Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

V alerio

"Yes, sir. I'll have the jet ready, serviced, and ready to leave by nine tomorrow," my favorite pilot told me.

"I appreciate it, Jeff. Do make certain you have a couple bottles of Kristal."

"Ah, so you won't be traveling alone."

"Not this time."

"Excellent. Glad to see you're finally enjoying your life for a change. I'll have them chilled and ready."

Jeff had been with the family for years, first carting my father around wherever he went, often on short notice.

I tried to be decent to the man since he had a family.

"Yeah, me too." I laughed after ending the call, once again returning to the drink that had gone untouched for at least a full hour. I had a good excuse, including glancing over the financials of the media firm as well as discovering more about her father's firm. I also had bugged my father to see if he would admit doing something even more unscrupulous than usual in trying to garner new business.

He'd assured me every business deal needed to be handled as if it were the most important one to date.

That meant Selena's accusations were on the money.

Yes, I'd done some extremely ruthless things in my time, but I'd found it wasn't necessary to destroy our rivals. However, I couldn't ignore the fact it was highly suspect she'd texted me out of the blue without her father putting her up to it.

Well, the nagging voice in my head reminded me that I had resorted to my father's tactics on a couple of occasions, including when I'd thought a certain company that was no longer in business had pushed my father into a heart attack a couple of years before. In reflecting on the time a few years before, I realized I'd done everything it took to bring the firm to their knees.

Including blackmail.

And extortion.

I guess the apple really didn't fall too far from the tree.

Another chirp of my phone drew my attention. Maybe Braxton had found something. "Were you able to snoop around?"

He laughed. "You know Dad. As soon as I asked him out to lunch, he asked me how much money I needed. I did my best to grill him, but he wouldn't budge."

"Yeah, he wouldn't when I called him either, even laughing at my suggestion but I heard it in his voice. Someone is trying to take the corporation down."

"Are you thinking Caldwell Michaels? That would be brazen."

I rubbed the scruff on my jaw, promising myself a shave. "I don't know if the man has it in him."

"Why don't I try and have a chat with Tim?"

Timothy Carter was the other VP of the corporation and had more of an active role in the organization. "Well, if anyone has a clue, it should be him. Just do it clandestinely."

"In and out like a shadow." He laughed as if this was something to be amused about. Dad couldn't afford to have another heart attack. The doctors had already said he wouldn't survive. But the last I'd heard he was healthy and strong. My stepmother was a good influence on him, demanding he take his health seriously. "Getting ready for your sexy trip?"

"Yeah, but I'm trying to think of it as nothing but business."

"R-ight. You forget who you're talking to, bro. Both Gage and I felt the chemistry and fire you two share all the way across the room."

"Go away." He'd always chided me about every woman.

"Gladly. I'd call you if I can find anything."

"Cool. Thanks." I tossed the phone and shook my head. I preferred handling Royal Players versus the media firm, but family was family.

After finally taking a pull of my whiskey, I closed my eyes. I had no idea what had possessed me to command her to come with me, and explaining she'd surrender had been another out of character moment.

I'd had a lot of those.

God. It felt like I was playing with old explosives.

Cue my internal groaning…

However, thoughts of what I would do to her kept my cock almost at full attention. At this rate, I'd ravage her on the plane. Wouldn't that be one of my finer hours?

Both my brothers had called more than once as the afternoon had turned into evening, chiding me on not recognizing Selena. Well, I had a good excuse. The pictures on the internet standing next to her father had her all buttoned up.

Hair in a bun.

Dark, boringly conservative suit.

Low shoes.

Very little makeup.

She'd honestly looked as unhappy as anyone I'd ever seen, which was a far cry from the vibrancy I'd experienced not only in our texts but in our first meeting. She'd electrified the atmosphere and everyone around her.

Working with her father wasn't her calling or her passion but I felt her pride and her respect regarding her family.

I had to admire that.

I'd gathered enough information to know Caldwell Michaels had paid his dues from the time he was seventeen years old, working in various avenues from being an extra on movie sets to learning the art of studio lighting. He hadn't been handed anything, building from nothing to a multimillion-dollar firm.

A huge part of me understood why having my father breathing down his neck had aged him. And Caldwell looked worn out. He couldn't be much older than fifty-four or five. But he looked as if he'd dropped into his seventies.

Businesses like the one my father was consumed with could have that kind of effect. Since my father's heart attack, he'd insisted he was fully recovered but he'd aged as well. Seeing him the other day had been worrying.

But he would never let anyone know, including his three sons, that he was fading and needed help. He'd threaten to get it instead.

I was tired of the dysfunction but in being coerced into taking a wife, I'd found something I doubted he'd wanted me to find.

A firm from New York was trying to do a hostile takeover. They'd initially made an offer to purchase the company outright but had lowballed it. Then somehow, they'd almost gotten ahold of a majority share of stocks.

That's because our board of directors wasn't getting any younger, a few ready to sell for retirement purposes.

I'd managed to convince my father to call a special meeting in my absence, explaining that some changes were going to be made in the upcoming weeks. I'd also convinced him to buy up as much company stock as possible, which would pull a red flag on our corporation for many reasons, but it was far less risky than having the New York firm jumping in when we least expected it.

The bad thing about this marriage bullshit was that I truly had no other prospects on the horizon. I'd even gone through the list of women I'd dated over the years, trying to put Selena out of my mind, but two were married. Three had children with one divorce. Another had actually become a nun. When the hell had that happened?

I'd talked to Denise on the phone, hoping I could convince her to give the proposition a thought.

She'd told me she'd pray for my soul.

I wasn't certain I had one.

At this point, I needed time to try to soothe the ruffled feathers between Selena and myself. If that was possible.

Sighing, I'd also researched the New York firm realizing they had everything to gain. Granted, the takeover could mean increased profits, but New York had done this before, firing everyone in upper management.

Nope. I was loyal enough I couldn't allow that to happen.

So I had to find a way to convince Selena to become my bride. By doing so as well as announcing a more active role, it could buy some time to figure out how to best get New York off our backs.

Meanwhile, at least for the time being, Braxton and Gage would handle my clients at the financial firm while I jetted out like the playboy of the west.

If I wasn't careful, my old reputation of being a heartbreaker would come back to haunt me. However, one of us needed to spend more time at the resorts. It was a task I enjoyed even more than the other two. Perhaps I'd take my soon to be bride to both.

Even if that meant hogtying her and dropping her in my trunk.

Hmmm… I liked that idea. I'd see how she acted in the morning, but I'd have rope, a gag, and a blindfold with me.

Grinning, I tossed back the rest of my drink. That would get the party started.