Home > Taken by the Tiger (Alpha Claimed #2)(6)

Taken by the Tiger (Alpha Claimed #2)(6)
Author: Milly Taiden

“Hi, Dee, it’s Parker.”

“Parker, hi!” Deidra exclaimed. “So happy to hear from you. I’m glad you’re back safely,” she said. “I don’t know how you can hang out with militias and not be scared shitless. I saw Blood Diamonds. Those people are scary.”

Parker laughed. “It’s not that insane. There are organizations out there that are willing to work with us to allow them access to the smaller villages. It was really helpful at times to just be very humble, and having the president endorse our foundation helped big time.”

“Wow. I still can’t imagine. I saw you sleeping in tents. They barely had any water in some spots.”

Parker grinned. “They do now. We set up clean water systems in a bunch of villages and left medical supplies and taught them some general safety measures when it came to their children.” She thought back to her time in Africa. “The best part was opening ten new schools. We gave them the supplies and paid the teachers. Grandpa would’ve been so proud of the whole thing.”

“Yeah, he would have, honey. I’m just sorry he wasn’t here to see you bring his vision to life,” Deidra said. “I’m guessing you want to speak to your father?”

“Yeah. Is he available?”

“Let me check. I think he has like five minutes between meetings.”

Elevator music came on and then Deidra was back. “Okay, honey. It was good talking to you. I’m putting you through now.”

Her father’s loud, booming voice came on the line. “You’re back.”

She winced at how he barked the words at her. It was also clear from the echo she was on speaker.

“I am. How are you doing, Dad?”

“You’ve been back for several days, and you couldn’t take the time to come see me or your mother?”

She rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth. “Dad, I called you the minute I got back. I left you a message.”

“I didn’t get any messages from you.”

“Maybe if you checked your voicemail, you’d hear all my messages,” she replied sarcastically. “I also texted you.”

“You know I don’t like any of that texting stuff.”

She huffed. “So what should I have done? Sent smoke signals?”

“You could come over and see me. Like a normal person. How long has it been since I saw you, six months? Eight months?”

“Ten months since the last break, Dad.” She didn’t bother defending her forms of communication. Her father was stuck on what he said.

“Your mother has been dying to see you,” he argued. “You couldn’t even make time for her.”

“Dad,” she sighed. “I went by to see Mom. She was out with friends. When I spoke to her, she told me she was busy with her own charitable events and dinners. We said we’d connect this week.”

“Good. Okay. So what’s going on?”

She stopped herself from growling in frustration. “I wanted to see if we could set up a meeting and discuss the decision-making process for the foundation.” She pressed at her temple with two fingers. “I need to know where I stand. I want an official title with official ability to make decisions without your input.”

“Listen up, young lady. That foundation meant the world to your grandfather.”

“I know that!” she said forcefully. “That’s why I am trying to make his vision a reality, but you keep putting up roadblocks. I might as well tell you now. If you don’t give me the title and ability to take full control of the foundation and its charities, I am not going to stay on board.”

There was a long silence. She knew this was not how she wanted to do things, but her father’s continued disrespect and treatment of her as if she were a little kid was making her crazy. She had to do what she had to do for her life.

“I’ll have Deidra set up a meeting sometime this week. We’ll discuss the foundation. I have another meeting I need to go to,” he said and hung up.

She gulped back at the knot in her throat and the tears of frustration and sighed. She should have never put herself in a place where her parents told her what to do for her whole life. They had a view of what they wanted from her and it wasn’t the one she had for herself.

It was obvious her father wanted her to get married to someone he could see passing the company to. He didn’t even see her as a candidate to run the business. Even though she’d managed a foundation almost as large as the other parts of the business on her own, he still didn’t trust her abilities.

He and her mom wanted her married and making babies. That was their hope, and she kept running off and doing life-threatening events for the foundation because she’d rather risk being killed helping others survive, than be caged into a role that wasn’t who she truly was.

 

 

Chapter Seven

 

 

Parker arrived at Lucio’s restaurant with time to kill. She’d opted for looking cute and did a full face of makeup, some gold jewelry to match her top, some white capri jeans and a pair of Louboutin wedge sandals. She’d even pulled out one of her gold-trimmed Birkin bags to match her top; her mother had gifted it for her last birthday.

She slipped her sunglasses above her head and sat down to wait for Liam at one of the tables facing the front of the restaurant where a nice breeze flowed through her section. The waiter handed her a menu and brought her a glass of water.

“Look at you,” Liam’s voice came from a few feet away. “You look amazing.”

She jumped to her feet to hug him. “Me? You’re like a freaking movie star.”

He took his sunglasses off and dropped them on the table. “Stop. Okay, go on.”

She laughed and sat down. “I want to ask how you’re doing but I can tell it’s amazingly well, from what I can see.”

He winked and picked up his glass of water. “I can’t complain.”

The waiter took their drink and food orders and left them alone.

“So, what’s going on with you?” he asked. “That tan looks amazing on you.”

She giggled and shook her head. “Try working ten to twelve-hour days under the hot African sun. I’m lucky I tan and not like some of my teammates who ended up sunburned badly.”

“It’s all that hot Spanish blood in you.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she grumbled. “I haven’t seen tabloids, newspapers or anything in forever. What have I missed.”

“Well,” Liam began. “It seems when you left, I was brokenhearted, then I apparently hooked up with a mysterious woman nobody knows anything about.” He brought his hand to his mouth and whispered. “She’s my third cousin but they haven’t figured it out yet.”

He chuckled. “But now that you’re back they think we’re going to finally tie the knot and live happily ever after, making gorgeous babies because we are two beautiful people.”

She laughed so hard tears almost ran down her cheeks. “Are you kidding me?”

“Wish I were. I’d make a killing if I could make this stuff up.” He picked up a piece of the fresh bread their waiter had placed on the table and dipped it into the olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix next to it.

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