He's So Bad Read Online Free PDF Page B

entrance of a dining room where the other guests are seated at one long table.
    “Mr. Robert Tango,” the butler announces.
    After a quick count, I ascertain that there are about thirty people present. The chatter quiets, and all eyes are on me. They look interested to know my story. I’m used to moments like this. I muster up some bravado and crack a smile. I search for Ralph Kennedy among the faces. He makes it easier to find him when he stands.
    “Robert, glad you could make it.” He gestures at an empty chair across from his. “Have a seat. Our special guest has arrived.”
    I search the table for other empty seats. The one Ralph pointed me to is situated between two attractive women—one blond and one brunette. The way the women are looking at me makes me nervous. So far I’ve contained my animal instincts.
    “We don’t bite,” the brunette says, batting her eyelashes.
    I’m nervous as hell, but I walk over to sit between the two women. The scent of their perfume and the warmth of feminine energy overtake me.
    The pretty brunette on my left, who said she doesn’t bite, extends a hand. “I’m Chantal.”
    I analyze her smile. I’m not sure if she’s just being friendly or if she’s flirting. I shake her hand. “I’m Robert.”
    “Robert wants to buy my company,” Ralph says. He’s been studying me from the moment I walked into the room.
    I narrow an eye, wondering why he finds the need to announce my intentions to the table.
    “Media is a long way from architecture,” a man sitting three seats left of Ralph says.
    Interesting—this fucking stranger knows my background. I loosen my shoulders, sit up straight, and prepare for the worst. I just may have stepped into a trap.
    “I would say so,” I say.
    “Then why buy our company?” says the blonde to my right.
    The first thing I wonder is who the fuck she is and why did she say “our” company. Only one owner is named on the prospectus—Ralph Kennedy. I stare at the woman, noticing how her cascading blond hair swallows her narrow face. She’s pretty like a mannequin in the window on 5 th Avenue, but her eyes are shrewd, and her thin lips are tense. I’d be a fool to pass her off as another pretty face and ignore what I sense, which is an intention to demolish me.
    “I’m a businessman.” It’s the only answer I can muster. Her question is fucking valid. Other than drafting as a hobby, I don’t have a lick of real-world experience.
    “That’s a rudimentary credential, Mr. Tango,” she says.
    I’m tongue-tied as I study her stern expression. My first inclination is to turn on the charm and endear her to me, but I fight the urge. I’ve come to the conclusion that I left the bullshitting, flirtatious, and needy part of me back in my old office in New York.
    “Well…” Ralph says. “Robert has the ultimate credential.”
    I rip my eyes off her to look at him.
    “I’m waiting to hear it,” she says.
    So am I.
    “He’s been recommended by Jack Lord.” He sets his elbows on the table and puts his chin on a steeple he’s made with his hands. “Highly recommended.”
    I feel the blonde shrink beside me. Who the hell is she? Ralph’s last statement seems to have taken off the pressure. Waiters serve sweet clam-and-tangerine-glaze salads. The conversation turns into a lively discussion about where Ralph should spend his first month of vacation once he officially retires. Normally I’m good at mingling, but at the moment, I’m just too nervous.
    However, I find the blonde’s self-important attitude interesting. Whenever another guest suggests a destination, the blonde shoots it down. At first I think she’s his very young wife. I can see him with a wife more than half his age.
    Then a beautiful woman who appears to be in her fifties says, “My husband isn’t a fan of such a lovely beach.”
    Ralph smiles at her appreciatively. “That’s true. An ocean should have lines, form, light, and darkness. It should be temperamental