Lisa lay within their embrace and felt as if the slate had been wiped clean and they could start anew. There was a lightness in her that hadn’t been when they had situated her over the bench. She felt renewed and replete with an inner peace. She let the exhaustion pull her under, knowing they would take care of her.
Chapter Fifteen
“It actually might draw in more donations,” Kennedy said, crossing her legs. Lisa found it odd that her friend was wearing panty hose in these temperatures and briefly wondered if they were stockings. Was there something Kennedy wasn’t telling her? “You know how people love the shroud of mystery when it comes to the private lives of socialites.”
Lisa smiled as she packed her briefcase with the files that were on the board table, looking forward to this evening and forgetting all about Kennedy’s legs. She’d just finished with her last meeting of the day at the new hospital when Kennedy surprised her with a visit and some much-needed advice.
“It would keep people guessing and would please Landon and Owen.”
“Ah, so we now understand the feeling of pleasing a Dominant, do we?”
Lisa rolled her eyes at Kennedy’s tone of voice. She paused in placing another folder inside her case and looked toward the open door. She lowered her voice. “Yes, I understand it better now. Um, we had a play party with some friends a month ago and I—well, let’s just say I was somewhat disrespectful.”
Kennedy coughed behind a well-manicured hand, although she didn’t fool Lisa. She was well aware that her friend was laughing at her expense, but since so much time had passed, so could she.
“Do I want to hear this?” Kennedy said, her lips in a half smile.
Lisa sat down on the edge of her chair and leaned forward, not wanting to speak too loud for fear that someone would overhear them outside in the hallway. “I had read about punishment, but never in a million years would I have believed the purity it provided. Ever since that night, I’ve had no hesitation with leaving my work and worries at the door.”
“It sounds like the punishment was doled for more than just being disrespectful,” Kennedy said, raising her eyebrow in question.
“Well, in the beginning, I had some trouble overthinking things.” Lisa played with the latch on her briefcase. “I drew some conclusions over a conversation and I really wasn’t privy to all of the facts and reacted in a very ill-mannered way without bothering to allow Landon or Owen to take care of the situation. They care about me, Kennedy. I mean…really care about me. Coming home to them after a stress-filled day and knowing they are waiting for me gives me comfort in a way that I could never fully describe. I have never felt so safe and lo—treasured.”
Lisa shocked herself into standing up and slamming the lid to her case. She’d almost said the L word. Her hands trembled as she snapped the latches closed. If she truly felt that way, what were her feelings for them? Did she even know what love was?
“Lisa, it’s about damn time I tracked you down.”
“Great,” Kennedy muttered, swiveling her chair sideways to face the door. She picked up her cell phone, which had been lying on top of the table. “I hope you’re up for this.”
“Father, I told you that I was coming for dinner tomorrow evening.”
“You’ve said that numerous times and inevitably, you cancel. I demand to know what is going on with you and why you are never home.” Philip Zanier strolled into the boardroom like he owned the place, wearing his usual Armani three-piece suit, regardless that he no longer had a job. “Ever since I heard that man’s voice in the background, you’ve been avoiding me.”
“No, Dad. I’ve been busy. There’s a difference.” Lisa sat her briefcase up and rested her hands on the handle. “And I will be bringing with me two guests tomorrow.”
For a brief moment, Lisa worried that her father might have a heart attack. His face turned red, which was easily done considering he was fair-skinned, but the shade was what had her worried. She spared a glance at Kennedy to see she was texting someone. Her stomach fell at the thought she was sending a message to Landon or Owen.
“It’s those Merrick boys, isn’t it? They’ve turned you against me. Damn it! I should have known they’d go after your money next. Which one of them has you fooled?”
A shock of a different kind shot through her his words. Lisa immediately felt her defenses kick in regarding Landon and Owen. She hadn’t wanted to have this conversation here. She also knew that per her agreement with Landon and Owen that they had wanted to be a part of it, but there was no way in hell she would stand here and allow her father to outright lie about their characters.
“They don’t want my money, Dad. And from my understanding, they left you with a hell of a lot more than any other company would have in a takeover settlement.”
“Is that what they told you?” Philip asked, the vein in his neck practically bursting out of his skin. A sliver of worry went through Lisa. “Did they happen to mention that they had you investigated or that they know every clause that went into your trust fund? Trust me, Stewart can be bought and they probably paid him a pretty penny for the information.”
“Mr. Zanier, always a pleasure,” James said, walking casually through the door as if they weren’t in a hospital and this was a planned meeting. He offered his hand and when her father had no choice but to take it, James leaned in and whispered something in his ear. She had no doubt that he was the one that Kennedy had sent the text to. He must have been down in the lobby. Lisa looked at Kennedy, who was still texting. Great. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Landon and Owen Merrick are upstanding business men. As a matter of fact, I was just having coffee with them downstairs. They are waiting on your daughter to finish her meeting and then going out to celebrate, from my understanding.”
“Dad, what do you mean they had me investigated?” Lisa chose to ignore whatever game James was playing at. To her knowledge, Landon was at the house and Owen had gone into his office. If her father had something to say, she wanted to hear it. “I’ve been friends with Owen and Landon for years. There was no need, is no need, for them to have me investigated.”
“That’s not true, princess,” Landon said, walking through the door behind James. Owen followed, his blue eyes focused on hers. She noticed that his dimple was gone and suddenly felt fear. It was nothing like the fear she felt before a punishment. This was true terror in feeling that everything she’d come to cherish and appreciate was going to vanish. “Philip, it’s time to come clean with your daughter. Our reasoning behind not sharing the motives for the takeover no longer applies.”
“You have no proof,” Philip said, his voice rising. “It was a legal proposition and you know it.”
“Would someone please tell me what is going on?” Lisa demanded. She couldn’t stand to be kept in the dark any longer. “No proof of what, Dad? What are they accusing you of?”
Silence filled the room. Landon was looking at her father, while Owen still had his eyes on her. James was sharing a look with Kennedy and it was obvious to her that she was the only one still in the dark. What she would give right now to be at home, on her knees in the entryway, and leaving all of her worries at the door. Would she ever get to experience that again?
“Lisa, your father was in the midst of misappropriating an ITAR-controlled software application from his own company and selling it to another country,” Owen said, finally breaking the silence. He took his hands out of his pockets and started to walk toward her around the table. It was obvious she was hearing what he was saying, but for some reason it wasn’t computing. Was he accusing her father of selling out his country? “He would have made billions. He is correct in the fact we made sure your trust fund hadn’t been dipped into and were glad to see that your mother had made sure there were safeguards against it before her death.”
“How—how did…” Lisa tore her eyes away from his to look at her father. Yes, he was a greedy man, but to resort to committing a crime?
“How were we aware of i
t?” Owen asked the question she was trying to articulate. He was now one step away from her. “One of his analysts is a good friend of ours and got wind of Philip’s plans. He knew it was a matter of time before Philip was caught, prosecuted, and the business was sold into bankruptcy.”
“That’s bullshit!” Philip exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “It was a legal proposition from another country. It is a legal proposition from a company that is based out of China.”
“In terms of the written contract, yes,” Owen said in agreement. “But we both know the under the table deal that they were trying to cut with you.”
“That’s why you want access to my money, isn’t it?” Lisa asked, appalled that her father would stoop to such a low level. “You want to complete the deal.”
“I would never have cut a deal with them, Merrick. No matter what you and your cousin think or may have heard, I was going to submit the export licenses.” Philip rubbed his chest. “I don’t know what your fascination is with my daughter, but I want you to stay away from her.”
“That’s for her to decide, Zanier,” Landon said, crossing his arms. “We love your daughter and have done everything we can to protect her from your nefarious dealings.”
“We?” Philip asked, looking like he was a bit short of breath. Lisa’s previous unease came back when he started to rub his right arm. “What—”
Lisa cried out when her father stumbled forward a step, trying to catch himself on the table. Landon and James both reached out and caught him before he fell. She hurried around the table, knowing without a doubt that her father was suffering a heart attack. She vaguely heard Kennedy shout that they needed a doctor as Lisa fell to her knees.
“Dad? Dad, you’re going to be all right.” Lisa tried to loosen his tie, but her hands were shaking too hard to get her fingers to comply. Landon did it for her. “It’s okay. A doctor is coming. Just hold on. Please, hold on.”
* * * *
Owen looked across the waiting room where Kennedy was speaking with Lisa. She was pale yet still going strong. He glanced down at her hand and saw that she was twisting her silver band. She needed the comfort now, especially since they weren’t at home for him and Landon to provide her with what she really needed.
“Zanier is a damn lucky man,” James said, his hands in his pocket. He’d loosened his tie earlier and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, most likely to relieve the hold on his large neck. Owen briefly wondered if the man took steroids, but then just as quickly dismissed that idea. The man was as brutally honest as one could get. “Although, if it were me, I’d stick to the heart attack story.”
It turned out that Philip Zanier wasn’t having a heart attack, but a panic attack. Owen knew Landon felt slightly guilty for letting it slip that they both loved Lisa, but at the same time, honesty was the best policy. He would have found out sooner or later and probably with the same results.
“How long have you known?” Landon asked, holding a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup.
James smiled and Owen knew they wouldn’t be getting a straight answer. He figured Kennedy had known all along but had left it up to them to tell Lisa. Once Zanier was officially released from the hospital, they had a long night in front of them. Owen rubbed his jaw, contemplating on the rest of the evening.
“I understand why you did what you did. Regardless, if Zanier would have taken the deal to export controlled software, he should have reported the illegal offer to the feds.”
“How he raised an upstanding and moral daughter is beyond me,” Owen said, still keeping his eyes on Lisa.
A cell phone rang, and both he and Landon looked at James. He shrugged and reached into his pocket. Seeing who it was first, James finally held the phone to his ear.
“Calihan.” There was a long pause that gave Owen the chance to check on Lisa once more. It seemed as if Kennedy was getting ready to leave. “What kind of accident?”
That word garnered his attention. Owen was well aware of James’s connection with the Order. Had someone they knew been hurt?
“Which hospital? We’re actually here, so we’ll be there in two minutes. Kennedy’s with me.” James disconnected the call and wasted no time in collecting his boss. “Kennedy. We need to go. Now.”
Owen could see the concern in Kennedy’s eyes, but other than that, the woman seemed to be made of ice. How was it that she and Lisa had become such good friends? He watched in surprise as Lisa hugged her good-bye, and she in return. So maybe Kennedy did have a soul in there somewhere. After saying good-bye, Owen and Landon walked over to Lisa.
“Why?” Lisa whispered, folding her arms around herself.
And there was the million-dollar question. Would she believe them? His heart constricted at her displayed vulnerability. Owen tipped back on his heels and let Landon answer this one. After all, he was the one who insisted they keep her in the dark. He just hoped like hell it hadn’t done irreparable damage to their relationship.
“You were by yourself back then. You kept to yourself, had no real friends, and the only solid relationship you had was with your father. We couldn’t see you lose that, so we did what had to be done.”
Leave it to Landon to sum it up in three sentences. Owen couldn’t stand to see the hurt in her gray eyes, so he stepped forward and cupped her pale face. She looked up at him with those soft gray eyes of hers, similar to how she looked up at them when she was in the foyer after a long day. Granted, Landon got to enjoy that sight more than he, but Owen had managed quite a few days of that pleasure.
“Did you hear what Landon said to your father?”
“Yes,” Lisa replied softly as she let her hands slide from her sides and her fingers capture her ring.
“We cared for you from afar for so long that we would have done anything for you, princess. We only want what is in your best interests, which is why you knew to trust us with your submission—because you know deep down that we love you. And for that, we will never apologize.”
“Why tell me now?” Lisa asked, taking her hands and wrapping her dainty fingers around his wrists. “Because you think I would have believed the accusations my father was saying?”
“No. We told you because you’re not alone anymore.” Owen leaned down and captured her pink lips. “No matter what your father may or may not have done, we will be by your side and know that you will be taken care of.”
“You make me sound like a criminal.” Zanier’s voice came from the hallway.
“Whether or not you took that deal,” Landon said, turning around to face Zanier, “you still chose not to report their offer. That is in violation of ITAR disclosure rules and to be quite succinct…it was your moral obligation.”
“And that’s my decision. If I had, it would have cost me the contract. There’s still a window of opportunity to declassify the software and sell it to them legitimately with the proper export licenses. And let’s face it, you can’t stand there and judge me when you didn’t report what you found out during the takeover either.”
Owen stepped behind Lisa, keeping a hold of her waist. She would always know that he and Landon were behind her to catch her should she fall, emotionally or physically. He caught Landon’s wry smile and tensed, knowing his next words could likely cause Zanier to actually have a heart attack.
“Yes, we did. As of this morning, we handed over every piece of paper and software demo you created to the feds. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from them shortly.”
“You son of a—”
“Dad, stop,” Lisa said. Instead of stepping out of his arms, Owen felt her back into him by a half a step and tighten her hands on his. “They don’t know you, except through me. And honestly, the decisions you’ve made would make me jump to the same conclusion. I don’t believe you would ever sell out your country, but I do know that greed gets in the way of your morals. Let the investigation run its course and be thankful for what they’ve given you. After all, they’re going to be your sons-in-law one of these days.”
>
Owen saw Landon do a quick take and then smile. “Well, technically you can only marry one of us, but I’m sure we can figure that out when the time comes. A ceremony will assure everyone that you are ours. I must say, you sure are taking a big leap of faith, princess.”
“Lisa, these men—”
“Are the men I love, Father. Go home, have Millie make you a brandy, and we’ll talk tomorrow. I’m sure the doctor wants you to rest anyway.”
Owen watched as Zanier looked torn, but was smart enough to know when to beat a retreat. Owen released her as she stepped forward and kissed her father’s cheek. The man looked defeated as he turned and walked out of the room. Landon saw a slight look of panic on her face, but then opened his arms. Lisa went willingly and Owen closed his eyes at the sounds of her soft cries. No matter that she loved her father unconditionally, he knew it still hurt her to know that he was not infallible.
“Oh, princess,” Landon murmured against her hair.
“P–please take me h–home.”
Chapter Sixteen
Landon didn’t really take a deep breath until they had walked through their front door. They drove home together with the promise of retrieving her vehicle over the weekend. Lisa had been quiet on the way home, but he didn’t expect anything less. She was processing everything she had learned and a part of him was wondering if when the shock wore off, she would still feel the same way about them.
His relief came when he witnessed her toes hit the marble tiled floor and she immediately shed her clothes. Landon closed the door behind them, leaning up against the thick wood and giving himself a chance to savor the view. She finally kneeled in her proper spot on the fur. The dim lighting from the outside lamps rained golden hues over her body as she waited for the orders. Landon was aware of what his body needed, and had no doubt that Owen felt the same, but it was best to put Lisa to bed and wait until morning.
A Princess Submits [Safeword LLC 4] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Page 12