Sins of My Father (Black Brothers #1) Read Online Free PDF

settling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to talk about Brandon for so many reasons, but mostly because our baggage was not something to be shared in a ten-minute taxi ride with a stranger, or even your best friend. Brandon and my stepdad killed a piece of my soul and stole any innocent illusions I still harbored about life and my family, in particular.
    “Yes. Brandon.”
    He grinned at me, flashing his perfectly aligned white teeth. Just that simple gesture was like a lightning bolt, snapping me out of my maudlin mood. An unexpected excitement buzzed through my veins like I was on the verge of something new. Thrilling. Life altering. What the hell? I promised I’d never get involved with anyone connected to my stepdad again, which meant Archer embodied everything I didn’t want in my life right now.
    Sexy. Magnetic. Connected to my stepdad. Involved with another woman or women. The elegant brunette could be one of many in the Rolodex of a sexy, well-connected and visibly wealthy man like Archer.
    “Long story,” I said, my words clipped. Brandon seemed uncharacteristically edgy tonight. Normally, even the worst news didn’t faze him. That’s why he earned the position as my stepdad’s right-hand man.
    To my undying relief, Archer nodded instead of pushing the subject.
    “So how do you know Senator Wharton?” I asked, trying to change the trajectory of our conversation and drill the necessity for distance into my brain. Being acquainted with my stepdad was the new meter I used to judge whether I wanted anything to do with someone.
    “I don’t.” He cleared his throat. “Not socially anyway. We’ve never spoken at length.”
    “But you said you were invited to the fundraiser tonight.”
    “I was.”
    I adjusted the hem of my dress. “Do we need to play twenty questions before I can pull the answer out of you?”
    “I own a financial management firm, Black Investments. I think your stepdad is interested in the depth of my pockets. On a personal level, he doesn’t give a shit about me. I didn’t even talk to him tonight.”
    “Black Investments,” I said, nodding my head. Holy shit. Black Investments was a big fucking deal. “You’re that Archer Black.” This man was a legend in the financial industry. I’m not in the financial industry, but I read the financial section of the newspaper on occasion, and his investment strategy or opinion was newsworthy in and of itself. I couldn’t count the number of times I read an article about him or the insane returns he earned for his clients. Even crazier, he only accepted clients with a net worth that exceeded two hundred million. “Wow. That’s a big deal.” I rubbed my hand over my lips.
    He smirked, but unlike his other smiles, he didn’t look amused. “Did I finally manage to impress you?”
    “Yes. I mean no. Is there a right answer?” I didn’t want him to think his financial status changed my mind about him. Obviously, I was impressed. Who wouldn’t be? His life was a classic rags to riches story. Born to a teenage mother, who, according to the trashier tabloids, was a former prostitute, he grew up in a trailer park. Somehow he managed to snag a full ride scholarship to Harvard. When he graduated, he worked as an options trader for a few years. Then, he formed his own financial firm. The rest was history.
    “Most people are impressed with my financial status, but I’d like to think there are other reasons to be impressed,” he answered, the harsh lines of his face softening faintly.
    I smiled and squeezed him arm. “Like your good looks.”
    “Yes.” He chuckled as his leg nudged mine. “There’s that. I’m glad you noticed.”
    “Did you decide whether to donate?” I asked, ignoring the desire coursing like wildfire through my body every single time we touched.
    I needed to concentrate on the facts. Archer had the kind of money that made my stepdad’s political operatives swarm like sharks in bloodied water. That meant my