All Bets Off: Betting On You Series: Book Five

by Winters, Jeannette

  Rushing into the office building the security guard stopped her.

  “Hi. I’m Lena Razzi, Nancy’s temporary replacement. I was told to report to the ninth floor.”

  He looked her over and said, “We need to take your picture for your badge.”

  Not now. I’m late enough already. “Okay. Let me take care of a few things for Mr. Henderson, and I will return shortly.”

  The man shook his head. “This is a secure facility. You cannot access the elevator without your badge. It will only take a few minutes. Follow me, please.”

  Lena wondered what else Nancy may have failed to inform her about this company. I really should have asked more questions. The only reason she hadn’t was it had been an opportunity too good to pass up. Forcing a fake smile, she did as he said. At least I will have a valid reason for being late. Within minutes, she had her badge and was riding the elevator to her new office. She looked at her picture and was horrified. That camera takes horrible pictures. She had taken the time to apply her makeup perfectly this morning before Nicholas had even woken. The picture, however, didn’t reflect that. Opening her purse, she pulled out a compact mirror, and to her horror, it wasn’t the camera after all. Nicholas, I guess you weren’t the only one having a hard time saying goodbye this morning. Anyone looking at her now would think she had been out all night drinking and hadn’t made it home yet. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Her mascara was ruined and the elegant light hint of blush she applied was now streaked. Can my morning get any worse? She couldn’t believe this was happening.

  Digging through her bag, she found many items, none of which were going to fix the issues at hand. Without makeup in her bag, the best thing she could do was remove as much as she could. Lena contemplated spitting on a tissue to wipe it off when she remembered her emergency pack of baby wipes. Opening the packet, she was relieved to find one left. She ran it over her face the best she could. Looking back into the mirror she was thankful for the improvement, but nothing fixed her eyes. Maybe he’ll be in a meeting, and I won’t even see him today. Nancy had said he spent most of his time in the lab. Please let this be one of those days.

  As the elevator doors opened, she stood as confidently as she could muster—head held high—and headed to the end of the hall where Nancy had said she would find her desk ready and waiting for her. What had she been thinking to take on a job like this? She had all the skills needed to do the job and to be great at it, but she was a single mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy. And there lay her answer. She was doing this for Nicholas. The money she had in savings before she gave birth was quickly diminishing. With her student loans, rent, and basic necessities, she had no choice other than to take this job and make it work. Besides, it paid her weekly what other jobs paid for an entire month. No matter what, even if he yelled, screamed, or worked her to the bone, she had to remind herself this wasn’t about her. This job was all about Nicholas, and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for him.

  There were times she thought about reaching out to his father for monetary help, but he had made it very clear he wanted no children or family. She wasn’t going to expose her son to that type of rejection twice. I can and will do this. Putting her purse in the desk drawer, she headed for the closed office door near her. Really, how bad can it be? It’s only going to be for one month. Lena knocked softly. Please don’t be here yet.

  “You’re late,” a deep voice barked from the other side of the door. Before she could answer, the door was pulled open, leaving her face to face with her new boss.

  Brice! Brice Henderson? How? Why? Doesn’t he work for his father? Everything in her said turn, run, but instead she stood there frozen, unable to move or speak. As her initial shock wore off, it was replaced by anger. Her pulse was racing. It had been three years since she had seen him and the last time he had broken her heart. It had taken a long time to get her life back on track, to stop wondering or caring what she had said or had done to make him break it off so abruptly. Now, here he stood with a look of contempt on his face. If anyone should be pissed off at this situation, it should be her. His eyes fixed on hers. Lena turned her face slightly to avoid the direct contact. I’ve never been good at hiding my emotions. That was a different time; she wasn’t the same person any longer.

  “Lena. What are you doing here?” he asked sharply.

  Give me strength. And lots of it. “I’m your assistant—temporarily, that is.” She could feel his cool gray eyes look her up and down as though he hoped they were playing tricks on him. It was evident she was the last person he wanted to see at his door. Yeah, you’re not my first choice either.

  “Hell, no.”

  Her mouth gaped open in amazement at his boldness. Then she remembered all too well who she was talking to. Nothing you say should surprise me anymore. Lena wasn’t about to back down, not from him or anyone else. If he expected her to be the soft and sweet girl he’d dated, he was going to be sadly mistaken. That girl no longer exists, thanks to you. “Good morning to you as well, Mr. Henderson.”

  If he picked up on her sarcasm, he didn’t let it show. Without even blinking, in a firm tone he said, “We’re not doing this.”

  She wasn’t sure what he meant. If he thought she had planned this, that she knew he was the Mr. Henderson she was going to report to, then he couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s such a common name. He’s the last person I expected to see. In fact, if she’d had any indication who her new boss was going to be, she wouldn’t have accepted the position. God, he was still as handsome as hell, but when did he become so mean? Maybe she’d been blinded by love back then and hadn’t noticed. Whatever, it was no longer her concern. There was only one thing she was here for, and that was the hefty paycheck that came with this title. “A lot has changed since the last time we spoke. I can assure you, Mr. Henderson, I have the qualifications to do this job. If I didn’t, your assistant wouldn’t have offered me this position.” She met his gaze and added, “Unless you don’t trust her judgment.”

  Brice’s nostrils flared. “Don’t concern yourself with whom I do or don’t trust. There is no way I can have you working in my office.”

  Panic filled her. “Why?”

  “Not that I owe you an explanation, but our history would be at the top of the list,” he said plainly.

  No shit. That totally slipped my mind. How badly she wanted to tell him exactly what she thought of him and what he could do with this job, but wasn’t going to keep a roof over Nicholas’s head. No, she needed to suck it up and do the only thing a person in this situation could do. Plead. “Bri . . . I mean, Mr. Henderson, Nancy explained that you are in a crucial phase of your project. Please give me one week to show you I can do this.”

  “No.”

  Damn, he isn’t going to make this easy. “Okay, the truth is, I honestly need this job. My school loans are due, and I have rent to pay. I turned down another opportunity for this job. If you turn me away now, I won’t be able to pay my bills.” In a more controlled tone she said, “What we had was a long time ago. It won’t affect my performance now unless you’re concerned it will affect yours.”

  The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Looking at her intensely he said, “Nothing will interfere with my success. Not you or anyone else. Do I make myself clear?”

  Crystal. Nodding, she said, “Understood.” There was so much she wanted to say; she understood because she felt the same about providing a good stable home for Nicholas. Pushing the topic would only fuel his original opinion that they couldn’t work together. Less is more. Lena turned her focus back to her assignment. Trying not to show any emotion, she asked, “So may I get you a cup of coffee?”

  It was sad to think that Nicholas’s and her future completely rested on Brice’s need of caffeine fix. Please be thirsty. She had spent the last three years avoiding any form of drama, and she was now trying to sweet talk her way right back into it. Remember, this is for Nicholas.

  End of Excerpt from On
e White Lie

  (Get the entire book by clicking HERE)

  Books by Ruth Cardello

  The Legacy Collection:

  Book 1: Maid for the Billionaire (available at all major eBook stores for FREE!)

  Book 2: For Love or Legacy

  Book 3: Bedding the Billionaire

  Book 4: Saving The Sheikh

  Book 5: Rise of the Billionaire

  Book 6: Breaching the Billionaire: Alethea’s Redemption

  Book 7: A Corisi Christmas Novella

  The Andrades

  A spin off series of the Legacy Collection with cameos from characters you love from that series.

  Recipe For Love, An Andrade Christmas Novella

  Book 1: Come Away With Me (available at all major eBook stores for FREE!)

  Book 2: Home to Me

  Book 3: Maximum Risk

  Book 4: Somewhere Along the Way

  Book 5: Loving Gigi

  The Barringtons

  A new, seven book series about the Andrade’s Boston cousins.

  The first series in the Barrington Billionaire WORLD.

  Book 1: Always Mine

  Book 2: Stolen Kisses (Available for pre-order now)

  Book 3: Trade It All (Coming 2016)

  Book 4: Let It Burn (Coming 2016)

  Book 5: More Than Love (Coming 2017)

  Book 6: Forever Now (Coming 2017)

  Book 7: Never Goodbye (Coming 2017)

  Excerpt from Maid for the Billionaire

  Book 1 of the Legacy Collection

  By Ruth Cardello

  Available at all major eBook retailers for FREE!

  Dominic Corisi knew instantly that Abigail Dartley was just the distraction he was looking for, especially since having her took a bit more persuading than he was used to. So when business forces him to fly to China, he decides to take her with him, but on his terms. No promises. No complications. Just sex.

  Abby has always been the responsible one. She doesn’t believe in taking risks; especially when it comes to men – until she meets Dominic. He’s both infuriating and intoxicating, a heady combination. Their trip to China revives a long forgotten side of Abby, but also reveals a threat to bring down Dominic’s company.

  With no time to explain her actions, Abby must either influence the outcome of his latest venture and save his company or accept her role as his mistress and leave his fate to chance. Does she love him enough to risk losing him for good?

  Chapter One

  By dying now, his father had won again. That old bastard.

  Dominic Corisi slammed the door of his black Bugatti Veyron and stepped onto the sun baked Boston sidewalk without giving the million-dollar vehicle a backward glance. The joy of owning it was dead along with his desire to answer the incessant ring of the cell phone he’d ignored since yesterday. Rather than turning it off, he’d muffled the noise by burying the device deep within a coat pocket, maintaining the connection to his life like a distant beacon.

  Despite the oppressive heat, he paused at the bottom stair of his old brownstone. There was nothing spectacular about it, outside of its location near the upbeat Newbury Street. If he remembered correctly, its rooms were small and the main staircase had a creak that he never did get around to fixing. It was nothing like the sprawling mansions he now owned in various countries around the world.

  But it was the closest thing he had to a home.

  His phone rang with a tone he couldn’t ignore. Jake. His second in command would simply call again, killing whatever chance Dominic had of finding a moment of peace inside those brick walls. “Corisi,” he barked into the phone.

  “Dominic, glad I caught you,” Jake Walton said smoothly, as if he hadn’t unsuccessfully rung twenty times in the last two days. That was Jake, calm and professional, even in the storm of hostile takeovers. Nothing fazed the man.

  Normally, Dominic appreciated his even temper, but today it grated on him. Maybe the forty or so hours without sleep were beginning to catch up with him. He fought an impulse to toss his phone over the metal railing. The world wasn’t the orderly, rational place Jake liked to organize it into. It was messy. It was ugly. And, most recently, it lacked justice.

  “How is Boston?”

  The inane question almost sent Dominic over the edge. “How do you think?”

  It was probably too much to hope that Jake’s uncharacteristic silence signaled an end to a conversation Dominic wished he had avoided.

  “We need to discuss the China contract. The Minister of Commerce is expecting to meet with you tomorrow to cement the details. This is your dream, Dominic. By next week, Corisi Enterprises will be a major global player. What do you want me to tell the minister?”

  “I don’t know,” Dominic said wearily.

  Jake made a sound somewhere between a choke and a cough, then was speechless—a revealing response for a man who handled irate international diplomats without missing a step. He was the fixer and navigated the unexpected with ease. Until now.

  Poor Jake. Nothing in their shared history had prepared either of them for Dominic’s sudden desire to withdraw from the world. The creators of financial empires didn’t take sudden vacations and they most certainly didn’t hide, especially not after having laid the groundwork for the single greatest business venture of the century. Bill Gates himself had called last week to discuss the ramifications of the negotiations.

  “Jake, I need to drop off the radar for about a week. Why don’t you take over the China contract?”

  “Okay . . .” Jake said awkwardly. In another situation, Jake’s loss of composure would have been amusing.

  “Can you handle it or not?” Dominic challenged. He could barely think past the throbbing of his headache.

  Maybe coming to Boston was a mistake. It had been here, at seventeen, that he’d walked away from his inheritance and waited tables to fund the search for his mother. Here, in this very brownstone, that he’d cultivated a hatred for a father who had denied both involvement and interest in the disappearance of his wife.

  Jake’s voice slammed Dominic back into the present. “No problem. I’ve followed the progress you’ve made with the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency. They’re eager. I’ll clear my schedule and cover yours. Duhamel will forward all of your calls to me until further notice.”

  “Good.”

  “Dom . . .” Jake hesitated. “It’s normal to need time to grieve. You just lost your father.”

  A harsh laugh escaped Dominic. “Trust me, I’m not grieving his loss.” He leaned a hip on the metal railing and looked up at the building he had instinctively returned to, searching for the man he’d once been and hoping to find something there that would shake off the immobilizing apathy he felt for all he had done since—high expectations for brick and antique wallpaper.

  Jake said, “That’s what worries me. No matter what your plans were or what he once did to you, he’s gone now. You’ve got to let it go.”

  Jake was asking the impossible. Of course the past mattered. Sometimes it was the only thing that did. “Just do your job, Jake. If you can’t handle it, tell me and I’ll promote Priestly to help you.”

  For the second time since they had met at Harvard, Jake lost his temper. “That’s bullshit, Dom. You want to send Priestly to China? Send him. You’re absolutely right—you’ve made me a very rich man. I don’t need this. But heed my warning: you won’t be a billionaire for long if we both step away from the helm. A lot is riding on this contract. The lawsuits alone will freeze your assets if you screw this up. You invested too much of your own and you’re playing with the big boys now. Governments are not very forgiving when it comes to last minute walk outs.”

  The speech should have shaken Dominic, but it barely breached the numbness that had settled in since he’d received the phone call from his father’s lawyer. What did all the money matter anyway? He’d wasted fifteen years amassing an empire that would allow him to throw down a forced buyout contract on his father’s enorm
ous mahogany desk. Dominic should have taken action years ago, but no level of prior success had felt like enough. He’d choreographed the day from both sides, building his company while undermining his father’s, always working toward that one absolute win. Dominic had counted on his father’s desperation finally forcing him to confess what had actually happened to his mother.

  It was that loss he mourned today.

  In its place was a carefully orchestrated set of instructions from his father’s lawyer. No, it wasn’t enough to simply disinherit his only son—Antonio Corisi had also included provisions in his will to ensure that Dominic had to attend the reading. He’d used Dominic’s one weakness, his one regret, to reaffirm his control, even from the grave.

  Jake coughed, reminding Dominic that a response was required. What could he say? As usual, Jake was correct in his assessment of the situation. Dominic had used his own wealth as well as that of his investors to back this venture. The risk had seemed worth it. The government contract would crack China’s software market wide open for them while their global influence would double exponentially. It was a daring move that, if carefully implemented, could put Corisi Enterprises on a stratosphere of power few companies ever acquired—a goal that a week ago had seemed imperative.

  Jake could handle the negotiations. Dominic had always been the one to charge forward, shaking the situation up and clearing the way. This time would be no different. Jake would merely take over a few documents earlier this time. Priestly was good at the local level, but he was no Jake.

  “One week, Jake.” It was the closest to an apology Dominic was able to get out. He hoped it was enough.

  Sounding more like an older brother than a business associate, Jake said, “Take two weeks if you need it. Just get your head together. I can wrap up the China contract, but it’ll need your final signature and your presence. I’ll do a press release today and ask the media to respect your need to mourn in private; that should give you at least a few days before they descend.”