by Zante, Lily
Table of Contents
The Gift, Book 3
Other books by Lily Zante
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Booklist
Acknowledgements
About The Author
The Gift, Book 3
The Billionaire’s Love Story
Lily Zante
Other books by Lily Zante
You can find an updated list of Lily Zante books at: http://www.lilyzante.com/books
Lily Zante
Newsletter | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Email
Text copyright © 2016
Lily Zante
All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1
Tobias scratched his jaw and looked away in disgust as girls in short, barely-there dresses tittered around him. They primped their hair, touched their mouths, their cheeks and batted their caked eyelashes. They leaned forward with their legs crossed, and their in-your-face-breasts threatened to spill out of their Band-Aid designer couture, strips of fabric that teased and hinted at naked flesh. Flirtation filled the air in the rooftop terrace of The Oasis.
Eager hopefuls, desperate to mingle with rich and moneyed young men surrounded Xavier and his cronies, hopeful that they would get not only their drinks bought, but breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow. And more.
Tobias lifted his glass of whiskey and drank it in one go. What the fuck was he doing here?
His brother had raved on about the new 20th floor rooftop bar and restaurant, recently opened by one of his friends. The Oasis had a Moroccan style influence, with its red drapes and jewel-toned fabrics draped over walls, its metallic hanging lanterns and amber colored lamps and comfy booths plumped up with oversized cushions. It was a welcome change from the cold grayness of winter in New York.
“Over here!” Xavier shouted to the pretty young waitress who had brought over a new tray of drinks. Tobias had lost count of the number of whiskey shots he’d had, preferring that to the champagne that Xavier had ordered so freely. The waitress put a glass down in front of him. “Two more!” Tobias shouted, grabbing the glass and downing it in one swig. It wasn’t the cold he felt as much as the desire to numb himself. He looked around the rooftop terrace; it was full, but not heaving. Full of perfect people, moneyed people and plenty of tits, ass and legs on full view no matter in which direction he stared. They were happy; in a state of intoxication, high on seduction or drugs, probably both. He didn’t belong. And he didn’t want to be here. The disconnect he felt was easier to bear when whiskey was his partner. “It’s new, hip, trendy, and hard to get into,” Xavier had crowed when he’d first mentioned it to him. It probably was all of these things but none of them mattered to Tobias.
“Slow down,” Xavier insisted, leaning close up behind his ear.
“I’m having a good time,” Tobias said, unable to turn his head around completely to face his brother, he turned his head to the side instead and found himself staring at the woman seated next to him. He picked up another glass of whiskey. “Why don’t you talk to Larissa?” Xavier shouted into his ear. “She’s the one you’re staring at, in case you didn’t know. She’s been trying to get your attention for the last half hour.” His younger brother patted him on the shoulder and disappeared with a skinny but buxom beauty dressed from head to toe in black.
Tobias looked to his right, at the long-haired vixen in a silver dress. The front of her dress was cut low, right down to her belly button and for a second he was intrigued as to how she managed to keep the thing from falling to her waist. She smiled back at him, shining in the glow of his attention and flashed an inviting smile. “You’re Xavier’s brother?” She leaned towards him suggestively.
God, no. No conversation, or anything else.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Her fingers swept her hair onto one shoulder; it was a thick cascade of curls, strategically placed to reveal perfectly tanned shoulders. Savannah’s hair was shorter, he recalled. Up to her shoulders, and it wasn’t as shiny or as groomed.
And she was out with Matthias, somewhere, right now.
He looked around for the waitress. Where was his second glass of whiskey? “Excuse me,” he said and got up. The waitress had only given him one drink and he was in dire need of another. The woman beside him looked crestfallen. “Do you want a drink?”
Her face instantly brightened. “I’ll come with you.” She got up quickly, the dress threatening to slip off her shoulders. His eyes weren’t admiring the naked flesh on show, but more the manner in which she managed to keep clothed despite the odds of it slipping off. Glue? he wondered, and was almost tempted to ask.
“I’ll get it,” he barked, eager to lose her, fast. “What do you want?”
“What I need, is to get some air,” she drawled.
Sweetheart, we’re sitting outside. He shrugged. Tobias hated places like this; it was the kind of place where people came to be seen. That was their idea of a good time. He swiftly cut through the medley of tables, heaters and beautiful people in his determination to get to the bar inside, not stopping to wait for the woman who seemed desperate to accompany him. On the way he was stopped by the waitress who had served their table. “Is there something I can get you, Sir?” she asked, staring up at him, and giving him the kind of looked that suggested she had more to offer than merely alcohol.
“Nothing I can’t get myself,” he replied, calmly. It was then that he became aware of the woman who had followed him. She attempted to take hold of his hand but he pulled it away quickly and made his way to the bar.
Years ago, he and Ivy would have come to a place like this, for drinks and then dinner somewhere ridiculously overpriced and exclusive. Or even a KFC. He’d loved that about her. She’d never been the type to frequent an establishment just to be seen.
It was a shame that most of the women he met these days seemed more concerned with his money and his name. He had no interest in them, or any desire to start anything with them. They barely registered on his radar.
And yet Savannah Page had, somehow wormed her way into his consciousness over the last few weeks without him even realizing, and these last few days she had stolen into his thoughts and stayed there. He would see to it that he had his time with her alone, next week when they returned to work.
He eyed the bar area eagerly. It was relatively empty and he was about to stride up to it when he noticed her, and he stopped to stare.
She was here?
Savannah.
Ahead of him, facing the bar, and surrounded by a group of people, stood a woman with the same brown tousled hair just below her shoulders. He scanned the crowd rapidly looking for Matthias and others he might recognize.
Turning around, he slipped a hundred dollar bill to the leech on his back. It was a small price to pay for freedom. “Get yourself a drink.”
“But I—” She was silenced by the look he gave her, a half-pout starting to form on her Botox’ed lips. But she snatched the bill and slunk away without a word.
He made his way over to the group and touched the woman’s shoulder, wondering, at the same time, what he would say to her. She turned around and blue eyes—the wrong color—widened in appreciation.
“Hi,” she smiled widely at him, thinking she’d been hit on.
“
Sorry, I mistook you for someone else.” His hopes vanished as fast as her smile.
“Tobias?”
A familiar voice behind rescued him from the awkwardness of the moment. He turned around when Candace laid her hand on his arm. “What are you doing here?” She asked, happily.
“The same thing as you, probably,” he replied coolly.
She blinked at the woman he had mistaken for Savannah. “Are you together?” She asked, nodding her head towards her.
“No.” He stepped away and headed towards the bar with Candace in tow.
“I didn’t know you were coming here tonight. It’s hardly your kind of place.”
“It isn’t my kind of place,” he growled. “My brother dragged me here.” A group of girls walked past, one almost brushing past him, and murmuring a suggestive “Sorry,” as she did so. Candace’s face set like hard cement as Tobias ignored the intrusion which was a regular part of his life. A crowd of people at the nearby table laughed loudly among themselves while Beyonce’s voice belted out one of her ballads.
“Where are you sitting?”
“Out there.” He nodded towards the roof terrace.
“I’m with a group of friends, over there.” She nodded behind her shoulder, and he barely glanced in that direction.
“Did you come with Matthias?”
“Matthias?” She looked surprised. “Why would I? I haven’t been at work since last week.”
Tobias remembered. “I thought maybe…” He thought maybe he’d see her here. He stared at Candace and noticed for the first time that she looked different in her out-of-work clothes. Without the sophisticated suits, and wearing a slinky black sheath dress instead, she looked glamorous once she’d lost the executive office look. She caught him looking. “Do you want to come over and say ‘hi’?”
He shook his head quickly. Clearly she had the wrong idea. “Since when do I do things like that?”
“Thought you’d gone home.” Xavier snuck up behind him.
“Are you keeping an eye on me tonight?” Irritation masked Tobias’s face.
“I’m making sure you’re having a good time, Bro.” Xavier acknowledged Candace. “Fancy running into you here.”
“Fancy running into you.” Candace eyed him appreciatively and ran her hand down the side of her dress. “The newest and hippest place in New York would be incomplete without Xavier Stone making an appearance,” she cooed.
“You know it, babe.” Xavier winked at her and gave her the once-over. “Are you moving on or staying here all night?”
“I could be persuaded to stay here,” she replied, licking her lips. Tobias looked around and loosened the collar of his shirt, aware of being the third party in a twosome.
“We’re going to the party in The Vault,” Xavier announced. “Right after midnight. You game? I can get you both in.”
“We’re not together.” Tobias set him straight.
“I know,” Xavier exclaimed. “But I can get you in.” Candace laughed proactively, tempted by the idea. “A private party?”
“Come along,” Xavier encouraged her. “It’s strictly members only, but don’t worry about that, my friend owns this place.” She stared at Tobias expectantly and he could see that she was up for it. Being seen with both the Stone brothers would raise her social profile.
No thanks.
“I’m not coming,” he announced, desperate to leave. He’d been eyeing the bottle of whiskey behind the bar and in that moment decided he didn’t have to drink it here.
“Why not?” Candace asked.
“I thought you were having a good time, Bro?” Xavier punched him lightly on his shoulder.
“I’ve had a good time.” Tobias patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks. One step at a time, huh?”
His brother looked disappointed. “How are you going to get home?”
“I’ll call a cab.”
“I’ll get Morris to come and get you,” Candace offered.
“I can take care of myself,” Tobias replied, stiffly. He hated the way they all clamored to help him. Couldn’t they leave him alone?
“I’m outta here,” he took off, waving a hand in the air as if to signal his goodbye.
Chapter 2
“You mean it, Mommy? I can really stay up ‘til midnight?”
“I don’t see why not, Honey. It’s New Year’s Eve.” She wiped down the countertops in the kitchen and was pleased that dinner and tidy-up was over.
“It’s like Christmas Eve but boring.” Jacob sat with his head bent over his Marvel coloring book and his little hand rapidly coloring away.
“That’s pretty.” She stared at the colored-in pictures and noticed that he was getting better at coloring inside the line boundaries. He scrunched up his face. “Don’t say it’s pretty, Mommy. That’s a girlie word. Say it’s cool.”
“It’s pretty cool,” she replied, making him giggle. “You have been busy.” He was almost halfway through the book and it was just as well that she’d bought a few of them. She considered the act of getting a book into his hands as progress. It was great that he used his imagination and played with his toys, and that he wasn’t hooked on devices like so many other kids. She wouldn’t have bought him a device even if she could afford one. Coloring books were good but getting him to read books of his own accord, instead of only when she or his teacher ordered him, would be next on her list of things to encourage.
He was a good kid, and even when she was on her laptop—emailing or surfing the net—he didn’t hassle her to go on it and play games.
She wanted to reply to the email she’d received before dinner. She’d been surprised to hear back from anyone during the holidays but another agency had received her résumé and had asked about her availability for a temporary contract that was due to start around the beginning of February. It would last until the summer at least, and it paid more. This had been the deciding factor for her, because as comfortable as she felt at Stone Enterprises, and as nice as some of the people were, at the end of the day, money was money, and that was the main reason she worked. It was the only reason.
This new opportunity was too good to pass up. Even though her contract at Stone Enterprises had been extended for another month, there was no guarantee of work thereafter, even though Briony had hinted that she would keep on extending it. A hint wasn’t enough of an incentive to convince Savannah to stay. She needed something more concrete.
She would have liked to stay on at Stone Enterprises. She liked Briony and the work had been easy but unless they could offer her a longer term contract, she had to keep looking around. Money was still tight, despite landing this job, and she was aware that summer would be here soon and she would need to move out of this apartment. She would be in dire financial straits then, if she hadn’t managed to secure a well-paying job by then.
The thought of returning to the office made her stomach churn. She wasn’t sure how she would react when she saw Tobias Stone again. With everyone else back at work, there would be less opportunity for them both to interact, and she considered this to be a blessing.
“What do you want to do now?” She asked Jacob, having finished for the evening. “Do you want to read together?”
He scrunched his nose up. “Can I think about it?”
She grinned and ran her fingers through his hair. “Take your time.” She picked up her laptop from the kitchen countertop and walked into the small lounge. The kitchen and lounge were connected without a door and she could still hear Jacob from behind the sofa where she now sat. “Why don’t you come in here, Honey?”
As Jacob sauntered in, she opened her email and quickly fired off a reply to the new agency indicating her interest in the position.
She stared at Jacob who now lay on his stomach with his elbows propping up his body. He had dispensed with the coloring book and now had his figurines out. There was some sort of elaborate setup going on with an empty shoe box, an empty egg-box and a few Christmas cards. He seemed content enough,
so she turned the TV on and then, when she could find nothing interesting to watch, she aimlessly surfed online. And typed in the name ‘Tobias Stone’.
A photo of him with his trademark solemn look, his strong face with those cool, steady eyes stared back at her. Her heart almost leapfrogged out of her mouth as she quickly skimmed over the text—it was information about him that she already knew, and there was nothing new. When her phone rang, she absent-mindedly reached out for it.
“Happy New Year!” Kay’s shrill voice pierced her ears. She was louder than usual and over-excited.
“Happy New Year,” Savannah replied, still gazing at Tobias’ face on the screen.
“I just got back,” her cousin gushed.
“From where, or shouldn’t I ask?”
“You know that dinner I went to? On Christmas day? Some of the people from there had a party which went on until three in the morning.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost 10 o’clock in the evening,” Kay replied. Of the next day, Savannah reminded herself and found it difficult to reconcile the fact that there was such a long gap, thirteen hours, between their time zones. She wondered what Kay had been up to for most of the day, if she’d only now gotten back. It was better not to know.
“Aren’t you going out tonight?” Kay asked her.
“I was asked to go for drinks.”
“Drinks?”
“With the people from work.”
“What people and what work?” Kay bellowed. “You never told me you were working.”
“Didn’t I? Sorry, I must have forgotten. It’s a temp job, only for another month.”
“Why didn’t you go for drinks with them?”
Savannah got up off the sofa and moved her laptop to the small wooden coffee table then walked into the kitchen, away from Jacob’s prying ears. “It’s not easy to go out, when I don’t have childcare,” she whispered. Rosalee would have offered to look after Jacob, but Savannah didn’t want to impose. Besides she hadn’t been so keen to go out with Matthias. This was nice, being at home, with just the two of them and no amount of drinking in a bar with people she barely knew would have made up for that.