Billionaire In Hiding: The Complete Series (Alpha Billionaire Romance Western Love Story) (33 page)

CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN

Jack

"
What
do you think you're doing?" Lincoln
asked as he burst into the office and found Sloan and me discussing our plans
for renovation.

"Good
afternoon, brother," I said without smiling. It had been several days
since we'd seen each other, and I resented the fact that he'd dumped the
stipulations of the will on me and disappeared. "What brings you to this
part of town? Slumming, are you?"

"Dammit,
Jack, this is bullshit, and you know it!" he said in a voice that barely
contained his fury. "You cannot spend millions of dollars to renovate this
damn place when you're supposed to be turning a profit!"

"Sloan and I
are working on that, dear brother," I said. "You remember, Sloan,
don't you?"

Lincoln shot me a
murderous look as he nodded at Sloan and said, "Good to see you
again."

"Likewise,"
she said giving him the once-over before turning back to the project spread out
on the big conference table. Sloan had always despised Lincoln. She'd thought
he was an arrogant know-it-all who believed women were inferior. I wasn't sure
if he thought women were inferior or if he was just afraid of how powerful they
actually were. Either way, Sloan was right about him being a know-it-all.

"Sloan and I
have been discussing the renovation that would allow Baby Steps to increase
warehouse capacity," I said. "We believe we've found the most cost
efficient way of doing it."

"This is
bullshit, and you two know it!" Lincoln protested. "You cannot sink
more money into this company without a bank loan, and I won't allow it!"

"Oh, well if
that's what you're worried about, then rest easy, brother," I said.
"I've shifted a portion of the profits from Baby Steps' diaper business
into a renovation fund, and we're using that to pay for the project."

"You can't do
that!" he shouted. "You didn't get approval!"

"I hate to
remind you of the fact that I'm the CEO of this company, and I have the final
say in how profits are reinvested," I said as I gave my brother a smile
that didn't reach my eyes. I was happy that I was going to stick it to him in a
way that he couldn't oppose.

"You are
going to regret this, Jack," Lincoln warned as he turned and stormed out
of the office.

"Wow, always
the gentleman, isn't he?" Sloan said with a raised eyebrow as she slid her
hand up my thigh under the table.

"Are you
fucking kidding me?" I said as I looked at her.

"You said
you'd give me what I wanted any time," she shrugged as she withdrew her
hand. "Never hurts to ask, does it?"

"My God,
you're a total nymphomaniac, Sloan," I said, shaking my head. "Focus
on the work in front of us, and then I'll reward your good behavior."

"Or better
yet, you'll let me reward you," she said licking her lips before flashing
me a sexy grin that sent a shockwave from my brain to the one place I couldn't
control.

"Knock it
off," I growled as I tried to focus my attention on the construction plans
and forget about the fact that she was wearing a skirt that was slit just
enough to give me a peek of her thigh-high stockings. "We've got work to
do."

"If you say
so," she said, turning her attention back to the blueprints on the table.

It took me a
quarter of an hour to tame the beast that she'd awoken, but I did it and then
sent her off to call on several of our biggest clients in Manhattan. I knew
she'd charm them into ordering even more products and that she'd sell them on
the idea that we'd be expanding our focus to make our warehouse a one-stop
shopping spot for all high-end boutiques in the city.

After Sloan left,
I gathered up the plans for construction and headed down to the warehouse.

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

Leah

"
Behold
, I bring good tidings of great joy!" Jack
boomed as he walked into my office holding a roll of papers that I assumed were
the plans for the warehouse renovation.

"Is that
so?" I asked turning around to face him. I felt my breath catch in my
throat as I looked up at him. He'd let his scruff grow a little wilder than
usual, and his eyes were full of mischievous mirth that matched the grin on his
full lips. Given the fact that I'd been fantasizing about him for weeks, this
felt like a little more than I could take. I cleared my throat and tried to
sound businesslike, "What have you got there?"

"These, my
lovely warehouse manager, are the plans for the renovation that will be
starting over the weekend," he said, proudly holding them up for me to
see. "Want to see them?"

"Do I have a
choice?" I laughed as my brain stuck on the fact that he'd called me
lovely.

"Now, if you
look at this you can see how the crew is going to build up and out," he
said unrolling the plans on my desk and moving around behind me so that he was
forced to bend over my shoulder to point out the various features. I tried to
control my breathing as he moved in closer. I could smell his musky scent and
felt the warmth radiating from his skin, and it was all I could do to keep my
mind focused on the words coming out of his mouth.

"Uh
huh," I nodded as he pointed to the various improvements that were to be
made.

"And right
here," he said, bending so close that his lips were inches from my ear.
"Here is your new office!"

"I get a new
office?" I asked turning in surprise and nearly brushing my lips across
his. We stared at each other for a moment, and then he looked back at the
plans.

"Yes, right
here, there's going to be a big office with room for a conference table and a
bathroom off to one side so that you don't have to share with the warehouse
workers," he said smiling. "What do you think?"

"I think it's
amazing," I said, wondering how he was going to find the money to pay for
all of this. Baby Steps was a profitable company, but I knew that we didn't
have the kind of money this renovation would take.

"But you're
wondering how we're going to pay for all of it, right?" he asked.

"How did you
do that?"

"I know you,
Leah," he said leaning down so that he was speaking softly into my ear
again. "I know what you're thinking, and I know what you want."

For a moment, I
wanted to lose myself in the smooth sound of his seductive voice, and I almost
let go. Then a nagging doubt cropped up, and I remembered the way Sloan looked
standing in front of his desk up in the office. He wasn't interested in me. He
was just interested in the chase.

"Yeah,
sure," I said ducking away from him as I pushed my chair back and stood
up. "You know that I want a bigger office and my own bathroom. Don't we
all?"

Jack's face fell
as he stared back at me. I could tell that he was disappointed that I hadn't
fallen for his seduction routine, and that annoyed me.

"Well, I
thought you'd be a little more excited than this," he admitted.

"When will it
be finished?" I asked as I moved back toward my computer and punched a few
keys just to distract myself from the fact that he was still standing entirely
too close to me. No matter what my mind said, my body was still responding to
Jack's presence.

"Did I do
something to offend you?" he asked quietly.

"No,
what?" I said, spinning around to find him standing right behind me.

"Did I do
something to offend you, Leah?" he repeated as he looked down at me. I
squirmed as I looked up at him, trapped in his gaze.

I knew I
shouldn't. I knew we shouldn't, but in an instant I made a choice and stepped
close enough to rest my hands on his chest and raise myself up enough to kiss
his lips. Eyes open, I saw his eyes widen with surprise, but he didn't back
away. Instead, he kissed me softly without touching me. Our lips became the
conduit for all the things we'd been holding back since the wake, but it was
soft and sweet rather than the carnal passion I'd imagined every night alone in
my bed.

He stood
stock-still and let his lips lead the way. Gently kissing, and then flicking
his tongue across my bottom lip before taking it between his teeth and gently
pulling. I moaned softly into his mouth, and still he didn't move a muscle. I
could feel his heart pounding wildly beneath the palms of my hands, but I
followed his lead and didn't move. He urged my lips apart with his tongue and
then teased the inside of my mouth when I acquiesced. He licked, sucked, and
nibbled my lips as I reciprocated, eyes wide open as neither of us moved
anything but our mouths.

I'd never felt
such an erotic intoxication in my life, and I didn't want it to end. The sound
of a slamming door caused us to jump apart. Startled by the noise and uncertain
about what we'd just done, I looked down at the construction plans.

"These look
great!" I said in a voice that was a little too loud. "I can't wait
to see how this turns out."

"Um,
okay," Jack said, tilting his head as he gave me a confused look. "Do
you want to …?”

"I really
need to get these orders entered in the computer, and I've got a ton of calls
to make," I said rushing to fill the space where the question I didn't
know how to answer lay. "I'll check in with you later, and we'll talk
about the way we're going to accommodate our orders while the construction's
going on, okay? Okay!"

"Okay,
Leah," he said with a confused grin spreading across his face. He nodded
and then grabbed the plans off of my desk and rolled them up as he headed out
the door.

"You just let
me know when you want to talk," he said before he turned and walked down
the hallway. I could have sworn I heard him chuckling all the way back to his
office.

*

Hours
later, on the
train home, I could still feel the heat of the kiss. I'd wanted more than just
the kiss, and in the private, little part of my brain, I'd gone to the place
where that kiss had led to something far steamier and satisfying. As the train
pulled into the station, I pushed aside the movie I'd created, and with
reddened cheeks, looked around to see if anyone had noticed. I was safe.

At first, after
Jack had left my office, I'd wondered if I was going to get fired, but then as
I thought more about it, I couldn't figure out why he hadn't said more
afterward. He'd held back and then just left the office rather than taking charge
and sweeping me off my feet.

"Okay, get a
grip, Walsh," I muttered to myself as I walked the few blocks between the
train station and the house. "We're in the twenty-first century, after
all. Guys don't always take control. Sometimes women have to."

I continued the
self-therapy session until I opened the front door and found Mama standing over
Riley shouting at her.

"You stupid,
good for nothing, useless idiot!" Mama yelled. "What in the hell is
wrong with you? Answer me!"

Riley sat on the
tile floor in the entryway with her back against the wall. She was staring
straight ahead her arms wrapped around her knees, which were pulled up against
her chest. Her mute response told me that she'd disappeared somewhere in her
mind.

"Mama! What
are you doing?" I shouted as I pushed the door closed behind me. The house
looked like a tornado had gone through it while I'd been a work. There were
dishes piled up on the coffee table, several vodka bottles under it, and all of
Mama's bedding on the couch. It looked like she'd permanently relocated to the
living room.

"This stupid
child dumped the last of my bottle into the sink while I was sleeping!"
she yelled. "That was money she poured down the drain, and now I have to
go get more!"

"First of
all, dial it down a notch, Mama," I said sternly. "She's not stupid.
Second, if she did do it, then she's just looking out for you."

"By
destroying my property?" Mama shouted, completely disregarding my desire
to try and have a reasonable conversation. "She's an ungrateful, little
bitch and I'm sick of this shit!"

"Mama,"
I warned. "In this house we talk to each other with respect, not
insults."

"Oh do shut
the fuck up, Leah," my mother said waving her hand in front of my face. It
was the last straw. I grabbed my mother by the collar of her dirty polo shirt
and pushed her all the way back to the couch where I shoved her hard enough to
send her sprawling back into the messy lump of bedclothes that lined the couch.

"What the
fuck?" my mother yelled in outrage.

"No! You sit
down and listen to me, lady!" I growled. "I've had enough of your
shit, and now we're going to have the talk that we should have had long ago.
You are a drunk, Mama. You are an alcoholic, and you are drinking yourself into
an early grave. It has to stop!"

"Who are you
to go getting into everyone's business, little Miss Nosy Pants?" my mother
retorted. "It's not like you're so perfect."

"I never said
I was, but you've been abusive for long enough," I said. "You never
cut me any slack or see any of the work I put into keeping this family
together!"

"Oh,
boo-hoo," she mocked. "You're upset because you had to step up and
take charge. Well, welcome to the real world, girl. We all have to be the
bosses of our own big selves."

"What is
wrong with you?" I whispered horrified by the unbridled meanness coming
out of my mother's mouth. I knew she'd been unhappy, but I didn't know to what
extent. "How can you talk to us like this?"

"How can I
talk to you like this?" she laughed. "Oh that's a good one, Leah. How
can I talk to you like this? After all of the crap I put up with, and you
wonder why I'm angry? You children sucked the life out of me. You ruined my
chances of ever having an acting career—or any career, really—and now you want
to know why I'm angry and resentful."

"Mama, stop
…" I said as I realized that Riley was still sitting on the floor in the
entryway. "Please don't do this."

"You started
it, Leah," she said narrowing her eyes before she grabbed the glass
sitting in front of her and took a big swig. "You and that useless sister
of yours. At least you stuck around to try and clean up her mess."

"Mama!
Enough!" I shouted. "That's enough!"

"And that
one," she said pointing at Riley who now had her head pressed against her
knees. "She's headed down the same exact road as her mother. Might as well
just toss her out into the streets right now. She's going to wind up there
sooner or later. Might as well save time."

"MAMA! SHUT
THE HELL UP!" I screamed as I turned and ran to Riley. I pulled her up off
of the floor and gathered her in my arms before walking her upstairs to her
bedroom. I whispered quietly as we walked, "She's not in her right mind.
She's drunk, and she doesn't know what she's saying. Do not believe a word she
says, Riley. Do you hear me?"

Riley nodded, but
didn't say a word. I could see the storm building inside her. She was just like
her mother in that way, and I was thankful that I recognized what was going on.
I sat Riley down on the bed, closed her door, and returned to kneel in front of
her.

"Riley, this
is not your life," I said as I took her hands in mine and gripped them
tightly. "This is not how it's going to be forever. I'm going to get Gram
some help, and you and I are going to have some peace around her. Do you
understand?"

Riley nodded again,
but remained mute.

"Your mother
was a good person, and she did everything she could to keep you safe," I
said as I looked up at her. The tears began to drip down her cheeks as I
reminded her of how much Molly had loved her and how hard she'd fought.
"You know this, right? You're not a bad person, Riley."

"Yes, I
am!" she wailed. The declaration surprised me, and I hopped up off of the
floor and sat next to her on the bed wrapping my arms around her. "I'm a
bad person, Leah! Gram isn't lying. I got kicked out of school."

"What do you
mean?" I asked. Riley got up off of the bed and walked over to her
backpack. She unzipped it and removed a sheet of paper from the pack and handed
it to me.

"I got
suspended," she said flatly.

I took the letter
from her and read over it. She'd been suspended for fighting and would not be
allowed to return to class for a week. I looked up at her, feeling helpless and
very alone, and saw that she had collapsed into a pile on the floor. I moved
off of the bed and sat down next to her, rubbing her back as she cried.

"Riley, we'll
figure it out," I said. "I'm not going to leave you. We'll figure
this out, together. You hear me?"