by J. S. Cooper
“Her mother’s death?”
“Her mother died in a car crash.”
Steve’s eyes bore into mine with no expression as he spoke up: “Bianca doesn’t think it was an accident.”
“Okay. So what does she think happened?”
“She thinks your dad had her killed,” Larry answered, but it was Steve’s face I looked at. There was an emotion that flickered in his eyes for a brief second, and I felt myself stiffening. This was important.
“And did he?” I asked Larry, the intensity of my gaze letting him know I wanted the truth.
“I don’t know what your father did.” He shrugged. “It’s a possibility.”
“That’s why you’re worried?” My stomach dropped. If my father had killed her mother, that would make my ultimate plans more complicated.
“No,” Larry said shortly. “There are other issues to be more worried about.”
“Oh?”
“There are other things that she could find out, if she digs too deeply. Things that could bring down the whole company and disgrace the Bradley name.”
“And give her a cut of the company?” I asked softly.
“Bianca’s father was the company’s chief inventor.” Larry nodded. “She might wonder why he died with barely a penny to his name. She has his patents.”
“Why did you give her the boxes?” I asked him curiously. “Didn’t you think it might bring up some questions?”
“I didn’t realize that he’d left her a letter.”
“A letter?”
“He suspected that his wife hadn’t died by accident.” Larry’s voice was a monotone and I saw Steve looking away.
“Okay, and?”
“Look, we just need to make sure that she doesn’t uncover something she shouldn’t.” He shrugged. “This isn’t the place for us to be having this conversation.”
“Would she really want to know, though?” I leaned forward, my eyes narrowed as I gazed at him. Hearing Bianca’s story almost made me feel bad for her. She was doing what I would have done if I’d been in her shoes. The only problem was that even if she discovered the truth, she was going to be heartbroken. It would be bad for her and it would be bad for the company.
“I don’t care if she would want to know. All I care about is that she doesn’t know.” Larry’s voice was angry. “We haven’t worked this hard for it all to end this way.”
“Maybe they shouldn’t have stolen the products, then,” Steve said softly, receiving a hostile glare from Larry.
“It’s not for us to question their motivations now,” Larry huffed. “What is done is done.”
“What about the family of the true inventor?” Steve replied. “What thought was given to them?”
“That was Jeremiah’s doing.” Larry looked angry. “Jeremiah and Nicholas are the ones who stole the blueprints for the inventions. They are the ones who passed them off as theirs.”
“Exactly,” I said quietly. “So why is this Bianca London a threat? Her father was just as culpable.”
“Her father wanted the truth to come out,” Steve said, his beady eyes narrowed. “Bianca might respect his wishes and expose the truth to the world. All the dirty, dark secrets of Bradley, Inc. might come to light. Then the company would be worth nothing.”
“I haven’t worked this hard for it all to be worth nothing.” Larry stared at me.
“So what do you want to do?”
“I have a plan,” he said softly. “But we need your help.”
“You’re talking about whisking her away to my island?” I said thoughtfully.
“Yes, you can leave her there with some food.”
“By herself?” I frowned, shaking my head. “No way.”
“Then what?”
“I’d go with her.” I looked to the side and thought for a moment. “We’d be kidnapped together. She doesn’t know me. She won’t know it’s a setup. Then I can get her to trust me. Once she trusts me, I can figure out exactly what she knows.”
“Who’s to say she’ll trust you?” Larry frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” I countered. If Larry was against it, there had to be a reason. I didn’t trust him and I was pretty sure that he knew that. I was playing along now so that I could further my own goals, but Larry was also on my hit list. If he didn’t want me to be part of this plan, there had to be a reason. And that made me more determined to be with Bianca on the island.
“Let’s see what happens at the shareholders’ meeting next week,” Steve said. “Maybe she’ll go to the meeting and just forget about it all. I mean, she’s going to figure out pretty quickly that she’s not going to meet Mattias.”
“Yes, let’s see what happens next week.” Larry nodded his agreement.
“What if she goes after David?” I said softly.
“David has a girlfriend,” Larry said tightly.
“Who knows how long that will last? She looks like a tight-assed skank.”
Larry’s eyes narrowed then and I could see that he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself.
“Let’s just see what happens,” he mumbled, and turned away. “I have to go and mingle now.” And then he walked away, leaving Steve standing next to me.
“If you go to the island, I can come as well.” His eyes gazed into mine, but his expression was neutral. “If I show up out of the blue, she might trust you then, because it will be the two of you against me.”
“Yes.” I nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’ll consider it.”
“Good.” He nodded and mumbled something to himself.
“What did you say?” I asked him as he started to walk away.
“I said I’m between the devil and the deep blue sea.” He looked at me for a second and then just walked away without explaining himself. I stood at the bar, leaning back and staring around the room at the different factions of people dancing, enjoying themselves, and not knowing the dark undertones of the party.
“This is it,” I muttered to myself. “Bianca London and I are on a crash course with fate.” I swallowed my scotch and felt the burn in my chest with a tinge of satisfaction and regret as I thought about the shareholders’ meeting next week. Poor Bianca London had no idea what she was getting herself into with her investigation. She was playing with the big boys. We already had her in checkmate and she hadn’t even made her first move.
Roma slipped next to me and whispered in my ear, “Penny for your thoughts.”
“I’ll give them to you for free.” I gazed down at her breasts and grabbed her arm, escorting her out of the room and down the hallway. I pushed open a door and pulled her inside, closing the door behind us. I unzipped my pants as she fell to her knees and leaned back against the door. There was a small smile on my face as I felt her mouth on my hard cock. This had been inevitable from the moment we’d both seen each other. She had been aching to touch me and I’d been more than willing to have my brother’s trophy going down on me. I pulled her hair as she sucked me off and I groaned as she took me all the way into her throat. However, my eyes popped open as an image of Bianca London appeared in my mind. My stomach rumbled as I thought about being with her on the island, just the two of us. It was a dangerous game I was playing, and I didn’t like that I wanted an opportunity to get to know her—or the fact that I wished it was her going down on me in the dark room. I pulled Roma up and turned her around, grabbing her by the waist and bending her over. I pulled a condom out of my pocket, slipped it on, and pulled her panties to the side. I entered her quickly, thrusting in and out of her, my only thought to come as quickly as possible.
“Oh, fuck me harder, Jakob,” she cried out, and I smirked as I obliged. I could feel that she was on the brink of orgasm, but I didn’t care, as I found myself coming. I pulled out of her quickly, yanked the condom off, threw it on the floor, did my zipper up, and opened the door before looking back at her disheveled face.
“I hope you didn’t forget where you were ag
ain.” I ran my hands through my hair as I mocked her. “See you later.” I nodded and closed the door, an evil smile spreading across my face. However, I felt empty inside as I walked back into the ballroom. Something in me felt that I’d made a mistake fucking Roma. I didn’t know why—I didn’t care if David found out. In fact, part of me would be happy if David found out how easily I’d had his girl, but I couldn’t shake the anxious feeling that was permeating through my body. I’d made a mistake and somehow it was going to cost me. The only problem was I had no idea just how much.
* * *
“I’m glad we could all do lunch,” Roma said with a calculated smile as she gazed at me from across the table.
“Yes, it’s a good idea for us all to have a talk before the shareholders’ meeting in a few days,” I said, and looked at David, trying to figure out if he knew what had happened at the ball.
“Yes, that will be good,” Roma replied, and I felt her hand on my thigh.
“Have you spoken to Larry?” I asked David, curious to know if there had been any other conversations between the two of them that hadn’t included me.
“Not since the call we all had two days ago.” He shook his head casually, but his eyes looked alert as he gazed at Roma and myself.
“You know what I wish I’d had two days ago?” Roma asked with a small smile, and her hand made its way closer to my crotch.
“No, what?” I asked, and grabbed her hand and pulled it away.
“I wish I’d had a trip to Barneys,” she said, and looked at David. “They were having a sale and I would have liked to have done some shopping.”
“Why didn’t you?” He looked bored as he sipped his wine.
“Well, I wanted to spice it up,” she said, her voice dropping to a seductive tone. “I wanted to try on some lingerie and model it.”
“Oh.” David’s eyes widened and he looked at her with a grin. “Then you should have called me, darling.”
“I wasn’t sure you would have been able to make it.” She pouted and looked at me. “I’m sure Jakob would have been able to come, though, wouldn’t you Jakob?”
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head and looked away from her. I had no interest in seeing Roma in lingerie or fucking her in the changing room, no matter how much she wanted it.
“Oh, but I think you’d like that, wouldn’t you Jakob?” she breathed, and David frowned.
“That’s enough, Roma,” he said in a jealous tone.
“What? I was just asking Jakob if he would go to Barneys to help his girlfriend to choose lingerie, if he has one, of course.”
“Well, I don’t have one, so who knows,” I said with an abrupt smile. The last thing I needed was for David to figure out what had happened and go and ruin all of our plans. I needed him to cooperate right now and I knew that he wouldn’t be so accommodating if he knew what had gone done with Roma and I.
“That’s a pity.” She placed her hand on my arm. “I’m sure there are a lot of girls who would love to fuck you.”
“I didn’t say that I don’t get to fuck.” I stared into her eyes. “There are a lot of easy women who are quick to open their legs.”
“I’m sure they’d be just as quick to open their mouths.” She stared back at me defiantly, her lips pursed. “And I’m not sure you’d like that, would you?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I smiled, calling her bluff. “I don’t see what harm a quick and easy lay could do to me.”
“That’s good then.” She smiled and turned to David, her lips kissing his cheek as her hand moved under the table. This time it wasn’t my leg she was caressing. “I’m just sad that you’re so alone.” She glanced at me as her hand moved back on forth on what I assumed was David’s crotch as he was grinning like a fool.
“I think I’ll survive,” I said, and looked at the menu. “I’m pretty sure I can get seconds from all of the girls I’ve had before.”
“Perhaps you could,” she said, and I felt her foot on my calf. I looked up and stared into her eyes, and she had a tight smile on her face. “You just have to play your cards right, Jakob. If you play your cards right, you could have more than you even expected or wanted.”
I knew then that she was talking about herself and the company. I stared at David, who was too busy concentrating on his hand job to appreciate the nuances of our conversation. He didn’t know that Roma was willing to suck or do anyone to get what she wanted. He didn’t know that if I wanted her, I could have her under the table, sucking my cock in that very instant. He didn’t know that she didn’t care about messing up our plan because she had her own plans that would go forward with or without us. Roma was playing with fire and I had to make sure that I wasn’t the one that got burned. I couldn’t afford for one mistaken dalliance to cost me everything.
“I think that you and David make the perfect couple,” I said simply as I smiled at them both. “You’re a beautiful woman, Roma, and David is a lucky man.”
“You got that right.” He grunted as he shifted in his chair. “You’d be so lucky to find a woman half as great as Roma.”
“That I would.” I smiled and nodded as Roma gazed at me with cold, devious eyes. I had to play my cards right here. I had to make sure that both David and Roma played along with the plan. I couldn’t afford to get either of them upset right now. I looked at Roma and gave her a small wink. “You’re pretty much the perfect girl,” I said as I licked my lips slowly and gave her leg a quick stroke.
“Hey, watch yourself, bro,” David said tightly. “I wouldn’t want to think you’re hitting on my girl.”
“Oh, don’t worry, bro,” I said with a laugh. “That’s the last thing that I’d do.” I cleared my throat and smiled widely. “Now, let’s make sure we’re prepared for the shareholders’ meeting.”
four
The shareholders’ meeting was packed full of people I didn’t know or care about. I wasn’t even sure why I’d come. Well, that was a lie. I’d come to see Bianca London again. I was curious to see how she was going to pull off her first shareholders’ meeting ever. And I wondered how she would react when she found out that Mattias Bradley wasn’t going to be there.
When I was younger, I’d been jealous of Mattias Bradley. I’d always wondered why my father had created a fake older son rather than tell everyone about the real older son that he had. I hadn’t understood that Mattias was created as a shield for the family, or, rather, specifically for David. Mattias was the public persona of the CEO and David was seen as the playboy of the company, a role he loved. Frankly, he played his part all too well and had made many stupid mistakes as the real CEO, mistakes that had allowed me to put myself in a position to take over the company and ruin him. It was ironic that my plan was to do exactly what he and Larry were worried about Bianca doing.
Personally, I didn’t care if Bianca took down the company or ruined the Bradley name. It meant nothing to me. My fortune was self-made. I’d been lucky to room with a Saudi Arabian prince my first year of college, and he had helped me invest my student loans in his father’s oil rigs in the UAE. I had had to get a job at a camping store to help pay my bills, but that had taught me survival skills. Skills that could come in handy if I was ever stranded anywhere. My mother had been disappointed that I’d “given away” my loan money, as she’d put it, and gotten a job. She’d been worried that I’d fail my classes and be forced to drop out, but I had proven her wrong. I got straight A’s my first year and ended up getting a three thousand percent return on my investment by the next summer. I had been extremely lucky, as I’d later found out that Khalid’s father had not needed my paltry loan at all; Khalid had been so grateful to me for my honest friendship that he’d wanted to help me out of poverty.
I’d taken the money I’d made and then invested in real estate. Khalid’s father loaned me a million dollars to purchase and renovate a small apartment building. By the time I graduated from college, I had paid Khalid’s father off completely and I was the owner of ten apartment
complexes in the New England area and had seven employees. My fortune grew quickly after that. I had a knack for the stock market and knew when to buy and when to sell. I started investing in hotels around the world and by the time I was thirty I was a billionaire. Not that I cared about the money. I’d seen what money had done to too many people, how many lives it had ruined. I also noticed the change it had brought about in how people treated me, especially David. I was no longer the half brother he didn’t want to acknowledge. I was brought into his business circle slowly but surely. Not because he was trying to build a relationship with me, but rather because he was trying to build relationships off me. David wanted my good fortune and knack to rub off on him. Unfortunately he didn’t have my acumen. Our father had created Mattias to protect David and the Bradley fortune from dwindling away at the hands of fortune hunters—he hadn’t anticipated that David would be the one to lose it all by himself.
The moment Bianca London stepped into the meeting all eyes were on her. As I turned to look at her, I felt my stomach unfold in anticipation. I had to mask my surprise as I gazed at her. She looked completely different from her everyday appearance, made-up and perfectly styled. I smiled as I looked over her figure. She wasn’t wearing baggy clothes today. In fact, her expensive-looking suit accentuated her shape nicely. Looking at her face, I saw that her lips were a bright red, beckoning to be kissed. I wondered if her lipstick would leave traces of red on my cock if she were to go down on me. I shook my head in bemusement as I walked toward the bar. I wasn’t sure why I always had sexual thoughts about her. My ultimate goal was anything but sexual.
I grabbed a glass of wine from one of the waiter’s trays and sipped. It tasted cheap, and for a second I wondered if it was the wine from the Bradley vineyards. Another bad investment on David’s behalf, but one I was going to bail him out of. I was in the middle of taking over a national grocery chain and I knew it would increase my margins if I could add a cheap wine to every store.
Like a hawk I watched Bianca walking across the room and looking around. She was most probably trying to find Mattias. I took another sip and turned around as she looked in my direction. I didn’t want her to recognize me: not that I thought that she would, anyway. She seemed so focused on Mattias that I doubted she’d given me a second glance. After a few seconds I looked around the room to see what she was doing. She was talking to some fat guy whom I vaguely recognized. I hid a smile as I stared at her slightly perturbed face and he moved closer to her.