“Thank you for staying.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I would have come sooner if I’d known where you were. Do you know how worried I was? And then seeing your car parked in the garage day after day, I didn’t know what had happened. Why didn’t you come to me?”
I hunch my shoulders. “I didn’t think you wanted me to.”
“Listen, you can always come to me, okay?”
I nod. “How did you find me anyway?”
“A friend of mine, Quintin, he runs a security company and he’s the best at what he does.”
This morning the tables are turned and I’m the one planting kisses on his face and showing all the affection.
“I’m glad you’re here now.”
He stops what he’s doing and pulls me onto his lap. “So, does this mean you have feelings for me.”
“Maybe.”
“I knew you couldn’t resist my charm.” A wide grin spreads across his face.
“It wasn’t your charm that got me hooked,” I say playfully.
As if a thought has suddenly popped into his head, he snaps his fingers. “Oh, and thank you for having the notes for Tuesday’s presentation delivered. By the way, we got the contract.”
“Yes!” Elated, I clap my hands together. It feels good to know my hard work has paid off. But then it hits me, if I didn’t do the presentation, who did?
“I know you didn’t give Karen my notes.”
“Well, somebody had to make the deal. You weren’t there, so, she had to do.”
My mouth drops open. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I’m kidding, I wouldn’t have done that to you.” Somehow, even without him saying so, I knew he wouldn’t.
“You know, when you came to me a year ago, looking for work, I knew then that I wanted to be with you.”
“You wanted to have sex with me, which is why you didn’t hire me.”
“I mean, I wanted that too, but mostly…I wanted to be with you. That’s why I didn’t hire you.”
He brushes his hand against my neck and slides it into my shirt. This time when he touches the scar, I don’t flinch or try to stop him.
“A bullet grazed me. It was my mother. She was shooting at my father, and I got in the way.”
He blinks a few times and does a slight head shake. “What? I just…I mean…just damn, I hate your father.
“No need to get worked up. It’s the past.” Anyway, there’s really nothing else to say.
“I want to thank you for sharing that with me. But you know, you just made me want to kill him, right?”
I rest my head on his shoulder. “You can’t because I need you with me, not in jail.”
“Speaking of your father, I had my same security guy Quintin, do a background check on him.
“What? When?”
“Last year, about a month after we started dating. Are you upset?”
“No. I would have done the same thing.”
“He’s a bad man, Olivia.”
“Yes, he is.”
“Seriously, as soon as you’re dressed, I’m taking you back to my place, and I want you to stay with me for a while. Trust me, it’s best he doesn’t know where you are.”
“He wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I don’t think you know just how bad of a guy he is. I had Quintin to do another check. He must have slid the file under the door because it was there this morning when I woke up.”
I frown. What’s he talking about?
“Did you know he had one-million-dollar insurance policies on you and your brother, and a two-million-dollar policy on your mother?”
“You’re kidding?” I’m rarely surprised by what Robert does, but this has me speechless.
“He has over a million dollars of gambling debt. I hate to say it, but, there’s no telling what he’s capable of doing. And that’s just touching the surface of what Quintin found.”
“I don’t know what to say. Would he really go that far?”
“Let me put it to you like this, your father, Robert Collins, the same man you work for, was willing to let you take a bullet for him. Parents are supposed to sacrifice it all for their children, not the other way around.”
6
Present day
This is the first time I’ve seen Robert since the car incident. I walk in and place a file binder on his desk.
“Here you go.”
“Excellent. I’m glad you’re being a team player. If your mother would have been, she would be home still throwing those fancy parties, instead of locked up in a nut house. For a minute, you had me thinking you were like her…you know…sick in the head.”
I swallow my words. Any minute now, I’ll take pleasure and watching the fury take over.
He wastes no time opening the files. I watch as he unravels the string with his crooked smile on display. “I knew you would be back. Running out in traffic like that…it was stupid. I hope you didn’t have to work too hard for it.”
“Don’t worry. It was worth it. Also, today will be our last day working together. I just wanted to let you know.”
He grunts and shakes his head. “I guess you plan on moving your way up the corporate ladder of Jackson and Lennox.”
“I think what you want to say is fucking my way up the ladder, father.”
He shrugs. “Those are your words. Anyway, you probably should have made that decision before turning over company documents.”
He flips through the papers but they’re not at all what he expected.
And it happens. Slowly, the smile he’s wearing disappears.
As if he’s reading them wrong, he furrows his brows, and leans over for a closer view. It’s such a rewarding feeling. And when he looks up, I know he knows.
“You, stupid girl. What have you done?”
“Given you what you deserve.”
“Do you really think I’m going to sign this?”
“You will. You’ll do it to pay your debt to my mother, my brother, me, and everyone else you’ve hurt.”
After giving the documents further consideration, he hits his hand against the desk.
“Olivia, you really don’t want to mess with me.”
“What? Are you going to hurt me? I should have let her kill you. You broke her down, made her weak, and then locked her away. I have the scar to prove it.” I pull down the shoulder of my shirt so that the scar shows.
“Your mother shot you, not me.”
“But we both know who the real target was. It was you.”
“Yeah, well, don’t expect me to thank you. I didn’t then, and I damn sure won’t do it now. You just sold me out. A few months of sleeping with the enemy, and you’re ready to turn against your family.”
I let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. “Family, you’re not my family. My family is my mother who you had locked away and declared mentally ill. My family is my brother, who you disowned because he wouldn’t be your puppet.
“And as for sleeping with the enemy, you got the facts wrong. I haven’t been sleeping with him for a few months, I’ve been sleeping with him for over a year. And so you know, you shouldn’t blame him. It was your mistake. You got greedy. Have you ever wondered who Lennox was?”
I open the door and in walks Jessica, our neighbor and my old babysitter.
“You do remember Jessica. Well, it’s Jessica Lennox now. Her husband was Jackson’s partner before he died of cancer. Imagine how surprised I was when we ran into each other.”
“Hello, Robert.”
“Jessica! What the hell are you doing here?”
“Helping out a friend and business partner. You know, I was telling Olivia about how nice you used to be to me. Remember all the nice things I used to do for you? Oh, and I’m not talking sexually. How I would help you at night by signing your wife’s name on documents. I also told her about the sibling she almost had, the one you made me abort.”
Robert’s starting to go a nice shade of red from anger.
&
nbsp; “I was young and naïve, and you took advantage me. But look at you now, an old fool, willing to do anything still to get what you want. Maybe you should have planned out your strategy better.”
“Anyway, here’s the deal, that baby I aborted, that was the one time I got pregnant. I’ve tried for years to conceive again and nothing. So as payment for my loss, you’re going to sign those papers over to Olivia or else I’ll have to spill your dirty laundry. Your choice.”
“You bitch!” he hisses at me.
“Coming from you, I take that as a compliment.”
“All I had to do is wait you out. And when you did, I took your plan straight to him. So, father dearest, I guess you got screwed too.”
He stares at me, the hatred and disbelief written all over his face.
“Just sign the papers, Robert.” I pick up the gold pen, the one he treasures so much, and hand it to him. There’s a fluttering, empty feeling in my stomach. I watch with anticipation.
With trembling hands, he leans over and signs over the one thing that meant everything to him, Collins Enterprises.
“Thank you, father. I expect you to be out by the end of the day. It was nice doing business with you.”
After everything he’s done to so many people, he finally gets what he deserves. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m free to live, free to love, and free of the insidious hold my father has had over me
When I walk out the door, Alexander’s waiting outside. He’s leaning against the car with one hand inside his jacket pocket. I run down the stairs and hug him. He holds me tightly for several seconds before whispering in my ear, “Do you think your father will be willing to speak with me?”
Confused, I let go of Alexander and take a step back. “Why would you want to talk to him?”
He brings around the arm that’s been behind his back and sitting in his hand is an open ring box.
“Isn’t it traditional to ask the father for the daughter’s hand in marriage?”
I gasp, and my hand flutters to my chest.
“You wouldn’t dare.” I laugh.
With a twinkle in his eye, he cocks his head on the side, and purses his lips in a “okay, you win” look.
“If that’s the case, will you marry me?”
A smile spreads across my face. I didn’t think the day could be more perfect but apparently, I was wrong.
“Just tell me when, and I’ll be there.”
“Now, that’s a deal I like.”
The End
Did you love Conflict of Interest? Continue with Cut and Dry, Victoria and Justin’s Story.
* * *
Cut and Dry: A Contemporary Billionaire Romance Novella Blurb
Victoria ~ I was desperate.
The one person who meant everything to me was gone, leaving me devastated. But I couldn’t stay down for long.
He got to me when I was at my weakest. Still, things would only go as far as I allowed it to, regardless of what a piece of paper said.
* * *
Justin ~ It was complicated.
I’d convinced myself I was doing the right thing. No one could make me feel something I didn’t want to. I had it under control.
But I never counted on fate doing its own thing. Suddenly, the challenge to survive tomorrow took precedence over the want for forever.
* * *
Nothing was off limits.
The contract was in place, the rules were clear, and there would be no exceptions.
But not everyone had gotten the memo. Someone was bound to get hurt. I just never expected murder to be in the cards.
* * *
What happened next would change everything.
About the Author
Eva Winters is a USA Today Bestselling Author who writes compelling Mystery, Suspense, and Contemporary romance stories. Although her works are fiction, some of her stories may be based on actual events. Her stories will do more than entertain you, they’ll leave you wanting more.
* * *
Get other books by Eva Winters online at evawinters.com
* * *
Connect with Eva Winters
Eva can be contacted at [email protected]
Website: evawinters.com
Newsletter Signup: http://evawinters.com/subscribe/
More Books by Eva Winters
Stalked By Love (A Contemporary Romance Suspense Novelette) – Now Available
Charmed by Love (A Contemporary Romance Suspense Novelette) – Now Available
* * *
Escaping Trouble: Border Crimes Series Prequel – Now Available
Reaching Hope: Border Crimes Series Prequel Aftermath – Now Available
Saving Zoe: Border Crimes Series Book One – Now Available
Obstructing Justice – Border Crimes Series Book Two – Coming Soon
* * *
Cut and Dry: A Contemporary Billionaire Romance Suspense Novella (Victoria and Justin’s Story – Now Available
Order of Protection: A Contemporary Billionaire Romance Novella (Quintin and Sonya’s Story) – April 2018
* * *
Sweet Revenge – Coming Soon
Just Business: Rowan
Taige Crenshaw and McKenna Jeffries
Just Business © 2018 Taige Crenshaw and McKenna Jeffries
* * *
All Rights Reserved. This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
* * *
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form not known or hereafter invented or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher or author. The unauthorized replication or allocation of any copyrighted work is illegal. File sharing is an international crime, prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Border Patrol, Division of Cyber Crimes, in partnership with Interpol. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by the fullest extent of the law.
Just Business
When two rivals must work together, they also have to face an attraction neither wants or has time for….
Chailyn Kincaid has worked hard to build her business to what it is. When an opportunity comes to work on a project she thought she lost, she will do it even if it means working with her rival. Yet when she officially meets Mitchell, she finds herself with a predicament—she attracted to him. She doesn’t have time for this yet finds that Mitchell is like nothing she expects so she’ll take a chance but ensure they each know where they stand.
Mitchell Nash can’t believe he has to work with the pain in the ass rival who has been a thorn in his side. To keep the client happy he will but has set ground rules, he is in charge. Within moments of officially meeting Chailyn, he knows she won’t accept anything but being equals. He can adjust but what is he to do with his desire for her. Usually he would control it but with her he finds he is not able too. When he gives in, he finds that he’s found a woman who can meet him and separate personal from just business.
To my mom and sister, whose love of reading made me pick up my first book, which ultimately led me on this path to become an author. Thanks for passing on your love of reading and your support. To my mom, who has always been my number one reader, although you are no longer with me I know you are smiling down each time I publish a book. To St. Thomas, USVI whose beauty inspired me when I was growing up and sparked my imagination which shaped me into who I am today. To the p
eople of the USVI with each Hurricane the landscape of our home becomes changed but the spirit of what makes us who we are will never be changed.
To the readers who enjoy my fierce, unbreakable, sizzling, sensual, edgy and unexpected books. I appreciate and thank you all for your support and emails.
1
The sight of the flat tire caused Chailyn Kincaid’s stomach to clench in frustration.
“Damn it, I’m going to be late.” She said between clenched teeth.
Glancing at her watch, she noted the time, she had less than an hour to get across town to her office, pick up her notes and then to make her meeting at Structural, the architectural firm, that would be working in conjunction with her company, CT Design Group, on the Hayes project. Chailyn couldn’t afford to be late her reputation was built on being precise in her designs and with her time.
Kicking the side of her green Lexus viciously she cried out in pain grabbing her white high-heeled sandal rubbing the toes as she leaned against the side of the car. Rock music blared out the window. Reaching in the driver’s side window Chailyn started to turn it off but stopped, turning the radio up instead. She needed some music to calm her down. Straightening she leaned against the side of the car closing her eyes hoping she was dreaming and the tire would be good as new.
Opening her eyes, she swore glaring at the offending flat tire. After the crazy morning she had, she didn’t need any more delays. Putting down her foot Chailyn glanced down at her cream colored double-breasted suit. Sighing she hoped someone would come down the road soon to help her. Stripping out of her jacket, she glanced at her see through red camisole wincing as she saw her matching bra didn’t hide her pebbled nipples peaking out.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 4