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  “My father was a powerful man, and I still doubt that’s what you saw.” He had seen his own father with several different women besides his mother while he was in office, but that hadn’t been what Bay claimed.

  “I know what I saw. I will never forget it in fact. Going to your kitchen for a drink of water only to find your father with a man in his study. It was late, though. I’m sure he didn’t think anyone would see. But then, we all have our dirty little secrets, don’t we?”

  “I’ll call Lane and work up a deal. If you want it, fine, but I’m not letting it go for nothing.”

  “I would never expect you to.” Bay’s voice remained calm throughout their entire conversation, unlike Seth’s, and that was one thing he’d always hated about him. Nothing ever seemed to faze him, yet Bay had gotten to him. His own voice was trembling with anger.

  As much as he wanted to keep the property for himself, he was going to need to clean up his loose ends and make sure that everything about him squeaked from cleanliness.

  They ended the call with Bay having the last word. “You should really see things my way, Seth. It’s always easier when people do.” The phone went dead, and Seth wished he could throw it across the room. The luxury of cheap phones that were begging to be thrown against walls was lost to the past, and now his favorite temper tantrum would cost him far too much to replace.

  “Fuck!” He couldn’t even scream too loudly for fear that someone down the hall would hear and want to come check on him. He hadn’t intended for the asshole to get to him, but all that talk about his father had been a sore spot for years. And the bullshit about Finn? Seth only hoped that the man kept his mouth shut about their tryst.

  He picked up the phone and looked through his contacts. There was only one way he’d find out what was said. He hit send and waited for the man to answer his phone, wondering why on earth the man would have told Bay anything at all. But then, he’d never known for sure what kind of relationship Bay had with some of the others, and he and Finn had always been close.

  Could they have had a sexual relationship as well? And if so, could he get Finn to admit it?

  The phone rang and rang, but Finn never answered.

  6

  Seth

  Seth walked in an hour late from work to find Kari waiting for him at her antique vanity. “Where have you been? We’re going to be late.”

  “Late for what? I’ve got a meeting about the campaign later.” What he really had hoped for later was getting Gretta naked and beneath him. Or on top, whichever she preferred.

  Kari crossed her arms and puffed up with anger. “In case you have forgotten, it’s my father’s birthday dinner tonight.” That would explain why she had her hair curled and more than enough makeup for her young, perfect complexion.

  “Fuck. I forgot, darling.” He wanted to punch the fucking wall. His plans were ruined. Gretta had wanted to discuss their strategy, and then he wanted to lure her into the bedroom. He slapped a regretful smile on his face. “Forgive me?”

  “It’s okay, but you have to be ready soon. We have less than an hour.” She got up and went to her walk-in closet, and he hurried into the bathroom and shut and locked the door behind him. He turned on the shower, letting the water run as he stripped down naked and dialed Gretta’s number.

  When her voice sounded on the other end, his cock hardened. “I hope you’re ready for our meeting. I’ve got your schedule made out for some public events, and I’m making a few calls to get you listed to speak at a few of the more important ones.”

  “I’m sorry. I forgot about Kari’s dad’s birthday dinner. There’s no way I can get out of it.”

  “You know, you’re going to have to start taking this campaign seriously sooner or later, and we wouldn’t have had to meet up tonight if you’d kept your filthy hands off of me earlier.”

  “I know. I just can’t help myself. You didn’t seem too bothered earlier.” She’d spread faster than honey on a cracker.

  “Because I find you irresistible as well. Let’s only hope you can charm the public the way you charm me.”

  “You know I can.” He took his cock in his hand and gave it a stroke. “I’ve got the biggest hard on for you right now. You do something to me, Gretta.”

  “I’m going to have to teach you a lesson later.” Her voice was so sultry and deep, the total opposite of his little wife. Gretta made him want to be spanked, instead of being the one to spank her.

  “Show me that hard cock, Seth.” Her voice purred through the phone. Seth aimed the camera at his dick and took a picture just for her. He liked that she wanted to see it, that she asked. It was such a turn on that he found himself stroking, his eyes closed, his pulse racing.

  Kari banged on the door. “What are you doing in there? Why is the door locked?” He wasn’t in the habit of locking doors.

  He stepped closer to the shower. “I’m in the shower; I’ll just be a minute.”

  Gretta’s laughter made him not want to quit, but he had to go. “I’ll call you later, sexy.”

  “Mm. I can’t wait, Lover.” She moaned and ended the call so abruptly that he hurried and placed the phone on the counter and then jumped in the shower. He had to work fast, taking a handful of conditioner, but it wasn’t his head he was going to lather. He gripped his cock and thought of Gretta as he pumped it fast and steady. A moment later, he was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he moaned loudly as his orgasm spurted across the shower tile.

  “Seth? Are you still in the fucking shower?” He heard the door open and remembered that she knew the way to jimmy the safety locks. “We’re going to be late.” He peeked out in time for her to see the phone which still had a filthy picture of him in the gallery.

  “Hand me a towel,” he said as he cut off the water and stepped out onto the fluffy rug that she’d bought a week before.

  “Here.” She crossed her arms. “Were you talking to someone?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. I had to call Gretta and cancel.”

  “Oh.” She poked out her lip, and he could tell that there was more on her mind.

  “What is it?” He walked over to the sink to grab his comb and raked it through his wet hair. “I can tell you have something to say.”

  “Why a female campaign manager? I mean, you’re spending all of this time with her. Why not invite her here when you need to consult?”

  He smiled and looked at her reflection beside him. “Jealousy is not an attractive attribute.”

  “Well, I’d like to see her again.”

  “You’ve met. What more do you need to say? ‘Hands off my man?’”

  “If you think that’s necessary.”

  Seth laughed. He could see petite, sweet Kari Lynn Turner up against the tall and curvy vixen that was Gretta Kirk. “You’re very insulting to me at the moment. Perhaps when we get home, I’ll have to show you not only who’s the boss, but that there isn’t anything for you to worry about. We share lovers, for fuck’s sake. I’ve passed you around like candy to my friends and oftentimes strangers, and you want to nitpick over my campaign manager of all people.”

  “I just don’t want any secrets between us. When we play together, it’s different. I just want you to know that if this Gretta is someone you’d like to pursue, I’d be up for it too.”

  Now that was an image, Gretta dominating Kari. That he could see, but Gretta probably wouldn’t go for it. “I’m not sure she’d be your style, and you’re wasting time with this argument.”

  She turned and started away, giving him a glare that seemed a bit out of line to him. He spun and grabbed her arm, pushing her against the wall. “I know we’re about to spend the next few miserable hours around a table with your father, but does my little girl need to be reminded who takes care of her?”

  Kari trembled, her voice cracking. “No, Daddy.”

  He gave her a swat on the ass and then stepped closer, feeling up her dress. “Take off those fucking panties. I want you to be a good
and proper slut in front of your father tonight.”

  She turned her head and smiled wickedly. She loved being the bad girl and doing naughty things that her father had no clue of under his nose. “Mm, I’ll be your little dirty girl.”

  “And when we get home, I think I need to teach you a lesson. Perhaps I’ll call up one of our playmates and make you watch while I give Daddy’s cock to someone who deserves it.”

  “Mm. Please no, Daddy. I want it all to myself.”

  He let her go and stepped away. “We’ll see. Maybe if you’re good. Now, go and get my clothes ready. You can let your father know that it was you who made us late tonight.”

  She turned, and the smile was gone from her face, but she scurried out of the room and to his closet, eager to please.

  He needed to break her of the accusations and knew just the thing as he followed her to the other room. “Speaking of sharing, Bay asked about you.”

  A blush stained her cheeks. It wasn’t the reaction he’d hoped for, but it would do. “I let him know that once was his only taste.”

  “Oh? Don’t you think we’ll ever meet again? He was the club owner, was he not?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll let him have you. I think you liked it too much. That stain on your face is a dead giveaway.” It was his turn to act bothered.

  “I just thought if we ever went back…” She held out his shirt, and he took it.

  “I do have to go back, in fact. Soon enough, I might be selling off one of my properties there. But I don’t think I’ll let you go.” Seth looked down his nose at her as he shrugged on his shirt. She stepped forward to button it without another word.

  Seth had gotten to where he hated to be in the same room with her father. And while the man still thought Seth hung the moon and was a blessing to their family after the death of his only son, he had begun to take on other bad habits by comparing Seth to the deceased. He’d come to expect an awful lot from Seth, as if he were the man’s flesh and blood, which only meant he relied on him more than ever, and Seth didn’t want that much responsibility anymore.

  An hour later at dinner, her father, who should have been focused on his party, was all business. “I’ll have you look at the Halloran account later this week, and perhaps you can start calling the shots. I’ve got to focus on C and C.”

  Halloran Oil was one of their biggest clients, and Seth had hoped he would never be burdened by the load of work it took to keep JT Halloran a happy man. His father-in-law, PJ Kirk was hard enough to please.

  “Kari Lynn, won’t you tell us about the house, and how things are going with the redecorating?” Penelope, Kari’s mother, had to have noticed the pain on her daughter’s face as clearly as Seth had. His wife had wanted it to be a magical evening where everyone suddenly had amnesia about what was going on at the office.

  “It’s been so much fun, and I really think I might want to go to design school and maybe make interior design my career.”

  “I had you a career working for me,” her father interjected. “You should have stayed put.” He scowled.

  “How is she supposed to raise our children from your office?” Seth gave the older man a challenging look, and Kari’s mother squealed with delight.

  “You’re pregnant?!” She reached across the table and took Kari’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

  “No, I’m not, Mama. I’m not pregnant.” She ducked her chin and turned her eyes up at Seth.

  Seth took the opportunity to step in. “Not yet, but we’ve decided that we’re going to try and start a family real soon. In fact, we’re already working on it.” He looked across the table at Kari, and her face was white as a ghost’s.

  He was certain that Bay Collins hadn’t given Lila much choice in the matter, and he didn’t want his children to be too far behind.

  “Well, that’s wonderful news, sweetheart.” Her father gave a nod of approval, and then right on cue, the waiter brought out his birthday cake.

  Kari’s back stiffened as he reached over and grabbed her hand that rested near her plate, and he could tell she was not at all impressed with his announcement. He had to take the bull by the horns.

  Kari passed on the cake, but Seth ate enough for the both of them. He took her hand as they stood from the table and said their farewells. And as soon as they were out of the building, she pushed away from him. “How dare you tell them that? We haven’t even discussed it any further than me telling you I didn’t want to have a child right now!”

  A few people gasped, and then laughter sounded, the people having a good time with their free show.

  He calmly walked her to the car and opened her door, and then he walked around to the other side. After he slid into the seat beside her, he turned and grabbed her by the hair. “Don’t you ever fucking yell at me in public again.” He got in her face as she reached back and held onto his hand. “Are we clear on that? I have a goddamned reputation to uphold if I’m going to make it in this race. You will not make me look bad to the people I represent. Am I clear?” He shook his hand, and she squealed.

  “Yes.” Her voice was so small and frail.

  He turned her loose, and he banged his hand on the steering wheel. Sometimes, she drove his anger to the edge to where he didn’t even know what he might do. He’d never hit her, but he sure as hell had come close enough. He wasn’t a monster like his father could be, and he refused to be that much like him. “I want a family with you, Kari. Does that make me a villain? I want us to share a part of ourselves and to see what our love can create. Are you going to deprive me of that?”

  “No. Of course not. I’m sorry. I’ll stop my pill.” She held her stomach and then opened the car door in time to throw up on the pavement.

  She barely had the door shut again when Seth backed out and headed home. He had thought he’d get home in time to make a few calls, but now he had more pressing matters to deal with.

  7

  Seth

  Seth sat in his office thinking about the night before and how completely sexy Kari had been giving herself to him for seeding. She’d played it up, handing him her pills and putting on her sexiest gown.

  He’d assured her that their play wouldn’t end and even promised to get her a bull to play with once she got pregnant. The thought of that had made her so horny she’d turned into a little hellcat, going crazy on his cock until his eyes rolled back in his head. He’d gladly let her have a little cuckold play, and if that was what it took to make her happy, then at least the act would allow him to save his orgasms for Gretta.

  Thinking of the devil, the door to his office opened and in walked the sultry woman whose heels made her the same height as Seth. Gretta was dressed in slacks and a blazer that made her look professional, but even though she’d toned it down, it still couldn’t hide her sex appeal. “I hope you’re ready to talk business.”

  Seth rose from his desk and walked to the door to shut it, and when he hit the lock, she shook her head. “Not so fast, sweetheart. We need to maintain some professionalism. We can’t stay behind locked doors.”

  Seth gave her a warm smile. “You’re starting to sound like my wife; she already thinks we’re sneaking around.”

  Gretta winked. “Smart woman. Which is why we have to be smarter. Sometimes we need to be seen in a professional capacity and not locked away to make folks wonder. Invite me over for dinner. Let me get to know her.”

  “What if she wants to fuck you?” Seth wondered if there was a way to make that happen. His ultimate fantasy with the two women he was most crazy about.

  “I don’t play with girls. They’re not my type. Besides, you need to cut out any deviant activity.” Gretta took a chair in front of his desk, and after moving it a good inch from its spot, she dropped the black case she carried at her feet and sat down. Seth went back to his desk and wasn’t happy that Gretta didn’t want to play.

  “You mean just during the campaign, right?” She had no idea what a deviant he was when it came to his wife.
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  Gretta put her briefcase in her lap. “You better not get caught with your pants down. You have to make sure your reputation is squeaky clean, and while we’re on the subject of reputations, there can’t be anything in your past. No hidden crimes or missteps. We don’t need any young girls or skeletons coming out of your closet. Which reminds me, no coming out of the closet, either. I know this is a new day, but there are many battles not yet won.”

  Seth couldn’t help but think about Finn, and Emily Johnson, and the few dozen toys he and Kari had enjoyed together, including Bay Collins. Thank God the man had a lot to lose as well.

  Gretta leaned forward. “Please tell me that look on your face is nothing to be concerned about.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I was just trying so hard to remember anything I might have done.” He couldn’t stop thinking about all the things he’d done was more like it. And just when she was really looking concerned, her phone went off.

  “Excuse me. This will take a minute.” She got up and stepped over to the window to take her call.

  This only gave Seth longer to think, and his mind was already working overtime. He hadn’t wanted to remember as far back to Emily Johnson, but that misstep was the worst offense of his life. He knew with all the recent killings that this could mess things up for him, but he had to just bite the bullet and take the chance with hopes that it would all fall into place without a hitch from something in his past. Besides, what was going on in New York was a long way off from him.

  Gretta walked over with her phone still in her hand, her fingers working fast across the screen. “I’m sorry. That was about one of the events. I’ve got you signed on to speak, and we’ll have to start work on a speech and build it strong around your platform. I’m going to look to find a political writer and editor to help with the task.” Gretta’s thumbs worked nearly as fast as her mouth, and soon, she finished with what she was doing and looked up at Seth, who couldn’t stop smiling at her. “What?”