by Ivy Nelson
“Elijah, we’re at work,” she chided. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry baby,” he said as he pulled away and straightened her now rumpled blouse. “Sit down.”
Holly hesitantly sat on the couch in front of the electric fireplace that graced one wall. Elijah sat down next to her.
“I need to tell you something I found out this morning while you were at breakfast.”
He picked up her hand and blew out a breath. “You’re being named in a lawsuit.”
Holly’s mouth fell open. “A lawsuit? For what?”
“That’s the tricky part. Looks like Grant Sterling filed the paperwork this morning before breakfast on behalf of Troy Wilson and the Sutton Foundation. The suit claims you signed a non-compete clause, and by working on the ad campaign that targets charity donations, you’re in violation of it. They’re also claiming that you’re using Sutton Foundation proprietary secrets. Basically, they’re trying to stop us from running with that ad campaign.”
Holly was shaking. “So, my own father is suing me?”
Elijah wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Through the Foundation, yes. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. He’s not a great guy. I know he’s your dad, but I don’t know what else to say right now.”
Holly buried her head in his chest and Elijah let silence hang between them for a few minutes before he spoke again.
“I need to tell you that I’m bringing in a private investigator to gather evidence of your father’s criminal activity and to dig into how they got so much information to be able to sue.”
“You think I passed it to him?” Holly said sitting back to stare at him.
“Jesus, Holly, no! I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t expect your mind to go there. No, I don’t think you would do that to me, but they got the information somehow. I think Grant was planning on having you served at breakfast this morning and you leaving ruined his plans. I’m sure someone will show up later this afternoon with papers.”
Holly clutched at her stomach. “I’m feeling sick,” she whispered.
Of course, she was. Nicholas Sutton had kept her safe her entire life. Now she was being sued by the man and was starting to see that he might be a criminal. It couldn’t be easy.
“We’re going to get through this, sweetheart,” he crooned.
“I… do you mind if I go home?”
“My home or your home?”
“Yours. Please? I can’t stand the thought of seeing my father right now.”
Elijah withdrew his house keys and handed her one. “Go. I have work that can’t be put off, but I’ll be home as soon as possible. The private investigator is coming over for dinner. I know we were going to have a different conversation later but that can wait. Do you want to be there when the P.I. gets there?”
Holly nodded. “Yes, please.”
Elijah stood with her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Dale will be waiting downstairs for you.”
Holly nodded stiffly and turned to leave his office. Elijah hated watching her go when he knew how upset she was, but he had pressing negotiations that couldn’t be put off if he wanted to have time free to be there for her later.
Holly was going to need him if he was right about the things Jax was going to dig up. It may be too late to nail Nicholas for killing either of their mothers due to lack of evidence, but there were plenty of other dark things in the man’s background.
Elijah plowed through the work he had to do but some of it was tedious. Running a company without a board to answer to meant less people that he could delegate to but also meant more freedom to run things the way he wanted.
When he was wrapping up the last conference call for the day, his cell phone lit up with Dale’s number. He put his conference call on hold to answer it. “What’s going on, Dale?”
“I thought you would like to know that Miss Sutton has taken a cab somewhere.”
Elijah groaned. What the hell was she doing?
“Thank you, Dale. I’ll handle it. I’m sure it’s nothing but be on standby to pick her up if I need you to.” Had she gone to see her father after all? Was she meeting with Grant Sterling? Why was his mind immediately jumping to suspicious conclusions? He should be giving her the benefit of the doubt but too many thoughts were racing through his mind. Elijah reconnected his conference call and half listened as someone rattled off final contract numbers while he sent Holly a text.
Dale ratted you out baby. Where are you?
He stared at the phone until it showed she’d read the message. At first, he thought she wasn’t going to respond, but the dancing dots appeared a few seconds later. Someone saying his name broke through the fog and he realized he was still on the conference call.
“Folks, I apologize, but something has come up and I need to end this call.”
“That’s what we were trying to do, Mr. Barrett.”
Elijah would have laughed under different circumstances. “My apologies. We’ll talk soon,” he said before hanging up. Holly’s message arrived as he was typing a second message.
Don’t worry. I just went to visit my mother.
Elijah scowled at the phone. She could have taken the damn driver.
Dale is coming to pick you up. Stay as long as you like but you’re coming home with him when you’re done. NO arguments.
There was no response from Holly, but at least she wasn’t arguing with him about it. Elijah knew where Melissa Sutton was buried thanks to Patrick, so he sent Dale the address and packed up to head home. Jax Fischer would be there soon and he and Holly clearly still needed to talk about communication.
• • •
Holly stared at the back of Dale’s head as Los Angeles flew by her. Elijah was right to be upset. It had been dumb to take a cab instead of letting Dale drive her. She had spotted no paparazzi at the cemetery. That didn’t mean they weren’t there though.
It had been years since Holly had visited her mother’s grave, but someone had been keeping fresh flowers there from the looks of it. Probably Patrick if she had to guess.
When Melissa Sutton first died, Holly and her dad would visit regularly, but when Holly left for college, they stopped.
As the car moved along the path to Elijah’s house, Holly let her mind drift back to the worst day of her life.
“Holls wake up.”
“Go away, Patrick, it’s still dark out,” Holly grumbled as she pushed her annoying big brother away.
“It’s mom. She’s been hurt.”
Holly was no longer annoyed as she bolted upright in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“What happened? Is she OK?”
It turned out she was not OK. Melissa Sutton had been the victim of an apparent mugging while walking to her car from having a late dinner with some friends. That’s what the papers and her father said. If Patrick was to be believed, she was the victim of a hit man hired by her father.
Before today, Holly would have said that Nicholas didn’t have that in him, but then he’d slapped her with a lawsuit and now she couldn’t help but wonder what else he was capable of.”
The driver pulled into Elijah’s driveway and she shook off the depressing thoughts, focusing instead on her sexy boss who wanted to take care of her. Hopefully, he wasn’t too angry with her.
The subject of her thoughts stood on his front porch, hands stuffed into denim pockets and hair still a little damp from a post workout shower. Peace washed over her as she stared at him. Coming up his driveway felt like coming home.
He didn’t come down the steps to open her door, just stood there waiting for her to come to him. For a brief moment, Holly felt like a rebellious teenager sneaking back into the house only to get caught by her father. Only she wasn’t a teenager, and Elijah was definitely not her father.
Holly swallowed as she put her feet on the ground and stepped out of the car. Tossing a “thank you” to Dale, she kept her eyes trained on Elijah as she climbed the stairs to where he stood.
“Hi,�
� she said warily when she reached him.
“Hi.” His voice was steady. He didn’t sound angry, but he sounded in charge.
His arms came around her waist and he pulled her to him.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked, as she leaned back to stare up at him.
Elijah’s gaze lifted skyward and he seemed to ponder her question.
“Maybe. We still have a lot to talk about. Do you understand what you did wrong?”
Holly nodded against his shoulder as she stared up at him. “I didn’t take Dale to the cemetery.”
“Yes, but it’s simpler than that. Why should you have let Dale take you?”
Holly dropped her gaze to stare at his chest. “To keep myself safe,” she murmured after a pause.
Elijah tipped her chin up to meet his eyes again. “Good girl. Is it going to happen again?”
Holly shook her head. “No, Sir.”
Elijah flashed her a grin. “Very good girl. Let’s get inside. Jax will be here soon.”
“Who is Jax?” Holly asked.
“The private investigator.”
Right, she’d nearly forgotten he was coming. “How long do we have?”
“Maybe thirty minutes? Why?”
Holly gripped Elijah’s hand and urged him to follow her. When they got to his bedroom, she crawled onto his bed and patted the spot next to her. “Hold me please?”
“Ah, Holly. Of course, sweet girl.” Elijah helped her under the covers and kicked off his shoes so he could join her beneath the silk sheets. His arms engulfed her, and Holly let herself relax enough to cry. It wasn’t her finest moment, but when she was done, she felt much better. Elijah just laid with her, giving her the connection she needed to feel safe, and the silence she needed to let go.
His phone buzzed and he groaned, reaching for it. “Sorry, baby. That’s probably Jax.”
“He’s on his way up the drive,” he said when he read the message. “You take your time getting ready. We’ll be in my office. I’ll make excuses for you until you arrive.”
Holly gave him a sad smile as he bent to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be there soon,” she promised.
When he was gone, Holly took ten minutes to wash her face and change into jeans and a t-shirt.
When she knocked on Elijah’s door, it opened, as it wasn’t fully closed to begin with. Her man was sitting on the couch along one wall, a glass of scotch in his hand, and a cowboy was sitting in the chair across from him. At least he looked like a cowboy.
“You must be Holly,” he drawled in a deep voice. “Sorry to hear about your troubles.”
Holly smiled. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“I hear you’ve been to Solitaire a few times. Sorry we haven’t met yet. I’ve just been running all over hell’s half acre and haven’t had the time to make it out.”
Holly giggled and looked at Elijah. “He’s like the male version of Dakota.” She didn’t miss the smirk Elijah gave her.
Jax however did not find it as amusing. “Oh, do not get me started on that woman. She is infuriating.”
Holly stifled another giggle. “I didn’t mean to derail business.”
Elijah tapped the spot next to him. “Sit, baby. You want a drink?”
Holly shook her head and settled next to him on the couch, enjoying the feel of his arm as it snaked around her shoulders.
“Where were we, Jax?” he asked.
“You were telling me about Nicholas Sutton’s most recent shenanigans.”
“I think we’ve covered all of that. Based on what I’ve told you and what you already knew, how much can you dig up on him?”
“Probably quite a bit. Especially if Holly and Patrick are willing to cooperate.”
“Cooperate how?” Holly asked, leaning forward.
“Just telling me what you can. I’m not asking you to do anything dangerous.”
Holly nodded. “I’ll answer any questions I can. I don’t know how much I can’ help though. Daddy… Nicholas, kept me pretty sheltered from his business. Convinced me that the charity arm of the family needed my attention more than his jewelry company did.”
Jax gave her a solemn nod. “That’s really not uncommon. Just because he may be a criminal doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to protect his kids. If I had to guess, he’s probably fine with the fact that Patrick pulled away even if he pretends otherwise. That’s one less person he has to keep in the dark and protect.”
Holly felt her eyes water. “I always wondered why he didn’t do more to reconcile with Patrick, but I guess that makes sense.”
Jax leaned forward and picked up his drink. “Don’t you worry, Miss Holly, I’m not here to make your father into an evil monster. But Elijah here is hiring me to dig into him, and the things I dig up may not be pretty. Are you prepared for that?”
Holly took a deep breath. “I’m working on it. I’m seeing now that I’ve been pretty sheltered my whole life. I’ll have to come to grips with that. Can you dig into Grant Sterling too? It’s terrible, I know, but he’s been a lifelong friend and now I’m questioning the realness of it.”
“You want me to find out if he was just your friend at your father’s bidding?”
Holly shrugged. “Something like that. He’s asked me to marry him a few times.”
She felt Elijah stiffen next to her as Jax nodded. “That might be a little harder to prove but I’ll look into it.”
When Jax had asked what felt like a million questions and stood to leave, the threesome had polished off a pizza, salads, and a six pack of beer—though Elijah stuck to his scotch.
“Will you two be at Solitaire this weekend?” Jax asked as they stood at Elijah’s front door.
Elijah looked down at her. “That’s up to Holly. I can only make the Friday party if we do though.”
Jax smiled. “I’m looking forward to finally getting a party in. The business has taken off and I’ve been running my ass off.”
Elijah clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad it’s working out for you.”
“Yeah, well I have you and Lance to thank for that, mostly. Once I did the job for Solitaire, I’ve had all kinds of hot shot rich folks hiring me. I’ve even had to put a couple of forensic accountants on retainer for when my investigations lead me to a money trail.”
“I’m glad you were free to take me on as a client then,” Elijah said as he draped an arm around Holly’s shoulders.
Holly stuck her hand out, but Jax wrapped her in a hug, taking her by surprise. “If you’re part of Solitaire, you’re part of the family now,” he whispered in her ear. “We take care of each other.”
Holly smiled up at him and tried to fight back tears. “We’ll see you on Friday then.”
When Jax was gone, Elijah pulled her into his arms. “Thanks for talking to him. I know that was rough on you.”
Holly let herself relax into his chest. “It wasn’t easy, but having you there made it easier.”
Elijah stood back. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but I have…”
“The call with China. Go. I’ll entertain myself and we can talk when you’re done.”
He slid his hand into her hair and pulled her to him for a kiss. “I’ll be as quick as I can, baby.”
She watched as he padded through the living area and up the stairs to his home office. When he was out of sight, Holly went to the living room couch and pulled out her phone. Jax’s last statement to her had helped her make a decision she’d been mulling over. Her hands trembled as she lifted the phone to her ear.
“Holly, it’s so good to hear from you, honey,” a woman drawled.
Holly smiled and relaxed. “It’s good to talk to you too, Dakota. I met the male version of you today. I think he’s even a Dom.”
Dakota huffed. “You met that asshole Jax?”
Holly raised an eyebrow. There seemed to be no love lost between the two. “I thought he was wonderful.”
Dakota sighed loudly. “I guess he’s OK. We just disagree on some things.
”
Holly chuckled. “Never mind all that. We can talk about it on Friday if you’ll be there. But I’m wondering if you can help me out with something. I need a little guidance.”
“I am all ears, girl.”
“I’m ready to join Solitaire.”
A loud squeal erupted in her ear and Holly pulled the phone away until it stopped.
“I’m so excited, but I’m also confused. Why aren’t you talking to Elijah? He could give you all the guidance you need.”
“He kind of doesn’t know yet. I thought maybe I could surprise him with my application. I was thinking I would apply to be a house submissive so I can get some training since I’m so new.”
Dakota hummed as she thought it over. “Elijah might balk at that at first. House submissives have a lot of rules and have to obey certain requests from all house Doms—nothing sexual of course just service to the club sort of stuff. Everything stays inside the limits you set. Elijah will just want you all to himself. That said, Elijah hasn’t taken a submissive to train since we first opened almost a year ago. It’s that bastard’s turn,” she said with a giggle.
That was a lot for Holly to take in, but she still wanted to do it. It would be a fun surprise for Elijah. Taking a deep breath, she said, “OK, so how do I apply?”
“Normally it’s a pretty long process, but I can help with that. Just text me an e-mail address and I’ll send you a link. I’ll let Garrett and Lance know to expect you so we can fast track all the preliminary stuff. The board meets on Thursday, so we’ll have your application ready to vote on by then.”
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Dakota said she had to run. Holly sent her an e-mail address, and the application link was in her inbox seconds later. For the second time that day, she felt like a naughty child, as she hit submit on the form. Elijah would find out soon enough though and hopefully he would think it was a good surprise. She just had to keep it secret until he went to the board meeting on Thursday.
Elijah emerged from his office a little while later and found her reading on the sofa. Holly looked up from her book when he walked in and gave him a shy smile. He leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to her lips and plucked the book from her hand.
