“You were always good at faces, Adam,” Lillian said with a smile and opened up her arms for a hug. They embraced one another but parted quickly.
“What’s it been?” Adam asked. “Twenty years? Haven’t seen you since you were a little ten-year-old punk wondering around Troy.”
“Right back at you, Adam,” she said with a laugh.
“Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but I got a lot to take care of today. The three of us have got to do dinner one day while you’re in town, Lillian,” Adam said, already heading towards the elevator.
“You so busy you can’t stay and catch up for a few minutes?” Lillian asked.
“Sorry, but this guy kind of ditched me to run around Troy with some floozy for two weeks,” he teased. “I got a lot on my plate. I’ll see you around, I’m sure.” He winked at them both as he boarded the elevator and the doors closed.
Lillian glanced around the room, still with a rather impressed look on her face. “So you and Adam, huh? Who knew two little brats like you could have pulled something like this off? You were practically on your way to gutter kids like me.”
“Well, we can’t exactly take full credit for it, you know? My dad is the one who got us out of the slums. He started his own business, and it boomed like crazy –especially once he moved the family out to California. Then Adam’s father joined him on his business venture; they moved out to California just a few months after we did. The two of them ran a really successful tech operation. Dad taught me all the ropes,” Nathaniel explained.
“So whatever happened to their business? I think you told me, but remind me,” she said.
“Well, my Dad was killed by a hit and run driver. He didn’t leave much to me; I told you about that letter he wrote me about wanting me to make my own fortune. He left me a small trust fund to get me going. After he was killed, Adam’s father took over the business. It only took the poor bastard five years to completely run the business to the ground. I guess he just didn’t know what he was doing without Dad. Adam had learned a lot from my father about the business world, so the two of us pulled what money we had to get our own business started. I literally won the CEO position by a coin flip.”
“A coin flip?” she asked.
“A coin flip… with a two sided coin, of course,” Nathaniel said with a laugh. “I had put forth the bulk of the start-up money –do you really think I would give him an opportunity to be CEO without me holding all the cards?”
“That’s awful, Nathaniel. You just teased him,” she said. “Does he know?”
“Still has no idea,” Nathaniel said. “Like I said, he probably would have surrendered the position anyways since I put forth all the money to start the thing, but the coin story looks nice on our website and other promotional materials when we try to do the whole background story of a little company that grew. People like hearing it.”
“That’s cute,” she said as she crossed over to examine his enormous oak desk. “This is really impressive,” she said. “I mean, really. You two should be proud of yourselves.”
Nathaniel was not listening. He was just staring at her. She was dressed in a nice blouse and tight, jet-black pants. As she was running her fingers across the desk, admiring its handiwork, he came up behind her and grabbed her by her waist. He kissed her neck, making her shutter. “You’ve made me wait long enough,” he whispered in her ear.
“Have I?” she teased, and he spun her around to face him.
He undid her blouse and tossed it to the ground. She dropped her pants, and he helped her hop up onto the desk. Their lips collided, and he felt her suck on his tongue for a moment. He took a split second to admire the lingerie he had gotten her: dark, navy blue with lace. He had her lay down on the desk, and he slipped his fingers into her underwear and played with her for a moment. She groaned and reached out to him, putting one hand on the back of his head and pulling him down. He leaned over her, kissing her with his hand still groping her below. Unable to wait any longer, he went around to the side of the desk where her feet were and pulled on her legs until they hung over the side. He pulled out his cock and yanked down her underwear before pressing himself into her.
She squealed excitedly. “Nate…” she moaned his name. He moved slowly at first, gradually gaining speed until she began to quiver. “Don’t stop,” she pleaded as he grabbed her wrists and pinned them down at her sides.
“God, I love you,” he said to her in the midst of her orgasm. He came inside of her, and then he pulled her up so that she could sit. He kissed her several times before cleaning himself up and sitting down in the office chair. She got dressed quickly, suddenly quite aware that he was likely not the only one with access to the private office. She sat herself down on his lap and kissed him, her arms draped over his shoulders.
“I wish you would stay with me here in California,” he said.
She frowned. “I don’t know,” she spoke softly. “It’s not my home, Nate.”
He nodded as though he understood, but her unwillingness to move across the country for him saddened him. Then again, he knew that would be asking a lot. But what did she have going for her back home in Troy? He decided not to think about it for the time being.
Chapter Five
Nathaniel had finally returned to work, and Lillian was staying at his mansion. He hated not being around her all day every day. He never knew he could grow to miss someone from a mere absence of four hours. It was getting close to lunch, so he began contemplating on calling Adam’s secretary to have her fetch him something to eat when she went to get something for Adam. He was still short an assistant. Just as he was reaching for the phone on his desk, it rang.
Nathaniel looked to see that it was Katie, Adam’s assistant, calling him. He smiled, realizing she was probably calling to take his lunch order. That was awfully pro-active of her, he thought with a smile. He would have to let Adam know the woman had thought of him, knowing he was lacking any help on his end. “Hello?” he answered in a friendly tone.
“Good morning, Mr. Lynch,” Katie said in her usually perky tone.
“I was just thinking about calling you,” he said.
Katie giggled slightly. “Well, I beat you to it. You have a guest here wanting to take you to lunch. A Ms. Lillian Thompson.”
Nathaniel smiled. It appeared that Lillian had been missing him as well. “Tell her I will be right down,” he said and finished up a bit of paperwork before bolting. He had not gotten much work done that morning; truthfully, after his long absence, Adam had gotten his hands on just about everything in order to keep the place running smoothly. Nathaniel had not been needed for much apart from filling out some paperwork on some apps that were going to be coming up. He was suddenly reminded about the apps with the shitty proposal Adam had had him greenlight a few weeks prior, so he made himself a note on his desk to ask Adam about how it was going.
He boarded the elevator and took it down to the next floor where Katie’s desk was. She was typing away on her computer. Nathaniel frowned to see the empty desk beside Katie’s that had once belonged to Tony. He sighed. Katie looked over at him with sad eyes, catching him staring at the desk longingly. “He’s flying in today from Troy,” Katie said softly.
“I know,” Nathaniel said. “Believe me, it’s the only thing on my mind today.”
He spotted Lillian in the waiting area and smiled at her. She hopped up from her seat when she saw him and hurried over. “I know it’s your first day back, but I thought that maybe if you had time, we could do a quick lunch?” she smiled at him, and he conceded to the plan.
They took the elevator down to the main floor after having Katie call down to the valets to ensure that his car would be ready. On the elevator ride down to the lobby, Lillian noticed something was off. “Is everything okay? I thought you would be happy to see me. Should I have left you alone so that you could work?”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “It’s not you. It’s Tony.”
“What’s going
on with Tony?” she asked.
“He is being flown in from Troy today on a prisoner transport flight,” he said. “His first court appearance is tomorrow.”
“Damn,” Lillian said.
“Damn is right. And Adam and I have to go to it,” he said with a cringe. The elevator door opened up on the ground floor and they made their way through the lobby. “I mean, I know the kid stole from me, but for some reason, I can’t help but feel bad for him. You should have seen him the day I visited him in jail. He’s scared out of his mind.”
“And the board won’t drop the charges?” Lillian asked.
“I already went to them, and they threatened to kick me out of the board room if I asked again. They were kind of dicks about the whole thing. They want to make an example of him,” Nathaniel said. “I just don’t get it. Tony and I were friends, or at least I thought we were. Maybe I gave him too hard of a time?”
They climbed into Nathaniel’s car and drove to a nearby café. Unfortunately, Nathaniel would have to keep the meal short. They ordered sandwiches and sat down in the window seat. “So, you’re going to have to show me all the local cuisine,” Lillian said in an attempt to steer the conversation away from Tony.
“Oh, definitely,” Nathaniel said and then almost choked on his food when he saw who was entering the café.
Lillian turned around in her seat to see what prompted Nathaniel’s reaction. It was Eliza. “Nathaniel!” she called out and walked herself right up to their table. “Long time no see,” she said with a wink. “I heard you were back in town, and I didn’t get a phone call.” She reached out and touched his shoulder. She smiled at Lillian. “Laurel, right?” she asked.
“Lillian, actually,” Lillian said.
“Oh, that’s right,” Eliza said with an awkward hand-wave. “Sorry, I’m terrible with names.”
Nathaniel felt as though Eliza was marking her territory by the tight grip she had on his shoulder. He pulled his shoulder away. “Sorry I haven’t called,” he said half-heartedly.
“Honestly,” Eliza said with a wink. “I think you owe me a dinner, remember?”
Nathaniel could see the discomfort on Lillian’s face. He stood up. “You know what, Eliza? We need to talk,” he pulled her aside and gave it to her straight. “I’m not interested. I’m sorry. I’m with Lillian, and I like her. Understand?”
Eliza looked pissed. She crossed her arms. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m serious,” he said.
“You’re an idiot!” she snapped suddenly and pointed her finger over at the table where Lillian was seated. “She’s a damn hobo! A dumpster chick! You can’t possibly find that piece of trash attractive?”
This lit a flame inside him. “Fuck you!” he snapped at her. “You really are nothing but a spoiled, rich, Daddy’s-little-girl brat!” He felt a pain in his cheek when she slapped him. She had been wearing a ring, and it had made contact with his cheekbone. “Shit!” he snapped.
“I hope you’re happy with your street bitch,” Eliza snarled and then headed out the door after having caused a scene.
Nathaniel rubbed his cheek and then went and sat back down at the table. He looked at Lillian. “I’m sorry,” he said to Lillian.
She frowned. “She’s right. You deserve better than some woman you picked up off the street.”
“You deserve better than some jerk who lies to you and sleeps around,” he said. “Nobody has their shit completely together, Lillian.” He rubbed his cheek again. “Am I bleeding?”
“Yup,” Lillian said and handed him a napkin. “Damn, she cut you with that ring of hers.”
“How did she even know you had been living on the street?” he asked out loud. “Whatever, I don’t give a shit. I love you, Lillian.” He wiped his cheek. “Okay, for someone so tiny, she really packs a punch.”
“You should probably never get me that angry,” Lillian said. “If Daddy’s little princess can make you bleed, what do you think this retired army vet could do?” She held out her arms and bend them up like she was showing off some muscle.
Nathaniel laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chapter Six
“I’m sorry, young man, but tears are not going to sway me,” the judge practically laughed at Tony as the kid stood before the judge attempting to plead his case. Tony’s lawyer sat idly by rubbing his temples, being of very little use to the kid.
Nathaniel hated sitting by his team of lawyers; his stomach felt as though it was in knots every time he looked over at his former assistant who was still claiming his innocence. Lillian had come with him that day; he felt her hand clasp around his in a reassuring manner. Adam shook his head and looked down and away from Tony. “He should have taken the plea deal,” Adam whispered to Nathaniel.
A number of the board members were present today as well. It was not the court hearing but merely a predecessor to that to determine whether or not Lynch Industries had a case against Tony, and with the overwhelming amount of evidence Lynch Industries lawyers had just thrown at the judge, there was little hope that this got thrown out. “Someone is setting me up,” Tony muttered.
“And who would want to do that?” the judge questioned.
“I don’t know,” Tony said. “But I didn’t do this.”
“The wire transfer had both yours and Mr. Lynch’s signatures. Mr. Lynch claims you hid the paperwork amongst some approval forms for his new charities. Your emails and your tablet seem to suggest that this is true,” the judge said coldly. “So unless you give me something concrete, young man, I am setting a date for your court appearance right now.” The judge paused, waiting to see what Tony would say. Tony merely looked down at the ground.
Nathaniel angrily glanced over at Tony’s lawyer who had hardly uttered a word the entire morning. The guy had no defense for Tony. “Very well,” the judge said. “The prosecution has requested we get this done as quickly as possible because they are prepared to deliver their case. Does the defense have a preference? Do you need time to prepare your defense?”
Tony’s lawyer stood. “The defense is prepared.”
“Two weeks from today. The 18th of this month, at noon in this courtroom. You’re all dismissed,” the judge practically snarled as he exited the courtroom.
Nathaniel wanted to go over to Tony, but his lawyers would not allow it. He felt Lillian’s reassuring squeeze again, and he squeezed her hand back. Tony was escorted through a back door; he looked so pathetic in that orange jumpsuit and cuffs. The team of lawyers stayed behind to use one of the conference rooms, and Nathaniel gathered with Lillian and Adam in the lobby. “That was hard to watch,” Nathaniel said.
“Sorry, man,” Adam said and clasped his hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder. “I know you two were close. I just don’t get it. I never imagined Tony to be capable of something like this.”
“You’re telling me,” Nathaniel said and exhaled. “Two weeks from today? That’s awfully quick for a court case like this, don’t you think?”
“I asked the judge to do that,” Adam said. “He’s an old friend of mine. I figure it’s better to get this out of the way to get the negative attention we’re getting out of the news a soon as possible.”
“Adam, that’s not right,” Nathaniel said and pulled his shoulder away. “If you’re friends with the judge, that’s a conflict of interest. How do you know him?”
“He’s just an old drinking buddy,” Adam said. “And what’s the big deal? He’ll be unbiased, I’m sure. Besides, Tony’s going before a jury.”
“I agree with Nathaniel,” Lillian said. “That judge shouldn’t have taken this case if he’s partial to the prosecution’s side.”
“Come on, you guys,” Adam said with a hand wave, “with a company like Lynch Industries under our belts, there’s not a judge in the city we don’t know in one way or another. This is just some guy I used to grab a beer with back in my early twenties. All I did was ask him to try to speed this thing along.”
“Yeah, b
ut that doesn’t give Tony time at all to prepare his defense,” Nathaniel said.
“The defense lawyer seemed to be cool with it,” Adam argued. “Don’t make a big deal about this, all right? We need this to go away quickly, and you know it. I know this is really personal for you, Nathaniel, but we can’t let it be that way. Tony stole from us. He made that choice. Now he’s paying the price for it. I feel bad for the kid, really, I do, but we can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.” Adam looked at his watch. “I got to go. I’ll see you two around.”
Nathaniel watched as Adam hurried out of the building. He frowned. “I don’t care what Adam says, I’m not okay with that,” he said.
“You shouldn’t be,” Lillian practically hissed. “Something isn’t sitting well with me about all of this. I smell a rat.”
“You’re not the only one.”
Chapter Seven
Nathaniel blinked his eyes open and smiled slightly to see Lillian still passed out on the pillow beside him. He was getting ready to lean over, possibly to tickle her awake, when his phone started going off. Nathaniel did a quick scan of his bedroom, eventually visually locating the phone on his dresser across the room. He stood and hurried over to it, swiping it up promptly and holding the device to his ear. “You have Nathaniel Lynch,” he said, not having recognized the phone number.
“Mr. Lynch!” a familiar and frantic voice rung out on the other line.
“Who is this?” he asked.
“Maggie, this is Maggie,” the woman said; Maggie was the head honcho Nathaniel had hired to run the homeless shelter back in Troy.
“Maggie?” he questioned, unsure as to why she would possibly be calling him. He hadn’t even been aware that she had his private number.
Utterly Yours (Book Five) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) Page 2