Uncontrollable Bachelor (Bachelor Tower Series), стр. 9

This was getting old. “I believe I’ve answered that already. Now if you don’t mind --”

“I was at the Lobster Hut last night. I saw you with that woman. She’s not your type,” Carlton said.

“I don’t recall seeing you there.” I had one thought last night, and it was seeing Shannon. The restaurant could’ve been on fire and I might not have noticed.

“Do you know why I was there?” he asked.

“You were hungry?” I really didn’t care. What I really wanted to know was why he was in my office now.

“I was working.”

“You’re a waiter?”

“No. I was hired as…protection,” Carlton said.

“Like security?” I asked. That didn’t seem like the old Carlton I knew. Then again, I’m not the same man I was back then either.

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should’ve been watching your client instead of me.” I didn’t like being watched, and it pissed me off knowing Carlton had been the one watching.

“I was. You just happened to be sitting at her table.”

“Shannon?” He nodded and I asked, “Why the hell would you be watching her?”

“Because her father pays me.”

“You work for Ralph Hamel?” I snarled. Even saying the man’s name made my hands clench into fists.

“Don’t like him much?” he asked.

“Not a fan,” I stated. Carlton didn’t need to know my history with Ralph. And no matter what, if Carlton worked for Ralph, then Carlton wasn’t someone I could trust.

“She told her father she was meeting Betsy. I haven’t told him about her change of plans,” he said.

“She’s a grown-ass woman, Carlton. I don’t think Ralph needs to know who she associates with.” Obviously, Ralph was still the controlling bastard he was twelve years ago. Shannon hadn’t mentioned anything to me about having a security guard watching over her. It was a good thing it wasn’t a date, because three is a crowd.

“Mr. Hamel has his reason for doing what he does. I just wanted to do you the courtesy of letting you know. I know how you…value your privacy.”

There had to be more to it than that. “What aren’t you saying?”

Carlton grinned. “Your feelings toward Mr. Hamel appear to be reciprocated.” I raised a brow and Carlton added, “He’s not a fan of your…lifestyle.”

I burst out laughing. The asshole didn’t like me when I was dirt broke and now that I’m wealthy, he still has an issue? The guy was fucking nuts. “Carlton, I don’t give a fuck what Ralph thinks about me. And as far as his daughter, that is between me and her. If he has any issues with my dating Shannon, he can call me himself.” I actually would love the chance to confront him again. He’d find out I don’t back down any longer.

“As of now, he is not aware of your…meeting. From the look on Shannon’s face, I wouldn’t exactly call it a date,” Carlton said. “So why were you there?”

I stared directly into his eyes and said, “The same reason I’m going to be seeing her again tonight. Because I want to.” Leaning my elbows on my desk I added, “I suggest you find something else to watch tonight.”

Carlton got up from the couch and said, “I do my job, Jace, whether you like it or not.”

“And Shannon has no complaints about being followed all over the place?”

“She doesn’t know. I’d appreciate it if you kept it that way,” Carlton stated.

Now that shocked me. I’m not sure I would’ve risked a job to give an old friend a warning. Then again, we’re different types of people.

“Carlton, just between friends, is there a valid reason why Ralph is doing this shit?” I needed to know, even though it wasn’t my business and I shouldn’t care. Not after all this time.

“I can’t give you any details, but yes there is.” Carlton headed for the door and turned around, asking, “Sure you don’t want to grab that breakfast?”

I crossed my arms and asked, “Don’t you have someone to babysit?”

Carlton shook his head. “My team is doing that. I’m grabbing the night shift. Which apparently will be much more…entertaining,” he smirked, strolling out the door.

Asshole.

I wasn’t alone for five minutes before Betsy entered my office. “You’re going out with Shannon again tonight? That’s wonderful.”

“Who told you that?” I asked. Then I glared at her. “Are you listening to my private conversations?” If that was the case, her ass was fired. I don’t give a fuck how good of a secretary she is.

“Your friend just did on his way out,” Betsy grinned.

“He said I was going out with Shannon?”

“Well, not in those words. What he actually said was that it looked like I won’t be bowling tonight.”

Everything is a fucking riddle with Betsy these days. “What does that have to do with me?”

“I assumed you told him about my plans with Shannon,” she said. “Since my plans were cancelled, I figured it was because you wanted to take her out again.”

“I didn’t take her out the first time, or have you forgotten?”

Betsy shrugged.

“And I have no plans of seeing her again.”

“Oh. Well this is awkward,” she said.

With a heavy sigh, I asked, “Why?”

“Because I sent Shannon a quick text before coming in to see you.”

How much damage could she have done in just a matter of minutes? “What did you tell her?”

“That you were excited to see her again, and you’re going to ask her out,” Betsy explained. “You are asking her out, aren’t you? I mean it would be horrible if you backed out now.”

Damn you, Carlton.

I knew that wasn’t an accidental slip. He was calling my bluff. Well, I could call his, too. But Shannon was the one who’d pay the price for that game. She’d already suffered enough because of me. Maybe I’d be able to figure out why Ralph felt the need to hire a security team for Shannon. This wasn’t just Ralph being overprotective. Something serious must’ve transpired.

“Just give me her number and get back to work,” I ordered.

Betsy giggled as she left my office. “I knew you’d like her,” she said smugly,