A Merger by Marriage

by Cat Schield

  “What you’re asking from me isn’t easy.”

  “I know.” Relief made her dizzy. He hadn’t immediately challenged her bluff. “But we’re a good team and we need each other.”

  “You need me?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised.” Being with him she felt a part of something bigger than either of them could ever be alone. “I’m not as unselfish as you believe.” She laid her cheek on his chest and snuggled against his side. “You make me feel safe and secure. I know I can count on you.”

  “You never seem as if you need anyone’s help.”

  “I may be everyone’s cheerleader, but once in a while, I appreciate it when someone has my back.” She lifted her head and met his gaze. “I like it when you’re that someone.”

  “You know you will always be able to call on me for anything.”

  She gave him a wistful smile. It wasn’t a passionate declaration of love, but it was a heartfelt promise he would never betray. And she accepted at this moment it was everything he was capable of giving.

  * * *

  In close proximity to the kitchen, an extensive covered patio contained a barbeque pit, a seating area with fireplace and flat screen television and a table that seated eight. Unless he was entertaining, JT rarely used the space. Most often he ate a quick meal in the kitchen before heading out to the hotel or the barn. But since Violet had moved in, he’d spent a fair amount of time enjoying all the amenities.

  This morning, the table was strewn with bowls of fruit, plates of bacon, eggs and waffles. More food than either of them could eat. But as soon as Violet had handed him the file on his father, he’d lost all appetite.

  “This can’t be real.” He set the file aside and rubbed the bridge of his nose where a headache was starting.

  “Maybe,” Violet replied, her tone neutral. “Maybe not.”

  “Have you read the whole thing?”

  “Twice.”

  “It’s ridiculous. My father grew up in California. I’ve heard him speak about his parents and his childhood in Los Angeles. He’s not some wannabe thug from Las Vegas.”

  “That was my exact attitude when Scarlett brought it to my attention. I thought the whole thing was crazy and told her so.”

  A chill formed in JT’s chest. “Who else knows about this?”

  Her gaze sharpened as she caught onto his irritation. “Just Harper. She was there when Scarlett gave me the file. You don’t need to worry about her. She won’t say anything.”

  “Do you have to share everything about me with your sisters?” His aggrieved tone made her flinch, but his resentment bit too deep for him to apologize. He’d barely gotten comfortable sharing bits of himself with Violet and it made him surly to think that her sisters knew a devastating secret about his father.

  “They won’t say anything,” she said, using her fork to shred the uneaten waffle on her plate.

  “I don’t know that.”

  His logical side reminded him that behaving as if he didn’t trust her would create problems between them. But he couldn’t ignore his emotions as they sliced him with a double-edged sword of alarm and resentment.

  “Well, I do.”

  Hearing the conviction in Violet’s tone, JT let the matter drop, recognizing the true source of his disquiet was not Violet or her sisters. He didn’t want to believe his father had stolen someone’s identity.

  Because if his father wasn’t just greedy or ambitious, but despicable beyond belief, couldn’t that badness have been passed down to his son?

  Wasn’t JT the reason his mother had died? He’d been acting out, defying her, and she’d died of an overdose. His adult brain could reason that she’d chosen to take the pills, but he was haunted by the question of whether she’d been so upset with him that she’d taken too many. And there was no denying if he’d come home straight after school that day, she might still be alive.

  He stared at the information contained in the file about George Barnes and Preston Rhodes and wondered what the reporter from L.A. knew. “When were you planning to call this Charity Rimes person?”

  “I thought it was something we should do together. Perhaps even go to Los Angeles and meet with her in person.” She shrugged. “Or we could drop it entirely. Like you said, it’s ridiculous that your father stole someone’s identity in 1970.”

  Violet was too forthright to be able to hide her confusion or disappointment at his rejection of the information she’d brought him. Nor could JT point to where this surge of loyalty was coming from. What did he think he owed his father? Preston had never done anything with JT’s best interests in mind.

  “Let me think about it,” JT muttered and Violet nodded, the gesture stiff and jerky.

  Because if they discovered his father actually was George Barnes, JT would then have to decide if he should send his father to prison or simply use the information to blackmail Preston into stepping down? Neither appealed to JT. He’d much rather defeat his father the old-fashioned way: by being a better businessman.

  * * *

  Violet finished applying her makeup and checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror. She’d done an acceptable job of hiding the dark circles under her eyes caused by her sleepless night, but nothing could be done about the churning in her stomach.

  Right after breakfast, JT had headed to the barn where he’d remained for the rest of the day. As difficult as it had been to give him space when her instincts demanded she make him feel better, she’d stayed in the house and hoped he would forgive her for delivering such a difficult message.

  Her wait had been in vain. At three she’d discovered that JT had already left for Titanium. He’d gone to work without letting her know he was leaving. That meant she’d have to be patient for a little while longer and hope uncertainty wouldn’t eat her alive.

  Instead of heading to Fontaine Chic where she knew a hundred decisions awaited her, Violet detoured to Scarlett’s hotel and tracked her sister down in the casino. Scarlett would be eager to learn how Violet’s conversation with JT had gone and Violet needed a sympathetic ear.

  “I was right to fear that JT wouldn’t react well to Tiberius’s suspicions about Preston,” Violet said, as they wound their way past a hundred slot machines to a dessert bar on the second floor. “And I couldn’t blame him for being upset with me.”

  “You did nothing wrong,” Scarlett reminded her.

  “I feel as if I did. He was upset because you and Harper knew what was in the file and was worried you’d tell someone. He didn’t believe me when I told him you wouldn’t. I wish he trusted me.”

  “I’m sure he does. Remember you’d just brought him shocking information about his father. No matter how strained their relationship or how badly he wants his dad to step down as CEO, Preston is still JT’s father.”

  “Is it crazy that I’m afraid the progress we’ve made in our relationship has been dealt a deadly blow today?”

  “Not crazy at all. But I do think you’re worrying for nothing.” Scarlett looped her arm through Violet’s and pulled her before a glass display case loaded with absolutely scrumptious-looking treats. “We’ll take one of those chocolate shells filled with white chocolate mousse and a hazelnut gelato-filled cream puff with Kahlua chocolate sauce,” Scarlett said to the counter person. Catching Violet staring at her in astonishment, Scarlett grinned. “What? Heartache calls for fancy desserts.”

  Violet carried the tray of desserts to a table by the window that overlooked the extensive, beautifully landscaped grounds at the back of the hotel. Scarlett arrived seconds later with cups of espresso.

  “I don’t know why I was so caught off guard by JT’s reaction.” Violet dug into the white chocolate mousse. “Barely two weeks ago we were little more than casual acquaintances and today I told him his father might be a criminal.”

&nb
sp; “Do you really think you two have ever been casual?” Scarlett asked. “You may not have been friends, but there was a strong pull between you. I saw it that night in Baccarat.”

  “I’ve been attracted to him since the first time I saw him.”

  “I’ll bet he felt the same way. Wouldn’t surprise me if Tiberius warned him off.”

  “I’m sure the issue never came up.”

  “So how did you two leave things?”

  “JT is deciding if we should contact Charity Rimes.”

  “What do you think he’ll do?”

  Violet shook her head. “I think he’ll want to do the right thing, but loyalty is really important to him and no matter how complicated their relationship is, JT will feel as if he’s betraying his father.” She finished the mousse-filled chocolate cup and began on the half of the cream puff Scarlett pushed onto her plate. “You know, I think he was almost as upset that I’m the one delivering this news about his father as he was by the thought that his dad might be a criminal.”

  “It makes sense,” Scarlett said. “He’s not a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Watching you two last night, it was obvious you have pried the oyster out of his shell. He trusts you, but behaviors rooted in childhood trauma are difficult to overcome and the more vulnerable he feels, the more he will overreact if he something scares him.” Scarlett’s lips curved. “And baby, the way you make him feel terrifies him.”

  “I don’t want him to be afraid.” Doing the right thing shouldn’t cause this much anxiety and hurt. “I want him to be happy.”

  “I know, and he’ll get there.”

  But what if he never did? JT hadn’t yet learned to make lemonade out of lemons and wasn’t ready to rely on her for his wellbeing. The stockholders’ meeting was less than a month away. If he refused to let her in, she was convinced he would demand the divorce they’d agreed to in the beginning. And that would be bad. He needed her. She reminded him to laugh and appreciated his romantic soul. And she needed him. He made love to her with a ferocity she’d never known before. In JT’s arms, she wasn’t a team player. She was a star.

  Buoyed by Scarlett’s assurances and a great deal of sugar, Violet went about her day with a lighter heart. It wasn’t like her to worry about what hadn’t happened yet. Obviously JT was rubbing off on her. If only she were having the same effect on him.

  At five her cell phone rang. To her delight, JT was calling. She answered, hoping to keep her emotional state from showing up in her voice. “Hello, husband.”

  “Hello, wife. I’m calling to apologize.”

  Lightheaded, Violet leaned against a nearby pillar and squeezed her eyes shut. “No need.”

  “As always, you are patient and understanding, but I simply must insist on making up to you for my bad behavior this morning.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Room service. Your suite. Fifteen minutes?”

  “Sounds perfect.” After hanging up with him, she called her assistant and rescheduled the next three hours of meetings. Then she raced toward the elevators and jabbed impatiently at the Up button.

  Ten minutes later she’d ordered a steak dinner to be served in an hour, dabbed perfume in all the places JT enjoyed exploring and was waiting for him wearing a smile and a nightie that left just enough to the imagination.

  Her approach had been perfect because two seconds after he shut her door, he whisked her into his arms and made straight for the bedroom. A half an hour later she sat astride his narrow hips, breathing heavily in the aftermath of a powerful orgasm, feeling him pulse inside her.

  “I could get used to this,” he said, cupping her face and pulling her down for a long, slow kiss.

  “Me on top?” She gave him a cheeky smile.

  “You period.”

  Her heart lurched. It was the closest he’d come to mentioning the future. She drew his lower lip between her teeth and sucked gently. Beneath her, his chest rose and fell unsteadily.

  “No reason you can’t,” she murmured, showing him how much she had to offer.

  “I guess it’s something we should talk about.”

  In her head she was screaming, Please, can we discuss it now? What came out of her mouth was a restrained, “I’d like that.”

  When the door chimed announcing their dinner, JT slipped on his pants and went to let in the waiter. Violet took a second to throw on a robe and run a comb through her disheveled hair. By the time she entered the living room, her small table had been set for an intimate dinner for two, complete with candles, crystal and china.

  “It smells wonderful,” JT commented as he held her chair while she sat down.

  Violet lifted the silver dish covers and set them aside. By now she knew JT liked his meat rare and his vegetables steamed seconds beyond crisp. “Sixty-day dry-aged steak straight from Fontaine Chic’s award-winning steakhouse,” she said. “With sides of potatoes rosti and asparagus with aged Parmesan and browned butter.”

  “What are these?” JT pointed to three small bowls.

  “Red wine sauce, Béarnaise and a truffle sauce that I haven’t yet tried.”

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  “Only the best for you.” And she meant it. “And for dessert—”

  “You’re all the sweet I need.”

  With her insides turned to mush, Violet finished, “Berries with cream.”

  She watched JT put a piece of steak in his mouth and chew reverently. “This is amazing. There’s nothing to compare at Titanium.”

  He was in such a good mood she hated to spoil it with the question that had plagued her all day: what was he going to do about the information Tiberius had dug up on George Barnes?

  “I was lucky Chef Baron agreed to open his third restaurant with us,” Violet said, squashing her curiosity.

  “I’m sure luck had nothing to do with it,” JT said. “You can be quite persuasive.”

  The compliment warmed her faster than a July day on the strip. “When I know what I want, I go after it.”

  “I’m very aware of that.” A lopsided grin tugged at his lips. “In fact, I’m amazed that you haven’t asked if I’ve decided to call Charity Rimes. I imagine you’re dying to know.”

  “I’d be lying if I said it’s the furthest thing from my thoughts.” She carefully phrased her next words. “But I can’t imagine what a difficult choice you have to make.”

  “If you’d found out Tiberius had done something terrible, what would you do?”

  The question was fair, but it left Violet with a terrible conundrum. She’d always had faith in Tiberius. He’d taken her in and loved her like his daughter. Her faith in his honesty had never been shaken.

  “I’d like to say that I’d turn him in and never doubt myself for doing so.” Violet gave JT’s hand a sympathetic squeeze. “But I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself for being disloyal.”

  JT carried her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “After dinner, let’s call Charity Rimes.”

  “Okay.” Delighted that JT trusted her to help, Violet tucked into the meal with gusto. “I’m glad I didn’t order a heavy dessert,” she said as they dueled over the last berry. “I don’t remember the last time I ate so much.”

  “Everything tasted so good, it was hard to stop.”

  Leaving the dishes for later, JT tugged Violet toward the couch. Together they sank into its softness. With JT’s left arm around her shoulder and his right hand playing absently with the tie of her robe, Violet waited for some sign from JT that he was ready to hear what Charity Rimes had to say.

  “Do you think my father belongs in jail?”

  “If he stole someone’s identity, yes.”

  JT closed his eyes and for a brief moment sadness blanketed his expression. Violet’s chest tightened sympathetica
lly at his pain. She wished she could take it away. She wanted nothing but happiness for him. But she could only offer comfort and support. JT would have to resolve his ambivalence on his own.

  “Make the call,” he said, his voice hard and determined.

  Reluctant to budge from the circle of JT’s arm, but knowing she had to act while he was still in a mood to find out what the writer knew, Violet snagged her cell off the coffee table and found Charity’s number. She dialed and then held the phone so JT could listen.

  “Yes?” A male voice answered.

  Violet and JT exchanged a puzzled look. “Hello. I’m looking for Charity Rimes.”

  “Are you a friend?”

  The man’s question awakened Violet’s anxiety. “Not exactly. My name is Violet Fontaine. She spoke with my father several months ago about a book she was writing. I was hoping to find out what she told him.”

  “Can’t you just ask him?”

  She wanted to demand he let her speak to Charity, but some instinct stopped her. “He died.” She left out the part where Tiberius had been murdered.

  A long silence followed. At last the man spoke. “I’m sorry about your father, but Charity won’t be able to help you right now. She was in an accident. Her car was T-boned by an SUV.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “She has some broken ribs and a head injury that the doctors want to monitor.”

  JT frowned and stood. Violet’s gaze followed his tense form as he paced across the room. She could only imagine his disappointment. Since this morning he’d had to assimilate potentially damning news about his father and decide whether or not to pursue the truth. No matter how damaged their relationship, inside JT was a little boy who’d once looked up to his father.

  “Please tell her I hope she’ll be okay. Perhaps I can call again at a later date.”

  “Do you want to leave your number? I can have her call you.”

  “That would be nice.” Violet gave him the numbers for her cell and the direct line to her office phone. When she hung up a gust of air poured from her lungs. “How crazy was that?”