“Busy with what?” Diesel cocked his head to the side, seemingly interested in my response.
“I’m doing a piece with Platform. They have a new line of suits they want me to model.”
“That’s a big deal. They’re huge.”
“Yeah. I also did an interview.”
Diesel shook his head. “Interviews are the worst. I don’t do them anymore.”
“I didn’t mind this one.”
“That’s cool. Does that mean you’re going to the Designer Guild’s anniversary party tomorrow, then?”
There were so many functions going on in the city that it never seemed to stop. Any reason to have a party was a good enough reason. It made the lines between work and social life blur. Sometimes they were one and the same. “Yeah. Connor is getting an award and asked me to go.”
The mention of Connor immediately soured his look. His eyes narrowed, and the smile he once wore was now gone. The only reason I noticed those subtle clues was because I was his father. He’d had the same reactions since he was a child. Some things never changed. “Are you bringing anyone?”
“No.” I’d probably run into an old flame there, but I did my best to end relationships positively. I made my intentions very clear in the beginning, that I wanted to someone to spoil for a short period of time. I warned them not to get attached to me because I wasn’t worth their investment. They would marry someone else someday. I was just a stepping stone, an experience so they would understand what they really wanted in a man in the long term.
Diesel didn’t press me on the topic. Tatum had asked me about my personal life before and was pushing me in the direction of a meaningful relationship. I never told her I had an open mind about it. No matter how old Diesel was, it would be strange for him to see me with a woman that wasn’t his mother.
It was strange just to think about my being with someone besides his mother.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” My son was a man and didn’t need me for anything anymore. But I would always be his father, so I would always ask. He would say no every single time, but maybe one day he would say yes.
“No. But thanks.”
“I’m guessing you won’t be attending the party?”
He shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere unless Titan is on my arm. Spending the night pretending to care about fashion and social elites sounds painfully boring. Not sure how you stand it.”
“I just have more patience than you,” I teased.
“I don’t believe that,” he said. “I get my stubbornness from you.”
“You get a lot of things from me, actually.” The very reason he was sitting on the top floor of this building was because he’d looked up to me his entire life. I had been hard on him since he started to walk. I taught him the real meaning of manhood. He would pass those lessons on to his own son, and the Hunt tradition would continue.
“Yeah, I suppose.” His eyes shifted away from my face. “Thanks for stopping by. I should get back to work.”
I took his dismissal in stride. I rose to my feet and buttoned the front of my suit. “I’ll stop by in a few days to see Tatum.”
“She’d like that.” Diesel walked me to the door. “And have fun tomorrow night. Let me know how the article turns out.”
“I will.” I’d missed out on a decade of hugs from my son, so I hugged him now.
He reciprocated and patted me on the back. “See you later, Dad.”
I would never get tired of hearing my children call me that. From the first time I’d heard it, it felt special to me. “See you later, son.”
I arrived in my Bullet, and the valet took my car. Cameras were immediately in my face, the various flashes no longer affecting me because I was used to the annoyance. A reporter stuck out her microphone and blurted out a question about Tatum.
I ignored her and walked inside.
It was nice not having a date because I didn’t have to drag her through this bullshit.
I made it inside the old opera theater and saw the stage lit up for the show. Models in their finest dresses passed me as they rushed off to talk to someone. Most of them were in dazzling gowns with endless glitter. Heavy makeup was on their faces, so when they weren’t under the stage lights, it didn’t look quite right.
I made my way to the reception room and was immediately offered a drink.
I skipped the champagne and went straight for the scotch, not interested in bubbly drinks in pretty glasses.
I saw a few friendly faces and mingled.
Thirty minutes later, I spotted Alessia across the room. Judging by her eyelash extensions, voluminous hair, and the dark eye shadow that was painted across her lids, she was one of the models for the evening. With classic Italian looks and untouchable beauty, she stared at me with the same devastated expression she gave me the night I broke it off.
I didn’t want to ignore her. I could do the awkward thing and pretend I didn’t see her, even though we both knew I saw her. But that wasn’t my style. I finished my glass and set it on an empty tray before I walked up to her. She was in a ruby red gown covered with diamonds that made the dress worth tens of thousands of dollars. It was perfect to complement her Tuscan skin and dark hair. “Alessia, you look lovely.” My arm circled her waist, and I leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.
“Thank you…” She let me kiss her before she pulled away, still wearing the same forlorn expression. For a woman so beautiful, she shouldn’t be sad over a man like me. Right now, she didn’t see it, but moving on from me was the best thing for her. She should be with a
