bartender brought her cocktail. She held it with her fingertips. “I see. Well, have a nice evening, Shepherd.”
“You too.”
She walked away and I took another sip of my drink. Svetlana was probably here to case the bar—either looking to ‘accidentally’ run into me, or simply to meet some other rich asshole who’d fall for her act. This was the place for it, especially tonight.
Finishing my drink, I put her out of my mind.
The ballroom was busy, a low hum of voices hanging in the air. Men in tuxes and women in evening gowns wandered around or congregated in small groups. Others sat at tables set with white linens. Waiters walked through the cavernous room with trays of hors d’oeuvres and glasses of champagne.
I spotted my father a short distance away. He was dressed in a black tux with a silver tie, his graying hair neatly cut. My father looked like a shark, but he had all the bite of a puppy.
“There he is,” Dad said, walking toward me with his arms outstretched.
I endured his hug, patting him on the back. “Hi, Dad.”
“It’s a shame your brother couldn’t be here,” he said. “But thanks for coming.”
“No problem. Do you have a speech planned?”
He waved his hand, like it didn’t matter. “Oh, I’ll think of something suitable to say. I’d written one but… well, I have a different perspective on things lately.”
“You look good. Tan. Have you been on vacation?”
“I was.” His face fell, and for a moment, he looked serious. He cleared his throat, and then his smile was back. “I needed to get away and clear my head. But we can talk about that later. Right now, I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
The sparkle in his eye said it all. Dad had a new girlfriend. Or fling. It was hard to say. Unfortunately, he wasn’t any better than I was at choosing the right woman—my mother being a prime example. Since their divorce when I was a teenager, he’d been with a number of different women. They’d ranged in age and ethnicity— I had to give it to him; at least he’d been trying different things.
I knew exactly what his problem was. He was too goddamn nice. Wealthy businessmen had a reputation for being cold and unfeeling. Hell, the term businesslike had been coined for a reason. But my dad was a fucking teddy bear. He was a brilliant businessman, but he always saw the best in people—especially beautiful women. It made him an easy target.
“That’s great, Dad.”
“What about you?” he asked. “Where’s your date? I was hoping I’d get to meet this one.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that I hadn’t brought a date, but nothing came out. My throat felt like there was a hand wrapped around my windpipe, making speech impossible.
Svetlana approached, dressed in a long gold gown with a slit that went almost as high as her fucking belly button. I hadn’t even noticed her dress when I’d seen her in the bar, but she sauntered toward us, using every inch of her attire to its best advantage. Her thick hair was down in waves around her bare shoulders, and her sparkling gold heels made her almost as tall as me.
But it wasn’t her dress, the amount of thigh showing, nor the look of evil cunning in her eyes that rendered me speechless. It was the way my dad slipped an arm around her waist and drew her against him that cut off my air supply.
“Shepherd, this is Svetlana Genov,” he said, his dimples puckering with his wide smile.
Oh my god, she had to be fucking kidding me.
Svetlana smiled, tilting her head slightly, like she was being shy, and held out her hand. “So nice to meet you, Shepherd. Your father has told me so much about you, it feels like I know you already.”
Fuck. Dad had no idea I’d been dating her. It’s not like I’d introduced her to my family. I’d probably never even mentioned her name.
How had she met him? And was she going to pretend we didn’t know each other? Why the fuck did she think I’d go along with that?
But one look at my dad’s face, and I knew I couldn’t out her. Not here, in front of an audience. When it was supposed to be his night. That soft heart my dad carried in his chest was going to be crushed. I needed to get through the evening, then see my dad privately.
I took Svetlana’s hand for