Although his brother, Sawyer, and sister, Charlotte, have both settled down, it seems Noah is rallying to keep that trademark Locke wild streak alive. His father, James Locke, has not only been married four times, he’s been romantically linked to hundreds of New York socialites over the years. Perhaps the middle Locke child is patterning himself after dear old dad.
Noah had a real talent for shrugging things off, but right now, he wanted to put his fist through a brick wall. “I’m calling our lawyer. This is defamation of character.”
“Is it? Did they lie about a single thing?” Sawyer turned his computer back around to Noah’s great relief. That final voice-over line and slate in the video was already permanently burned into his brain. Perhaps the middle Locke child is patterning himself after dear old dad. That was absolutely not the case.
“Well?” Charlotte asked. “You didn’t answer the question.”
Noah sat back, kneading his forehead, trying to think of anything they’d said in the video that was untrue. He would’ve asked to see it again if it hadn’t made him sound like such a miserable excuse for a human being. Was he terrible? He didn’t want to think he was. “Well, no. I mean, yes, I dated all of those women. That’s true. But the last time I checked, this is a free country and a single man is allowed to have dinner with a single woman.”
“Or fifteen,” Charlotte quipped.
“I don’t really see the point of this. Is it the slowest news day in the history of the world?” Noah’s jaw tightened. He hated this.
“People love gossip. Especially about rich men who like to spend time with pretty women,” Charlotte said. “You should know that by now.”
Noah did know that, but in the past, Sawyer had most often been the target if there was anything tawdry to be said about the three siblings. A few times Charlotte had been busted for her party girl ways, but that had been a while ago. Now that both Sawyer and Charlotte were hitched, and both sets of wedded couples had babies on the way, apparently Noah was left to be the top of the dubious Locke family heap.
Noah then remembered what Sawyer had said before they’d come into his office. “Hold on. Hannafort has seen this? How in the hell did that happen?”
“It’s the internet, Noah. This stuff spreads like wildfire. He’s not happy about it, either.” The deal they were working on with Lyle Hannafort, founder and CEO of Hannafort Hotels, was massive. A real game changer. There was a mountain of money to be made. “He’s a straight shooter. He doesn’t mince words. And he’s already predisposed to thinking badly of anyone named Locke. You know how hard we’ve worked to convince him we’re not like Dad.” Lyle Hannafort hated Sawyer and Noah’s father and the feeling was mutual. They were bitter competitors. As much as that might have been one of Lyle’s reasons for doing this deal, it was also a reason for calling it off.
“I’m very aware of how hard we’ve worked.”
“He said he’s not sure he can do business with a man who doesn’t treat women as they should be treated,” Sawyer said.
Noah sprang from his seat and jabbed his finger into the top of his brother’s desk. “Now, hold on a second. Taking a woman out to dinner does not equal treating her badly. I’m always a gentleman. Always.”
“You’re just a gentleman a lot.” Charlotte cocked a judgmental eyebrow at him, bobbing her foot. Noah could’ve easily fought back—Charlotte had once dated half of the men in Manhattan—but he couldn’t be mean to her. Plus, she was expecting, and if he was worried about being seen as an ass, lashing out at his pregnant sister would not be a good move.
“I know that you’re a good guy, Noah,” Sawyer said. “Charlotte knows that, too. But Hannafort has built an empire on being a family man. He has five grown daughters, so I’m sure he’s seen his fair share of men behaving badly. He totally owns up to being old-fashioned. He and his wife were high school sweethearts.”
Noah had been impressed to learn that little factoid about the Hannaforts. That was a long time with one person. How did they make it work? In Noah’s family, they didn’t. Their dad had burned through each of his marriages, and there had been many serious girlfriends in between. There was a difference between Noah and his dad, though, and it was plain as day—one man a serial monogamist, carrying relationships to a cherished place only to destroy them. The other man, Noah, knew his limitations. He never led a woman on. Never. He was always clear about where and when things were ending.