The Billionaire's Reckless Marriage (The Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance Series Book 2)

by Tamie Dearen

  “Let me treat you to lunch when the interview is over,” said Cole. “I owe you, anyway. If I’m not mistaken, I lost a bet at the reception when you correctly predicted the garter would bounce off Finn’s chest and fall to the floor, unclaimed.”

  Normally, Cole’s jest would’ve been amusing, but not today. When his hand slid over and covered hers where it rested on the table, she pulled it away and tucked her hands in her lap. Finn felt a strong urge to protect her, though his common sense told him she didn’t need it. “As potential employers, should we be going to lunch with one of our applicants?”

  Cole shrugged. “Laurie, if you’re not comfortable, Branson and Steph can come along.”

  “That’s no better,” Finn sputtered. “Don’t you think we should keep our relationships on a professional level, at least until we’ve made a decision about her employment?”

  “Laurie is already our friend, and that’s not going to change.” Bran knitted his eyebrows. “We don’t have to pretend we don’t know each other to be professional about this hiring decision.”

  Finn’s sympathy spun 180 degrees, his emotions flipping so fast he was getting dizzy. “You honestly expect me to believe that?” He let exasperation creep into his voice. “She’s fresh out of grad school with no experience. We all know why she got this interview.”

  “I think that’s my cue to leave.” Laurie’s chair scraped the floor as she stood abruptly, but Cole caught her hand and held it.

  “Don’t pay attention to Finn.” Cole slashed his eyes toward Finn and scrunched his face in an exaggerated wink. “He’s rather moody today.”

  “I’m. Not. Moody.” Finn pushed away from the table and stood, his legs shaking underneath him. “I’m being sensible, which is more than I can say for the rest of you.”

  Jarrett coughed softly into his shirt sleeve. “That’s enough, Finn.”

  Bran’s voice grew deadly calm, as always when fury boiled below the surface. “Cole, would you mind stepping outside with Laurie, while Jarrett and I have a private word with Finn.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I can see I’m not wanted.” Laurie tilted a bold chin, but Finn spotted a telltale quiver on her lips.

  Now I’ve hurt her feelings. Why do I lose control around her? Finn sank back into his seat and let his face fall into his hands.

  “We’ll be right outside.” Cole spoke in quiet, reassuring tones as he ushered her through the door and shut it behind him with a soft click.

  “You know I’m right.” Dropping his hands, Finn spat his defense before his partners could start in on him. “She’s not qualified for this job.”

  “But none of the other candidates passed the motivation test.” Jarrett folded his hands and leaned his elbows on the table.

  “It’s a trick question,” Finn grumbled.

  Branson leaned back and crossed his arms. “Says the man who invented it.”

  “I could’ve been wrong. Maybe it’s a stupid question.” Finn pushed his hands through his hair. “Anyway, Laurie hasn’t answered it either.”

  “But chances are she’ll give a good answer.” Jarrett picked up his water glass from the table and downed the last of it. “We all agreed, potential is more important than experience. It’s how we’ve hired every employee at Limitless for the past five years, and it hasn’t failed us yet. If they care about our cause, we can teach them anything. If this is just a job, they’ll never give it their all.”

  Finn didn’t want to hear it. “Who’s going to ask her the question? I can see one of you stating it so she knows exactly what to say.”

  “I’ll ask,” Bran said. “I’ll read it verbatim, straight from my Braille Sense.”

  Finn knew Laurie would give the right response. He felt the steel doors closing, trapping him inside a cave of his own making. His pulse raced like he was running from a rabid dog. “I can’t work with her.”

  “Why not?” asked Jarrett. “You said the two of you don’t get along, but you never explained why.”

  What am I supposed to say? She’s sharp and sassy and beautiful, and she makes me wish for things I can never have?

  “She just drives me crazy. She’s not respectful… at least not to me.”

  Jarrett’s head tilted. “That’s so weird. She’s always been courteous and polite whenever we spoke. Maybe it’s just a personality thing. I guess we could try to keep the two of you from working together, if it’s that bad. The only glitch will be the New York Fundraiser. You’ll have to coordinate some on that event, but it won’t happen for another eight months.”

  Branson leaned forward, a serious expression on his face. “Don’t you think you’ll get along better in a professional setting, Finn? I don’t ask favors very often, but I really want you to give her a try. You, of all people, should appreciate her heart for children with cystic fibrosis. I’ve seen her working with Ellie, first hand.”

  “You haven’t actually seen it,” Finn teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I’ve witnessed it.” Bran gave a crooked smile. He was usually the one who joked about commonly used sight terms. “You can’t train compassion into someone. She’s got the MBA to prove she can learn whatever she needs to know. She may be green, but one day she’ll be a great asset to Limitless. I’m sure of it.”

  Finn slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t even know why we bothered with these interviews. You already had your minds made up.”

  Bran shrugged his shoulders. “You guys don’t have to hire her just because of me. The truth is, if we don’t give her the position at Limitless, I plan to offer her a job in my branch of Phantom Enterprises. But I think her love for children will be wasted, working for a purely monetary goal. Passionate employees can accomplish great things, you know.”

  Finn’s entire body sagged in his chair. No matter what, he wouldn’t be able to avoid Laurie. If Branson hired her, Finn would see her just as often at Phantom Enterprises, maybe even more. He’d be better off with her at Limitless, where they only had to interact once a year for about a month.

  “I’m sorry. I won’t protest anymore. But she still has to answer the question.”

  “Fair enough.” Jarrett rose and rubbed his hands briskly together. “I’ll go get Laurie and Cole.”

  Bran’s hand bumped Finn’s back and slid up to rest on his shoulder. “Listen, Finn… I’ll speak to Laurie, if you want. I’ll insist she treat you with respect. I think the two of you got off on the wrong foot, but—”

  “Don’t say anything to her.” Finn cut him off. The last thing he wanted was for Branson to talk to Laurie about him. “It’s not Laurie… it’s… both of us. I’m as much at fault, maybe even more. You know how I can be with women.”

  “Yep, I do.”

  In truth, the blame was his alone. Finn had provoked Laurie at every opportunity. No deep feelings could develop when a woman was imagining various ways to murder him. His customary ploy had worked for years, successfully keeping women at arm’s length. Except this particular woman had Finn wondering what it would be like to have her inside his arms, instead.

  Jarrett threw the door open and laughter filtered inside. Cole had obviously been keeping Laurie entertained. She glided across the floor, her eyes bright with humor, a wide smile on her face. In all his interactions with Laurie, Finn had never produced such an expression. Usually, Laurie’s eyes aimed poison darts at him, her eyebrows knitted into frowns that threatened to leave permanent wrinkles behind. It was what he wanted, wasn’t it? Why did Cole’s flirtations bother him so much? In fact, if Laurie and Cole started dating, she wouldn’t be a temptation to Finn.

  In a flash, he realized the solution to his problem with Laurie. Cole would be in town the next two weeks as he and Jarrett prepared for the Phantom Enterprises fiscal year report. He and Laurie were obviously compatible. All Finn had to do was push them together. He ignored the sharp pang in his chest. Yes… this is going to work.

  Laurie watched the office door from the corner of he
r eye. During the wait, Cole had kept her entertained, telling one tale after another of his exploits in Texas—the last involving a rather unfortunate attempt on his part to ride a rodeo bull.

  “The moral of the story is,” Cole had stated, breathless with laughter, “just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean you should do it.”

  But though his stories were entertaining, a part of her mind kept spinning, processing what had just happened in the interview room. One thing was absolutely certain—she couldn’t possibly work at Limitless or Phantom Enterprises or anywhere within a five-block radius of Finn Anderson. One look at those mesmerizing blue eyes, and every bit of her insides melted, including her brain. She hadn’t even been able to come up with a single snappy comeback. Not that she liked him, beyond that physical spark. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He got under her skin in an irritating way—like a splinter.

  As the door cracked open, Jarrett’s face appeared, his white teeth shining against tanned skin. “We’re ready for you.” She followed him inside with lead feet, wishing there was some way to avoid another confrontation. There was little hope of that, with Finn around.

  To salvage the last of her dignity, she needed to withdraw her application. Finn was right. Though his calloused comment hurt her feelings, he’d merely stated the obvious… she lacked the qualifications for the job. She had to admit she wouldn’t have made it to the interview stage except for her relationship with Branson’s wife and daughter.

  “Gentlemen,” she said, stopping well short of her previous place at the table. “I appreciate your efforts, but I think we all know this is a waste of time. I think I should be going.”

  “Please don’t leave, Laurie. I apologize for what I said earlier. I was completely wrong.”

  Was that really Finn talking?

  Either he was a fantastic actor, or he was actually contrite. He was turning into a regular Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One minute he wanted her there, the next he didn’t.

  “No need to apologize, Mr. Anderson. You’re absolutely right. I don’t have the qualifications for this position, being fresh out of school. I need to find some sort of entry level job.”

  “We have an important question for you.” Jarrett pushed his dark hair out of his face with one hand, motioning her forward with the other.

  Cole herded her down the table and held her chair out, staring pointedly until she took a seat, though she made her reluctance obvious.

  “We have an issue right now, and we’re trying to work out a solution. It involves your potential position, so we wanted your feedback.” Branson’s expression was serious, and Laurie couldn’t help feeling flattered that they would ask her opinion.

  A glance at Finn gave her the shock of her life, as his lips curved into an encouraging smile, accompanied by a nod of his head. Maybe he’s happy because he thinks I’m going to give a stupid answer.

  Bran continued. “We’re actually underfunded for this particular position right now, so we’re debating how to handle it. We’re considering several alternatives. For instance, we could take some more money out of the endowment to pay your salary, in hopes that we could pay it back with the next big fundraiser. The problem is we’ve done that the past couple of years and the endowment is dwindling. Another thought is to decrease the amount that goes to research or children’s camps and leave the endowment alone. But we’re open to suggestions, and we thought you might have some ideas. The problem is, we need someone doing this job, or we’ll lose even more funding and all the programs will suffer.”

  Laurie opened her eyes wide. “You’re telling me Limitless is in financial trouble? And the four of you can’t come up with enough money to keep it funded?”

  “The amount of money we’re talking about is huge.” Jarrett avoided her gaze, his hand rubbing the back of his head. “We can’t do it on our own. Not without the fundraising arm of Limitless. Which one of those solutions seems better to you?”

  “None of them.” She pushed back from the table, ready to stand up and stomp out. I’m not going to get this job, so I might as well speak my mind. “You can’t take more money out of the endowment, and you can’t cut back on the programs. How could you even suggest it? We’re talking about people’s lives, here.” Incredulous, she glanced from one blank face to the other. No one met her eyes. Her jaw clenched down so hard she had to talk between her teeth. “I have to say, I’m really disappointed. I thought Limitless was the whole reason Phantom Enterprises existed, but here you sit in this luxurious building, wearing expensive clothes and talking about cutting programs.”

  No one responded.

  Is this program really about to fall apart? Is that why they’re so desperate they’re willing to consider me for the position? Because they can’t afford to pay their employees anymore?

  She swallowed, making up her mind in an instant. “I’d be willing to take this job on a volunteer basis, but I can only afford to do that until my savings is depleted. We might be able to turn things around, but I expect the four of you to tighten your belts and pour some money back into Limitless.”

  She closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and sat back in her chair, her chest heaving with anger. She’d thought so highly of Branson and these men who’d supposedly devoted themselves to helping others who had disabilities, like their own. From Branson’s blindness and Finn’s cystic fibrosis, to Cole’s missing arm and the cancer that took Jarrett’s leg, the four were well aware of the battles fought by those with special physical challenges. Something must have changed to make them lose sight of their purpose. Perhaps, if she worked the position without pay, it would shame them into re-examining their priorities.

  But how am I going to make my rent? Maybe I could keep my temporary job at the diner, but switch to evening and weekend shifts…

  “Laurie?”

  It was Cole’s voice, but she opened her eyes to find huge, unrepentant grins on the faces of all four men, including Finn. “What?” she snapped.

  “You’re hired,” Jarrett said, rising to his feet and walking forward with his hand outstretched.

  Her gut constricted, as reality set in. Maybe this was as good as it got. Were there really any altruistic organizations out there? The whole reason Limitless had such a great rating was that 100% of funds raised supposedly went back to the causes it supported. All costs and salaries were reportedly covered by Phantom Enterprises. Now she knew that was all a lie.

  She stood and backed away a few steps, blindly bumping into chairs as she kept her eyes fastened on Jarrett’s threatening hand. “Honestly, I may have misspoken. I’m not even sure I want to work here anymore, and it has nothing to do with not being paid.”

  Jarrett froze, his hand in midair, a grimace marring his swarthy features. He turned his head. “Branson? Can you help me out, here? Clarify things?”

  “Laurie, I have to confess, I wasn’t telling you the truth.” Branson’s mouth twisted to the side, his lids blinking fast over his beautiful, but sightless, eyes. “We don’t actually have a funding problem for Limitless, although we do want you in charge of the annual fundraiser events. Phantom Enterprises covers all the overhead of Limitless.”

  “You didn’t take money out of the endowment fund?”

  “We never have, and we never will.” Finn’s smug smile was accompanied by two swoon-worthy dimples, almost hidden in the scruff of his beard. “We only ask that question to weed out employees who don’t share our passion and commitment to the cause.”

  “You mean, you lied to me?” She hated the way her voice sounded—shrill and out of control. “Do you think that’s funny?”

  “No.” Finn’s smile faltered. “It was only a test. No harm, no foul.”

  “It totally harmed me. You probably took a year off my life. My faith is destroyed, and I’m not sure I can get it back. Whose bright idea was it to ask that question?”

  “Uhmm… that would be me.” Finn lifted his hand, his expression the picture of sheepishness.

  “W
ell, that explains it,” she snapped.

  His head dipped down, his shoulders lifting to form a protective barrier, as if he thought she might run down to the end of the table and smack him. She might’ve done it if she wasn’t afraid of being contagious. She wanted to knock some sense into him, not kill him.

  “Forget Finn.” In a motion incredibly smooth for someone wearing cowboy boots, Cole was standing beside her, tucking her hand into the crook of his prosthetic arm, a bright green mechanical hand extending from his sleeve. “Let me take you to lunch and convince you we’re still the good guys. Limitless has expanded their research and development department. You can’t believe what we’re doing with prosthetics now. You’re going to love working here.”

  Only his first words stuck in her mind… “Forget Finn.” Could she do that? She was at the door before she realized they were moving. She halted and looked over her shoulder.

  With a thumbs-up gesture, Jarrett nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning at eight o’clock.” He turned his head away and coughed politely into his elbow. Laurie hoped it was only a tickle in his throat, since he was sitting so close to Finn.

  “Congratulations, Laurie.” Branson gave a thumbs-up, his face relaxing into a grin.

  Finn, however, exhibited a pained expression with knitted brows as his mouth made several feeble attempts to smile. For an instant, their gazes linked, and he held her captive, like a cobra hypnotizing its prey. The breath left her body and the hair stood up on the back of her neck.

  A tug on her arm broke the spell.

  “Are you ready?” Cole asked.

  “I don’t think that’s possible,” Laurie mumbled, under her breath.

  Chapter 2

  Finn’s alarm blared at four a.m., his usual wake time. But today he was sorely tempted to turn it off and go back to sleep. Hours of tossing and turning will do that to a guy. When Laurie and Cole walked out the door to get lunch together, he’d done his level best to be happy about it. After all, hadn’t he decided having the two of them date would solve all his problems with her?