The Successor

by Alina Jacobs

  Grant grabbed Kate by the upper arm then guided her over to a doorway.

  “I cannot deal with her. I can’t believe you guys stuck me with her.”

  “Then fire her and hire someone else,” Kate said, throwing off his hand.

  “I don’t want anyone else. I want you.”

  “I work for your father,” she hissed.

  “Why are you doing this to me? You know we’re perfect together.”

  “I have to go. I’m flying to Asia with Walter in a couple of hours, and I need to prepare.” She tried to push past Grant, but he blocked her with his body.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean it. I drank too much.”

  “That’s not my problem,” she told him and stalked off.

  “I don’t mind if you drink too much,” Brandy said, coming up behind him and running her hand down his arm. Kate glanced over her shoulder at him, and he caught her scathing look. His day was going downhill fast.

  Chapter 47

  Kate

  Kate wanted to let herself believe Grant, but she knew she couldn’t be with him. She tried to put the handsome heir out of her mind and threw herself into the work trips with Walter. After an eight-hour meeting in Seoul, the deal was finally signed and sealed, and Holbrook Enterprises was in partnership for a venture in Malaysia.

  Then there was the celebratory drinking and dinner. Kate tried to look awake and alert. Walter was handling it like a champ. Early in the morning, after they finally said their last goodbyes, Kate crawled into the car and slumped into the deep leather seat.

  “We have to go straight to Martha’s Vineyard from the airport,” Walter said, sitting down beside her and loosening his tie. He held out his phone to Kate. “I’ve got so many politely angry messages from Nancy.”

  Kate smiled tiredly. “That’s fine. We can sleep on the plane.”

  She was excited and terrified to see Grant. She hoped the distance would make him forget about her, but she also secretly wanted him to bend down on one knee and propose the minute he saw her.

  The flight back was uneventful. Wendy greeted them as they got on with warm, moist towelettes. Kate tried to sleep on the flight, but she only dozed fitfully. When the plane landed in Connecticut, she and Walter went through customs then sank gratefully into the plush seat of the waiting car.

  “I wish I could shower,” she complained.

  “Shower when we are at the vacation house,” Walter said.

  “It’s such a long drive,” she said and tried to distract herself by looking through her texts. There were irate messages from her grandmother, as well as a long series of messages from Alan that got progressively more sick and nauseating. She also received pictures from Grant of Gus in sunglasses and a hat. He also sent her a string of several sad-looking emoji.

  She smiled and texted him.

  You are too dramatic

  A few moments later, she received a series of messages from him.

  I can’t help it. I need you here.

  Not like that, get your head out of the gutter.

  I’m all by myself. Brandy keeps trying to corner me.

  She rolled her eyes and wrote him back.

  I’ll be there in four hours

  It took longer. The ferry to the island was late, and Kate watched as people slowly drove their cars on.

  She didn’t know if she would be able to handle being that close to Grant. It was a large island, with lots of empty space and places to be alone. Would she be able to resist him?

  “There they are!” Nancy said, coming out to greet them when they arrived at the house. It was an impressive Queen Ann–style house with a rounded tower and slate shingles in a fish-scale pattern. Nancy was wearing loose linen pants and a broad hat and practically floated down the steps of the house. Grant followed behind his aunt. His hair had grown longer, and it framed his face nicely. Kate wanted to run her fingers through it.

  “Are Carter and Mark coming?” Kate asked Nancy after she hugged the older woman.

  “No.” She sighed. “They couldn’t take any leave, not with it being so close to the Davenport wedding. But I have my other favorite marine here!” She smiled at Grant and gave him a hug.

  “Where’s your assistant?” Kate asked as Grant kissed her on the cheek after shaking his father’s hand.

  Grant grimaced. “She’s at the Davenports’ mansion. They’re having some sort of ritzy soiree. Brandy did invite us to hang out at a beach party tomorrow.”

  “That should be fun,” Kate said and yawned. “I’m beat.”

  “You two must be so tired!” Nancy exclaimed. “I have some seafood salad and bruschetta, then you can take a bath.”

  Grant gave Kate a look. She felt it run straight through her, making her toes curl.

  After she and Walter ate, Grant grabbed Kate’s bags and said, “I’ll show you where you’re staying.”

  She followed him up the three flights of stairs to the third level. Peering out of the dormer in the small bedroom, she could see the ocean over the treetops.

  “I am conveniently right through the bathroom,” Grant said with a flourish.

  She gave him a look. He grinned. His long hair made him look younger, more boyish.

  “You can’t resist me,” he said as he swept her up and twirled her around the room.

  “I can’t!” she protested. “I smell, and my hair is so greasy I could fry an egg in it.” Grant ignored her in favor of leaning down to kiss her while unbuttoning her blouse.

  “Lucky for you,” he said as he undid her lacy bra, “I am used to being around people who smell like garbage.”

  “‘I don’t smell that bad!” Kate said in mock outrage.

  “No, you smell good,” he said as he bit her lightly on the shoulder and breathed in the scent of her neck then kissed his way down to her navel while she ran her fingers through his hair.

  “You’re just horny,” she told him. “You should have gotten a girlfriend while I was gone.”

  He looked up at her seriously. “I only want you. I told you that.”

  She sighed. He slowly ran his fingers up her thigh then slipped them into her panties and stroked her.

  “I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said softly.

  “And yet,” he said, kissing her mouth, his tongue taking her mouth as she knew he was about to take her body, “you will.”

  He shrugged off his shirt and pants, and she took in the sight of him. Now that he wasn’t so stressed out and had better food, he had added even more bulk. Kate reached up and ran her nails across his skin, catching on the ridges of his chest. She felt him jump, and she scratched him.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” he growled.

  He threw her back onto the bed and pinned her arms above her. She felt him slide into her. She arched her back and wrapped her legs around him.

  “Take me,” she told him. He pressed his mouth to hers, silencing the screams of pleasure that wanted to burst out of her.

  When it was over, they lay sweat drenched in each other’s arms.

  “It is so hot in here,” Grant said breathlessly.

  “I’m sure we can find you a fan, or you could have, you know, not picked the hottest part of the house.”

  “It’s worth it for this,” he replied.

  She rolled over and stroked his face with her palm. Grant seemed more grounded, happier, even. He turned his head and kissed her palm.

  “I’m so happy you’re here,” he murmured.

  She ignored him and sniffed herself. “I need a bath.”

  She pulled away from him and stood up. She felt him watch her for a moment, then he followed her into the small bathroom.

  “Ugh, I hate these old houses,” she complained as she took in the exposed brass pipes and cracked porcelain fixtures.

  “What? These are nice accommodations!” Grant said. “At least you can shower, and look”—he pointed—“there’s even a toilet.”

  She rol
led her eyes and started the water.

  “You should try taking a dump in a plastic bag in the middle of the desert,” he continued.

  “Gross,” she said.

  “That’s the part where you laugh, Kate,” he said, his hands on his hips.

  “Is that how you’ve been selling Holbrook Enterprises?” she asked him silkily.

  He gave her a lopsided grin.

  “Half a billion, baby!” he said and struck a bodybuilder’s pose.

  She pursed her lips and turned back to the bath. The water would only gush out lukewarm. It was probably for the best—

  “Ahh!” she screamed as Grant picked her up and dumped her in the tub, jumping in after her. “It’s freezing.”

  “It’s good!”

  They could barely fit, their limbs splaying out of the small tub. They scrubbed off as best they could then dressed.

  “Stop it,” she said as he picked her up, then he nuzzled her hair, set her on the bed, and tucked her in. Listening to his footsteps go down the stairs, she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 48

  Grant

  “You seem happy,” his father said wryly.

  Grant didn’t want to tell him about Kate. She seemed so convinced Walter would fire her. He wanted his position in his father’s world to be solidified first. If he could just land those international contracts, he would be golden, and the Holbrooks would probably let him do whatever he wanted. He reached down to pet Gus.

  His father was studying him. He wasn’t a stupid man. He probably knew exactly what was going on with Kate.

  “I heard about your impressive sales record,” Jack said to him, coming in the room while Nancy poured another round of drinks. “But the question will be if you can keep it up consistently.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  There was an awkward pause, and Grant looked around the room at the pictures on the wall. He recognized his deceased siblings. There were also pictures of two boys at various ages to adulthood.

  “Why’d you let your kids go into the Marines?” he asked Jack and Nancy. “You could afford to send them to college.”

  Nancy looked sad. Jack scowled and said, “Carter flunked out of college, so I cut him off and made him enlist. Mark wanted to be an officer for some reason, and he went through college and joined.”

  “Hmm,” Grant said. “Boot officers don’t do so well.”

  “He’s fine,” Jack shot back. Grant held up his hand in a conciliatory gesture.

  “Yes, he’s fine, dear. Carter’s the screw-up,” Nancy said. “I mean,” she amended, “we love him dearly, and he has great qualities, but he doesn’t do so well with authority.”

  “So I’ve I heard,” Grant said. “Did they see combat?”

  “Carter did two tours in Afghanistan. I think most of that was on base, though, or fairly uneventful patrols. Mark went in for information technology and wasn’t deployed overseas.”

  “So he’s a POG,” Grant stated.

  “Yes, I think that’s the lingo,” Jack replied. “He wanted to see combat, but they needed people who could program.”

  “Yeah,” said Grant. “Everyone needs programmers. So when are they out?”

  “Almost another two years for Carter. Mark said he wanted to stay in, though,” Jack said, standing up to pour himself another drink.

  “They’re transitioning to a peacetime corps, so I hope he has a backup plan. Wait, what am I saying? Of course.” He motioned around them. “Of course they’ll be fine.”

  “Mark will,” Jack said, taking a sip of his drink. “I don’t know about Carter.” Jack glared at his brother. “You were a bad influence on him.”

  “Oh, here we go,” Walter said.

  “Stop it,” Nancy scolded the two men. “Family is all we have. You two need to be nicer to each other.”

  The two brothers glared at each other. Grant knew what happened when men like the Holbrooks started drinking. Soon, there was going to be a drunken screaming match and potentially a fight, depending on how much alcohol they had consumed.

  He stood up and said awkwardly, “I guess I’ll turn in.”

  He let Gus out and then went up the creaking stairs. Kate was sound asleep, and he gingerly lowered himself down on the small twin bed beside her.

  The next morning, the sun streamed in through the window, and Kate was punching at him.

  “Ugh, it’s so hot! I’m drenched in sweat,” she said.

  Grant yawned. He did feel overheated. “Guess this bed’s not that great for two people, especially not two people and a dog.”

  Gus was half wedged in the space between the bed and the wall.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” Grant asked as he stretched.

  “I don’t know,” Kate said, pushing herself off of the bed. “I’m not your assistant.”

  After she scolded him for standing too close to her as he watched her fix her hair, they went down to the high-end rustic kitchen for breakfast.

  “We will be having dinner with the Fitzhughs,” Nancy informed them. “They invited us.”

  Grant didn’t want to have dinner with Brandy and her family, but from Nancy’s tone, he decided it wasn’t optional.

  Grant scrolled through the messages on his phone.

  “There’s the party on the beach around lunchtime,” he said. “Brandy said it’s going to be mainly people you two went to school with. We’re meeting on the beach and grilling. We have to bring drinks and snacks.”

  “That will be fun,” Nancy said. “You two should go. Grant can meet some younger people.”

  After gathering their contributions, Kate and Grant walked over to the beach. Kate slipped her arm in Grant’s, and they walked along the wide paths in a comfortable silence. Being on Martha’s Vineyard felt like being in another place, he thought, a place where all the stressors of his life didn’t matter anymore.

  Cracks appeared in the illusion, however, when they neared the beach and Grant heard a horse whinny.

  “Oh no,” Kate said as they neared the group.

  Fernando, the Argentinean polo player, was there. Grant scowled.

  “Be nice,” Kate warned and kicked through the sand to the party, Grant following behind her.

  “Glad you made it!” Eric Davenport said when he saw them.

  Grant forced himself to put on a friendly face and shook Eric’s hand. Then he was introduced to the rest of the party-goers.

  “I was wondering where everyone my age was,” he said. “Do your parents keep you all locked in the basement?”

  Several girls giggled.

  One young man said, “We do have jobs.”

  “No, you don’t!” his friend hooted.

  “I’m a blogger!” the young man said and launched himself at his friend, tackling him in the sand.

  A pretty young woman came up, and Kate told Grant, “This is the friend I was telling you about who writes the blog reviewing Michelin restaurants.”

  “Anastasia,” the woman introduced herself. She was tall and elfin, like a model.

  Someone handed Grant a plastic cup with a cocktail. Music blared, and the beach gathering was in full swing.

  “Grant, help me start this fire,” Eric said.

  Grant went over and helped him stack up the wood.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Eric said as he struggled to light the fire. “I need another groomsman. Ginny wants her old roommate to be in the wedding party, and there’s an odd number now.”

  “I suppose I could,” Grant said as he took the lighter from Eric and got a tiny flame burning in the kindling. “Are you sure you don’t have any, I don’t know, actual friends you’d rather ask?”

  Eric laughed and said, “Our wedding party is thirty-six people. I’ve thoroughly exhausted my friend list. Ginny is the more social one. We’ll pair you with Kate. You know her, and she’ll help you.”

  Grant did like the sound of being paired with Kate. He looked over at her. Fernando was hovering aroun
d her with Brandy nearby as well wearing a bikini top, a crocheted lace crop top, and shorts. Kate looked anxious and kept checking her phone.

  “Excuse me for a moment,” he said to Eric.

  As Grant walked up to the group, Fernando was reaching for Kate, and she jerked away.

  “Is there a problem?” Grant asked, stepping into Fernando’s personal space.

  The Argentinian smiled defensively and stepped back.

  “Everything’s okay, boss. No problems here.”

  He looked around for Kate, but suddenly, she was gone. He didn’t even see her go.

  “I need to find Kate.” There were trails and bushes around the beach. Maybe she had walked off and headed down a path.

  “Don’t leave,” Brandy said. “Stay with me.”

  She pulled him away from the fire and behind a shed. After slowly undoing her top, she took his hand and rubbed it slowly down her chest. Her breasts were full and soft, and Grant felt as if he were under a spell as she kissed him and undid his pants.

  “I don’t want this,” he said abruptly, buttoning himself back up. “I need to find Kate.”

  “Maybe another time,” Brandy said. He thought she looked hurt, but he didn’t really care. It was not as if he led her on. Fernando came around the side as Grant pushed past him to look for Kate.

  Chapter 49

  Kate

  After the latest message from Alan came in with another picture of his erection half hanging out of his underwear, Kate didn’t want to be there on the beach anymore. She was still exhausted from the trip, and she didn’t have the mental energy to deal with Fernando and Brandy.

  So she ran off. She walked down the boardwalk path that led to the Holbrooks’ summer house. As Kate walked alone, listening to the birds chirping, she heard someone biking on the path behind her. Kate automatically stepped aside, but the biker slowed down and stopped.

  She froze. Oh no. It couldn’t be.

  “Kate,” Alan said. “You didn’t return my calls.” He touched himself suggestively, and Kate felt panic rise in her chest. She still couldn’t believe she had had an affair with him. He had a wife and a family. What had she been thinking? And now she was all alone in the woods with him. No one even knew where she was.