by Kira Blakely
“Sweetie,” Mom said as I pulled out some plates I’d smuggled from the kitchen. “You are a lifesaver. I can’t tell you how much I needed a break from your sister’s macrobiotic everything.”
“I probably shouldn’t sneak you this. I doubt there’s anything healthy or redeeming in sweet and sour chicken.”
“But I’ve been craving it for two weeks, and it was one of the things I fantasized about keeping down when I was in chemo,” she pointed out.
“True,” I said as I scooped the rice and sauced up chicken chunks onto the plate. I’d get my food later. After the crappy excuse for negotiations today, I’d lost my appetite. “But I think Carol would still murder me,” I finished, moving her tray to her lap and placing the plate over it. We always had everything available in here; it was practically a hospital room now. “How are you doing?”
“I just watched eight hours of HGTV. I think I could renovate anything,” she chirped and then winked at me. “First step—get me a sledgehammer so I can tear out all non-load bearing walls. What about you? Did the merger talks go well?”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with those.”
Mom’s smile dimmed, making my heart ache. “Honey, don’t sugar coat it. Did things go okay?”
I sat down by her bed and took her hand. “We’re going into extended negotiations, but I think we can get the leverage we need to draft up a deal. I really do.”
She leaned over and kissed my cheek. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart.”
“Now, are we going to watch some Guardians of the Galaxy for the millionth time or what?”
***
“Dad, we need to talk.”
My heart thudded in my chest when I burst into his soon-to-be-shuttered downtown office the next day. I’d tossed and turned all night, debating my decision to take Drake McManus’s deal. I knew it was a gamble, knew exactly the kinds of things I’d be giving up and what I might be losing. No, what I would definitely be losing. But I’d also dreamed all night, dreamed of a life without Mom in it, dreamed of Dad withering away without his soulmate, dreamed about the end of our family. Mom was the heart for all us and without her, the Fontaine family wouldn’t survive, not really. If there was a way to save her, then I was going to do it, no matter what it took.
He frowned, but turned to George, our company’s chief finance officer, and nodded. George looked back at me with a raw, naked look that made me want to roll my eyes. He’d been flirting with me for years, trying to get me to go out with him since he’d first seen me when I’d come home from spring break about four years ago. To be fair, he wasn’t unattractive, not with his wiry swimmer’s build, green eyes, and cleft chin. However, there was something about him, something so self-absorbed, even in this town, that always drove me away. God, how I wished he’d take “no” for an answer, but George never passed up a chance to ask me out. Unfortunately, he was also my dad’s right-hand man, and I’d never wanted to add to Dad’s growing list of problems by telling him about George’s somewhat more skeevy side.
Besides, maybe I was just being overly sensitive about the whole thing.
“George, can you take a few minutes? I need to speak with Belle.”
George stood and passed by me, his eyes lingering on my breasts. God, if he thought he was being subtle, then he couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Sure, Belle, if you want to grab lunch later, I know this great Italian place.”
“I’m fine,” I said.
“Really,” he pressed. “Because they do the best eggplant parmesan in the entire city. You’d love it.”
Shows what you know, I hate eggplant, not that you’d know or care.
I forced myself to stay smiling for the sake of my father. “I think I’ll pass. Have a good day, George.” He paused and something dark seemed to flicker across his expression, then he smiled back at me before hurrying out. I turned to my father and sighed. “Dad, I’m going to call Mr. McManus today.”
“What?” he asked, bolting from his chair so fast you’d have thought there was an electric current running through the seat. “You can’t. I won’t let you!”
“If we don’t do this, we’re finished, and then Mom doesn’t just lose a chance for better care, but her chance for decent care at all. Dad, it’s not because you asked me but because I’m worried for Mom. She means as much to me as she does to you or to Carol. I can do this.”
My dad stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder and then stroked my hair back. “You know the kind of things he’ll want from you. It probably won’t be just long, boring talks over contract details.”
“We don’t know for sure that he’ll ask for more,” I said, knowing the objection sounded weak even to my ears.
“It’s Drake McManus. We know there’s always more; there’re always strings.”
I nodded. “But I’m twenty-four. It’s my choice to make, and I choose to help Mom, no matter what.”
He hugged me tightly, and I could feel him shaking just a little. “Please don’t say yes.”
“Dad, I’m doing this whether you want me to or not. I just wanted to let you know first so that you wouldn’t be surprised when Mr. McManus calls you. This matters. If it helps give Mom more years or even helps her find an experimental drug treatment that gets her to remission, then it’s worth it.” I pulled away from him, working overtime to keep my composure. Dad needed to believe I was one hundred percent okay with this, even if such a crazy idea had me quivering inside. “Please, you and Mom have always been there for me. Let me be there for her, too.”
He sighed and glanced at the picture on his desk, a photo snapped of the four of us smiling at the ski slopes outside of Vail when I was still in high school. “I love the three of you more than anything. Everything I do, everything I tried to build was for you all and so you could have the kind of life I hoped you would.”
Reaching out, I took his hand and squeezed it. “Then let me do this for you.” I turned and hurried out of the room before Dad could say anything else. I didn’t need him to talk me out of it, didn’t need his own guilt and worries to wear off on me. I just needed a few minutes to catch my breath, to calm down, and then I’d call Drake. The last thing I wanted was for him to notice my shaking voice or nervousness on the line. Keeping my head up past my dad’s secretary, I rushed into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.
Leaning low over the sink, I splashed water over my face. The cool drops slid over my cheeks, and I almost felt normal. Almost. I looked back into the mirror and wondered if my eyes would shine back at me as wildly as I truly felt. My heart hadn’t stopped thumping the whole time with my father, and now it was a riot in my chest.
“I can do this. I can make this deal.”
Funny how I’m just a bargaining chip.
But for my mom and for my family, I’d do anything.
Easing out of the door, I was about to pull my cell from my purse when I bumped into George. Apparently, he’d been waiting in the salon for me the whole time. Ugh. He was trying for casual, leaning against one of the sofas in the waiting room.
“So, you ready for that lunch?”
“I said no.”
“Okay, then let’s really cut to the chase.”
Not likely.
“And?” I said.
“I talked to Carol this morning when she came in for running some figures. She told me everything that dick McManus wants.”
“What I agree to do is my own business.”
He reached out and grabbed my forearm so tightly that I let out an involuntary yip, but still he held on. “Belle, you don’t have to do this. Think about us.”
“First, we’re not an item and we never were.”
He clenched his jaw, and I could see a vein popping out in his forehead before he spoke again. “You should be mine, Belle, and one day I’m going to find a way to make it so.”
I jerked back from him. “No. I’m not yours, and I never will be.”
Chapter Three
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Drake
“Sir, I hope Ms. Fontaine arrives soon,” my driver Leonard said with his thick Haitian accent.
Outside of Mrs. Johnson, he was my most trusted assistant. He was one of the only people I could actually laugh with, those times I could chuckle at all. Maybe it was because he’d seen his share of tragedy, too, things we didn’t get too deeply into that had sent him to the States almost fifteen years ago. Still, he was quiet and calm, a balance to the churning waves I barely kept clamped down.
I nodded, folding my newspaper and setting it on my lap. Then I looked out the window of my private jet and out toward the tarmac. “She better be.”
Leonard sighed. “Should I mention, sir, that I don’t approve of this strategy?”
“You have, and you just did again.”
“Good, because she’s not just a toy you can bid on.”
I sighed and raked a hand through my black hair. Ever since I’d gotten out of the Marines, I’d hated having it short, anything that even came close to reminding me of a buzz cut. I was done with that life, even if it kept haunting me.
“I’m aware, but I need this deal, too. My side venture, the talent agency for kids in the inner city, the one trying to help people in South Central Los Angeles, needs a more experienced hand. Someone like Maurice Fontaine can lead it and help it grow.”
“Then why the games, sir? If you just explained it this way…”
“Because games are what I have. It would be a publicity disaster for my greater company if people heard even a whisper of the idea that my charity was crumbling through mismanagement. Maurice might have no idea how to Tweet, but he knows how to groom and promote talent, and he’s a very dedicated father. I think he can both reorganize that charity and work closely with those children. The smokescreen, the swagger of the deal, it all keeps my image in place. When you’re the Sultan of Spin, the image is everything.”
“And you luring a girl to your island, that’s all part of it, too?”
“It’s already the talk of TMZ. It helps garner interest in both companies,” I objected, as if that was the only reason for me doing it. It wasn’t just about the publicity stunt, or I’d have chosen Carol instead and played checkers with her all month. Deep down, I knew that I wanted Belle. Had wanted her since the moment I’d first seen her. I wasn’t fool enough to believe I could convince Leonard of anything else. “It’s working.”
“Sir, there’s a girl whose heart is about to be played with, so I hope you know what you’re doing,” Leonard replied, his deep brown eyes regarding me solemnly. “If you crush her, I’ll quit and then kick your butt myself.”
I chuckled. I would have fired any other employee, except for Mrs. Johnson, for talking to me like this, but Leonard kept me honest. What little of my soul I had left and unsullied only existed because Mrs. Johnson and Leonard protected it so.
“I’d let you do it.”
He shook his head back at me. “Sir, I’m fifty, not dead. I can still kick your butt. Now, I’m serious; don’t you hurt this girl. She’s here to help her family, and you need to take it easy with her, maybe actually just focus on negotiations after all.”
“I’ll take it under advisement,” I said, my tone clipped.
“Sure, but at least I’ve warned you. I’d be a bad assistant if I let you rush into a burning house.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said, gripping my armrests.
“I think Penelope and I disagree on that.”
I glanced out the window and was partially relieved to see that Belle was gathering her bags. However, I was shocked when some prick with slicked back hair was trailing behind her. Seriously, what the fuck? Did this asshole not know she was mine? Had she lied and decided to bring someone else along with her? Hopping out of my seat, I rushed down the stairs to see what was going on.
“Oh, princess, you’re right on time. I appreciate the professionalism,” I said. Then I glared at the dick who’d followed her. Some corner of my brain, some still rational part that had done the research on the company, supplied that it was George Peters, but I didn’t give too much of a shit. He was here, and I was not letting him come to the Bahamas with us. “Mr. Peters, I think that the deal was to have Belle do the negotiations solo.”
He puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips. If he thought he looked like a superhero striking that pose, he was wrong. Instead, he looked more like a self-important rooster strutting in a barnyard. He was definitely cocking things up for me.
“I thought she could use an escort.”
She pursed her lips and clearly wasn’t any happier to see George than I was. “I said goodbye to the family today before I left my house. You can imagine my surprise when he showed up at the parking side of the jet yard and followed me here.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to calm myself. If I had my hands free, then I might have clenched my fists and taken a swing. “Again, Mr. Peters, I don’t think that Ms. Fontaine requires your presence here.”
George glared back at me, and I wanted to laugh in his face. I would’ve if Belle hadn’t been there. “I don’t think she requires going to the Bahamas either. You think I don’t know what you’re about, McManus? I know your game, and I think it’s sick that you’re using Belle like some kind of bargaining chip. I know that no one else will rock the boat, but I’m going to.”
Belle put a hand on George’s forearm. “It’s okay.” She turned to me, her eyes darting around quickly. “He sprang this on me. Trust me; I’d never bring him with me on purpose.”
“I can bet on that,” I said dryly. Then I snapped my fingers signaling for a few of my security detail to come forth, one of the perks of being a billionaire. Two of them grabbed Mr. Peters by the shoulders. “I hope you’ll be okay with my staff seeing you out.”
“This isn’t over, McManus. I’m not going to forget what you’re doing to Belle or to her family. I know you’re a complete cold-blooded snake, and I’ll be on your ass if you even touch her.”
Belle rounded on him and shook her head, a fierceness flaring through her that I’d never seen before, one that had my dick hard immediately. “George, enough. I’m a big girl, and you’re not my boyfriend or my brother, but you are an officer of this company and you need to respect the deals the rest of the executive team makes. Now back off.”
“Agreed,” I said, nodding to my agents.
It was gratifying to watch that weasel be dragged away.
Frowning at Belle, I asked, “Are you okay? I’m sorry that asshole was following you. If you want, I can call my team and ask them to have a few bones broken when he’s dropped back off at his house.”
Belle eyed me, and finally seeming to get I was joking, offered me a dazzling smile. “That’s a tempting promise, but I think I’ll pass. I hate George, but he doesn’t deserve that. Well, probably doesn’t deserve it.”
Nodding, I crooked my elbow for her to take. She paused for a few moments before humoring me. There were a lot of things that I was planning on having her do with and for me in this month; the least of it was going to be taking my elbow. Still, I loved the heat of her, the feel of her soft body near mine, even if it was just an arm against my own.
“Well, the offer stands, so you only have to let me know.”
***
“Champagne?” I asked, pouring a flute for myself. “We’re going to have seven hours to the Bahamas. You might as well relax.”
She sat ramrod straight in her seat and kept gazing out of the window to the fluffy clouds beside us. “Do you want to go over some figures? Carol and I went back through some plans and changes that I think you’ll like. I think we can really make the eighty cents on the dollar exchange worth your time.”
“I know other things that are worth my time,” I said, lowering my voice to a rumble. I’d sent Leonard to the cockpit. I didn’t need his knowing disapproval as I started negotiations. “Seriously, you need to relax.”
“You sound like George,” s
he said, her tone honest and not bitter.
I frowned and set my champagne down. “I don’t. He was trying to protect you out of a misguided sense of honor. Make no mistake, princess, I don’t have that. I do intend to actually negotiate.”
She sighed and pushed her hair off the back of her neck. “But you have other things to do first, like me. I know I’m naïve and almost a dozen years younger than you, but I’m not a complete idiot. I just… I don’t know if I’m ready yet for everything.”
I leaned forward in my seat and it gave me a better look at the way her blouse dipped low over her cleavage. In all the arguing with George, a button or two must have come loose, or maybe they’d been defective to begin with. Whatever the reason, I was able to catch a glimpse of her bra, a hint of red lace I was dying to see more of.
Reaching out, I stroked her hair. “You will be, but you’re right. We have a month to discuss business and everything else.” I dropped my hand back from her face, but stayed leaning forward. “This month doesn’t have to be onerous, doesn’t have to be hard.” I said that last word slowly, stretching out every syllable.
“No, but I’m just trying to steel myself for a deal with the devil.”
I leaned back and stroked my chin for a second. “Do you think that’s what I am?”
“I know you have charitable interests, quite a few. I know that what you’ve done with Drake’s Kids in South Central L.A. has been nothing short of miraculous.”
If I can keep it open and secure with the right man to run the day-to-day operations, yes.
“See, then I’m not the Big Bad of your nightmares, not some dastardly vampire in an alley or whatever else is on your mind.”
“Hardly, but I also know how you go through more women in a year than you’d think are even in Southern California.”
“They all came willingly, Belle, and eventually so will you.”
“I don’t have any illusions, Drake. I know that whatever we decide to do, then I’m going to be just another story you’ll save up, something you’ll probably brag about with the other masters of the universe over coke and too much Cristal. You can’t say I’m wrong.”