Betting on the Billionaire in Lockdown

by Ivy Nelson

  She typed Memphis Foster into the search engine and hit enter. Thousands of results popped up, but recent news articles caught her eye. Words like fraud, arrest, and trial jumped out at her.

  What the fuck was going on? She grabbed her tablet and pulled up the same articles before stalking down the hall to find him.

  Unfortunately, someone was in his office and she wasn’t quite brave enough to bust in wearing just a robe. So she went back to seething and reading.

  A knot formed in her stomach as she realized just what Memphis was on trial for.

  She called her mom.

  “What was the name of the company that took your money?” she asked when the older woman answered.

  “Miller Holdings. Why do you ask?”

  “Fuck,” she bit out.

  “Language, Rylee. Just because you gamble in sin city doesn’t mean you have to curse like the devil.”

  Her mother had always taken issue with her swearing and she had issues with her gambling as well.

  “Oh hush, mom. It’s just a word. I need to go. Thanks for the information.”

  “Wait. Why did you want to know?”

  “I can’t get into it now, mom. But I might be home sooner than a month.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful news,” her mother exclaimed.

  “Hang up the phone, Rylee.” Memphis’ voice was dark.

  “Gotta go, mom. I’ll call you later.” She ended the call and slowly turned.

  “Tell me why you’re on trial.” She held her breath and waited for him to answer.

  “It’s complicated and I’m still trying to sort out all the pieces. Is your mother Sarah Marie Colton?”

  Rylee nodded.

  “Fuck.”

  “I think I better leave.”

  “Wait. Please.” His voice was pleading.

  She was already searching the room for her suitcase, though.

  “Rylee, stop. You don’t understand. I need you here. I told them you’re my live-in companion. If they show up and you’ve moved out that could be bad for me. I’ll likely go to jail until the trial. And now that it looks like it involves your family, if they wanted to, they could add bribery and witness tampering to my charges.”

  She stared at him.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? Why would they put you in jail?”

  “Lying to my house arrest officer?”

  “House arrest? Is that what the new security system was all about? You’re under house arrest? Jesus. Why would they add bribery or witness tampering?”

  He dragged a hand through his hair. “This is going to make you hate me, but when I asked for your ID, it wasn’t just to get a wire transfer in place for the two million. I did that too, but it also went on some documents that say you’re part owner of the villa and we live together. If it looks like I moved you in, and bought you a house, it’s going to look like I’m bribing you not to testify against me in a trial. But I swear, I had no idea who you were when Hunter hired you.”

  “God fucking damn it. How am I supposed to trust anything you say now?”

  “You don’t. And I respect that, but I’m begging you to stay and hear everything I have to say. You don’t have to listen to me tonight, and you don’t have to honor our deal, but you do need to stay here for your own sake and mine.”

  “I’m not doing anything for your sake. If I have to stay here please leave my room and give me my God damn clothes back. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

  “I understand.”

  He backed out of the room and closed the door. A few minutes later, there was a knock. When she opened it, her suitcase was waiting for her with all of her clothes. She sat on the bed the rest of the night and read about the legal battle Memphis Foster was engaged in.

  It occurred to her to wonder if she’d been brought here to somehow gain information about her family to help his trial.

  On a whim, she dialed Hunter’s cell number. It was the first time she’d ever used it other than to confirm that she’d landed in Vegas.

  “Rylee? Is everything OK?”

  She broke down and told him everything. When she was done, she ended by asking, “Whose idea was it to hire me?”

  Hunter whistled. “That was quite a story. I can put your mind at ease on one front though. I suggested hiring you and Memphis had no idea who you were. Had I realized your family was wrapped up in the scam he’s on trial for, I never would have made the suggestion though.”

  Well, that was something anyway.

  “Do you think he’s guilty? He made it sound like he’d been set up.”

  “That’s what he told me too. I have no reason not to believe him. I’ve done business with Memphis for a long time and he’s always been a fair player in the market. That said, on paper, the deal that got signed sounded very lucrative and money can make people do stupid shit. I can’t tell you what to do because you have every right to be pissed at him right now, but my advice would be to hear him out and do your own research.”

  “Thanks, Hunter. Do you think he got my tournament canceled? I never have heard what happened.”

  “He didn’t but I can see why you would wonder. I checked it out. It was a legit problem with the sprinkler system and it’s going to take them a few weeks to be ready to play again. They can’t just move it to a new place because Caesar’s is the one sponsoring the tournament. Are you allowed to leave the property?”

  “I’m not sure. He said something about signing my name to some documents that made me half owner of this house and that we were live-in partners. I don’t really understand it all. But I don’t think I have to stay here twenty-four seven.

  “Well find out. If you can leave, come play in the high-rollers room tomorrow on my dime.”

  She laughed at that. “I like the sound of that, but that’s unnecessary. I will come see you if I can leave though. Thanks for talking to me, Hunter. I know you’re busy.”

  “You’re welcome, Miss Rylee. I wish I had better advice for you. I’ll just say I think he’s a good man who got caught in an unfortunate set of circumstances. Then he had to go and start thinking with his dick where you were concerned and that just made things worse.”

  Rylee hung up feeling sad. Memphis Foster might have been thinking with his dick, but somehow her heart had gotten involved.

  11

  ♣♣♣

  Memphis cranked the speed up on the treadmill and pushed himself as he played the last several days over in his mind. He wasn’t prepared for everything to blow up in his face so quickly. How was he going to fix this?

  His connection with Rylee was one of the most intense he’d had with a woman and he wasn’t ready to lose that.

  He heard the door to the gym open, but he kept running.

  Rylee stepped onto the treadmill next to him and turned it on. She started at a brisk walk and slowly increased to match his intense pace.

  He’d been at it for a half hour already, but he wasn’t going to quit until she did.

  An hour later, they were both panting and drenched in sweat and not for the reasons he’d hoped.

  She leaned on the bars of the treadmill as it came to a halt and wiped at her brow with a towel.

  “Can we talk?” she asked between gulping breaths.

  He gave a solemn nod and stepped off the machine.

  “Where?” he asked.

  “Shower first. Then the dining room table.”

  He wagged his eyebrows. “Shower sounds great.”

  She glared in his direction. “Look, your hot sweaty ass is already turning me on. Stop with the jokes. I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”

  He held up a hand in surrender. “I apologize. I’ll meet you in the dining room in an hour. Order dinner. You pick.”

  Before he could turn to walk out, she took him by surprise by grabbing his hand and pulling him to her. He went to her willingly.

  She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck before pressing her mouth to his. He sli
d a hand into her hair and fought the urge to take control of the kiss. What he didn’t do was hold back on returning her attention. He devoured her mouth as much as she would let him.

  When she pulled away, her gaze was stony.

  “What was that for?” he asked, genuinely curious.

  “I wanted one last kiss in case I don’t like what I hear at the table.”

  Without another word, she turned and walked out. He stared after her and prayed he could convince her to kiss him again.

  When she disappeared from view, he grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge in the gym and made his way inside. He walked slowly to give her time to get upstairs before he made his way to his own shower to rinse off and change clothes.

  An hour later, he came downstairs when he heard a commotion at the front door. A pizza delivery driver stood dumbfounded as two officers pushed their way past him and Rylee into the house.

  “Rylee take the pizza into the kitchen. I’ll pay the driver,” he said, taking charge of the situation. “It’s just a random search which they’re allowed to do.”

  She nodded and took the pizza boxes from the driver.

  The officers waited for him to pay the driver and send him on his way before one pulled out a breathalyzer. “Blow into this please, Mr. Foster.”

  He rolled his eyes but blew.

  “Very good, Sir. We’re searching the property for contraband. Is there anything we should know?”

  He shook his head. “I was just about to have dinner with my partner.”

  They nodded and made a show of looking around. But the villa was massive, and he knew they wouldn’t search the entire thing.

  When they were gone, he stood with his head pressed against the front door. He wasn’t sure how the hell he was going to explain all of this to Rylee, but he knew if he wanted to keep her here, he had to figure it out.

  In the dining room, Rylee sat with her head resting on the pizza boxes.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he murmured.

  “Did they go through my things?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think they opened that door. They’re more interested in me.”

  “But they could have, right? That’s what the paperwork I supposedly signed would have said?”

  He gave a hesitant nod.

  “Can you see how fucked up this is?”

  Another nod.

  “Are you going to say anything?”

  He pulled out the dining room chair at the head of the table closest to where she sat and motioned for her to slide the pizza his way.

  He opened the box and pulled out a slice of supreme.

  “Excellent choice,” he murmured as he bit into it.

  “If you’re not going to talk to me, I’m leaving, and you can rot in jail for all I care.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m going to talk. I just need a minute to gather my thoughts, please.”

  She snagged her own slice of pizza and ate while she waited.

  “Another company wanting to join forces on a community outreach project that could make a lot of money approached me about property investment and neighborhood improvement here and in Phoenix. The deal seemed off to me, but I’m a believer in letting my board vet things. I have them for a reason. Ultimately, most of us decided it was a terrible idea and we severed the negotiation process with the company. There were a handful of board members who wanted to hear more, but they ultimately fell in line. At least that’s what I thought.”

  He stood and walked to the fridge where he pulled out a bottled juice.

  “Want one?” he asked from behind the fridge door.

  She shook her head. “I’ll have a beer though.”

  He grimaced. He would kill for a beer right now, but it wasn’t worth going to jail over and they’d already proven they would check.

  “A few months ago, news broke about what the company was doing and the way it screwed a lot of people over. They were getting small time investors to invest in a variety of neighborhood improvement projects as if they already had permits and permission. They were also keeping inaccurate count of their debt and income so on paper it looked like everyone involved was going to make money. Then one of the most expensive deals they were peddling completely fell through and all their debt came due. It basically screwed all of the small-time investors like your mom out of their money.

  “The state attorney in Arizona and in Nevada started an investigation and promised to bring charges. I was supportive of this and even offered to give the investigators my records of our attempted negotiation with the company. Then contracts emerged that showed my company was covering a portion of their debt at around twenty-five percent. I did not approve these contracts, but my name was on them. They filed charges against me in Nevada. The state of Arizona has opted not to charge me at this time, but they still might.”

  She blew out a breath. “This is a lot to take in, Memphis. I don’t even understand it all. Are you saying someone set you up?”

  “Someone or perhaps multiple people on my board and within my company went behind my back and signed the deal because they thought it would bring in a lot of revenue and the possibility of expansion into a new field.”

  “Who did it?”

  He shook his head. “We’ve been pouring through documents for weeks trying to figure that out. Only today we came up with some things that might point us in the right direction.”

  “What were those things?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m not willing to answer that.”

  “Then I’m not staying. You answer all my questions, or I’m gone.”

  He sighed. “It was an e-mail thread between Collin and someone from the other company. I can show you if you’re interested.”

  “And when did you figure out that my mom was one of the people screwed over?”

  “Just today. I swear.”

  She nodded, seemingly satisfied with that.

  “I want to believe you. But I need to know that you understand just how fucked up some of your actions were.”

  He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I swear, Rylee. I get it. This whole situation is fucked up and Hunter was probably right. I’m not thinking straight.”

  “Is it going to be a problem for your defense if I’m here?”

  He dragged a hand through his hair. “My attorney might say yes, but I don’t care. I want to make restitution to the families who were hurt.”

  She toyed with the beer he’d handed her.

  “But if your story is true, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “It is, though. If I’d had a more watchful eye on the people around me, that contract wouldn’t have been signed without my knowledge.”

  “I did some research into you. Your company is massive. I’m not saying you’re without fault, but it seems like it would be impossible for you to have your eye on everything at all times.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. But I clearly need to do a better job. I’m working on investigating every member of my board and every staff member that had access to my signature stamp. I’m learning that entirely too many people had access to it and that’s definitely going away.”

  She blew some stray hairs out of her face. “I need to just be on my own and think for a while. I’m going to my room. I would appreciate a heads up if you think they’re going to come search my room.”

  He watched her stand and take one of the pizza boxes with her.

  “Rylee, I’m really sorry.”

  She bent and kissed his cheek. “I believe you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  12

  ♠♠♠

  Back in her room, Rylee sat on the bed with her beer and a box of pizza and tried to process how she felt. On the one hand, she felt used and tricked. On the other, he was genuinely contrite and clearly going through a lot. Not to mention, their chemistry had been off the charts and there was no sign that he knew who she was when they first met. Her mind drift
ed to their first kiss, their first scene and their first time to make love.

  She’d taken a lot of risks and bet big on Memphis Foster, and if she weren’t careful, she would lose everything.

  How was she going to figure out the right thing to do?

  Her phone rang.

  “Mom, I told you I would talk to you in the morning.”

  “I know but I needed you to hear this. Everett Miller called me tonight.”

  “Who?”

  “Everett Miller. He’s the CEO of Miller Holdings.”

  Her eyes went wide.

  “When did he call?”

  “A couple hours ago. He wanted to let me know the company was returning my initial investment with an additional fifteen percent. We’re going to be fine, honey. You can come home if you want.”

  If Memphis had a hand in this it would have been between their blow up this morning and their meeting in the gym.

  “That’s fantastic mom. Now hire a damn financial adviser and listen to them.”

  “Rylee please. You know how I feel about that language.”

  “I’m serious mom. You’ve almost lost everything too many times. The things you do with your money are way riskier than anything I do at the poker table.”

  Her mother was likely rolling her eyes, but she didn’t care. The woman needed to learn.

  When she ended the call with her mom, she scrolled to the entry for Memphis and clicked the message icon.

  Thank you. I don’t know what you did or said to Everett Miller but thank you.

  He didn’t respond at first and she thought maybe she’d been wrong about him being involved, but as she was changing into pajamas, her phone dinged.

  You’re welcome. I’m sorry. I miss you.

  As she drifted to sleep, it was to thoughts of him, and she knew he would haunt her dreams tonight.

  ♥♦♣♠

  The next morning, Memphis woke to banging on his door. What the hell? It seemed unlikely the police would return for another search less than twelve hours later.

  He jerked open the door without putting on clothes.

  A very dressed Rylee greeted him. Her fist froze in midair as she stared at his morning wood.