1925 - Millionaire's Secret Seduction by Jennifer Lewis Page B

smile. “Mustard? Ketchup? Sauerkraut?” They’d reached a hot dog cart.
    “The works.”
    Dominic ordered their lunch from a vendor, then led her to a bench in the shade of a large oak. He took a big bite of his hot dog and chewed it. “Tarrant wants me to take over thecompany. Asked me what I want. He’ll give me anything.” He took another bite.
    Bella frowned. “You mean, like, if you asked for my father’s research…” She blinked. Her Diet Pepsi bubbled in her nose.
    “The thought did occur to me.” He sipped his iced tea.
    Her heart squeezed. “Would you do that for me?”
    “Nope.” He took another bite. Chewed it, inclining his head to the sun again. Light and shade danced over the hard planes of his face and glinted in his black hair.
    Bella tried to keep her breathing steady. “Why not?”
    “Because if I did he’d figure out who you are and sue your dress right off you for breach of contract.”
    Her dress tickled her hot skin. “Breach of contract?”
    “As an employee you are contractually obligated to support the best interests of the company. What you’re doing is no different than a store clerk sticking their hand in the till.”
    “The only contract I signed was the one agreeing that any scientific discoveries I make here are the intellectual property of Hardcastle. I already told you I don’t want to take that.”
    “Doesn’t matter. You came here to take something. You think that’s legal? Check your employee handbook.” He sipped his tea without looking at her.
    Employee handbook? She recalled a thick, red, spiral-bound book she’d filed away unopened. She wasn’t planning to run for Employee of the Month.
    “Are you saying I can’t sue Tarrant, as I will be in breach of a contract I didn’t sign?”
    “I didn’t say a thing.” He popped the last piece of hot dog in his mouth and chewed it. His dark eyes never left her face. “Want another?”
    “No.” She glanced down at her uneaten hot dog. Her appetite had vanished. “So what should I do?” Her voice was shaky.
    “You’re asking me how to screw over my own dad?” His dimples appeared. “You may look hot in that dress, but I have my limits.”
    As if to test those limits, he gave her a once-over that threatened to scorch her skin. “Okay, so maybe I’m not sure where those limits are, but I’d give up your Quixotic quest to save the family fortunes if I were you, and enjoy the good gig you have going.” He tilted his head. “Perhaps that’s what your dad would have wanted.”
    He said the last part softly. Not a hint of accusation or condescension. The thought turned over in her brain—which instantly rejected it.
    “My dad lived for his work. It was everything to him. Without it he felt like an empty shell. He begged Tarrant to allow him to continue it here, but Tarrant wouldn’t let him.”
    Dominic exhaled. “That does sound harsh.”
    “I guess a white-haired scientist who still wears suits from the nineteen sixties didn’t fit his company image.” She dropped her unbitten hot dog and its wrapper into her lap. “If he’d just left my dad alone and let him continue his work, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be doing my own thing somewhere else. But as it is? I can’t. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
    Dominic looked at her steadily. “Regaining his research won’t bring your dad back.”
    But it could bring my mom back.
    She swallowed. “I know that. But to know his work is in safe hands, that it won’t be forgotten, that’s priceless to me.”
    She held out her hot dog. “Here, you have it. I’ve lost my appetite.”
    She placed it in his wide palm and his fingers closed around it. “I’m not letting you go back to work until you eat something.”
    She shrugged. “Hot dogs aren’t good for you, anyway.”
    “Come on.” He stood and tugged her to her feet. “I’m taking you somewhere for a real lunch.” He tossed the hot dog in a wastebasket and strode for the park exit.