Seduce by Missy Johnson

great,” I said, shaking Luke’s hand and kissing Sally’s cheek. “Mr. and Mrs. Gale, it was lovely meeting you both again. I hope we can do this again soon.”
    “You too, Jack. I hope we can do this again soon. You’re a good man, according to Luke.” Mr. Gale shook my hand gruffly. I managed a smile, trying to push the images of me on top of his daughter out of my head. If only you knew , I thought.
    I turned to Belle, my heart pounding. Leaning in, I kissed her cheek, breathing in the fruity scent of her perfume. As my lips touched her cheek my whole body jumped. I had done the one thing I didn’t want to do: react to her.
    I was fucked up. Even now, after everything, after knowing who she was and how old she was, I still wanted her. More than that, I needed her.
    ***
    I entered Calare’s, the only restaurant in this part of London my father would step foot in, and glanced around. He wasn’t there—not that that was really surprising considering I was twenty minutes early. I approached the waiter. He led me to a small table in the corner by the window. I thanked him and sat down, ordering a glass of scotch.
    Glancing out the window, I sighed. My life was never this complicated. I worked hard to keep things clean and free from drama. This was the last thing I needed right now, especially with Dad on my back about this deal. I felt the vibration of my phone against my thigh. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled it out. One new message. I opened it, not realizing it was from Belle until it was too late.
    I’m sorry. I don’t know what I can say to make this right. The last thing I wanted to do was lie to you. I thought you would have ran a mile if you knew I was only seventeen.
    I snorted and shoved the phone back in my pocket without replying. So she did have my number. The thought of her roaming through a phone (her father’s?), searching for my number, made me smile. 
    A pretty, redheaded waitress walked over to my table carrying my scotch. She smiled as she set it in front of me. Tilting my head slightly, I narrowed my eyes and grinned up at her.
    “Thanks,” I murmured softly, not taking my eyes off her. She blushed and tucked a stray curl of hair back behind her ear, as if she were embarrassed by my attention.
    “Can I get you anything else while you wait?” she asked, not quite meeting my eyes. She was so into me that it was almost sad. The lack of eye contact, the blushing, and the way she looked at me was a dead giveaway. This would be easy.
    “Just your number,” I said huskily. At least this meant I wouldn’t need to spend the evening alone. Little Red would be more than capable of distracting me. She giggled, her eyes darting around the room. She pulled a napkin out of the holder and jotted down her number. Shoving it towards me, her eyes met mine.
    “I’m finished here at six,” she said softly. Her body language told me this was out of the norm for her. I was sure plenty of guys would’ve hit on her, but she never reciprocated. The difference was none of those other guys were me.
    I averted my attention to the imposing figure walking through the restaurant: my father. As he neared the table, I took in his expression. As usual, it was hard, emotionless and intimidating. My father was a master at masking his feelings. Even as a child I’d never known what he was feeling. He could say one thing and then act in a completely different way.
    “Jack. How’s my boy.” Dad slid easily into the chair opposite me, his tone informing me he really didn’t give a shit how I was. He was big on appearances, so on the surface we might have seemed like a normal father and son meeting for dinner on a Sunday evening. I knew better than that, and I wondered what he wanted this time.
    “I’m fine, thank you. How are you? I was caught up with Luke. They asked me to be the godparent of their child.” The words slipped out and I instantly regretted it, already knowing the reaction they’d