Redemption (Complete)

9. Wrong Answer

"Are you going to bring a date to the holiday party this year?" Aiden asked Carl after the other men left his office.

"Don't I always?" Carl replied gruffly. Aiden pierced him with his eyes for a moment. Usually, he was the one with the attitude, but Carl had been a bit... off recently. A little more taciturn than his usual happy-go-lucky self.

"Then why are you acting like this is a chore instead of a party?" Aiden quipped.

Carl sighed.

"Don't know who I want to take?" Carl stated/asked.

"Is that a question that I need to answer or a statement?" Aiden rebuffed. Carl and his pissy ass were starting to irritate him. "And what's with your piss-poor attitude lately? Not getting enough p***y for your liking?"

Carl frowned at his friend and looked at his highball glass which was barely touched. Another thing that was at odds. He usually drank Aiden's scotch down like water. This newer, more sober Carl was starting to creep his boss out.

"The p***y's... fine," Carl answered back, hesitantly.

And indeed it was okay. The past couple of weeks after Thanksgiving had Carl trying to get back into the swing of things. The only difference with pre-Thanksgiving and post-Thanksgiving Carl was that he found he wanted Violet even more and wasn't as interested in the one-night stands as he used to be.

It grated on the man's nerves. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the woman out of his head. It was like an infection that had become resistant to antibiotics.

"That was an underwhelming response if I ever saw one," Aiden stated and went back to his glass. Carl decided to change the subject.

"How's Constance? Is she as big as a house yet?" Carl asked with an offhanded tone.

"Don't you let her hear you say that, whatever you do," Aiden told her. "She says she feels like a cow and should start mooing any day now. I told her she is still beautiful- which she is- but she doesn't believe me." Aiden took a sip of his scotch. "Caught he crying the other day when she was putting away clothing. She saw an old bikini of hers and starting weeping like it had personally offended her."

Carl laughed a little at that. "Just tell her you love her no matter what size she is and then f**k her. If that doesn't work, buy her something pretty- not clothing. It'll only make her cry again."

Aiden nodded and bit and smiled. "What about you, Carl? Any women catch your attention?"

Carl narrowed his eyes at Aiden. "Constance spoke with you didn't she?"

Aiden shrugged and said, "She tells me everything. We are very honest and open with each other. Something you should look into-"

"Well, if you had listened to Constance, you would know that the woman I would be interested in pursuing is not someone I can have," Carl told him shortly.

Aiden looked over at the door, checking to see if it was closed all the way.

"Who is it?" he asked his friend.

"I- I can't say," Carl responded, almost wanting to get his secret off his chest. Besides his brother, Aiden was the one person he would be comfortable in letting know. But he was too close to Harry and he couldn't have it slipping out- even by accident. He knew Aiden would never let the cat out of the bag purposely.

"Can't- or won't?" the older man asked.

"Won't, can't- same difference in this situation," Carl told him.

"You have me intrigued. Is it someone here at the office- maybe Lil?" Aiden ventured.

"Harry's secretary?" Carl asked, astounded. "Not likely. I mean, she's pretty enough but that voice. Like nails on a chalkboard. Unless my d**k was in buries deep her mouth gagging her so she couldn't speak, I wouldn't f**k her."

"Succinctly put," Aiden remarked, shaking his head. "Ever the charmer. Be sure to tell her that if she ever gets the idea to make a move on you."

"If she does, I'm having Harry fire her. It's bad enough my own secretary gives me bedroom eyes every time she comes into my office."

Aiden laughed at that and nodded. He too had seen the looks Bev gave his friend and was about to say something if Carl hadn't offered up the information.

"I'm going to start employing old withered grannies as secretaries after this," Aiden stated.

"Please do."

******

Carl ended up taking a woman he had gone out on a date with a week before Thanksgiving to the holiday party. He had no interest in sleeping with the woman- again- but felt he had a reputation to uphold and she was less dull than most.

Besides that fact, they had met in the grocery store and had gotten to talking. It was another thing Carl never did with his 'dates'- have a good old-fashioned chat about life. She was actually quite the intelligent woman it turned out. She was a professor at UC Berkeley. They didn't go into the specifics of what she taught, but he could see she had a good head on her shoulders and Carl wondered if he had possibly judged the woman wrong.

Nadia Sollecito- or Dr. Solecito as her colleagues and students called her- was a pretty brunette with wavy dark hair and hazel eyes. She was half Russian and half Italian, her parents now living in Europe after leaving America when her father's mother became ill and almost house-bound in her sickness.

Her mother was a nurse and father was a spinal surgeon, so between the two of them, Nonna was in good hands.

After picking Nadia up from her humble apartment in Emeryville, he whisked her away in his sleep red sports car. He eyed her outfit in appreciation. It was a deep emerald green and hugged the curves of her upper body before flaring out into a long gown past the flair of her hips. Carl had to admit that she looked good enough to eat. Though he had no interest in partaking.

Making introductions to his closest friends, Carl and Nadia walked around the place making small talk and saying hello to some of the other guests. Most of his chatting was with his date, which was unusual. He usually used his dates as arm candy and honestly didnt care about what they had to say. They never had anything of interest to add to the conversation usually and this was another novel experience for him. If it wasn't outright flirting, his conversations with women were usually non-existent.

Nadia and he were in a conversation with another colleague of his when his eyes were caught by a blur of bright red coming down the stairs. It was followed by a gentleman in a black suit, but he knew who the woman was almost immediately.

Violet.

She had gone for the whole Christmas theme and was wearing a long red gown with slits up the front that showed an ample amount of leg when she walked. The man behind her seemed to be her date and the thought had Carl's eyes narrowing before a tug on his arm brought him back to the topic of conversation.

"...and when do you think the deal will be complete?" the man in the three-piece suit asked him. He was someone in the finance department of Kintech and had been bothering Carl about dates and finances for weeks on end, much to the man's chagrin.

"Let's not talk shop, James," Carl told him. "It's a party, not a meeting. Would you keep my lovely date occupied while I head the men's room?"

The man nodded at Carl and he patted Nadia's arm a couple of times, silently stating he would be right back.

Heading towards the door that was almost hidden behind the gigantic Christmas tree that Mathilde had once again seen fit to purchase for the holidays, he walked towards the exit closest to Violet and the prick that was with her. He yearned to get close enough to them to speak. They had disappeared around it at some point and Carl was eager to cut in on their conversation.

Unfortunately, he ran directly into Violet as he came around the side of the tree too swiftly.

"Carl!" Violet exclaimed, almost having spilled her drink on his jacket. He looked at the beverage and smirked a bit.

"Mommy know you're imbibing in alcohol this evening?" he asked, almost snickering.

She leveled her gaze at him and ignored the man behind her. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to irritate her the most.

"Mommy doesn't care as long as I drink at home and not too much," she told him with a withering stare. Carl ignored it and glanced at the gentleman behind her.

"Care to introduce me to your date?" he asked making the word 'date' sound almost like a joke.

"Carl, this is Liam McCormick," she said and Carl knew she was gritting her teeth as she said it. "Liam this is Carl, one of my father's friends and colleagues."

The way she said it in an almost final, reprimanding tone had Carl's d**k stirring underneath his pants.

Thrusting a hand out to the man, he took Liam's weaker grip in his own to shake.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Liam told Carl. He had a heavy Irish brogue and Carl wondered if the man even lived in the States. It was thick and almost difficult to understand.

"Same here, I'm sure," Carl told him before cutting his eyes to Violet. "Your mother wanted me to fetch you for a moment. She's having a problem with catering and would like your opinion on something." Carl lied through his teeth. The last he had seen of Mathilde was her speaking to Aiden and Constance and gushing about the upcoming baby shower. Constance had been looking pale as Mathilde described the party. It was probably too much. Most of Mathilde's functions were.

"Uhm- okay," Violet stuttered out before starting to walk with Carl to the exit behind her. "I will be back in a few, Liam. Daddy should be around and will introduce you around."

Carl escorted Violet out of the room by the small of her back before she spun around to face him.

"What the hell, Carl?" she asked, indicating she knew he had lied about her mother wanting a word with her.

"Who's the prick you're with?" he asked bluntly.

"How is that any of your business?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. It pushed up the swell of her breasts and had Carl's groin aching.

"Come with me," he told her.

"No- I have a date to get back to so if you are not going to tell me-"

"I'll tell you if you come with me," he said and the dominance in his voice had her both wanting to hit him and kiss him all at the same time.

"Fine, but just for a few minutes," she obliged and went off to walk towards one of the other rooms that were not being used for the party.

They ended up in a smaller sitting room that was hardly rarely occupied. The furniture was immaculate and Carl wondered if anyone had ever sat down upon it. It looked hard as hell and made his tailbone ache in sympathy for anyone who was forced to perch upon it.

Once the two were through the door, Carl shut it and immediately crowded Violet with his body.

"Who. Is. The. Rich. Prick?" he asked lowly, his lips coming down to only inches away from hers.

Violet fought to steady her breathing. As much as the man irritated her to no end, she was also turned on by his arrogance and dominance. Damn it- the man had it in spades.

"None. Of. Your. Business." She mimicked him and instead of pissing him off, Carl smiled.

"Is he your boyfriend or... lover?" he asked her.

"What he is, is of no concern to you," she told him trying to gain a bit of distance by stepping slightly backward. He stopped her by placing firm hands on her hips and pulling her towards him.

"Of course it's my business," he told her. "I want to know what the man is doing with what should be mine."

"Should be- I am no one's and am certainly not yours," she told him, gasping out again as he brought her closer to his body with a jerk.

Carl pressed his groin into her body and smiled when he felt her body still with shock. He had a raging erection and knew she had felt it. Yet she hadn't tried to back away again and Carl knew he had her.

His hands slid down to the material covering her ass and he squeezed gently. "You're not running away from me, so you know that's not true. Now, who is the boy?"

"L- Liam McCormick," she uttered out and felt her breath hitch as his mouth came close to her face. His lips brushed over hers like a whisper, but instead of kissing her, his lips traveled over to her ear and he breathed.

"And who is Liam McCormick?" he asked into her ear, his voice lowering in pitch and huskier than usual.

"My date," she told him and gasped when his teeth bit down on her earlobe briefly.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Carl as in between trailing soft pecks along her jawline.

"N- not really," she admitted, trying to calm her beating heart and the slight gasps his lips drew from her as he peppered her with soft kisses.

"Wrong answer, Kitten," he told her before capturing her lips with his in a rough, possessive kiss.