad for the simple reason it would break his heart—”
“What about your heart,” she snorted. “You’ve been in a loveless marriage for so long that you’ve forgotten the meaning of the word. You’re too much of a gentleman.”
I lifted my shoulders in a slight shrug. “I guess you’re right.”
Slowly, she shook her head, then sighed. “Drake, the only two people that spread your lips in a genuine smile are Rayden and Kyra. They’re adults now, starting their own lives. You’ve given them so much of yourself. It's time to love yourself.”
“Jesus, Tam, you make me sound like a complete bore.” I downed my drink and set the glass on the table.
“Do you blame me?” She huffed. “Unless you have a sweet lady on the side, I know nothing about?” Her brow shot up, curious as ever.
I lowered my body into the leather chair behind my table. “You’ll be the first to know when I find her.” I winked, earning another roll of her eyes.
As if sensing my annoyance, she changed the topic. “So, this Cinderella was she at least pretty.”
“Striking.” It had taken a couple of seconds to note the finer details of her long, dark locks, blue eyes fringed by thick lashes, and shapely pink lips that complemented her caramel complexion. Curvaceous in a black mid-thigh sheath dress, which showed off a hint of creamy cleavage.
“Trust my brother to get himself into another weird situation,” Tamara mocked as she took a seat opposite me.
“Meaning?”
“You’re a beast in the office, yet the beauty emerges when you’re outside. You’re forever helping some stranger. Last month it was that old lady you gave a hundred bucks.” At my pinched eyebrows, she added. “The lady in front of us at the grocery store who was short a dollar.”
I shrugged, remembering the incident. We’d gone running together and throwing one of her famous wine parties that evening, Tamara wanted to pick up some last-minute items at the store. “Back up a bit. What do you mean beast in the office?”
“You’ve been labeled Sexy Grouch for some time now.”
“They what?” I threw my head back, and roared with laughter.
“Speaking of which, when are you hiring another assistant? I’m the Director of Marketing, not a PA, and I can’t be seen parrying to the whims of the CEO just because he’s my brother. Bad for my orthodox image.” She pouted.
“We help each other out, Tam. That’s why it’s called a family-owned business.” I grinned. “Get one of the other department assistants to help out then.” My PA, who’d been with the company for a long time, had taken ill, leaving me to deal with incompetence.
“Drake, you’ve had four temps in the last month.”
Closing my laptop, I stood. “The next time someone calls me a grouch, ask them if they know where the door is, and if the answer is yes, they can use it. I run a multi-billion-dollar company. I don’t need to mingle.” As the CEO of Princeton Incorporated, leaders in the manufacture and retail of high-end jewelry, I had no time for niceties.
“God, you’re such a bore. You were such a free spirit before.” She shot to her feet.
“Yes. Then I had to grow up, remember.” I lifted a brow, challenging a response. Nine years ago, my father suffered a stroke, leaving him with minimal use of his left arm and leg. My older brother by seven years and next in line as the CEO had refused the position mainly due to a falling out with my father. The old man wasn’t happy with Joshua’s divorce and wanted him to patch things up with his wife. Although I’d worked closely with my father for the previous six years, I hadn’t considered myself ready for the CEO title. My brother’s abrupt decision to leave everything and go on some nomad adventure forced my hand, and I found myself steering the helm of a billion-dollar company at the age of thirty-three. The demands of which left me with no time for idle socializing. “If you’re too busy to help, then find me a suitable assistant,” I finally muttered.