Bargaining with the Billionaire (Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove)

by Maria Hoagland

  The room was small and set with a simple square table attached to a wall, two chairs that looked like they might collapse if someone applied any weight at all, and what had probably been a cot that had fallen through its supports to the floor. What had been a simple mattress like a sewn-up bag had long since become a home for a nest of mice. Accentuating the age of the place, everything was gray, as if it had been established before there was color in the movies—or, apparently, in real life.

  “Nice place,” he said dryly.

  Autumn nodded. “I can’t imagine spending any amount of time here.”

  “And yet we may be.”

  “True.” She headed to a door perpendicular to the padlocked one out front. “What’s in here?” She twisted the knob, but the door didn’t open.

  “Is it locked?” he asked.

  Still turning, she shoved at the door. “Just stuck, I think. It doesn’t feel locked.” When she put her shoulder into it, the door opened, stiffly, but enough they could squeeze through.

  While the room they’d entered had enough light coming through the window, this room was dark. Kian heard the rustling of a small animal, and instead of worrying about what kind of critter it was, he looked to Autumn for her reaction. Her eyes flicked that direction, but she didn’t appear squeamish. She turned on her phone’s flashlight and shined it around, and Kian added his own.

  They seemed to be in a garage. In the middle sat what he would bet was a car under a yellowed and torn fabric cover. In front of it and against the back wall was another, similarly shrouded bundle, too small to be a car. Stacked wooden crates lined the side of the room, and Kian walked along, noting their contents—empty bottles, tools, and random junk—as he made his way toward a set of wide, rickety double doors.

  After wrestling with a rusty latch, he struggled to push one of the doors past the thick plant growth on the outside. He was able to manage a couple of feet before he was up against a sapling. At least it allowed enough light that they could switch off their flashlights.

  Catching Autumn’s attention, he gestured to the obvious car lump. “Should we check it out, or are you worried about trespassing?” If it were just him, this wouldn’t even be a question, but he wanted her to have a say.

  “Looks abandoned to me,” Autumn said, though that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be trespassing.

  True, the cobwebs and layers of dirt on everything showed nothing had been disturbed in a very long time. Piles of leaves, broken sticks, and all kinds of debris had blown in over time, covering the dirt floor. And if this was a car, with the trees growing outside the garage, it hadn’t been moved for years.

  Autumn pressed her lips together, her sign of weighing her thoughts. “With this storm, I think we’re going to be here a while. A car would be a much more comfortable place to sit and wait it out compared to those chairs inside.” She thumbed over her shoulder at the main part of the house. “And since we’re already trespassing as it is.”

  She had a good point there. He reached forward and grabbed a corner of the cover, and she stepped across from him. Together, they rolled back the covering to reveal a 1920s black limo with baby-blue panels. Aside from being dusty, it was in pristine condition.

  “Wow,” she said, as she tugged on the passenger’s side door. It opened, so Kian tried his, with the same results.

  The leather seats squeaked when Kian sat down behind the huge steering wheel, and he ran his hands along its smooth surface. “Wow is right.” His heart thudded in his chest. The car itself was immaculate, nothing out of place except some folded papers, the corners sticking out from under the passenger’s seat. “What’s that?” he pointed to them.

  As soon as Autumn opened the papers, Kian recognized the handwriting on the top sheet. She slid over next to him, and they held the paper together.

  “‘To Niles and Irene Gould—’” His voice cracked, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to finish reading with all the emotion surging through him.

  In his hesitation, Autumn took over reading.

  —Eureka Springs’s best chauffeur and chef couple. You’ve shown nothing but kindness and loyalty to a grumpy, paranoid man. Keep these in case you ever need to escape. See you Thursday for poker in our—now your—secret room.

  –Regards, Al Capone

  Relief flooded through Kian. This was it. This was what he’d been looking for—proof that Al Capone had known his great-grandparents, but also that he had not had an inappropriate relationship with Irene Ferrara. She’d already been married to Niles Gould when the infamous gangster was in town.

  Gently, he took the papers from Autumn to shift the top sheet to the back. Underneath were legal papers for the car, a motorcycle, and two properties. If he had to guess, they were the building downtown and the one they were currently in. So much for needing to worry about trespassing.

  Autumn took the paperwork from his hands. “Does this mean—”

  “—that you can’t kick me out of the building after all?” he finished teasingly. He didn’t actually believe that. He’d let his lawyer figure out if the papers could hold up to court against Roger Luman.

  She laughed. “If I say yes, does this mean the ghost of Mafalda won’t be haunting Dad’s shop anymore?” The sudden twinkle in her eye didn’t seem to have anything to do with Mafalda, but he couldn’t be sure. “Since you won’t have to scare me off anymore?”

  How had she known what he’d been up to? “I think her work might be done.” He kept his tone serious.

  “That’s too bad.” Autumn handed the paperwork back to him and slipped her hands under her thighs, but her eyes never left his.

  With her sitting so close and their eyes locked, his head started to swim. “Aren’t you going back to Dallas anyway?” he whispered.

  “I wasn’t thinking of it.” She gave a half smile. “After our little mishap the other day, I finally approved plans to add a fully outfitted studio to my new home. And with Dad here—well, eventually—it might be nice to spend time with him and get to know Angie. She seems like a real sweetheart, and if she makes him happy . . .”

  He shook the paperwork. “I suppose you’re going to want the Looking Glass to stay in the building?”

  She leaned back slightly, eyes wide in shock. “Well, of course. I think you owe me that much.”

  He brought his eyebrows together in a stern look that he would lose to laughter any second if he wasn’t careful. “How do you figure?”

  “Really? You’re going to ask me that?” She brought both hands forward to count on her fingers, but knowing she was right, he stopped her before she could start listing them.

  He took her left hand and intertwined their fingers. “I’m sure we can work something out.” He lifted their hands to his lips and pressed a kiss on the back of hers, his heart pounding in his ears. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” she asked.

  For coming with him, for forgiving him for messing up her work, for her patience, for the joy she brought into his life, for the fun of flirting and putting up with Mafalda, for inspiring him to do more, for encouraging his comedy and building his confidence, for bringing Brooke Holt to him . . .

  He met her eyes and leaned toward her slowly, wanting every millisecond to last. “For everything,” he whispered.

  He lifted a hand to cradle her cheek and traced his thumb over her soft skin. His heart pounded with desire, and he moved closer until his lips touched hers. He pressed softly at first, but when she returned his kiss with a soft sigh and a brief smile, he slipped his hand into her hair and pulled her to him. He’d found what he was looking for that day, and it hadn’t been a vintage car or a personal note; he’d found the one who opened up his heart.

  21

  Autumn touched up her lipstick in the Basin Park Hotel’s ladies’ room and couldn’t help but smile at her reflection. The sounds of jazz and party guests outside the door brought a twinkle to her eye. The Barefoot Ball and the silent auction were better than she’d even drea
med.

  Once she’d finally decided to trust herself and forget about the witch Veronica Ball’s opinions, the joy of creating came back to designing jewelry. When the ghost of Mafalda Capone had crashed her tray of delicate wax models for her auction piece, Autumn should have thanked Kian, and she did now, at least once a day.

  She repositioned the lotus flower hair comb and did a few Charleston steps to make sure her hair was secure. The long double strand of pearls that stretched across her body and cinched in at her waist swayed. This dressing up in 1920s costume was something she could get used to.

  Thanks to Veronica pushing her, the jewelry she’d designed that was inspired by Kian’s great-grandmother’s ring perfectly complemented the 1920s costumes of the Barefoot Ball, and most of the guests had already purchased the jewelry they’d been loaned for the night. But also thanks to Kian, her auction piece was now classic Autumn Molinero.

  Because she hadn’t had the time to go through recrafting the complex shield necklace he’d broken, she’d taken a second look at her favorite piece she’d presented to Veronica. Even after the harsh criticism and a month of sitting in a drawer, when Autumn pulled it back out to consider the piece, she loved the design more than ever. In the time since, she’d tweaked the necklace and created an entire set with a necklace, ring, armband, and hair comb, and she’d still had been able to complete them before the deadline. Because of that, tonight, she’d been able to step back and enjoy everything about the party, stress-free and confident.

  She squared her shoulders and rejoined the party. The Barefoot Ball was one of Eureka Springs’s most popular events, and as such, over the years, it had spread from the Basin Park Hotel ballroom to several other venues throughout town. Autumn’s college acquaintance, Aaron Mills, had rented out the entire hotel for a week before this event to run a murder mystery for him and his friends, but now, the hotel was overrun by ball participants on the top floor.

  One floor down, the silent auction was an elite, invitation-only event with true speakeasy access. Autumn recognized several of her neighbors at the party, some celebrities she only knew through tabloid photos, and made a slew of new connections, but her favorite sidekick was Kian.

  “Did you want to dance again?” She tugged his elbow close to her, and of course, he followed with all of his glorious Kian-ness. “Or food? Are you hungry? Anything to distract me from checking the bids on my auction.”

  Kian chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. “I wish I could, but I’m going to have to take off for a few minutes.”

  She pulled her eyebrows together, waiting for him to answer her unasked question.

  “Believe me, I wish I could get out of it. I signed up for this months ago and had to sign a nondisclosure agreement and everything, so I can’t even explain.” He took her hand in his and looked at her with pleading eyes. “Please don’t make me go.”

  She placed a hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow. “Can’t. Not if you won’t tell me why you’re leaving or for how long.”

  “You’ll see soon enough.” His sad, pouty voice was pathetic—and not very believable.

  She was having a good time at the party, but she’d figured they’d get a few more dances in before the end of the evening. “Will I see you before I leave?”

  His answering grin was slow and sly. He liked holding back information from her. It made her want to pull him into a secluded corner and drag the information out of him.

  “Yes, I’m sure you’ll see me, but how much will be completely up to you.” He clenched his jaw and breathed in sharply. “I know I’m going to regret this, but . . .”

  “Go. Have fun.” She squeezed his hand, wishing she knew what he was up to, but trusting him all the same. “But not too much.”

  He squeezed her hand back and looked like he might lean in to kiss her goodbye, when someone said her name. Kian gave her a final chin lift, and she turned to find her old Texas friend and tonight’s sponsor, Aaron Mills, and a beautiful woman at his side. They’d met a few days before when she’d dropped off the jewelry for the party.

  “Charlize, I told you that sapphire necklace would go great with those blue eyes of yours. You look stunning.” Autumn gave both Charly and Aaron quick hugs. The tall brunette flushed and leaned against Aaron, trying to hide her embarrassment. She must not be one for the spotlight, a feeling Autumn could understand.

  To take the heat off Charly, Autumn turned to her friend. “Thanks again, Aaron, for the opportunity to showcase my work.” She looked around the room. Practically every guest wore an Autumn Molinero original, and a tingle went up Autumn’s arms like a hug.

  “Your work deserves to be showcased.” Aaron shook his head. “I still can’t believe Veronica. That was so unprofessional of her to make you switch—”

  Autumn raised a hand to stop him. “It’s forgotten, Aaron. Truly. Did I like working with her? Not really. Would I want to work with her again? No way. Was she right when she said my designs didn’t fit the event?” She nodded her head slightly. “Yes.” Though she wouldn’t have gotten it wrong if someone would have given her more background.

  Charly stepped forward. “But your auction pieces?” She placed both hands over her heart. “They’re different and absolutely gorgeous!” She leaned forward and whispered, “I love this 1920s jewelry, but I love the dragonflies even more.”

  Autumn placed a hand on Charly’s forearm. “Thank you. That’s sweet of you to say.” She took a moment to bask in the compliment. “Nature-inspired jewelry is where my heart is.” She turned back to include Aaron. “I hope we raise a lot of money for Six Hearts. What’s the charity again? It raises money for schools in India?”

  Aaron’s polite smile spread into a real grin, and he looked like he was about to pontificate on all its virtues when Autumn caught sight of the man who’d captured her heart standing up front with the men in the bachelor auction. So that was why Kian had had to leave.

  “It was great to see you again.” She tipped her head toward the stage. “But I think there’s something—I mean, someone—I might want to bid on.” She smiled.

  Charlize gave Autumn an encouraging look. “A lot to choose from.”

  What Charly didn’t know was that there was only one guy Autumn would even consider—who was apparently on the auction block right now.

  “Come on, ladies, don’t drop out yet,” the auctioneer was saying. “Kian Gould is quite the catch. Comedian, club owner, even has a connection with the mob, I hear.” Alana Sterling, one of the country’s top auctioneers, was selling him hard. “And you have to admit he’s pretty good-looking, ladies.”

  Autumn might have been jealous of the gorgeous young auctioneer if she hadn’t already met her. Alana was sweet and just here to do a job.

  “I don’t think I’ve seen eyes this blue since Ol’ Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra himself,” Alana continued, “but I would say he looks a lot more like a young Matthew McConaughey.”

  Kian clenched his jaw and glared at her.

  “Ooh, he’s got a nice smolder on him.”

  Autumn lifted a hand to stifle her laugh. Alana and Kian’s reaction to her were hilarious. She assessed the room to pick out the women bidding on Kian.

  “Five hundred dollars.” A tall, busty woman in a low-cut dress pursed her lips at Kian, and immediately, his left eyebrow twitched.

  Two other women conferred with each other. “Six hundred,” one of them said, and the other nodded. So they had pooled their money to outbid Busty.

  Kian shifted his weight, his eyes locking on Autumn’s. The frantic pleading in his eyes brought the concert back to mind when he’d pretended to be her boyfriend to save her from the creep. She did kind of owe him. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun to see him sweat it a little.

  Feeling a little snarky, Autumn lifted her right hand waist-high and signed the simple sarcastic laugh. Haha, she signed, two fingers curling toward her almost like a “come here.” It was a small gesture, one most of the other onlo
okers wouldn’t see or comprehend if they did catch her movement.

  Kian narrowed his eyes at her to show his displeasure at her teasing. He raised his chin and pointedly looked away, but the slight quirk of his lips, he knew she was joking.

  “Seven hundred dollars.” Busty straightened the necklace Autumn had made. The one she’d picked out was a shield design, reminiscent of the one that got ruined, but this was far simpler.

  The friends consulted again. “Eight hundred.” The spokeswoman for the two sounded like this was their final offer.

  Eight hundred wasn’t a bad price, considering, but Kian was worth a lot more, and Autumn wasn’t about to let him go to anyone else. He squirmed as the auctioneer looked to Busty for a counter. She wasn’t disappointed. “Nine hundred.”

  “Nine hundred dollars for a date with Eureka Springs’s own Kian Gould, going once . . .”

  Kian dropped his frozen smile and opened his eyes wide, pleading for Autumn’s rescue.

  She raised her hand. “Ten thousand dollars.”

  Frustrated, Busty stomped off, and Autumn was victorious.

  She hadn’t meant to flaunt her money and hoped it didn’t embarrass Kian too much, but she really did want to win and had no appetite for nickel-and-diming her way there. So it was a big jump. She wanted to support the cause, but she also wanted Kian to know she was serious about winning not only a date, but also his heart.

  With a huge smile, he stepped off the stage and gathered her in a hug. “Thank you for saving me.” The breath of his whisper and the movement of his lips brushed softly against her cheek, sending tingles through her like the chandelier’s light being powered up through that silly remote he still messed with when she worked too late. He stepped back, keeping hold of her hands while his eyes never left hers. “I’m yours for the rest of the evening.”

  Her heart gave a flutter. “Is that all I get for my bid?”

  He shrugged, his mouth curving up in one corner as if it were no longer a big deal. “I can’t be bought, you know.”