Sugar Daddy (39 page)

Such a politician.

Reardon remained silent.

“What?” he whined. “You thought I’d sit back and let all our capital go down the drain because of her?” His voice rose, his fat, wormy finger shaking at me. “I witnessed what happened to you with Will. Who saved you then, Boone? It sure as hell wasn’t some paid-for piece of ass.”

The only reaction Reardon showed was the tic pulsing in his jaw.

His laugh uncertain, Slaughter continued. “She has to go. She’s making you soft.”

I snorted. Reardon, soft? Not in this lifetime.
Stunned by Slaughter’s paltry motivation, I hissed. “That’s it? Money-grubbing is your only reason for ruining my marriage?”

“Oh no, you can’t pin that on me, Mrs. Greer. You done pissed your marriage away all by yourself. All’s I did was give you the push. Consider it a favor.”

“You thought I’d let Reardon go to stay with Palmer once he found out!”

“Not at all. Why would you give up moneybags here to stay with your blue-collar husband? I figured Reardon wouldn’t want to be outted in public as a philanderer who had to pay for a fuck, and he’d break it off with you.”

“The only person going is you, Slaughter.” Reardon’s voice was cutting.

“I’ll have no recourse but to inform your family of these dealings.” How quickly he bribed.

“They already know how I feel about Shay.”

Slaughter snorted.
Here, piggy piggy.
“Interesting. But do they know what she really is?”

“My lover? Yes.” Softening for a moment, he shifted his eyes to me.

“Actually, I was going for slu–”

Prodded beyond his cool limits, Reardon was formidably in his face. “That word comes out of your mouth, you won’t be carrying out a box. You’ll be in the box.”

Resting back in his seat, Slaughter jabbed again. “What about the other mistresses?”

“Are you trying to blackmail me?” Reardon walked to the door to let Cheryl in. He put on his glasses and glanced over the paperwork she offered, speaking unconcernedly. “Full disclosure. I’m done hiding, and I’m not going to explain myself to you. Lisa, Anne, the others, there’s nothing to talk about. They were paid handsomely and treated well.”

Their names, shit.
I tried to appear disinterested since Slaughter was practically salivating, ready to pounce on any show of weakness.

“Thank you, Miss Leggett. This looks in order.” Dismissing her, Reardon sat back down, giving nothing away.

“Our contract is binding. You have no cause to do this, Boone.”

“There is one other thing.”

His eyes darting back and forth criminally, Slaughter stood. “You’ve got nothing.”

“You always did think I was just your protege, didn’t you? Well, I learned from the best. I’m a killer, right?” Reardon leaned forward, no longer playing. He gave me a quick, consoling look. “There was a longshoreman’s accident back in ’96. A man died. His name was Alexander Motte. Weren’t you on the Controls Board overseeing the terminal?”

The loud blaring alarm when Daddy’s heart stopped. Nurses and doctors hustling in, thrusting me and momma aside as the last rattling breath left his chest.
I fell back in my chair, cold sweat on my skin, hot tears flooding my eyes. No one had ever been charged in daddy’s accident.

“Yes.” Slaughter’s brow creased in worried furrows.

Reardon rose, a towering mass of menace. “You thought I wouldn’t find out? You knew all along who Shay was. Alexander Motte’s daughter.” His dead calm peeled away to reveal righteous rage. “Because you didn’t want to outlay the money to make repairs, her father died. And worse than that, you covered it up. You never paid a cent to her family! Don’t deny the real reason you wanted Shay as far from you as possible.”

My stomach twisted. My daddy died because of Slaughter?

“You’re not worth this, Shepperd. But think of it as a favor. Isn’t that what you told Shay?” He placed an enormous ledger on his desk. “The money I’m buying you out with should about cover the lawsuit being filed against you. I’ve taken the liberty of starting litigation. Of the three appraisals of the value of Radaman-Slaughter, I took the highest to get you out the door fastest.” He wrote a check whose numbers went on and on, handing it to Slaughter, who was stiff as an effigy. “I believe this covers your share. Of course, if you want to dispute the pay-off, have at it.”

Slaughter got ready to leave the building. Boxes of belongings in hand–Palmer all over again. Only this time it wasn’t a somber affair, not for me.

I commented to Reardon, “I must say, baby, I thought you were very restrained.” Personally, I still wanted Reardon to beat the ever lovin’ shit out of him.

“I was, wasn’t I?” He stroked his jaw for a moment. “Hold up, Slaughter. I forgot something.”

His expression smug when he turned, Slaughter met Reardon’s fist. Blood and spit went flying.

“You can go now.” Reardon dismissed the piece of shit.

Blowing across his bloodied knuckles, he took me onto his lap once we were back in his office.

“How’d you find out about my daddy?” I dabbed a tissue over his bruised hand while he used another to dab the tears from my face.

Placing me atop his desk, he braced his elbows on his knees. “I didn’t mean for you learn about it this way. I’m sorry, darlin’.”

“You stealin’ my line?”

He searched my face. “Seems your knight in shining armor knows how to make good.”

“Who?”

“Mr. DuBose.”

“Augie?” I laughed. “I don’t know about knight in shining armor. Robin Hood’s dirty band of ass bandits, maybe.”

“Your family is owed some recompense.” He remained serious.

“It’s too much to think about right now, Reardon.” The underlying truth about my daddy’s death wasn’t even something I could grasp. Those old scars Momma and I would have to mourn again.

After sitting together for over an hour, a mostly silent, comfortable stretch, I suggested, “Let’s go home.”

“Home? Should I send Junior for your belongings?”

I about fell off his lap in shock. I couldn’t move in with him; I was still figuring out how to be in my house without Palmer’s dismal presence. “I think I just want to date for a while.”

“Just date.” His words were as dull as his eyes.

“Yeah. I’d feel so much better about myself.”

Placing me on my feet, Reardon turned to the windows. “Date other people?”

Oh, my hell.

“You know, for bein’ a really smart man, y’all are incredibly stupid sometimes.”

He spun around, hands spread before him. A savvy suit that’d skillfully swum through shark infested waters, and he was still unsure of my feelings?

I swung my hips for extra emphasis–since he was thick as a two-by-four–as I advanced toward him. “You. I want to date you. Only you.”

It was as if he couldn’t believe his luck, the way his smile unfurled when he caught me in his arms. I wanted to shout,
It’s just me, you gorgeous misguided fool!
Instead, I handled him gently.

“I’m gonna say it now. I gave you fair warning.”

Reardon tilted his head to the side. “You don’t have to. I know.” His heart pounded beneath my palm.

“I want to. I do
have to.” I nibbled the virile flesh where his tie tapered to his collar, a perfect divot of musky male skin.

He groaned with each pluck of my mouth and teeth. “You’ve been through so much recently.”

“You got it near right. We’ve been through the wringer, baby.” For a moment, I arched away. “And even though my heart aches, even though I know I should feel bad...right now?”

He held his breath, his eyes questioning.

“None of it changes the fact that I love you.”

A long whoosh belted from him.

I repeated it. “I love you.”

I sneaked up to whisper in his ear, “I love you so much, Reardon Dade Boone.” Nothing if not a give-and-take kind of gal, I bumped his hip and said, “Your turn.”

“Shay.”

“C’mon, give it to me. And I ain’t talkin’ bout this.” I swirled into his groin.

“I already did.” He double-talked me.

“No, you didn’t say it at all!”

His mouth lowered to my neck, darting over sensitive skin. “What was the question again?”

“Ooh, you obstinate–”

He cut me off with a rushed, “I love you.”

“Say it again.”

He leaned away. “I love you.”

I didn’t for one second believe my ears. “Louder.”

Joyously, he jerked me back to him. “I love you!”

Twining my arms around him, I held the dear man close...and demanded, “One more time, for the hard of hearing.”

He chuckled so low it set my body on fire. “How about this. I love you, Shay Greer. I don’t ever want to be without you.”

“Mmm, I could get used to the sound of that.” I rejoiced in the feeling of peace and delight he brought me. It sounded hokey even to Constance, but it was true.

“I’ll say it all night if you like.”

“Soon,” I assured him. “But I really think I should go home tonight.”

“Alright.” Reardon walked me out of the office. “I can drive you.”

I flew into his arms so he laughed and stumbled back a step. “Yes, you can.” I pecked his cheek. “And you can walk me to the door.” I rubbed my hand over his rough black stubble. “You can even kiss me goodnight with the porch lights on.”

We had our goodnight kiss, which turned into a salacious embrace on my doorstep. I bent away; he followed.

I warned, “I need to go inside.”

He bit his bottom lip suggestively. “Can I join you?”

“Reardon.”

“What? Can’t blame a guy for trying.” His eyes sparkled dangerously, at odds with his so-innocent stance.

I arched an eyebrow.

“Pushing my luck?”

“Yeah, a bit.”

He leaned over for one more chaste taste of my lips before stepping back, a lovely smile canting his mouth. “Would it be okay if I called you later?”

“I’m countin’ on it, baby.”

His lopsided grin was endearing as he backed down the steps, his eyes on me the entire time.

I did the girly thing instead of the woman with a hot, mouth-watering man thing, who wanted to call him back and haul him to bed. I stayed put until he backed down the driveway and turned the corner. Then I went inside, quietly closed the door, and squealed like a pre-teen with a mad crush on baby-faced Bieber. Afterward, I proceeded to giggle, hand pressed to my heart, which accelerated to the tune of
Reardon Dade Boone loves me!

When I finally settled down, I realized I was truly home alone. There was no Palmer, and I’d sent Reardon packing. It was new and sort of wonderful.

Relief was overshadowed by oppressive regret for the way I’d treated Palmer.

Climbing into bed, I remembered Reardon’s words.
There was hope, too.

After punching my pillow into a Reardon-shaped mold, I lay awake for a long time. Long enough to see the moon arc across the sky. Long enough to drift into a future of happy what-ifs.

Long enough to answer the phone and hear a low voice rumble, “I love you, Shay. Goodnight.”

Chapter 16

Pro Bono

When the phone rang a week or so later, I expected more of the same awesomeness in regards to my daily wake-up calls from Reardon. I still wasn’t comfortable staying the night at the Tides. I felt it would be discourteous to Palmer. Refusing to talk to me–rightly so–beyond curt conversations over the necessities of disentangling our lives, he’d made it clear he’d hold off on divorce proceedings for a year, ending our marriage with a No Fault ruling.

Nothing stopped me from being completely head over high heels in love with Reardon but a super-sized serving of guilt, even if it was a day late and a dollar short.