A light knock came on the study door. Dolan Magnusson rubbed his eyes and slammed the folder shut. The numbers added up to him, but he couldn't be sure his employees weren't stealing from him since his top guy was no longer with the company. Or any company. It sucked, but that was the price of doing business. A business where he laundered money for other bad men while stealing a little for himself amongst other unsavory things. Unfortunately, it would be a few years before he'd have people he could trust.

The knock came again. Dolan moved the file to the side of his desk and took the pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. He lit one. "Enter."

The door opened slowly, and a petite girl peeked her head inside. Actually, she was a woman. A young woman, but she'd always be Dolan's little girl.

Though it was his daughter, he found their conversations difficult. Boy's motives were simple. Money. Sex. Power. While girls were nearly impossible to predict. Which was why his wife was no longer in the picture. Women were always sneaky and manipulative, and Dolan wanted to do the manipulating.

"Hi, Daddy."

Kelly Magnusson bounced into the room, her skirt swaying from side to side. She came around the desk and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Have a seat and tell me how your freshman year went."

The girl was a stunner, and it wasn't his vanity talking. No. Dolan wouldn't win any beauty pageants, so thankfully, she got her looks from her mother. His face was best described as forgettable. But it suited him well in a business where it paid to be nondescript.

"Great. The classes were interesting, so I learned a lot." Holding her skirt to the back of her legs, she sat in the chair across from his desk. "And I met a ton of new people. It was fun."

He wished her skirt was a little longer, but it did reach her knees. "I hope not too much fun."

"I spent most of my time at the library— not at parties."

"Good."

Kelly played with her long red hair. "I got all A's."

"Even better."

"Thank you. I just want to make you proud."

Exhaling a plume of smoke, Dolan forced a smile on his face. "You do make me proud."

Kelly smiled back. "Do I? Because you haven't seen me in almost a year. I thought you would've picked me up at the airport. Not one of your associates. If Adam was on leave, you would've met his plane."

"Your brother is fighting overseas, protecting our freedom while you were chugging beers at a frat party."

She slumped in her chair. "I told you I was at the library."

They had bigger things to discuss, so Dolan bit his tongue even though he knew better. Kelly wasn't at the library every night. He'd hired a local PI down in Durham who'd informed him she'd drank alcohol and kissed boys. At least, she'd kept her grades up while sowing her wild oats.

"Fine. I believe you. And I couldn't be more proud of your academic success."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "So why couldn't you have picked me up yourself?"

He tapped his cigarette on the large ashtray littered with butts on the corner of his desk. "I had a very important file to review."

"There's always work to do."

"True. And the sooner you learn that fact, the sooner you'll be an adult."

She stuck out her bottom lip. "I am an adult."

Dolan got up from his chair and sat on the edge of the desk, facing his daughter. He supposed she was an adult after what she'd done in the frat house. Too bad. It had been easier to manage her when she was younger. A firm hand was all it took. He supposed he could still resort to those techniques. She wouldn't report him, but the time for that type of discipline was over. It would produce a non-thinking submissive whore. No. For his company's success, he needed a smart controlling bitch, but she'd have to learn to direct that attitude at their targets. Not towards him.

"True. Legally, you're an adult," he said. "But financially, you still have a ways to go."

"I guess."

"So what are your plans for the summer?"

Twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, she replied, "I thought I'd take a week or two off to relax after finals. Then maybe I'll apply for a job at the local pool. I heard they need lifeguards. Getting paid to work on my tan sounds like fun."

"It does. But I have a different plan. A better plan— since you're going to school for business. I want you to work for my company to put your lessons into practice. What do you think?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He shrugged. "We all have choices. I'm prepared to pay you triple whatever the pool is paying."

"What would I be doing?"

"I'd assign you a mentor who will show you the ins and outs of our business."

"I wouldn't be stuck getting coffee, making copies, and filing all day?"

"No. My daughter is better than that."

Biting her lip, she pretended to consider his offer, but Dolan already knew her answer. It was written all over her face.

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Smart girl. You can laugh at all your friends baking under the hot summer sun while you're raking in the cash."

"And since I'm so smart, I know if you'd pay me three times— then you'd pay four."

He smiled. "Deal."

"Cool." Kelly stood up. "I'm starving. What does Esperanza have planned for dinner?"

Dolan ground out his cigarette. "Why don't I take you out instead? We can celebrate our new arrangement."

"Perfect. Can we go to Olive Garden?"

"Whatever you want."

It wouldn't have been his first choice, but it was perfect. In fact, this whole conversation had gone perfectly. With the salary she'd negotiated, Kelly had proven her mettle. Not to mention, she could pay her tuition at Duke next year while learning the basics of money laundering. Then by the time she graduated, she'd be able to teach the boy.

If Thomas were half as skilled as his father, he'd pick it up within a year. Then with the two of them, he could do away with the rest of his crooked accountants and start fresh with two children beholden to him. He'd be set for the rest of his life.

Dolan just needed to find the right lever forthe boy. He had a good idea what would work. Money. Wasn't money the answer toeverything? Because money gave you access to sex and power, but he was probablytoo young to understand the benefits of power, so it may come down to thesecond option, and Thomas wouldn't be able to say no to Kelly. Yes, the ideabothered him if he really thought about it, but weren't they all whores in away? So it might as well be for the right reason and not for a cup of beer.