A Calculated Seduction(45)

“What I don’t understand is why he thought I was embezzling or did you set it up that way?”

“Well...part of that was my fault,” Maude said, and everyone’s attention shifted to the woman. “After discussing it with Bill, I thought Ethan would be perfect for you, Dulcy.”

Dulcy sighed and Ethan found himself watching her chest. He could remember how her breasts looked, bathed in the moonlight, as he slid his fingers across her soft skin taking a nipple in his mouth...

He immediately pulled his thoughts away from the memory as soon as he felt his jeans tighten.

“Well, you were wrong in that respect. Could you give me a ride home, Maude?”

“We’re not through discussing this, Dulcy.” There was no way she was walking out the door.

“Yes, we are. In fact, we’re just plain through.” She turned away from him and walked to the front door. With each step, the pain in his chest increased. If he didn’t know better, he’d think his heart was breaking.

“Maude, why don’t you take Dulcy home in my car?” Bill handed the keys to Maude. “I’ll stay here with Ethan.”

Maude nodded and followed Dulcy out the door.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Ethan said, thinking he needed a drink. He walked to his bar and then remembered it wasn’t even nine in the morning.

“No, but you need advice. Any man who’s thinking about taking a drink this early in the morning needs help.”

“So now that you’ve botched up my life, you want to help me fix it?” Ethan collapsed on the sofa. Every bone in his body ached like he was Methuselah. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He was so tired.

The couch dipped next to him and he knew Bill sat down.

“Now, Ethan, you can blame me for a few things, but your own stupidity is not my fault.”

He opened his eyes, anger surging through him. “My stupidity? Why didn’t you just ask me to come here and run the company? I would have.”

“Hell, boy, I don’t need you to do that.” Bill chuckled. “Although, you have given me a lot more time on the golf course with Maude. No, I wanted you to come live here, permanently, and I knew the only way I could get you to do that would be to get you to work for the company.”

“No problems with your memory?”

He had the good grace to blush. “No.”

Ethan grunted and crossed his arms. “Why involve Anderson and Dulcy?”

“Now, I didn’t push Anderson on you. You did that on your own. Probably because you were jealous.” Ethan looked away and Bill chuckled again. “I can’t believe you thought Pete was after Dulcy. ”

“You knew he’s gay.”

“Yeah, know his dad. Idiot. Won’t talk to his own son because he’s gay. But I’m lucky I got him to work for me. He doesn’t really need to work, but he wants to keep busy. He was wise with his money, invested in the right stocks, then got out before the market crashed. Of course, now, if he finds out about this, I might lose him.”

Silence descended and Ethan wondered what Dulcy was doing at the moment. Probably crying her eyes out.

“Sorry about the mix-up. I just thought you would get to know Dulcy and you would never suspect her.”

Ethan studied his uncle for a moment and sighed. “You’re not the only one who’s sorry, Bill.”

* * * *

After a quick stop by the office, Dulcy begged off any company with Maude. Happy to finally be home, she stripped off her clothes and decided she needed a good hot shower. As the water pounded her muscles, Dulcy sighed. Since leaving Ethan’s house, she’d felt, well, numb. No feeling whatsoever. After the initial anger had faded, her whole body felt as if someone had given her a giant shot of Novocain. When Jason had dumped her all those years ago, she’d been hurt. He’d been her first. Her first boyfriend, first lover. But she didn’t love him. She leaned her head back and wet her hair. No, she had loved Jason. But it had been the first love kind of love. The type that hurt when it ended, but rarely bruised your heart. With Ethan, her whole body felt beaten.

The pain she’d avoided welled up and almost choked her. She closed her eyes as if to ward off the inevitable, but tears seeped out. Each breath she took hurt. Never in her life, even when her mother, then her father died, had she hurt so badly. She leaned her back against the tiled wall and then slowly slid down. The water sluiced down on her as she sat and cried. There was no going back to her fantasy now.