His Off Limits Best Friend - Vivian Wood Page 0,9

at him curiously. She had?

“Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love,” Mr. Harris said. “Shakespeare,” he told the table. “But I’m guessing Sam already knew that. So, Sam. How long after the wedding do you suppose you’ll be giving me a grandchild?”

She nearly spit out the hundred-dollar mouthful. From the corner of her eye, she saw Connor’s jaw twitch in nervousness.

“Enough with the interrogations,” Connor said. “Give her a little space.” She felt his hand on her thigh and he squeezed. When she looked at him, questioning, he winked at her.

“Settle down, Connor, I have a right to ask these questions,” Mr. Harris said. Sam narrowed her eyes and looked at him. She’d been around men like him all her life. Pushy, arrogant, thinking they owned the world and everyone in it.

“No, Sam doesn’t have to answer such personal, assaulting questions,” Connor said. He nodded to the servant to take his plate away. The tiny platters were replaced with salad dishes of chard, beets and goat cheese.

“Assaulting? I don’t—”

“I’d like them sooner rather than later,” Sam said sweetly, taking a sip of her Prosecco.

Connor looked surprised, but wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Would you like a copy of her fertility planner?” he asked his father mockingly.

“Connor!” Sam said. She surprised even herself at her admonishment. “I apologize,” she said to the Harris’. “Connor and I are just figuring out the timing right now. That’s all.”

“Back in my day we didn’t need planners and timers to get our wives pregnant. Something wrong in the sack?” his father asked, looking from Sam to Connor.

“You know what? I think that’s our cue to leave,” Connor said. He stood up from the table and pulled Sam up with him.

“Oh, honey, don’t go,” his mom started.

Connor held up his hand. “I think we’ve had enough. Thanks for trying, Mom.”

“I’m sorry about that. About the whole shitty lot of them,” Connor said as he turned the ignition.

“It’s alright! It’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with a man like your father,” she said.

Connor sighed as he backed onto the road. “Still, it could have gone much worse.”

Really? It could have been worse than that? she thought.

“You know what? I think this is going to be a good fit for me. I do.”

Sam sat quietly. She toyed with the ring and pulled it on and off her finger. If was his idea of a successful dinner and a good fit, what was his idea of a failure? Maybe this whole thing was too insane after all.

“I have certain expectations of my fiancée. It’s outlined in the contract,” he said as he drove her home. “The way you look, the way you behave, it’s all critical. I’ll let it slide that you raised your voice at me tonight—”

She frowned. “Did you have such expectations of your real fiancée?”

His brow furrowed. “Of course I did. And may I say, that while your outfit tonight might be good enough for work, it’s definitely… wanting, if you know what I mean.”

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, looking down.

“Appearances are everything in my world, Sam. You being hot isn’t enough. Maybe that was my fault. I’ll connect you with my personal shopper and tailor tomorrow.”

She didn’t say anything else. Connor seemed satisfied with the conversation. “Ring?” he asked as he pulled up to her house.

She slipped it off and handed it to him. Connor put it back in the box and tossed it in the glove compartment. “Well, thanks for—” she began.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a date,” he said.

“Oh! Of course. Well, bye.”

“I’ll be in touch,” he said. He didn’t drive off until she was inside.

What the hell was that? She wondered if she’d bit off more than she could chew.

5

Connor

He closed his new office door behind him and breathed in the scent of freshly-arrived mahogany. Connor couldn’t lie to himself—the office of the Trezor COO was sweet. He fell into the hand-stitched leather executive chair, breathed in the rich scent, and spun it around. He felt like a kid at Christmas. Or at least what he figured normal kids felt like at Christmas. His holidays had usually been spent vacationing in Saint-Tropez while hired nannies watched him and Sean.

Everything his father did was top notch. It was one of his few good qualities. The new Trezor building, just erected four years ago, had been designed by a contemporary architect under the watchful eye of his father. The tallest building