How to Resist Prince Charming(59)

Tom froze. “What?” He snapped the CD out of Ben’s hand. “What the hell do you mean, pictures of Lenna?”

“There’s hundreds of them,” Ben said. “In some, she’s in front of the Eiffel Tower, smiling at the camera. Some pictures have her and Farris both in the shot. Some of them were taken here in town. You name it. There are even some of her in a bed, sleeping...I’m guessing it’s his bed.” Ben paused and rubbed at the back of his neck uneasily. “His computer’s full them, Tom.”

Tom stared at the disc, unable to speak.

“Tell me honestly,” Ben said. “Did you know about this?”

Tom merely transferred his frozen stare to his friend. “They’re...are you sure they’re of Lenna and Braxton together? Not...not the younger brother? Not Tyler?”

Ben sighed as he patted Tom’s shoulder. “There’s no mistake. Our boss is definitely dating your daughter.”

Tom made a choked sound, but otherwise didn’t answer.

“I’m sorry,” Ben murmured, looking truly regretful. “I hate like hell that I’m the one who had to break this to you.”



Tom followed Braxton home from work. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d been able to wait until after hours, but he’d managed to keep his temper cool throughout the day. Then again, he’d purposely avoided running into the boy too.

This didn’t have anything to do with business, though, so he couldn’t do it at work. It was personal. It was very personal. That slimy piece of shit had touched his baby. Nothing hit closer to home than that.

He wasn’t sure what to say to the backstabbing little * but he knew he couldn’t let this slide. Lenna was his pride and joy. She didn’t need someone like that smug bastard ruining her and using her just to irritate him. And, yes, that had to be why the kid was after her: to get back at Tom for being a belligerent employee. The son of a bitch had even told her he loved her during that phone call. He had brainwashed her and would probably end up breaking her heart.

Unacceptable.

Finding a parking spot half a block down from Braxton’s brownstone, Tom killed the engine as Braxton parked his Land Rover. Prepared for confrontation time, he reached out to open his driver’s side door when the front door to the kid’s place opened. On the sidewalk below, Braxton lifted his face to find Lenna skipping down the steps to meet him.

Unprepared to see her, Tom paused and gaped as the girl he used to rock to sleep and scold for talking too much at dinner time leapt into his nemesis’s arms. Braxton dropped his briefcase to catch her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips as she kissed him, and the punk put his hands on her ass to support her while he kissed her back.

Tom’s hands curled into fists. The boy might’ve brainwashed his child, but she’d let him.

His own daughter had betrayed him.

He couldn’t believe his first born had turned traitor. It didn’t matter what kind of charming words Farris had used to get her into bed, she’d still given in. She’d gone to f*cking Paris with him. And she’d purposefully kept it all a secret.

Farris would pay for turning Tom’s daughter against him. He would pay dearly.

When Tom was through with him, he’d think twice before ever messing with a Davenport again.





CHAPTER 20




By the time Sunday evening rolled around, Tom had calmed himself considerably. He was still mad, but now it was a controlled anger. Seething calculation.

He sat at the head of the supper table, deep in thought while Lenna sat to his left, eating quietly. Looking innocent.

Glancing subtly her way, Tom clenched his fist under the table as uncontrollable rage seized him. She was so good at her act. He couldn’t tell at all. By looking at her, he couldn’t guess she saw Braxton Farris behind his back.

He wondered how long she’d been seeing him. The back-stabbing little—

Needing to calm himself, he lifted his gaze toward his wife, and immediately, his muscles loosened. God, he loved the relaxing effect Maxine had on him.

Softening toward her, he smiled. “Supper’s excellent tonight, dear.”

Maxine looked up and blinked. For this family, it was a typical, average meal of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, peas, and hot rolls.

“Well,” she said, blushing, making guilt grow because he obviously didn’t compliment her enough. “Thank you.” Then she gave him a suspicious look. “What’s gotten you into such a good mood?”

He shrugged, not daring to glance Lenna’s way. He was tempted to say something nasty like, “It’s just nice to know some members of my family members aren’t sleeping with my boss behind my back,” but restrained himself.

His wife, however, pressed the issue. “Work must be going better for you, I guess.”

Unable to help himself, Tom glanced sideways at Lenna. She merely picked up a drumstick and pulled a piece of chicken off the bone with her teeth as if she weren’t listening to every word he was about to say about her boyfriend.

“Dare I hope this means you’re finally starting to get along with Braxton?” Maxine asked.

The back of Tom’s teeth clenched together.

He didn’t want to hear that name. Shooting another look Lenna’s way, he was even more enraged when she didn’t even bat an eyelash at the mention of her precious Braxton.