His assistant, Karen, called out, “Mr. Canning, your mother is here to see you. Shall I show her in?” Cole hesitated in answering, girding himself for the confrontation that was certain to come. He didn’t need a crystal ball to know the reason for his mother’s unscheduled visit, or to predict that the fallout would be fierce. The infiltration of paparazzi on Saturday had born the predictable result. Sarah was outed as Sugar and he as her “blue blood billionaire boy toy.” Their joined names were splashed across every major gossip column and blog, not only for New York but nationwide. Reaching up, he straightened his tie. “Yes, thanks.” He’d barely got the words out when his office door opened. Dressed in Prada from head to foot, her blond helmet hair freshly colored, and wearing the ubiquitous Mikimoto pearl earrings and choker, his mother marched inside. “Ridiculous girl, she forgets this was my office for nearly thirty years.”
