escort agency?”
He smirked. “If that’s what you prefer to call it. The point is that your line of work will be a liability to my campaign once the public learns that you’re my daughter. And that’s why I’m here.” He looked her in the eye. “I want you to relocate your agency to another state.”
Zandra didn’t even blink. “No.”
He frowned. “Hear me out—”
“I don’t need to. What you’re suggesting is out of the question.”
“I’m prepared to write you a check—”
“I don’t want your damn money,” Zandra spat. “I’m not going anywhere, so you wasted your time coming here.”
Landis’s face hardened, a malicious gleam filling his eyes. “You seem to forget that I’m a member of the city council. I have friends in high places. All it would take is one phone call for the state’s attorney to launch an investigation that would put your brothel out of business.”
“Do your worst,” Zandra dared him. “I’m not worried about being investigated because I know I’m running a legitimate business.”
“Since when did peddling prostitution become legitimate?”
Zandra clenched her jaw. “You know nothing about me or my agency—”
“I know plenty.” He sneered at her. “I’ve seen you being chauffeured around town, showing up at all the ritzy parties and rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. You think those people admire you? Respect you?” He snorted contemptuously. “Everyone knows you’re nothing but a high-priced whore masquerading as an entrepreneur.”
Zandra let out a caustic laugh, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing how deep his words cut. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to lecture me about respectability when you slithered your way into society by seducing an heiress just days after she’d buried her husband. You may not approve of the way I make my living, but at least I earned everything I own. It seems to me that the only whore in this room is—”
Landis shot from the chair, banging his fist on top of her desk.
Suddenly the years evaporated, transforming Zandra into that terrified little girl who’d cowered in the kitchen doorway watching as he brutally punched and kicked her sobbing mother.
“You ungrateful little bitch,” he snarled, his face twisted with hatred and fury. “Who the hell do you think you are? You should be down on your knees thanking me for everything you have. I’m the one who went out every day and worked my ass off to provide for you while your pathetic excuse for a mother could never keep her head out of the clouds long enough to tend to our home. You and that goddamn woman robbed me of the best years of my life! The only thing she ever did right was tie a belt around her neck and hang herself.”
Zandra gasped. As grief and fury seared her from gut to throat, she lunged to her feet and screamed, “ You bastard! Get out of my office and don’t ever come back, or I swear to God I will kill you!”
He sneered. “Your empty threats don’t scare me, little girl.”
As he took a menacing step around the desk, Zandra snatched open the top drawer, reached inside and grabbed the pearl-handled pistol she’d received as a gift from Remy.
Her father blanched as she pointed the gun at his face, her eyes narrowed with lethal promise.
“Does this look like an empty threat to you?”
He stared at her, nervously licking his lips. “I always knew you were as crazy as your damn mother.”
“Take one more step,” Zandra warned, lowering the nozzle to his chest, “and I will blow your fucking heart out. Assuming you ever had one.”
Landis hesitated for a moment, then jabbed a trembling finger at her. “This isn’t over,” he vowed before turning and storming from the room.
Zandra stood there frozen, her heart knocking painfully against her ribs.
Distantly she heard the rapid staccato of high heels on the tiled floor, then her receptionist appeared in the doorway. Her brown eyes widened with
He smirked. “If that’s what you prefer to call it. The point is that your line of work will be a liability to my campaign once the public learns that you’re my daughter. And that’s why I’m here.” He looked her in the eye. “I want you to relocate your agency to another state.”
Zandra didn’t even blink. “No.”
He frowned. “Hear me out—”
“I don’t need to. What you’re suggesting is out of the question.”
“I’m prepared to write you a check—”
“I don’t want your damn money,” Zandra spat. “I’m not going anywhere, so you wasted your time coming here.”
Landis’s face hardened, a malicious gleam filling his eyes. “You seem to forget that I’m a member of the city council. I have friends in high places. All it would take is one phone call for the state’s attorney to launch an investigation that would put your brothel out of business.”
“Do your worst,” Zandra dared him. “I’m not worried about being investigated because I know I’m running a legitimate business.”
“Since when did peddling prostitution become legitimate?”
Zandra clenched her jaw. “You know nothing about me or my agency—”
“I know plenty.” He sneered at her. “I’ve seen you being chauffeured around town, showing up at all the ritzy parties and rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. You think those people admire you? Respect you?” He snorted contemptuously. “Everyone knows you’re nothing but a high-priced whore masquerading as an entrepreneur.”
Zandra let out a caustic laugh, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing how deep his words cut. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to lecture me about respectability when you slithered your way into society by seducing an heiress just days after she’d buried her husband. You may not approve of the way I make my living, but at least I earned everything I own. It seems to me that the only whore in this room is—”
Landis shot from the chair, banging his fist on top of her desk.
Suddenly the years evaporated, transforming Zandra into that terrified little girl who’d cowered in the kitchen doorway watching as he brutally punched and kicked her sobbing mother.
“You ungrateful little bitch,” he snarled, his face twisted with hatred and fury. “Who the hell do you think you are? You should be down on your knees thanking me for everything you have. I’m the one who went out every day and worked my ass off to provide for you while your pathetic excuse for a mother could never keep her head out of the clouds long enough to tend to our home. You and that goddamn woman robbed me of the best years of my life! The only thing she ever did right was tie a belt around her neck and hang herself.”
Zandra gasped. As grief and fury seared her from gut to throat, she lunged to her feet and screamed, “ You bastard! Get out of my office and don’t ever come back, or I swear to God I will kill you!”
He sneered. “Your empty threats don’t scare me, little girl.”
As he took a menacing step around the desk, Zandra snatched open the top drawer, reached inside and grabbed the pearl-handled pistol she’d received as a gift from Remy.
Her father blanched as she pointed the gun at his face, her eyes narrowed with lethal promise.
“Does this look like an empty threat to you?”
He stared at her, nervously licking his lips. “I always knew you were as crazy as your damn mother.”
“Take one more step,” Zandra warned, lowering the nozzle to his chest, “and I will blow your fucking heart out. Assuming you ever had one.”
Landis hesitated for a moment, then jabbed a trembling finger at her. “This isn’t over,” he vowed before turning and storming from the room.
Zandra stood there frozen, her heart knocking painfully against her ribs.
Distantly she heard the rapid staccato of high heels on the tiled floor, then her receptionist appeared in the doorway. Her brown eyes widened with
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