Page 168 of The Risk Taker
Slade’s gaze drops to the envelope as she shuffles away. “What’s in it?”
I tear it open, but before I can look inside, Mel barrels over, her cocktail sloshing around inside her glass.
“Who’s the poor guy?” She jerks her head back over her shoulder.
I look behind her to where one of the guests—a handsome guy with rich wavy brown hair and dark eyes—is locked in what appears to be a heated discussion with the woman he brought with him.
“That’s Rafael Fairfax,” Slade says. “He’s a friend of Sull’s. And he’s also CEO of the company responsible for insuring the entire Beaufort Diamonds brand globally.”
“Wow.” Mel whistles. “Lucky for him he’s used to taking heat then, because his date’s been laying into him since my last cocktail.”
The woman swishes a curtain of inky black hair over one shoulder and gesticulates to him, clearly pissed about something.
Whatever he says in response obviously isn’t what she wanted to hear, and she throws a drink into his face and storms off.
Killian and Jenson pass him a towel from the outdoor bar, saying something to him as he shakes his head and wipes himself down. Once he’s done, he accepts a drink from them, not even glancing in the direction his date stormed off in.
“Was that his wife?” I ask Slade.
He smirks. “Rafe doesn’t do girlfriends, let alone wives. The guy’s a serial dater, always has been. I’ve been gone over three years; it’s comforting to know some things never change.”
“Yeah, some guys never change,” Mel muses, only half-listening. Her attention is glued on Declan, who’s talking to Sinclair, Denver, Trudy, and Mal. “You know, Jude. You got all of this out of that dare I gave you.” She waves a hand over me and Slade absentmindedly. “And it’s all lovely and sexy and wonderful. But what did I get out of your one-night stand in the dark?”
I laugh. “Pretty sure you got your promotion you said you’d go for if I went through with it.”
“Career progression doesn’t count. I mean fun stuff.”
I follow her eyes to Declan knowing exactly where the depths of Mel’s gutter mind are going.
“You were supposed to report back on if the hype was justified.” She tilts her head, throwing a flirty smile at Declan as he looks straight at her, holding her eyes over the rim of his glass as he drinks. “I guess a girl’s got to find out for herself. Love you both.” She tosses a smile our way before making a beeline for him.
Slade chuckles, and I turn to him, biting back my smile.
My father approaches, his cheeks glowing.
“Sure know how to throw a celebration,” he says.
Slade’s gaze softens as he looks at me. “She deserves the world, and I’ll give it to her.”
I beam as my father nods thoughtfully.
“I know you will, Son. I know you will.” He claps Slade on the shoulder and his eyes mist as he looks at me.
My heart swells as a moment passes between us.
“I think erm…” He clears his throat. “All that playing has made me thirsty. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Dad?” I call.
He turns back.
“I love you.”
His gaze softens, passing from me, then to Slade, and back again. “I love you too, Sweetheart.”
I turn back to Slade, my throat thick with emotion.
“So what was it?” He tips his head at the envelope again, knowing me well enough to see when I need a distraction before I bawl my eyes out with happy tears over how different things are between me and my father.
