Stolen: Meant To Be (Contemporary Billionaire Romance) (5 page)

By the following week, things had settled down all the way around. Grant was acting like his old self again and the atmosphere around the office seemed to get lighter every day. People were coming to accept me more and we were even moving forward with purchasing the record production company. It was not only a sign that they trusted me, but that they also trusted Seth and me to be able to save the business. By the time the deadline for the takeover arrived, the anxiety level had diminished to almost nil. Seth and I came out of the morning meeting that day full of energy and ready to take on the world. It turned out that was a really good thing, since when we walked into Seth’s office; we found Liz Taylor sitting behind his desk.

“What are you doing here?” His assistant was with us and she was visibly appalled.

“It’s okay,” Seth told her. “I’ll handle it.”

As the assistant started to leave, Liz said, “You better be nicer to me if you want to keep your job. I’m your new CEO.” She had such a smug look on her face that I lost any compassion for her I had felt briefly.

“No Liz, I’m afraid that you’re not,” I said.

She looked over at me and then looked me up and down. She looked like she’d drank sour milk as she said, “Who the hell are you?”

I smiled at her and said, “Oh forgive me! We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Adele Morgan.” I saw her eyes flit to the rock on my finger and then back to my face. She looked like she still had a bad taste in her mouth.

“Oh, I see. You’re the girlfriend.”

“Wrong,” Seth said. “She’s the co-CEO and she is my fiancé.”

Liz looked even more perturbed, but she rolled her eyes and said, “It doesn’t matter, you’re both out. You’re fired. Go.” She waved her hands at us like we were pests.

Seth laughed, “You always were a petulant little brat. You can’t fire us, Liz. This is our company. I suggest you go before I have security remove you.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Today is the deadline. Did the two of you forget to look at your calendar?”

“I’m sorry, were the papers that cancelled your takeover and the ones that talked about ours not served on you yet?” I said, sarcastically.

“What papers? You’re bluffing. The only papers you should be worried about today are the pre-merger papers. Those were served to you, thirty days ago.”

“Yes they were,” Seth said. “But since then we made an amazing discovery. Do you want to hear about it, Liz?”

“No, not really,” she said. Seth told her anyway.

“It seems my father owns controlling stock in Taylor Corp. and he’d like to see the companies come together. I’d like to find a place for you if I can…”

The color had drained from her face as she jumped up from her seat behind the desk. “You’re lying!”

“Babe, do you have a copy of the paperwork there?” I asked Seth.

“I think I do,” he said, going closer to the desk. He shuffled through a few file folders and then opened one and handed it to Liz. She looked at the copy of the papers that we knew would be served on her today. She only read the first page before she ripped the entire thing in half and threw it at Seth with a tiny little frustrated scream.

He smiled at her and said, “You better be nicer to me if you want to keep your job. I’m your new CEO. One of them.”

“I don’t know what voodoo you and your father cooked up to manage this, but I guarantee you this is not over!”

“I look forward to seeing you again, Liz,” I said.

She stepped forward with her hand raised like she was going to slap me. Seth grabbed hold of her hand and in a low voice he said, “You have one minute to vacate this building before I have you removed.”

She jerked her arm away from him and with one last glare at me, she left. It was over, at last. Seth and I had no intentions of taking over Taylor Corp. We didn’t want it and neither did the shareholders. That was just something for her to be aware of… what we could do if she didn’t stay on her own side of Manhattan. Once she was gone, Seth took me into his arms and gave me a kiss that I felt all the way to my toes.

“I love you, co-CEO,” he said.

Breathless, I said, “I love you too.”

SETH

“I think we should celebrate,” I told Adele after Liz was gone.

“Me too! What do you want to do?”

“I was thinking of having a party. We could invite the shareholders and all of the employees and celebrate a new beginning for our company. We never did more than announce the name change and the change in management. I think we need to celebrate it. It could also be an engagement party. We can make a formal announcement.”

“Seth, did you tell your father about the engagement?”

“No, not yet.”

“Why? Are you still worried that he won’t approve?”

“No… I wouldn’t say worried. If he doesn’t approve, it doesn’t matter. I love you and I’m marrying you no matter what anyone says. I can’t wait to start our future together.”

“But you still think he’ll have a problem with it?”

“Honestly,” I told her. “I haven’t heard from him since the night he was so apologetic and willing to help. I called a few times and Hannah tells me he’s fine, but he won’t get on the phone with me.”

“I’m sorry. I was really hoping we had begun to bury the hatchet.”

“Me too,” he said. “Should we invite him to the party and see if he shows up?”

She smiled and put her hand on the side of my face. “Yes we should. None of this would have been possible without his help. I’m always going to harbor some ill feelings about what happened between us, I think, but I’m willing to store it way in the back of my head,” she said. “I was going to tell you later, but I decided that if you’ll still have me, I’d love to come and live with you.”

I could feel the wave of happiness wash over me. It washed away a lifetime of stress and self-doubt and left me refreshed inside. I finally knew where my life had been headed all of these years, and where it was going from here. I took Adele into my arms and before I kissed her I said, “I will always “still have you.” I can’t wait to make a life with you.”

I kissed her then with an unrestrained passion. It was passion that only she could stir in me. As our lips met I let my tongue slide in between her lips and I brought my hand up and un-fasted the clip she wore in her hair. As it fell loose, I wrapped my hands up in it. God, how I loved that hair. I played with her hair while my tongue explored the caverns of her hot, wet mouth. She had her hand on the back of my neck, pulling me into her deeper as we kissed. I let my mouth leave hers and travel down the line of her jaw to her neck. I licked and suckled there until I found that sweet spot right between the bottom of her neck and her shoulder and then I sucked that soft piece of flesh in between my lips and held it there while I ran my tongue back and forth across it. She let out a long, slow moan. When I finished there, I kissed her mouth again.

“Maybe we should finish this discussion at my place.”

“Our place,” she said in a sexy, husky voice.

“Our place. Ours… yours and mine. The place that we both shall live… I love the sound of it.”

~

CHAPTER SEVEN

~

ADELE

I stood looking at the backyard in awe of what the caterers had done for the party. There were three tables laden with trays of roast beef and marinated chicken. For our friends and employees who didn’t eat beef or poultry, they’d cooked up grilled trout with lemon juice and smoked salmon. There were smoked sausages and pineapple glazed ham. Mounds of fragrant wild rice sat over the butane burners and rolls and butter adorned each end of the table. There were countless cheeses and a tureen or two of hot soup. In between it all were a variety of fresh salads and crackers of every variety.

Another table was dedicated to dessert. I saw lemon tarts and chocolate covered strawberries. There was a rum cake and chocolate bon bons. A crème brûlée and a chocolate cake competed for space at one end and a silver tray lined with apple tarts sat at the other. The bar was stocked with everything from orange juice and punch to hard liquor, beer and wine. There was a sparkling champagne fountain and a waterfall wine chiller.

“What do you think?” Seth asked.

I turned and smiled at him. “I think it’s… excessive.”

He laughed, “Me too. But, I told them how many guests we expected and to make it nice… so I guess they did what I asked.”

“I guess they did.” I watched as the four men and two women who would be serving the food finished arranging things to make the buffet easier to access for the guests. “The dance floor looks pretty,” I said. An artificial wooden dance floor had been brought in and put on one side of the overly large backyard. It was in a perfect spot to overlook the river and a place for the band to play was set up on one end. Twinkly lights had been strung through the trees from one end of the yard to the other and tables and chairs with white linen covers adorned the lawn. There were outdoor fire pits set up around the perimeter as well, to take the early autumn chill out of the air.

“What time will the band be here?” I asked him.

“They said at eight. That gives us an hour to eat before the entertainment begins. I’d also like to make our announcement before that.”

“Have you spoken to your father?”

He smiled and said, “Not since the last time you asked me… about two hours ago.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just wondering if he’ll show up.”

“I don’t know. I do believe if he shows up that he’ll be civil. I think if he’s not in a mood to be civil after all that has happened, he’ll stay at home.”

I nodded. I was worried and I couldn’t help it. “I’m going to put on my dress before the guests start arriving,” I told him.

He kissed my cheek and said, “I’ll put on my suit soon too. I have one more thing to see to.”

On my way upstairs the doorbell rang and I stopped to let in the bartender and two waiters he’d brought with him who would circulate, taking orders and serving drinks. I went up to mine and Seth’s bedroom. It still felt strange to call it that. I hadn’t brought anything over yet besides my clothing, shoes and basics so it still looked like a man’s room as well. It was nicely decorated, but it was sparse. Only one photograph hung on the wall and it was an ocean scene with a sailboat in the background. We made plans to pack up my things and have the movers pick them up several times, but with the plans for the party and our new project at work, things had been a little hectic.

I’d chosen a whimsical crewneck dress by Ralph Lauren for the party. It was a dark green and it had a full, flirty skirt and a pointelle-knit mesh yoke and sleeves. It was very nice without being overly formal for a back yard party. My shoes were a pair of strappy suede 4” heel sandals with dark green and navy blue beads across the straps. I put on the dress and shoes and then slipped on my gold bracelet and necklace that Seth had bought me. I’d done my hair earlier, leaving most of it down, but just braiding the top like a crown around my head. My make-up was done and I was ready. I heard the doorbell and wondered if Seth had put on his suit. When I got downstairs I saw him greeting the early arrivers and he was indeed in his suit.

He glanced at me as I came down the stairs and his eyes got wide. I smiled at him and I could feel my own heart pounding in my chest at the sight of him in a charcoal gray Hugo Boss Jacket and pants and a navy blue tie and pocket square. He looked good enough to eat. I stood next to him and we greeted our guests one by one as they arrived. At six o’clock, dinner was announced and we went outside to eat. Harlan and Russell and their wives sat at the table with Seth and I and the conversation was lively and, thank goodness, had nothing to do with work. We had sent out almost two hundred invitations. As I looked around now, I could see that most of those people had already arrived. The one person that was conspicuously absent was James.

Seth didn’t mention it, but when he went up to the bandstand to make the announcements, I could see him glancing around again. If James wasn’t fully on board with Seth and I being together, I was glad he didn’t come. But I was still upset for Seth. I knew that he had held out hope his father was changing his views on life and that having a real relationship with him was a possibility. The more time clicked by tonight without James showing up, the sadder Seth’s eyes looked.

“Hello everyone,” Seth said over the microphone. “I’m Seth Hunter for those of you I haven’t yet met and I’d like to welcome you to my backyard.” There were rumbles and laughs throughout the crowd and Seth went on to say, “Tonight is a celebration. It’s about two unions. The first one most of you may have been present for. It was the union of Hunter Corp. and Morgan Corp. We are now, Morgan & Hunter Inc.
as you all know. Tonight is the first chance that we’ve had to put the work aside and celebrate that union. I can assure you that great things will come of it and it’s likely the most exciting thing to happen to Manhattan in decades.” There was more laughter and applause. When that died down Seth said, “And now the announcement that I am most happy about. Last week I asked Miss Adele Morgan to marry me. She accepted. Adele, stand up, honey.” Against my will, I got to my feet. The crowd clapped and cheered and when they finished and I sat down, Seth said, “I’d like to make a toast.”

People either grabbed a new drink or held theirs up. Seth waited for them to settle down and then he said, “I’d like for us to all raise our glasses in honor of two great businesses, founded by two very different men, coming together to fulfill the dream that each of these men had for a legacy that would last generations. To Morgan & Hunter Inc.” Seth raised his glass and there were “here-here’s” all around. Then everyone drank and clapped and Seth said, “If you’ll allow me one more?” The audience answered in the affirmative and he held his glass in my direction and said, “To my beautiful fiancé and co-CEO. I’m so happy that she came into all of our lives.” I felt my face color, uncomfortable with the attention, but grateful to Seth for his acknowledgement. By the time he came back over, the dancing had begun and our table partners had gone out to the dance floor. Seth looked around one more time before sitting down.

“Very nice job co-CEO,” I told him.

He smiled, “I prefer co- fiancé,” he said.

“Me too. I’m sorry that your father’s not here,” I told him.

“Yeah, so am I. I had hoped… but that’s okay. You and I are here together and everyone seems to be having a great time. I’d be having a better time if you would dance with me though.”

“I was waiting for you to ask me,” I said.

“Since when do you wait to be asked to do anything? My baby does what she wants,” he said.

“I can’t even deny that’s true,” I said, smiling. “Your baby wants to dance… with you.”

He stood up and with a very gentleman-like bow at the waist he said, “May I have his dance?”

“Why of course, sir,” I told him, playing the southern belle. He took my hand to his lips, kissed it and then escorted me out to the dance floor. There were six or seven other couples already there, but they gladly stepped aside to make room for us. Seth put one strong arm around my waist and took my right hand in his as the music began. It had been a long time since I danced like this, but as I held onto him and he led us in beautiful waltz, it felt like my feet weren’t even touching the floor as Seth held onto me and I rested one hand on his shoulder while the fingers of my other hand intertwined with his. I felt like we were gliding about the dancefloor as the band played a soft melody and Seth hummed in my ear. “This reminds me, you never played the piano for me the night we had dinner.”

“I didn’t? I seem to remember making beautiful music with you.”

I laughed, “Yes, you did. It just wasn’t on the piano.”

“You want to do it on the piano?”

I smacked him on the shoulder and he laughed. “I will play for you the first chance we get to be alone together. I’m really not good in front of an audience.”

“Okay, but no distracting me with your muscles and pretty smile and getting out of it this time.”

“I’ll try to keep them in check,” he said. As the dance came to an end, he tipped his face down towards mine and let his lips hover just above my own. He was so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath. I felt his tongue snake out and swipe across my bottom lip and then for the sake of the crowd, he gave me a sweet, soft kiss that left us both wanting more. He took my hand to lead me off the dancefloor and then he stopped so suddenly that I bumped into him from behind.

“What is it?”

“My father is here.”

“Really? Where is he?”

“He’s talking to Bob and Russell, see him over there?”

I looked where Seth indicated. “Oh yeah. He looks nice.”

“He usually always looks nice,” Seth said. “Let’s see if he has an attitude to match his “nice” looks tonight.” He grasped my hand again and we walked towards him. We were about two feet away from him when he looked up.

“Hi Dad,” Seth said when James looked at us. He looked at his son, then at me, then down at my left hand.

When he looked back at Seth he said, “Hello Son, nice party.”

Seth looked at Russell who must have gotten the hint or felt the tension. He suddenly said, “Oh, there’s Roger. Nice seeing you, James.” He scurried off and that was when James turned to me.

“Adele, you look lovely tonight.”

“Thank you, sir. You look nice also. I’m glad you could make it.”

James nodded at me and then he looked back at Seth. “I hear congratulations are in order. I’m sorry I was late for the announcement.”

I felt Seth’s hand tighten on mine as he said, “Yes, I asked Adele to marry me and she said yes.”

“Congratulations,” he said again. He looked at me that time.

“Thank you.” I felt more awkward at this moment than I had the day we went to his home and asked him for help. He was being polite and saying all the right things, but his posture was rigid and his facial expression hard to read. I finally wondered if he was hoping to talk to his son without me being there.

“Seth, James, if you’ll both excuse me a moment?” James nodded, but Seth acted like he didn’t want to let go of my hand. I felt bad, but they had things they needed to face as father and son. I gave him a look and he let go. As I made my way across the yard towards the house, I glanced back over my shoulder and saw James put his hand on his son’s shoulder. They walked away from the crowd, over underneath one of the canopies. I turned away and let them have their time.