Promised Box Set

by James Kipling

  “Let’s lock up and go before we knock the computer over.” They had developed a routine of working together and often ending up at her apartment to be together.

  Jasper had sold his own apartment and was living at ‘Carte Blanche’ permanently. His relationship with his uncle had become stronger than ever and Jazz was glad he was living back at home. Julian was not interfering with the business, but was interested to hear all the details.

  The couple drove to Brandy’s apartment. Jazz never got over the impact of colour that struck you when you entered the living area. The girl loved jewel shades and the place abounded with throws, cushions, flowers, plants, and a myriad pictures adorned the walls. Her eclectic mix of old, new, and shabby chic worked and felt so good. It always made him smile when they went in there.

  “Why Are you smiling?” Brandy queried and he swung her round and up in the air.

  “I was thinking how I love the way you do this place. It feels right somehow.”

  “Well thank you, sir.” She said. “Put me down and I will provide food.”

  “Forget the food.” He answered. “I will carry you to the bedroom and have my evil way.”

  Brandy laughed and gave in. She could never remember being so happy in her life before and it constantly amazed her that her old friend had suddenly become her new lover.

  Jasper took his time and drove them both mad with desire before finally they raced together for that final climax and lay sated and complete, wrapped around each other in a tangle of legs and arms and completely as one.

  Jasper knew in his heart that this woman was the one he wanted to spend all of his life with. He wondered why it had taken them so long to find each other when they had been friends for twenty years. He turned and faced her on the bed. He played with the strands of her colourful, dark red hair.

  “Bran.” He said quietly.

  “Mmm” she answered.

  “I’m going to say something I’ve never said to anyone before.” He paused and Brandy propped herself on one elbow. “Is that bad or good?”

  “I’ll find out I guess.” She waited.

  He took a breath. “I love you Brandy. I think I probably always have and I would like to spend my life with you.” There was a pause and Jasper thought he had blown it. He thought he had maybe spoilt what they had. His heart sank. “I’m sorry if I’ve spoilt everything.”

  “You are such an idiot, Jazz. I have always loved you and always will.” The smile spread across his face and Brandy wrapped arms around him. “That makes life just absolutely perfect.” She added.

  “No.” He said. “Perfect would be if you married me. Please say yes.”

  Brandy kissed him and murmured. “I wondered if you would ever ask.”

  “Well?” He prompted.

  “Of course it’s yes. I cannot imagine life without you.” They settled with arms around each other and knew that all was well with the world. Much later, they had that food and Brandy rang Annabel.

  “He asked me to marry him.” She said without any introduction and the scream of delight that came back down the phone was audible in the next room.

  Jazz poked his head around the door. “She approves then?” Brandy laughed. And told him his cousin said he should have asked sooner and she hoped she was the bridesmaid.

  “See you tomorrow.” Brandy said and rang off. “What will your uncle say?” She asked anxiously. Jasper Conroy smiled and took her hand. I told him I was going to ask you and he said what Anna said, “Why had I waited so long.” Brandy smiled and kissed his cheek.

  “Happy ever after, Jazz. Happy ever after. I love you and I always will.”

  Book 2: Betrayal

  Summary

  Twenty-four year old Zoe Dunmore lives life without reserve. When she is handed the reins of her father’s company, Dunmore Corporation, she finds herself taken with young executive Aiden Butler. She had closed her heart to love for so long, but something about him stirs something within her.

  Unforeseen complications arise when Zoe later suspects Aiden of embezzling from her company. In her bid to uncover the truth, her world is turned upside down with the tragic death of her father Steve Dunmore.

  In the wake of her father’s death, Zoe finally learns about Aiden’s accident and the betrayal by family friend David Warner. Things prove too overwhelming and Zoe has the urge to get away. With her trusted friend Mason available to guide the company, she does just that.

  Mason sets out to discover just what company Steve was hoping to merge Dunmore Corp with and gets a surprise when he does.

  Elsewhere, an old family mystery is awakened and Warner continues to evade authorities with Agent Boon in dogged pursuit.

  Love, suspense and intrigue are on the agenda!

  Prologue

  “Are you really going to do this?”

  “Huh-uh,” Zoe replied to her best friend, Mason. She’d known him for four years and their friendship had developed quickly. They had tried dating but quickly realized they didn’t click as a couple and were better off as friends.

  “You’ll do great. Don’t be nervous.”

  In her second year at Cornell University, Zoe Dunmore had added a second major to her studies. It was rare, especially for a woman, to do a double major but she did it. She knew her future responsibilities depended on her doing well and she wanted to be prepared for the ultimate challenge of running the company that would one day be hers.

  In one year, she would officially become her father’s protégé; he would guide and train her to take over when he retired. It was a huge responsibility and she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it. Zoe wanted to do her father proud, but she also wanted what other girls her age wanted: to go on dates, party and have fun. That was part of what the college experience was supposed to be about. But she wasn’t afforded that privilege.

  Her father had no one but her and she could not let some stranger run the business her father had sacrificed so much for. The only other person Steve could rely on was his best friend, David Warner, whom she had known most of her life as Uncle David. He had joined the company nearly fifteen years earlier when his own business failed. (He didn’t like to talk about it so she wasn’t sure of the exact circumstances regarding how or why his business had failed; but then, so many do). With a specialty in accounting, he was asked to head the Accounts department and served on the Board of Directors.

  Originally, she had opted for a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering, hoping to work at an entry-level position in her father’s company. She thought that if anyone should succeed her father, it should be one of the members of the Board or they should be the ones to make the decision when the time came. When her father said he wanted her to take over and was adamant in the face of the list of cons she produced for him, she added Business Management and Consultation as a second major. She would go on later to complete her Master’s degree.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready, Mason. Why don’t you come with me?”

  “I would love to do that. But as you know, my father is plotting for me to marry his friend’s daughter in order to secure a merger.”

  Mason often spoke of his father and the role he expected him to play. Mason wanted to start his own accounting business, somewhere far away from his father. But loyalty was something he was renowned for; as the time neared for him to graduate he plunged into turmoil about his future.

  “Is she pretty?” Zoe teased.

  “Why don’t we elope? I know there isn’t much chemistry between us but we love each other. Maybe the passion will come later,” Mason pleaded.

  She was almost tempted to marry her friend to save him. Marrying Mason wouldn’t be so bad. They’d have a great marriage except for the sex part. She wondered too if that might come later, but she didn’t want to do anything to disappoint her father and marry a man he didn’t know would be rocking the boat. She had no plans for eloping either. The last time she tried th
at, it turned out to be a disaster.

  “I can’t. I love you but my dad is depending on me. I can’t let him down.”

  Chapter 1

  Zoe’s phone was ringing and she was about to reach for it when she caught sight of the yellow stoplight and braked suddenly. She hoped to answer it when the light was red. Zoe was seriously against talking on the phone while driving. Hopefully it would be a quick call that she could complete while she waited for the light to turn green.

  Someone bumped into her BMW and the phone slid off the dashboard and onto the floor. “Damn it!”

  This was annoying. She’d never been in an accident before and now some moron had hit her car. Pulling over to the curb, she grabbed the cell phone and saw she’d missed a call from her father. He was probably calling to ask what was taking her so long. And now it would take her even longer to get there. Angrily, she stepped out of her vehicle, coming face to face with the worried-looking fellow unfolding himself from the car behind her.

  He was over six feet tall, wore a grey suit and his golden brown hair hung in his eyes and brushed the collar. She thought, This guy obviously has no idea where the barber is. It’s amazing he can see anything. He towered over her with his broad shoulders and angular features. His well-defined and inviting lips caused her to pause, briefly. Then something began to tick inside of her.

  “Are you crazy?” she screeched at him, tearing her eyes away from his face.

  She was tired, hungry, and needed to see her father. This was not what she expected her first hours back to be like. Zoe had just completed four years at an East Coast university and was coming home to the West Coast for the first time in a year and she was coming home for good. She had opted to have her car left at the airport garage so she could pick it up and drive directly to the restaurant where her father would be waiting.

  Steve Dunmore was the President of Dunmore Corp., a company specializing in computer software and hardware. The plane had landed at approximately 11:45 and she was supposed to meet her father at 12:30 for lunch. Now this moron was making her later than she already was.

  It was a beautiful California summer and she had been looking forward to a pleasant drive. She wanted to smack this imbecile along the head for ruining it, but instead stared him in the eye. Her look was hot enough to roast a chicken but Aiden’s gaze was quite cool in return.

  “I’m sorry. You braked so suddenly I…” His lips began to move and for a second she looked at them again, but her anger was more than enough to keep her from getting distracted.

  “Your insurance papers, please,” she interrupted. Zoe was impatient and not in any mood to hear apologies or excuses.

  The man seemed to be disturbed about the accident for he had a worried look on his face. “Please, can we settle this without the insurance? I—” he started, but Zoe cut him off once more.

  “Why would I do that?” She looked him in the eye. They were the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

  “Miss, please. I’ll pay for it out of pocket. It’s barely a scratch.”

  Did he just say it was barely a scratch? “Are you serious?” she asked him with incredulity in her voice. Zoe took a long look at the man who couldn’t be more than five years older than she was. His tie was askew, his suit a bit creased but his car was the newest model Lexus. It was incongruous; he looked like something the cat dragged in, so why was his car so expensive? It didn’t matter. She would rather have nothing to do with him. “I’d rather deal with your insurance. You are insured, aren’t you? You didn’t steal it?”

  Aiden couldn’t help but notice how rude she was. Is it always the beautiful ones who are the rudest, he thought. Or is it just that I bring out the worst in them. “That’s my company’s car ma’am,” he explained, looking embarrassed as he told her.

  Ma’am? Zoe thought. “What an idiot,” she muttered under her breath.

  “I can pay for the damage,” he repeated. “I’ll give you my number and address.”

  Without warning, she turned her phone to Aiden and began taking photos of him and his car, taking special care to get a clear shot of his license plate.

  “Just so the police can find you in case you try to run away,” she scoffed. He quickly scribbled his name, address, and telephone number on a piece of paper, rolling his downcast eyes. Spoiled brat, he thought to himself.

  “I’ll send you the bill… Aiden,” she told him, glancing at his name. He didn’t look like an Aiden. Aiden was a name that belonged to a bad boy; this guy was obviously a geek. She could smell “accountant” on him. Who the hell named him, she wondered.

  She looked at the scratch on her tail end and knew it wasn’t as bad as she was making it out to be, but for whatever reason Aiden rubbed her the wrong way. It was unlike Zoe to be so unreasonable; however, something within her was ticking towards an explosion and, though it almost certainly had nothing to do with the poor man, being bumped by Aiden gave her the excuse to lash out. She’d never felt this internal buildup of pressure before and didn’t know how to handle it. She could feel Aiden’s blue eyes burning into her as she scrutinized the scratch. It made her angry that he would just stand there looking at her.

  “What are you staring at now?” She screeched at him while silently asking herself, what’s the matter with me?

  “Nothing,” he responded calmly. “I’m sorry.” Aiden averted his eyes. He was actually waiting for her to let him leave. He didn’t want to upset her more by just turning away so he waited for her to calm down and get in her car. However, the woman seemed to be getting angrier and he couldn’t understand it. The scratch is microscopic, so why is she so mad?

  A little out of breath and out of sorts, Zoe angrily got into her car where she momentarily rested her head on the steering wheel, messing up her auburn mass of hair. “What’s the matter with me?” she muttered to herself. “Get a grip, Zoe.”

  Composing herself, Zoe raised her head and smoothed her hair using the rearview mirror. As she was about to start the ignition, she heard a tap on her window. “Jeez, what now?” It was the pesky accountant.

  She slid the car window down halfway, keeping a short barrier of glass between them. Visions of news reports about road rage flashed through her mind; though of the two of them, she was the one who was over-reacting. “What do you want?” she asked venomously.

  “Are you all right?”

  “What?” she was thrown off guard by the concern etched on his face. His cool eyes had warmed and his voice was calm. There was something about his tone that made her ears tingle. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  He stood there while the window slid back up; his eyes seemed to penetrate the glass and pierce her soul. Frustrated, she hastily pulled away from the curb and headed towards the restaurant where her father was undoubtedly already waiting for her. As she drove off, the tires gave a screech and Aiden could swear he saw smoke on the pavement.

  She took a glance in the rearview mirror and saw a shrinking Aiden get into his car and slowly pull away. What was it about him that made her so mad? Was it his laid-back attitude? Was it his attire or the fact that he was just too damn nice? She couldn’t quite figure it out. Not wanting to see him again, she decided to get the paint job done as soon as possible and have the detailer send the bill to him directly. By the looks of it, it would cost no more than a hundred dollars to retouch where he had bumped.

  Aiden smiled to himself as he left the curb. That woman was something. She must be having some kind of bad day, he thought to himself. She seemed upset and he was fairly certain it had nothing to do with his bumping her.

  As he drove towards his grandmother’s house he smiled, recalling the image of her auburn hair shining in midday sun and the fiery glow in her green eyes. She was a vision and there was something familiar about her. Her pouting lips were beautifully curved on her heart-shaped face, accentuated by her pert little nose. It was then he remembered he had failed to ask her name.

  Suddenly reali
zing she was well above the allotted speed limit, Zoe eased her foot off the gas and began to calm herself. Taking a few deep breaths she tried to relax. Music, she thought. Music will do the trick. So she turned on the radio. Country music? No, she wasn’t a country fan. How about some rock? She shot that down as well. The goal was to help her relax, not rev her up more. Maybe some classical will work. So she put in a CD and let the notes of Strauss wash over her.

  Taking another glance in the mirror, she realized how disheveled she looked. It was now ten minutes past the hour. Could she make it home, change, and be at the restaurant by 12:30? What was the shortest route home? She couldn’t think of any way to get there and back in time so she decided she would just have to freshen up in the car.

  Ten minutes later she was at Café Torre on Steven Creek Boulevard. The Italian restaurant was the best in Cupertino and one of her father’s favorite places to dine. She found a nice parking spot. There she rummaged through her luggage for something to change into. She hadn’t noticed earlier but her top had a coffee stain and her skirt was creased in unflattering ways. Good Lord. What can that man have thought of me? No wonder he was treating me like I might be crazy. She found a crumple-free summer dress near the top of one bag. It was a bit awkward changing in the car but she managed to do so without drawing too much attention to herself. She fixed her lip gloss, powdered her nose, and ran a brush through her hair.

  By the time she stepped out of her car she was a vision of beauty and restored confidence. Her long, auburn hair was flaming in the afternoon sun and her ivory skin glowed against the forest green of her dress, which was hemmed just below the knee to reveal long, slender legs. She was glad she didn’t need to change her three-inch heels, though at the airport earlier she’d lamented not wearing more comfortable footwear. Her green eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing her father and she took a deep breath before stepping away from her car.