Strung Out by Kaitlin Maitland Page B

door. She set her designer handbag on his desk and propped her hands on her hips. “‘We’ as in me. You and I need to talk.”
    Erik Aasen was a lot of things. Stupid was not one of them. It was obvious why Courteney was in his office, Rupert in tow. She was essentially making good on her threat from the party. The two of them were standing before him for what they might have called an “intervention.” His label for it was “meddling.”
    Courteney’s expression hardened. “I’m still waiting for that proposal, Erik. And yet I get the feeling you’ve been having second thoughts about following the plan.”
    He should’ve been planning his strategy, developing an ironclad way out of the mess he’d managed to make of his personal life. Instead, he took a long look at the woman who had decided to campaign for his hand in marriage.
    Courteney Colton was what every magazine in Western culture said a man should want. Long legs, narrow waist, and dressed to the nines in designer clothing. Between that and her picture-perfect hair and makeup, she looked like a mannequin from the window at Macy’s. Unfortunately that was a comparison that worked across the board for Courteney. The only passion in her life was money, and her desires revolved around power and influence.
    A hazy image of Talia’s lush, fuller figure whispered through his mind, and his cock stirred to life.
    He could still see her naked on his bed. His hands remembered her curves and the warmth of her skin. His lips recalled the softness of her nipples even as they beaded into hard points against the rasping of his tongue. And he longed to hear her gasp in pleasure as he spread her legs and positioned his cock to slip inside her tight sheath.
    “Erik! Are you even listening to me?”
    He shifted in his chair to keep his pants from strangling his cock.
    She made a disgusted noise in her throat. “Show him, Daddy.”
    Rupert sighed and opened the envelope he’d been holding. Erik wondered if he was doing this because he really gave a damn or because he wanted his daughter to quit pestering him. The latter was more likely.
    Rupert tossed a stack of photos on the desk. “An investigator took these over the weekend.”
    Until that moment Erik had not realized how raw he was inside over Talia’s leaving.
    The first photograph had been taken outside the restaurant where they’d had breakfast. She’d just gotten out of the car without letting him open the door for her. Their hands extended toward each other, bodies naturally drawing together. Her smile was infectious, and though it wasn’t visible in the photograph, he knew it lit her eyes and made them shine. Unable to resist, Erik trailed one finger across the photo.
    Tearing his eyes away from Talia’s image, he glanced at himself and was stunned to note the matching smile on his face. He didn’t remember smiling. In fact, he often made it a point not to run around with a goofy grin on his face. But while he was with Talia, he forgot about things like image and self-control.
    “Didn’t I specifically tell you to be discreet?” Courteney snapped.
    Erik picked up the photos and shuffled through them quickly. Most were shots of them outside the restaurant, though there were several of the two of them entering the Beacon Hill house. Not a single one was damning. There weren’t erotic photos of the two of them making love or even sharing a kiss on the sidewalk. In short, the Coltons didn’t have shit.
    Too bad he didn’t care.
    “I know who she is.” Courteney tossed one last picture down on his desktop. “I’d just appreciate a little more discretion.”
    “Under the circumstances, I think an expensive engagement party will smooth things over.” A smirk lingered in the corner of Rupert’s mouth. He figured he’d finally gained the upper hand with Erik.
    “I’ll contact you by the end of the week with the details.” She was still talking. He’d just stopped listening.
    The last photo was a