The Billionaire From Portland: A Sexy BWWM Billionaire Romance (United States Of Billionaires Book 10)

by Simply BWWM

  She wasn’t there but a moment when she felt a warm hand on the lowest part of her bare back, and she turned with a start, looking into Julian’s smiling face.

  “You look ravishing, my dear. Thank you for coming tonight. Would you like some champagne?” he asked, holding out a flute of it to her. She drew in a breath and sighed softly and almost imperceptibly, taking the champagne flute from him, wondering how the night would play out between the two of them.

  He wasn’t hiding his interest in her at all; his gaze swept slowly over her body as he took all of her in, and his smile grew sultry. She realized that she would need to be on guard with him that night, if she expected to hold her ground about not sleeping with him for the cover of the magazine. She had grown angry inside that it had become a power struggle between the two of them.

  “The house looks beautiful tonight,” she said, wanting to be polite and offer some kind of compliment. She wasn’t about to compliment him on himself, so the house was the next best thing, she thought as she took a small step away from him, placing herself just far enough away from him that he couldn’t quite reach her.

  He noticed her shift of position and the corner of his mouth twitched. “It is nice tonight. Thank you. Are you hungry? Why don’t you come into the dining room and have some little morsels to eat?” he said, stepping toward her and placing his hand on her elbow. He led her from behind, guiding her through the rooms until they reached the dining room.

  She recognized some of the people they passed; not because she knew them, but because they were famous. She was amazed at the vast array of people that the Medicis knew, and she realized that she shouldn’t have been surprised. It seemed that almost every ilk of person was there, and it crossed her mind that if she could somehow find the time to actually sit down and have a conversation with each of them that she wanted to talk with, it would take weeks.

  Julian glanced down at her back and her hips as they swayed when she walked, and he felt himself growing hard again for her. He let his mind wander as they headed to the dining room; imagining his tongue trailing down her back to her tight, round ass.

  Heat began to course through him and when they got to the dining room, he wanted nothing more than to plant both of his hands on her hips and pull her to his crotch, but she walked away from him and left him where he was. She picked up a plate and began to put food on it, moving around the array of buffet tables that filled the room.

  He shook his head, laughing a little to himself. She was a feisty woman and he was going to have to work a little harder to get her, but he promised himself that he would have her, and when he finally did, she was going to beg him to make love to her over and over. Then he’d let her go.

  A waiter passed by him carrying a tray of filled champagne glasses, and Julian plucked two of them off the tray. He had been watching Gabriella carefully, waiting to see when she put her empty glass down. As soon as she did, he appeared at her side and slipped one of the flutes into her hand.

  “Here, you seem to have run out.” He smiled at her, his gaze moving from her full red lips to her silvery blue eyes that seemed to shine with the same light that moved over her dress.

  She took the glass and sipped the golden bubbles, her eyes wary on him. Just then, a deep voice sounded next to them, and they both turned to see a dark haired man with kind dark eyes and a kind smile standing beside them. He looked to be a little older than Julian, but not by much.

  “Marcus!” Julian exclaimed turning to him. The men embraced one another, kissing each other on both cheeks, and then Julian turned the man toward Gabriella.

  “Gabriella Williams, this is my cousin, Marcus Medici.” He grinned proudly. “Marcus, this is Gabriella. She is with me tonight.” He nodded and smiled and Marcus reached for Gabriella’s hand, taking it carefully in his and kissing the back of it lightly.

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Miss Williams,” he said politely, and his eyes never left hers. She saw right away that he was a man who not only commanded respect, but was assured of it from others merely by his own demeanor.

  She smiled at him and decided right in that first moment that they met, that she liked him. He was quiet and watchful, he was strong and kind, and something about his eyes told her that nothing ever got past him.

  “Please, call me Gabriella,” she said with a nod of her head, and he nodded back in acquiescence to her.

  “How did you meet Julian?” he asked curiously, his gaze still on her rather than on his cousin.

  She didn’t look at Julian either as she answered him. “I work for him at his magazine. I’m a model.”

  Marcus smiled and nodded his head. “I’m not surprised. You are a lovely lady. I hope he treats you well there.” It was then that Marcus’ gaze shifted to Julian and Julian smiled and gave a nod as if there could never be any question about the way he treated his staff. Gabriella wished she could roll her eyes, but she stood silently and watched them both.

  Marcus looked directly at Julian then and said in a lower voice, “Julian; Hendricks, Johansson, Roberson, and Everett are here. They want to see you. They’re waiting in your office. You need to go right now.”

  Surprise and uncertainty flashed across Julian’s face for the briefest moment, and then he sighed and nodded, looking grim for a moment before he turned to Gabriella.

  “I have some business to attend to. I’ll be back soon. Keep drinking the champagne and don’t go too far.” He gave her a smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She pulled away slightly just as his lips reached her, and it was awkward for them both for a moment with Marcus looking on.

  Julian nodded at her politely then and clapped Marcus on the shoulder before walking off into the crowd of partygoers, heading toward the business meeting waiting for him in his office.

  Marcus looked at her and gave her an understanding smile. “I’m not sure if I should apologize for drawing him away or not, but I hope you enjoy the party and the evening. If I can get you anything or do anything for you, please let me know. I’ll be close by tonight.” He gave her a friendly wink and she smiled at him and thanked him, and he turned away from her, walking over to another man not far away.

  He placed his hand on the man’s back, and the man turned toward him. Gabriella gasped when she saw that it was Antonio. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, and he looked to her as if he could have been James Bond in it, he was so intensely attractive and polished. Antonio grinned at him and wrapped him in a hug. When he let his cousin go, Marcus jerked his head toward a quieter corner of the room and Gabriella watched the two of them walk over to it and leave the noise behind them.

  Marcus didn’t speak until they had reached the corner of the room and he looked around pensively before turning his attention toward Antonio.

  “Antonio, I want you to know something,” he said in a low voice as his eyes held his cousin’s. “Four members of the board of Medici Corp are here right now and they are meeting with Julian in his office.”

  Antonio’s brow furrowed and he looked at Marcus in surprise. “Why? What are they meeting with him about and why aren’t we in there with Julian?” he asked protectively.

  Marcus shook his head. “No, Antonio, he’s in this one on his own.” He paused a moment and looked around before returning his gaze to Antonio. “Things with your brother are not good.” He sighed slightly and touched his hand to the left side of his chest. “I love him. He’s my family. He’s my blood.” His hand left his chest and he pointed sharply at Antonio’s chest. “But he’s screwing up, and the board is done with it. Done.”

  He looked around them once more and then back at Antonio. “Listen to me. Julian has a terrible reputation in this town. He spends money recklessly, he’s a womanizer, he isn’t a man of his word, and he has been making some bad business decisions with Medici Corp.” Marcus looked with dead seriousness at Antonio, and Antonio knew that things were far beyond anything he could fix by merely talking with his brother.

  “I know… I know, Mar
cus. I can talk with him, though. I can tell him… we can work it out, somehow,” he said quietly. “He’ll change,” he said thinly, knowing that it wouldn’t happen.

  “He’s not going to change, Antonio, and you know it. It would take something huge to change that boy, and I’ve never seen anything yet that would make it happen. The board is right on the edge right now, Antonio,” he said firmly, his gaze still locked on his cousin. “Now, you two have equal ownership and rights to everything. When your father passed, God rest his soul, he split it all right down the middle and gave each of you half of everything he had made.”

  Antonio nodded in agreement and continued to listen.

  “I want you to know something.” Marcus continued, “I want you to have the controlling half of the company. Right now the board members are in there talking with your brother about what he’s doing with his side of the business. They’ve had it with him. They’re going to hear him out, and listen to everything he has to say, and then they’re going to make a decision about what they want to do.

  Now, you know I’m a peaceful kind of guy, and you know how I feel about warring families, but the Fanellis know everything about your brother and all the trouble he’s been getting into. They are hungry, Antonio,” he said, clapping his hand on his cousin’s shoulder, “They want to take over Medici Corp and dismantle it. They’ll have a monopoly over the entire west coast if that happens. It can’t happen, Antonio. Your brother, if he keeps up everything he’s doing… He’s going to enable the Fanellis to make it happen.”

  Antonio frowned deeply and pressed his lips together in a thin line, listening to Marcus and knowing in his own gut that his cousin was right. They could lose everything to the Fanellis if the other family tried to take control of anything.

  “They are ready to pound on Medici, because they see the weakness in Julian.” Marcus shook his head. “We’re not going to let that happen. Julian doesn’t know how much trouble he’s in. He doesn’t know that the Fanellis are ready and waiting for his next screw up. Right now the board is asking him what he’s going to do about fixing the messes he’s made. Depending on his answer, some changes may be made.”

  Marcus looked around again in silence for a moment and then lowered his voice further and leaned in close to Antonio. “They have a plan. They each want to give a portion of their shares to another member of the Medici family on the board so that the Fanellis won’t have a way to take it over. I told them they need to sell their shares to you.

  You need to be the controlling member of the board for Medici Corp. You need to be running the company. It can’t be split down the middle any longer. Your brother is a train wreck, and we’re all tired of watching him drag this family down. He is wild and he is unpredictable, and I don’t want to see him destroy this family or the family fortune. I’m not going to stand by and watch him do that.”

  Antonio sighed heavily. “I don’t feel right about taking control. The company is ours, together, split right down the middle… half and half…” He began, but Marcus clenched his jaw and looked him dead in the eyes.

  “You’re going to lose the whole thing if you don’t take control. No one else could run this company or this family like you can. No one. Your father knew what a jackass Julian is, and he should have left it to you, but he was sentimental and he split it, and now it’s a broken kingdom falling apart. You want to lose it all? Everything? Leave it like it is. You want to save it and look after your brother and take care of both of you? Take control.” Marcus had never been so serious with Antonio.

  Antonio sighed and nodded. “I don’t like it, but I know you’re right. I guess we’ll see what happens. The Fanellis are not taking anything apart. I’ll die before I let that happen,” he vowed.

  Marcus didn’t say anything more. He nodded and sighed solemnly, wrapping Antonio in another hug and resting his hand on his shoulder a moment before he turned away and walked silently into the crowd of guests.

  Antonio watched him go, grateful that he and Julian had such a good family member looking out for them, and wishing that Julian would pull his head straight out of his ass and run his half of the company with some responsibility before he lost everything for them, or before Antonio had to take over.

  He looked out over the crowd of guests and as he did, his gaze stopped in an instant when he saw her. Gabriella was walking out of the dining room with a glass of champagne in her hand, heading toward the door that led to the gardens out behind the home. His heart leaped in his chest as if it had been electrified. He hurried from the corner and slipped through the throng of people between the corner he had been in and the door she had just walked out of.

  It was mere moments before he closed the door behind him and reached her as she walked toward the edge of the patio, resting her hand on the marble balustrade that looked over the gardens. He stepped up behind her, knowing she had not heard him and he cleared his throat quietly.

  Gabriella jumped at the sound and turned suddenly, looking up as she did and finding herself looking into Antonio’s warm brown eyes. She couldn’t hide the smile that grew on her face as she gazed at him.

  “Antonio!” she said happily as her heart began to beat a little faster. “I’m so pleased to get to see you tonight. How are you doing?” He was much more handsome than she remembered in her dreams, and it was captivating just to stand there with him and look at him.

  His heart began to beat faster and he smiled at her feeling like he was suddenly in high school again, trying to figure out how to speak to a pretty girl.

  “I’m much better now that I’ve gotten to see you,” he replied softly. He glanced at her dress for an instant and then looked back at her. “You look beautiful tonight,” he said, trying not to stare at her. “That dress really brings out the light in your eyes.”

  She felt her cheeks warm and she looked down for a moment and then raised her eyes back up to him, looking up at him through her thick dark lashes. “That’s very sweet, thank you,” she replied.

  He nodded. “Did you get anything to eat? There’s a whole room full of food…” he trailed off quietly and she nodded.

  “I’m fine, thank you. I did have some to eat. It was very good,” she answered.

  Antonio found himself staring in silence at her for a moment and blinked, shaking his head and reminding himself to talk with her, rather than just watching her. “Did you get to dance at all? The band is one of the best in Los Angeles.” He raised his hand in the empty space behind him, indicating the band that was playing somewhere in the house.

  She shook her head. “No, it was really crowded in there. I thought it would be nice to come out here where it’s more peaceful,” she told him honestly. She hoped she didn’t sound like she was no fun, but the house was thickly crowded with guests; it was loud, it was hot, and she wasn’t interested in spending her entire night wading through strangers.

  He nodded and bit his lower lip, looking at her curiously. “The music is still pretty loud out here… what if we stayed out here and danced together?” He held his hand out to her. “May I have this dance?” he asked with a boyish grin, and she saw his dimple emerge again. She tried her best not to swoon at his romantic gesture and movie star good looks.

  “I’d love that, thank you,” she replied, slipping her hand into his. He felt like he had never been as nervous or excited as he drew her into his arms and held her close against him, beginning to move as the music drifted around them on the warm air, cocooning them in their own private dance.

  He closed his eyes as he swayed with her, lowering his head until he could feel her braids just beneath his face. He breathed her in, inhaling her sweet scent and wanting to hold it in his chest as long as he could.

  Gabriella could hear his heart pounding away as she leaned close to him, and she liked that his was beating just as fast as hers was. She was thrilled to be in his arms, and there was nowhere else in the world that she wanted to be. The feel of his warm hands on her back as he held her close
spread warmth through all of her body and she smiled, loving the sensation of it. She didn’t dream as sweet as the moment that she found herself in, and she wanted it to last all night long.

  As the song drew to a close, he stopped their dance and looked down at her, keeping her in his embrace. She lifted her chin and her eyes met his, and something electric passed between them. Heat began to build and in the breathless moment that they were sharing, Antonio felt the pull to her magnified, and he let his desire pull him to her. He lowered his face to hers and his lips parted slightly as she raised herself up, nearing his mouth.

  She closed her eyes, anxious to feel the touch of his lips against hers. She could feel his breath on her mouth and just as she was anticipating the soft kiss, a slamming noise startled them both and they broke their embrace, stepping back from one another quickly, looking behind them at the house where the noise had come from.

  Julian was stalking toward them, a look of anger shooting across his face. When he reached them, he clamped his hand around Gabriella’s wrist and cutting a dark look at his brother, he turned and dragged her behind him into the house.

  She turned and looked over her shoulder just before they passed through the doorway, and caught Antonio’s eyes. He looked miserable and he mouthed to her, “I’m sorry.” Then he was gone and she was being pulled through the mob of people in the house, following Julian on his beeline quest.

  He took her to the garage and put her into his Lamborghini, closing the door sharply behind her. She frowned and turned to look at him when he sat down beside her in the driver’s seat.

  “What are you doing?” she snapped at him.

  “I’m taking you home,” he replied shortly, starting the car and backing it out of the garage.

  She folded her arms across her chest and turned to look out of the passenger side window in frustration. Every annoying thing about him seemed to be culminating and building up in her the further they drove. She scowled as she watched the city lights go flashing by them.