I take a lock of her hair and rub it over my cheek. I love the softness of it. “I hope all our girls have your hair.”
“And all our boys have your chiseled features,” she says then runs her fingertips along my jawline.
I can see it all in her eyes. The future is right there. So close. So damn close. How I wish it was a few months in the future and this crap was behind us.
I wish we were on our way to our honeymoon instead of going back to New York in the morning to try to tempt Meagan into threatening me with blackmail.
My hand moves down her side and over her stomach and I find myself wishing it was already filled with our first child. I’ve always rushed things with her. I know I have.
I’ve never been a man who did anything like that. I’m the kind of man who takes his time in everything I do. I’m that man who used to use the saying, Rome wasn’t built in a day, all the time.
And now look at me. I’m sprinting toward the altar with this woman like a man with his tail on fire. What has happened to me?
Her breathing has become shallow and her body still. She’s fast asleep already with how much energy we’ve just used up and I’m right behind her. Another thing I’ve always had trouble with is sleeping.
She’s cured that!
I have a feeling this woman could cure whatever ails me. She is a miracle. She is my miracle!
Chapter 6
ELIZABETH
It’s lunchtime when we get back to The Plaza Hotel in New York. The place is a mess of people and I find the difference in each coast quite amazing. Los Angeles is more laid back than New York could ever be.
People are always rushing here. I suppose because it takes so long to get anywhere, eating up time like a monster. The concierge, Tristan, makes his way to us and snaps at a bellhop who grabs a luggage trolley and comes toward us.
Zane bought two shotguns and we have them in hanging garment bags so they’re not at all looking anything like guns. The cabbie gave us a look, though. I thought it was kind of funny.
“Can you take these things to my penthouse?” Zane asks him. “We’re going to get some lunch.”
With a nod, Tristan takes the bellhop and hurries away. “He’s a nice man,” I comment as I watch him go.
“He’s good at his job,” Zane says as he takes my hand and tucks it into the crook of his arm.
As we walk toward the bank of elevators that will take us to the restaurant he wants to eat lunch at, we see Meagan stepping off one of them. At first, she doesn’t see us in the sea of people in the hotel lobby.
I nudge Zane. “Look who’s here.”
“I see that,” he growls. “So, it will start right away, I see.”
Her eyes catch sight of Zane first. She smiles and waves then her jaw drops as she sees me tucked into his side. A glare replaces the smile and I smile and wave back at her.
Looking back and forth at us, she decides not to start anything right now. She walks away instead and I hear Zane’s phone ring. “She’s calling me.”
“She just can’t do things right, can she?” I ask as he answers his phone.
“Yes?”
I can’t hear what she’s saying over the constant droning noise of the crowd. It can’t be good though as Zane is wearing a frown. Then he ends the call without saying one other word.
“Want to tell me what she said?” I ask as he moves us along to the elevator.
“I’ll fill you in while we eat. I’m starving.”
My mind is running with all kinds of ideas of what she might have said. He wasn’t excited, though. I’m guessing she didn’t threaten him just yet. But I know she will.
After being seated and ordering a bottle of wine to start things off, I can see Zane’s finally ready to talk. “In typical fashion, Meagan has decided to trump up some shit on you now. Apparently, you had some pretty wild times in college, you little scamp.”
“Did I now?” I ask as I laugh.
The waiter brings the red wine as we both ordered steaks and lets Zane sample it. With a nod from him, he fills our glasses and leaves us alone.
“There’s nothing we can use with what she’s saying. It’s merely slanderous remarks that she says she’s going to let our circle know about. She’s going to try to ruin your reputation before you can even make one for yourself,” he tells me.
I find myself growing more and more pissed. “What could she come up with that’s so bad?”
“That you were a stripper and used drugs. You had several abortions. You know, sweet things like that,” he says then sips his wine.
“She needs her ass beat is what she needs,” I say then sip mine.
“Well, you won’t be doing it. You and I are staying in line with the law where she’s concerned. Now if she starts something in my penthouse and we feel threatened then our new guns will help us out with that and we will be well within our rights if we’re protecting ourselves. But let’s try very hard for it not to come to that. You know we’d have to move. She’d haunt us forever there if that happened.”
I laugh and give him a wink. “I’ll do my best not to kill her in the house, baby.”
“See that you do,” he says then smiles at me.
Taking my hand, he runs his thumb over my knuckles. “You and I will be making quite a few appearances to make her insane with jealousy. How do you like going to the opera?”
“I have no idea,” I answer. “It should be something interesting, I should think.”
“It’s something. And everyone should see at least one opera in their lifetime. Especially if one is in New York City.” He picks my hand up and kisses it.
My heart skips a beat and I look into those greenish, brown eyes and love the way they twinkle. If that woman thinks she can slander me and have me running away again, she’s dead wrong.
Our salads come and along with them comes another phone call. Only this time it’s my phone that’s ringing. Checking the screen of the new phone Zane bought for me, I see it’s Tanya and answer it, “Hello.”
“Are you sitting down, Liz?” Her voice is shaky.
“I am. Why?” I ready myself for bad news.
“Your lighthouse. It was nearly burned down,” she says, sending chills through me.
“Nearly?” I ask as I start to feel kind of weak and faint.
Zane wraps his arm around me as he scoots his chair closer and whispers, “What’s wrong?”
“Yes, nearly. The building is made out of that stucco-like material so it didn’t burn. The paint at the bottom is kind of blackened some but the grounds around the place are burnt. Someone tried to burn the place down last night. The firemen got there in time. You should call the station. I’m sure it was arson.”
“I’m sure it was too,” I say. “Thank you for calling me. I’ll call the fire station and see what they know.”
As I end the call, Zane is staring at me. “Well?”
“Well, someone tried to burn down the lighthouse last night,” I say.
Suddenly, I’m not hungry in the least and push my salad away. Zane shakes his head and pulls it back to me. “We are not letting her drag us down. So was there a lot of damage?”
“Tanya said the outside paint was burnt but the material it’s made out of wouldn’t allow it to catch on fire. Did you put insurance on the place?”
He stabs a large bite of the salad and makes me take it as he answers, “Of course I have insurance on the place. We’ll call the fire department then the insurance agency to get them going out there. I know Meagan was behind it and we’ll need all that evidence. She’s really digging herself a deep hole, isn’t she?”
“She is. And now I’m worried about just how far she’ll go.” I take another bite of salad as he has it at my lips and is refusing to let my lack of apatite stop me from eating.
He really is a great guy!
“You don’t need to worry. You and I will stay together constantly until she’s really put away. I’m not taking any chances with you.” H
e leaves a kiss on my cheek.
Then I hear her voice coming from behind us, “How fucking sweet is this. May I join you two? I have something I’d like to say to you both.”
Now, what?
Chapter 7
ZANE
Not getting her way is taking a toll on Meagan as her hair is pulled into a tight ponytail instead of her usual curled hairstyle. Her complexion is ruddy and her lips look dry. She keeps shifting her eyes and I’m pretty sure she’s on some kind of drug.
“You look strung out,” I tell her as she takes a seat without being asked to.
“You would too if you’d been through the ringer because of someone’s lies,” she says as she glares at Elizabeth.
A laugh comes out of Elizabeth. “Lies, Meagan? We both know there were no lies. Except the one’s you’ve told. A stripper, druggie, with abortions in her past? Really? You may not know me. These people in this town may not know me. But the people I grew up with do and I have a town full of them who can attest to my past. You really are grasping at straws.”
“And you are going to be sorry if you think you’re going to stay with this man. I will fight for him. I’ve explained this to you before. I don’t know why you aren’t taking me seriously. You should before things really get bad for you,” Meagan says and I feel the urge to let her know she’s out of line.
“Meagan, I don’t want anything to do with you. Not a damn thing! Doesn’t that mean anything at all to you?” I ask her.
The waiter brings another glass for her and I shake my head as he approaches from behind her. He turns around quickly but stops as Meagan says, “You don’t know what’s good for you, Zane. I do. I know what’s best for you. This tramp isn’t, I am. End of story.”
The waiter comes to our table and asks, “Is everything alright here? Do I need to alert security?”
Meagan eyes me. “Does he? Are you afraid of me, Zane?”
Shaking my head, I say, “No. I can deal with her on my own.”
For the first time that I can remember, I am going to face the challenge that is Meagan Saunders. I’m going to face her head-on and we will see how she takes this change in me.
“Deal with me?” she asks with a laugh.
The waiter gives me a nod and walks away as I say, “Yes, I will deal with you. There was a fire in Chesapeake City, Rhode Island last night. You will be investigated about it. Just to let you know.”
“Me?” she asks as her hand flies to her small chest. “I was here, in New York. What on Earth would I have to do in that tiny town?”
“Burn my house down,” Elizabeth says. “If you think I’m ever going to run away because of your threats again, you have another think coming. We’re done being pushed around by you.”
“I haven’t got to where I am or will get where I’m going if I let little shits like you get in my way. I have great expectations and what do you have?” Meagan asks Elizabeth as she looks down her nose at her.
Elizabeth takes my hand that’s resting on the table near my glass of wine and holds it up. “Him.”
I watch red fill Meagan’s face and if steam comes out of her ears it will not surprise me in the least. “I will change that.”
“No, you won’t,” I tell her. “I love this woman right here. She is the one I will make a life with.”
Meagan’s eyes go so narrow I can barely see them as she says, “It’s pretty hard to make a life with a corpse, Zane.”
“Oh, good. A death threat,” I say and give her a smile. “What else do you have in your arsenal, Meagan?”
“I have connections,” she says. “My hands will never get dirty.”
“Yeah, I know about your connections with the mafia,” Elizabeth says. “Do you think I’m the only one who knows about that?”
Meagan’s glare moves to Elizabeth. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I told her about finding that number you had and your drug use,” I say, taking her attention back to me.
“You two think you’re dealing with someone who you are not. I have more power in my pinky than either of you can imagine. Yet, you still sit there and act as if I’m not a thing to worry over. You are both wrong. I get what I want. I want Zane White. I will get Zane White.” She reaches across the table and picks up Elizabeth’s wine glass and downs the contents.
We sit and watch her. I have to wonder just how far this woman will go to get me. And why?
“Meagan, you do have a lot of power. You do have noble goals. Why not find yourself a man with similar things? Why not forget about me? I’m a man who is never going to love you. I will never give into you. There is nothing you can do about that.”
“Bet there is,” she says then gets up. “I want to meet with you, alone, Zane. You owe me that much.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing. But I will meet with you. Not completely alone though. In my office, tomorrow afternoon,” I tell her.
With a shake of her head, she says, “No, not there. I want this to be between you and I. I want no one else to know what I’m going to tell you. It’s safer for us both that way. How about my apartment, tomorrow night?”
“I’m never going to your apartment again, Meagan. I don’t guess you recall getting fucked up and shooting me. Your place is definitely out,” I say and take Elizabeth’s hand under the table. I give it a squeeze and she gets my hint.
“How about you meet him at his penthouse. I can go out for a while to give you two the privacy you think you need. Maybe he can talk some sense into you. I know I couldn’t,” Elizabeth says.
“You wouldn’t be jealous?” Meagan asks in surprise.
“Not of you,” Elizabeth says then laughs. “You’ve ruined yourself in his eyes. I hope you can see that and stop this nonsense before someone gets hurt.”
“I hope one of you can stop this nonsense before someone gets hurt. I don’t stop. I don’t give up on anything. I never have and it’s done well for me. I’m not about to stop the way I do things just because a little bimbo came into the picture,” she says then gets up. “I’ll need at least an hour of his time. What time should I come over?”
“Eight in the evening,” I say then see our main course coming. “See you then.”
She nods and leaves us, finally. I wait for her to get out of earshot then whisper, “Seems she’s going to fall into our trap, baby. A lot sooner than I thought she would.”
“She’s really on the edge, Zane. She’s very dangerous right now. I can see it in her crazy-ass eyes. We’re going to have to play this out a lot differently than we were thinking about doing it. We can’t put anything past her.”
Am I supposed to be afraid of a woman?
Chapter 8
ELIZABETH
The light over Zane’s desk in his home office is the only light in the room. It completely illuminates the area around the desk and spotlights Meagan Saunders as she sits on the other side of the large oak desk.
I can see everything from one of the laptops the video is being fed to. Detective Lang and several other officers are in the guest bedroom, watching the feed on another one.
I’m in the master bedroom and things have begun to get heated between Zane and Meagan. She hasn’t come out with anything useful yet. She’s mainly tried to coax him with promises of a great life with her and world domination.
The woman must think being president of the United States carries the weight of a God. She’s completely insane and how it’s taken people so long to see that is quite frankly, amazing!
She’s shifting in her seat like a crack-head, itching for a fix. Her hands are constantly moving and her voice gets shaky often. Zane has been very diplomatic with her up until she started getting ugly about me.
“She’s a nobody, Zane. She’ll never fit into our world,” she says.
“We don’t have a world. I have a world and she fits perfectly in it. Not that it’s any of your business, Meagan,” he says then leans forward and puts his arms on the desk. “So, you have my
answer. I’m not about to stop seeing Elizabeth, to start seeing you. I think this meeting is over. You’ve taken up nearly an hour of my time with this.”
“I hoped to get you to see reason, Zane. I hoped to get the chance to make you see you’ll be wasting your life if you stay with that useless female. But you seem like you’re not hearing a word I say.”
“Funny, that’s exactly how I feel too, Meagan. Why can’t you just stop this?”
“I don’t know how to stop going after what I want.” She picks her purse up and Zane looks into the camera with a tense expression. I’m sure he’s afraid she may pull her little gun out on him.
He’s been placed in a bulletproof jacket underneath his suit, but there’s his head, wide open. I hear him letting out his breath as she sets a picture on the clean desktop. “You see us in this picture, Zane?”
He glances at it and nods. “So?”
“So, we look like the next presidential couple to me. I can’t understand why you’d pick a little tramp over me. I just can’t.” She slams her fist on the desk. “Surely, you see why I can’t let this happen!”
I can see her light blue eyes going lighter. She’s about to pull out her threats. I just know it!
“I love her, Meagan,” Zane tells her. “I can’t stop things with her and go on this ride with you. I can’t.”
A sob breaks free from her and she huddles as she cries. She looks desperate and very sad. If I had no idea of what she’s capable of, I’d fall for this and feel sorry for her. But I do know that, so I just feel like she’s trying to manipulate him.
Thankfully, I know Zane can see through this too. “Meagan, there’s really no reason to cry. It won’t help a thing.”
She looks up with tears streaming down her face. “Zane, I will have to do things if you don’t end things with her and marry me.”
I sit up and listen harder. “You did blackmail her the way she told the police you did, didn’t you, Meagan?” he asks as he pulls a box of tissues out of his desk drawer and pushes them over to her.
“Zane, I’ve had my sights on you for a few years now. I’ve made sure things were set if you ever found a woman to get serious with before I made my mind up about running for office,” she tells him without admitting anything.
The Billionaire’s Lighthouse Series: A Billionaire, Bad Boy, Romance Page 24