Seducing the Wolf (46 page)

“
Shit
,” Manning whispered, leaning back in his chair. He was speechless, which didn’t happen very often. Had Caitlyn lied about her husband cheating on her? he wondered. Was
she
the one who’d been unfaithful all along?

“It’s crazy, right? Like a tragic melodrama,” Saul said with grim humor. “I guess the moral of the story is that you need to watch your back if you’re going to have any more dealings with Caitlyn.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Manning muttered darkly, “but I’ve washed my hands of Caitlyn Spencer. I don’t need the insanity.”

“Wise man,” Saul said. “Her husband is lucky to be rid of her, though I heard
he’s
no prize either. Apparently he and Caitlyn were screwing around on each other, which couldn’t have been a very healthy environment for their poor kid. But here’s the funny thing. While the reviews on Caitlyn’s parenting skills were mixed, no one disputed that her husband is a great father. With his powerful family connections, he’ll probably get full custody of their daughter.”

Manning grimaced. “I know conventional wisdom says that children belong with their mothers, but after witnessing some of Caitlyn’s questionable behavior, I think the kid might actually be better off with her father.”

“No kidding. Her mother’s a real piece of work.” Saul glanced at his watch. “Well, I’d better get going. Ellen’s out there waiting for me. We have to pick up the kids from summer camp before we head out to the lake.”

Manning stood. “I’ll walk you out so I can say hello.”

Ellen Rutledge was a wholesomely attractive woman with long brown hair and warm brown eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled.

As Manning greeted her with a quick hug, she said sheepishly, “I hope you can forgive me for dragging Saul off to England.”

“Forgive you? I don’t know, Ellen.” Manning heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose I can
try
.”

Ellen and Saul laughed.

“On the bright side,” she said, “Saul told me you guys have found his replacement.”

“No one can ever replace Saul,” Manning drawled, clapping him on the shoulder. “But we’ll try our best to carry on without him.”

Saul smiled warmly, shaking Manning’s hand. “It’s been a real pleasure working for you. I’ve been here practically from the beginning, so I’ve had the privilege of watching this company grow under your leadership. Thanks for letting me tag along for the ride.”

“Aw, hell, Rutledge,” Manning grumbled. “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me. If you must, at least have the decency to wait until your going-away party.”

Saul and Ellen laughed good-naturedly.

After escorting the couple to the elevator, Manning headed back to his office. Standing at the bank of windows, he reflected on the huge sacrifice Saul was making for his wife, quitting a job he loved to move halfway around the world just to make her happy.

Manning couldn’t help thinking of Taylor. He was determined to have a future with her. But if she insisted on returning to Paris for good, would he follow her? Would he put someone else in charge of the company he’d built and walk away? Would he leave behind his family and friends and the only place he’d ever considered home?

How much was he willing to give up to be with the woman he loved?

Everything
, Manning thought fiercely.

To spend the rest of his life with Taylor, he would give up everything.

Two hours later, the intercom on his desk buzzed.

“Dr. Wolf, you have a visitor downstairs,” Larisa announced.

Manning frowned at the phone. He didn’t have any more appointments today, and he wasn’t expecting Taylor until later this afternoon. “Who is it?”

“His name is Turner Chastain.”

Manning froze, every muscle in his body tightening.

“Should I tell the front desk to send him up?” Larisa asked.

“That’s fine,” Manning bit out.

He carefully set down the report he’d been reviewing and swiveled around to stare out over the downtown skyline. His blood was pumping hard through his veins, pounding against his eardrums.

He’d been consumed with rage since discovering that Turner Chastain had intercepted his and Taylor’s letters to each other in order to keep them apart. Long after Taylor fell asleep last night, Manning had lain awake thinking of all the years they’d spent believing the worst of each other. He thought of all the years that had been stolen from them, years they could never get back.

The longer he lay there reflecting on the magnitude of Turner Chastain’s cruelty, the more enraged he’d become.

He wanted blood. Wanted it so bad he could taste it.

As Larisa escorted Taylor’s father into the office, Manning turned from the windows and locked gazes with him. The old man’s face was hard, his lips flattened into a thin line. The hatred burning in his eyes was as palpable as ever.

As Larisa opened her mouth to offer him something to drink, Manning cut her off. “Close the door.”

She shot him a surprised look and then quickly backed out of the room, shutting the double doors behind her.

Manning got slowly to his feet, but he didn’t round the desk to shake his visitor’s hand. If he touched him, he’d kill him.

He and the old man silently regarded each other, the space between them seething with anger and hostility.

“What the hell do you want?” Manning asked coldly.

Turner frowned and glanced around the room, trying very hard not to look impressed. “You never did know how to respect your elders. Always had a mouth on you.”

“I showed you nothing but respect until you gave me a reason not to,” Manning snarled. “And you’ve got a lot of damn nerve coming here to lecture me about manners after what you did, you heartless bastard.”

Turner arched an imperious brow. “And what did I do, pray tell?”

“Come off it, old man. Did you think Taylor and I wouldn’t talk? Did you think we wouldn’t ask about the letters we never received from each other?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Turner’s face before he lifted his chin in defiance, his eyes hard and glittering.

His brazen lack of remorse made Manning lose it.

“
YOU SON OF A BITCH!
” he roared. “Those weren’t your letters! You had no fucking right to take them!”

“I had every right!” Turner shouted, advancing into the room. “She’s my daughter! I did what I thought was best for her!”

“How? By breaking her heart? By making her believe she meant nothing to me? How the hell was that
best
for her?”

“Getting you out of her life was best for her!”

“Why?” Manning demanded. “What did I ever do to make you hate me so much? Even before Micah died, you didn’t want me to date your daughter.
Why,
goddamn it
?
”

Turner glared at him another moment, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark slacks and crossed to the wall of windows. A muscle throbbed in his jaw as he stared outside.

“I’ll never forget the day I picked Taylor up from school to take her and Micah ice skating,” he began. “I’d been away on business. When I got back, I heard all about the brave young man who’d heroically defended Taylor from a bully at school. It was all she could talk about. She’d been so depressed ever since her mother and I split up. It was nice to see her happy and smiling about something. But it didn’t last.”

Turner’s voice hardened as he continued, “When I picked her up from school that day, I could tell she was upset. But she wouldn’t talk about it. Ice skating had always been one of her favorite pastimes. But not that afternoon. Oh, she tried to have fun for Micah’s sake, but I knew her heart wasn’t in it. Later that night, I was walking past her bedroom door when I overheard her crying. I went in there and made her tell me what was wrong. Apparently you had ditched her after school to go talk to another girl. She said the girl had been honking her car horn and trying to get your attention, so Taylor advised you to go see what she wanted. She expected you to come back. When you didn’t, she was crushed. But she wasn’t mad at you. She was mad at herself for thinking someone like you could ever want someone like her. Those were her words,” Turner said bitterly. “My smart, beautiful, talented daughter thought
she
wasn’t good enough for
you
.”

Manning swallowed hard, guilt taking the edge off his anger.

“I knew her insecurities would be exacerbated if she ever started dating you,” Turner continued grimly. “So, no, I wasn’t the biggest fan of your relationship. Fast forward to the day Micah died and—” He broke off, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I know
exactly
what happened that afternoon. I overheard the entire conversation between you and Taylor.”

Manning frowned in confusion. “But you weren’t home.”

“I didn’t need to be. I’d installed a video camera in Micah’s playroom in the basement to monitor the speech therapist who came to work with him three days a week. I wanted to make sure she was doing what I was paying her to do. When I played the videotape the next day, I could hear you and Taylor arguing in the background. I heard
everything
. So I know how upset she was when you cavalierly informed her of your plans to attend another girl’s prom.” Turner glared resentfully at Manning. “The fact that you accused her of overreacting confirmed what I’d always known about you. You’re no good for my daughter. You can only bring her heartache and disappointment.”

“And what about you?” Manning growled. “You stood by and watched your own daughter suffer when you knew
all along that I’d been writing to her. She was already devastated from losing Micah. She needed all the love and support she could get. Maybe reading my letters would have brought her some comfort. Maybe it would have put a smile on her face. Maybe, over time, it would have helped her heal and find closure. You knew all that. But you kept my letters from her because you’re a sadistic son of a bitch whose need for revenge took precedence over your daughter’s well-being.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Turner blustered indignantly. “What need for revenge?”

“You know damn well the only reason you sent Taylor packing was to punish both of us for what happened to Micah!”

Turner’s face darkened, and the first flicker of guilt flared in his eyes. He glanced away, unable to hold Manning’s condemning gaze.

“But sending her away from me wasn’t enough for you, was it?” Manning jeered contemptuously. “For your grand plan to work, you had to make sure we severed all contact with each other. So you intercepted our letters and let Taylor think I wanted nothing more to do with her, that I’d moved on without her. When she called me one day, you realized we might find other means to stay connected. So you forged that letter from her, knowing it would rip my heart out to learn that she blamed me for Micah’s death and she never wanted to see me again. You thought that would be the end of it. You didn’t expect me to return her call when I came home from basketball camp and received her letter. But you must have enjoyed telling me that she refused to come to the phone. You must have gotten
such
a thrill out of repeating those cruel lies you’d put in the letter. And you must have patted yourself on the back when I angrily promised never to bother Taylor again.”

Turner remained mutinously silent as he stared out the window.

“I loved your daughter,” Manning continued, his voice thick with emotion. “I know we were just kids back then, and I know you thought we’d eventually get over each other. But I never got over Taylor, and I never will. I love her even more than ever. What you did to us…You stole from us, do you understand that? You stole precious time. You cheated us out of memories. You deprived us of each other.”

Turner smirked, gesturing around the expansive office suite. “Doesn’t appear that you’ve suffered too much.”

“
HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?
” Manning exploded, banging his fist on top of his desk. “I’d trade all of this in a heartbeat if I could get back any of those years with Taylor! I’d sell my fucking soul for just one year, one month,
one day
that you took from us! Don’t stand there and talk to me about what I haven’t suffered because you don’t know a goddamn thing about it!”

Turner fell silent again, his lips tightly compressed.

Manning glared at him, chest heaving, jaw clenched as he fought to control his temper, fought to suppress the violent urge to overturn his desk and smash his fist through a wall—or through the old man’s face.

When Turner passed a trembling hand over his head, it was only then that Manning glimpsed the heartbroken father behind the callous monster.

It dampened some of his fury.

“I’m sorry you lost your son,” he said in a low voice. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and wish he were still here with us. If I could go back to that afternoon and change what happened, I wouldn’t hesitate. But I can’t change the past. I can’t bring Micah back, and neither can you.”

Turner’s eyes were shadowed with sadness and regret. He suddenly looked old and weary, a man burdened by one too many secrets. One too many lies.