One Night With My Billionaire Master (8 page)

He didn’t watch it. My shoulders lower. “The video in first thirty seconds was extremely grainy.” The masterminds behind this incident must have counted on my father being unable to watch it. “It wasn’t me, Father. I wouldn’t do this to you.”

“Ross said your name.” Cindra is enjoying my embarrassment. “When he asked you to suck his cock.”

“Which you did,” Kayla adds. “Enthusiastically, allowing him to come on your face, licking his--”

“Enough,” my father barks, a vein on his forehead lifting. My half-sister stops talking. Silence fills the room.

My father rubs his hands over his weathered face. “Why, Arianna? I know the reason Ross did this. He wanted to humiliate me. But you?” His voice cracks. “I gave you so much, granting you my name, taking you in when your mom didn’t want anything to do with you, gifting you a piece of my business. Is this how you repay me?”

“It wasn’t me in the video,” I insist, growing desperate. “Watch it again, all the way through, and you’ll see that.”

“Stop.” My father slams his phone down on the table. “We have the proof in front of us. Don’t bother to deny it.”

“Father--”

“Were all of the rumors true?” He won’t allow me to defend myself. “The tennis instructor, the second-year economics professor, the contingent from Hong Kong?”

“No,” I cry. “None of them were true.”

“As this rumor isn’t true, either.” My father nudges his phone with his index finger, his hand trembling, a sign of weakness I’d never noticed before now. “You must have thought I was a gullible fool, believing your stories, defending you to my friends. Did you laugh at me? You and Ross? Did you snigger behind my back?”

“There was no laughing and no sniggering.” I shake.

“You were too busy moaning and panting,” Cindra quips.

“That wasn’t me in the video,” I say, realizing no one, not even my father, will believe me.

“Everyone saw you leave the gala with him.” My half-sister’s happiness at my situation twists my gut. “Will you deny that?”

“You asked me to escort him out of the building.” I glare at her.

“No, I didn’t,” she blatantly lies, her smile triumphant.

And I know, as surely as I know I love Logan. She did this to me. My gaze shifts to Frederick. His lips curl upward, as does Kayla’s. They all orchestrated this, plotted to give my father the proof he requires to disown me.

And they were successful. My proud stubborn father won’t watch the video. He will do what he’s threatened to do for years—throw me out of the family. I grip the back of a chair, needing to hold onto something.

“I wouldn’t betray you like this, Father,” I whisper. “If you believe anything, believe that.”

“You have no right to tell me what I should believe.” A vein in my father’s forehead pulses. “You’re nothing to me, not any more.” His gaze meets mine, the pain in his eyes almost bringing me to my knees.

I don’t say anything because there are no words to fix this. An eerie cold sensation sweeps over me, starting from my fingers and toes, running along my arms and legs, up my spine, across my chest.

This latest perceived betrayal has hurt him in a way that can’t be undone, and it no longer matters what is or isn’t true. Our relationship won’t be the same.

“Give me your passcard.” My father holds out his hand.

I fumble as I unclip my passcard from my blazer. My fingers are clumsy, numb, lifeless. The ice has penetrated my skin, wrapped around my bones. I place the plastic rectangle on his palm.

“And your pendant.”

He’s firing me, both as an employee and a daughter, and I should care, except I’m frozen, my heart, my soul, everything. I remove my necklace, lay the gold pendant on my passcard, feeling naked without it, exposed.

“Her shares,” Cindra pipes up.

My father hesitates and hope flares inside me, the warmth combating the chill. He doesn’t want to take this step, to cut me off completely. I rub my hands together, trying to revive the feeling in my fingers. He still cares for me.

“Do you want Ross to have her shares?” Frederick pushes. “Because that’s what she’ll do—sell them to our enemy.”

I should deny this, should tell them I’d never sell our company shares, but breaking the seal of frost over my lips requires too much effort, and they won’t believe the words anyway.

“You’ll transfer your shares to me on Monday,” my father instructs.

I’ll be left with nothing. My half-siblings, having achieved their goal, exchange smug smiles, their satisfaction causing my body temperature to lower even more.

“You’re no longer my child.” My father’s voice is flat, devoid of all emotion, all caring. “You’ve ceased to be an employee of St. James Communications. You--”

“This is why I should take control of your company, St. James,” a deep voice drawls behind me. “You lack judgment when it comes to staffing.”

Logan has arrived. I don’t have the energy to move, to glance behind me, my knees locked in place, my heart dead, my soul empty.

“Arianna?” My billionaire wraps his arms around me, lending me his warmth, his strength. It isn’t enough to stop the deep freeze. Nothing is.

“It’s done, Logan,” I relay, my chest tight. “I’m no longer a St. James.” I shiver violently once, twice. “W-we should leave.”

“Logan,” my father repeats. I used my billionaire’s first name, making yet another mistake.

“If I thought walking away was what you truly wanted, we’d leave and never look back.” Logan turns me, studies my face. His eyes grow hard. He’s angry, no, more than angry, he’s furious. “What did they do to you, my brave, strong girl?”

I can’t answer. I’m shaking uncontrollably, my teeth clicking together.

“She did this to herself.” My father’s voice is gruff.

“I’ll deal with you later, St. James.” Logan pulls out a chair, swings me into his arms and lowers into the leather seat. “You’re not my priority at the moment.”

I am. He unbuttons his jacket, tucks me under the folds, layering the fabric over me. I snuggle closer to him, curling into a ball, seeking his heat. He curves his body around me, rests his chin on top of my head and rubs my back, murmuring words I don’t have the brainpower to grasp.

All I know is, he’s here. I’m not alone. He’ll take care of me. I no longer have to defend myself, to be strong. I nuzzle against his soft dress shirt, savoring his musky scent, his muscles rippling under the cotton.

I don’t know how long we sit there. Logan holds me, his promises of retribution softly spoken and strangely comforting. My father and half-siblings remain silent. My body temperature rises, stabilizes. My tremors ease and then stop.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper into his chest, ashamed that I fell apart, in front of him, in front of everyone.

“You’re not as sorry as I am, or they will be.” Logan cups my chin, lifting my gaze. The caring in his eyes threatens to shatter me once more. “We’re partners, pet.” He gently swipes his calloused thumbs over the tear tracks on my cheeks, their existence surprising me. I wasn’t aware I had cried. “I lead. You follow.” He presses his lips against my salty cheeks, flicking his tongue over my skin, tasting my sorrow. “We face threats together.” He peppers more fervent kisses over my face, not caring who sees his tenderness. “Understand?”

“I understand, sir.” I nod. I understand he’ll punish me later, in private, for my disobedience, that this reprimand will be delivered with affection, with care, the purpose to prevent future pain.

With Logan, I know what to expect, how to please him. The rules are simple, the rewards achievable, the punishments fair. He wants me to succeed, seeks to build my strength, not strip my power.

My father, in contrast, was waiting for me to fail, designed an environment where that was a certainty. He’s an intelligent man. He must have known my three half-siblings were targeting me, yet he gave me less support, not more, his token gifts sending a signal to others that I wasn’t valued.

I lift my chin. Fuck that. I’m strong and clever. I deserve respect.

“Are you okay?” Logan traces the line of my jaw.

“Yes, sir.” I’m more than okay. I’m ready to kick some ass.

“Good.” My billionaire smiles at me and then turns his attention to my father and half-siblings. “Now, where were we?” Although Logan’s expression is relaxed and his words are casual, his lips are flat, his muscles under me are tense, and his body is coiled, ready to attack.

“You arrived, prepared to gloat. Arianna, predictably, threw herself at you.” Frederick tries to imitate Logan’s bored tones. He doesn’t have the confidence to pull it off. “This must be a coup for you, Ross. You benefit from my former half-sister’s…ummm… consulting services
and
you humiliate my father.”

Oh, shit. I turn within the protective circle of my billionaire’s arms, sitting sideways, across his powerful thighs, and I peek between the folds of his suit jacket. Frederick appears unconcerned. He thinks Logan will approve of their deceit, that he’ll enjoy my father’s embarrassment, and not take any action against them.

My half-brother is about to get his ass handed to him.

“If you think this stunt pleases me...” Logan leans forward, pressing his chest against my shoulder, anger rolling off his body in heavy, hot waves. My half-siblings shift nervously in their chairs. “You’ve made a serious error. Arianna belongs to me. No one hurts anyone I consider mine.”

Kayla squeaks. Frederick and Cindra turn chalk-white.

That’s my dominant man. I silently cheer.

“We all know she belongs to you,” my father comments dryly. “We saw the video. Take your prize and leave my boardroom. She no longer has a place here.”

“The video?” Logan frowns, lines etched between his black eyebrows. “You know that isn’t your daughter in the video.”

My father glares at him, not saying a word.

“He doesn’t know that,” I answer for him. “He thinks it’s me.”

My billionaire meets my gaze, appearing genuinely confused. “The woman doesn’t look anything like you.”

I smile sadly. “He didn’t care enough about me to watch the video closely, to ensure his accusations were true, and even if he had...” I shrug. “I doubt he knows what I look like. He’s never really seen me. I’ve always been my mom’s daughter, a betrayal waiting to happen.”

“Yet, you love him.” Logan strokes my cheek, his calloused fingers light on my skin.

“I love him.”

“And you love me with that same intensity,” my billionaire presses.

My face heats. “I love you with everything I have. I chose you.”

“Exactly.” My father slaps his palms against the boardroom table. “You chose the enemy over your father, over your family. Even if that isn’t you in the video.” I blink. Is he admitting he might be wrong? “You’re sprawled all over him. I know he’s had you.”

I can’t deny this. Anyone reading our body language knows we’ve fucked. “I resisted my attraction to Logan for seven months and five days.” I don’t tell my father that the clock stopped yesterday. “I made us both suffer because I was seeking your approval. I thought if I did everything you asked me to do, acted the way you wanted, you’d love me as much as you love them.” I curl my top lip at my half-siblings. “But you never planned to treat me equally. That wasn’t your goal. You wanted me to fail, and eventually I did.” I shake my head. “So yes, Logan has me. He has me for as long as he wants.”

“I want forever,” my billionaire states. “And I won’t settle for less than that.”

I inhale sharply. “You won’t?”

“I won’t,” he confirms. “You will always be mine.”

Strangled noises originate from deep in my half-siblings’ throats. My happiness wasn’t what any of them wanted, yet, ironically, due to their stunt, joy is within my grasp. I cover Logan’s hands with mine. Our relationship is now public knowledge. He can openly claim me.

And he has, his grip on my body secure.

“I didn’t want you to fail,” my father mutters.

“There are three of them, Father.” I straighten. “They’re older, had all of your support, not simply half of it. What did you expect to happen?”

My father looks at my half-siblings as though seeing them and the situation for the first time. They gaze down at their hands. Silence stretches.

“You’re the strongest woman I know,” Logan murmurs.

He says this after I broke down, after I cried and trembled in his arms.

“You might have been destined to fail,” my father concedes, his voice hoarse. “But you chose to betray me.”

“You’re a jackass, St. James.” Logan squeezes my shoulder. “Arianna is the only person in this room who hasn’t betrayed you.”

My father raises his head, gazes at my billionaire for half a minute, and then laughs outright at this crazy claim, a claim I wish was true. My lips twist into a rueful smile.

My half-siblings are suspiciously silent.

They aren’t laughing, aren’t making their usual biting replies, disputing Logan’s wild statement. I study them, looking for a reason why.

All three of them avoid my gaze, their expressions stricken, almost panicked. Kayla appears as though she’s about to hyperventilate, her chest rapidly rising and falling. Frederick’s lips are pursed like he’s sucking on a lemon. Cindra stares forlornly at the exit.

Because they did betray my father.

Holy shit. How? And why would Logan know that unless...

Oh my God. I shift my gaze to my billionaire investor. He has told me multiple times that he no longer needs my shares, mentioned that, when faced with the right offer, anyone would sell.

My half-siblings must have done exactly that. They sold him some of their shares, a portion of their combined thirty percent.

“When?” In my gut, I know the answer.

Logan meets my gaze. “Six months ago.” His lips curl upward and his voice drops. “My clever pet.”

“How much?”

“Everything.”

They sold all of their shares. Logan now has sixty five percent ownership, controlling interest in my father’s company. He can oust my father from the CEO seat, replace the management team with his own. My stomach twists into knots. The man I love has the power to destroy my father.

“Logan--”

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, Ross.” My father interrupts our private exchange. “But it won’t work. I trust my other three children. I don’t trust you or her.” He dips his head toward me. “You may do whatever you like with her. She’s never stepping one foot into this office again, and, if I could, I’d ban you also.”