The Rivals - Vi Keeland Page 0,16

I didn’t like where we were headed. I stood, too. “Both of you, knock it off!” I pointed at my father. “I won’t tolerate you raising your voice and calling me names.” I turned to Weston and jabbed my finger into his chest. “And you—I don’t need you coming to my defense. I can take care of myself.”

Weston shook his head. “I forgot what a fun bunch you all are. I always knew the old man was a sadist. Didn’t know you were a masochist, Fifi. Enjoy your damn meal.” He turned and walked away.

My father and I were still standing, and I had no idea why, but I didn’t want to be the first to take my seat.

“I’ve been here thirty-six hours,” I said. “You need to give me some breathing room. If I need help, I’ll reach out. We’re all on the same side here, and I consider asking for assistance when needed a sign of a good leader, not a sign of weakness. Now, if you’d like to sit down and discuss the issues, perhaps provide some guidance from your years of experience, I’m happy to have that conversation. If not, I’ll be ordering room service upstairs in my room.”

My father grumbled something I couldn’t make out under his breath, but nevertheless, he picked up his napkin and sat.

“Thank you,” I said.

During the rest of our dinner, things were less heated, though the more I filled Dad in on the hotel’s issues, the tougher it was for him to keep from bulldozing me into having Spencer join me in managing things. My half-brother did his usual nodding and repeating of things my father said, but he had nothing of real value to add.

I declined coffee and dessert, hoping not to prolong things any more than we had to, and luckily, they followed suit. We said goodnight in the hotel lobby, and on my way to the elevator, I was very tempted to stop in at the bar and have a shot or two. But I needed a clear head for my next meeting—the one Weston had no idea we were about to have.

***

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist a second go ’round.” Weston opened the door to his suite and hung on to the top of it.

I brushed past him and marched directly into his room. Turning around, I noticed for the first time that he had on nothing but an unbuttoned dress shirt and a pair of black boxer briefs. I motioned to his outfit. “What the hell are you doing?”

He looked down. “Ummm… Getting undressed.”

I turned my head. “Well, put some damn clothes on!”

Surprisingly, he listened. He walked to where his slacks were draped over a chair and slipped them back on. He zipped up, but left the top button and his belt both open.

Turning to face him once he was decent, my eyes landed on a thin line of hair that ran from his unbuttoned pants up to his navel. I tried not to let it distract me, but that damn happy trail…well, it was sexy as hell. Which pissed me off even more.

Blinking a few times, I forced my eyes up to his face while my hands gripped my hips. “What the hell? You knew about the union issue and went to see them today? What kind of dumb game are you playing?”

Weston shrugged. “I didn’t see my cell phone ringing after you apparently found out.”

I scowled. “I only found out today, while you were already off holding a meeting!”

He inched closer. “Your father is a real asshole.”

That was obvious. Everyone knew that, especially me. And I could spout off about him all I wanted, but no one else could—especially a Lockwood. “Don’t talk about my father.”

Weston’s eyes widened, and his head pulled back. “Seriously? You’re going to defend him after the way he spoke to you?”

“How he speaks to me is none of your damn business.”

He smirked, but said nothing.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” I growled.

Weston tapped his finger to his front tooth. “You got a little piece of something stuck right here. Spinach or parsley, maybe? Did you have the oysters Rockefeller? They’re really good, aren’t they?”

“What? No! I didn’t have oysters!” I reached up and rubbed at my tooth.

“It reminds me of when you were a kid. Remember that big gap you used to have between your front teeth? It would’ve taken something pretty big to get stuck in that thing. Why did you get rid