by CR Robertson
Cassandra
My office felt small, the walls constricting around me. No matter how much I tried to concentrate on the words on the page in front of me, they refused to make sense. I’d had to take some time off after my abduction and pretend that I fell down the stairs when I was dizzy with the flu. It explained the physical bruises, and no one would ever see my psychological ones.
My engagement ring sat in my handbag, my finger naked without it residing there. It would be too much for me to explain so soon after the bruises and ribs.
My desk phone bleeped, and I noticed it was my assistant Sasha. “What’s up?”
“The Bartholomew’s have arrived for another impromptu meeting. Al is fluttering about out here, so I thought I should give you the head’s up,” Sasha replied.
I groaned, the thought of having to deal with Xavier’s father exhausting. He was the opposite of his son, and there were times I wondered how such a cantankerous asshole could have such a laid-back son and heir.
Sasha laughed and hung up.
About ten minutes later, there was a quick rap at my door before it opened, and my boss Alastair walked in with my future father-in-law with him.
“Sorry to barge in, Cassie, but Mr. Bartholomew wanted contracts drawn up for a new acquisition immediately.”
I leaned back in my chair to regard both men. My finger hit the button that connected me to Sasha.
“Sasha, could you set up the conference room?”
“Certainly.”
“Thanks.” I knew Xavier and Jordan were meeting Ash this morning, so it made me wonder why his father chose now to arrive here. “I’ll need all the details of the acquisition to check the title deeds on the property.”
He replied with a sharp nod. Whatever was going on, he wasn’t a happy man this morning. His legal team, or security team, or whoever they really were stood behind him at the door. The man from The Twilight Rooms smirked at me.
“Sasha will have tea and coffee in the conference room. I’m literally just finishing a document here and will be with you in a few minutes.” I gave them my best dismissive smile.
Al ushered Mr. Bartholomew from the room with a grateful wave.
Something didn’t feel right about what was happening, so I lifted my phone and shot off a text: Your dad just arrived and doesn’t look happy. That creepy man from the other night is with him…
Xavier always had his phone with him. At times I thought it was surgically attached.
My phone pinged a few seconds later. What for? He was supposed to be with his accountant this morning.
No idea. Apparently, there is an emergency acquisition.
His silence was ominous. I hadn’t really been doing anything since my concentration was so bad, but I refused to be made leave what I was doing just because someone snapped their fingers. For ten minutes, I deliberately sat there staring at the door before I pushed myself to my feet. My skirt felt tight this morning and the morning sickness seemed to grow worse daily.
My flat shoes sat in the corner and I gazed at them longingly. At some point, I would have to tell everyone that I was pregnant, but until then I would continue to pretend to be the unflappable professional.
Sasha sat at her desk. “Would you join me?” I asked, needing an extra pair of eyes since instinct told me there was something very wrong about whatever was happening.
We joined the men in the conference room with smiles fixed on our faces. I set up my laptop and settled myself at the table. “How can I help you?”
Mr. Bartholomew glared at me, his eyes flicking to the clock behind me for several seconds to point out that I’d kept him waiting. I continued to stare at him without blinking.
He held his hand out to the man beside him, who produced a folder from his briefcase. He slid it across the table toward me. Sasha intercepted it and handed it to me to emphasise the consideration they should have shown.
I recognised the first name, Malcolm. Xavier had never told me his surname.
“An acquaintance of mine has disappeared. His wife needs to liquidate his assets swiftly.” The way he said it inferred that I knew what he was talking about.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Are you saying the man is missing, that he’s dead, or that he’s been abducted? In either of those cases, we still would not have a legal standing to bypass his legal right to his property.”
His cold eyes bored into my soul. “It’s complicated. His wife has a document stating she has power of attorney over his residential properties. Most of them have been raided by the police. He is believed to have left the country and is hiding. She wants to do the same where he can’t find her.”
Obviously, Xavier had made it look as if he’d run away. Why would anyone be looking for his body in England when there was a biscuit trail leading out of the country.
“I would need that documentation because her name is not on the deeds of the property in question.”
“Just do it!” he shouted across the table.
My eyebrows shot up and I cowered back in my seat. The last time anyone had screamed at me was during my attack.
“Really, Dad, there’s no need to scream like a bear.” Xavier stood in the doorway with Jordan beside him.
“Xavier, what are you doing here?” Mr. Bartholomew’s eyes narrowed on his son, his hand bunching on the table.
Al looked ready to run.
“As your business partner, I could ask the same thing,” he replied coolly, wandering around the table until he reached my side.
I noticed his jaw tightening when he stared at my left hand for several seconds. It never occurred to me that he would arrive, so my ring remained in my handbag. Xavier lifted the documentation from beside me, running his gaze over it before handing it to Jordan.
“This property is subject to a legal investigation,” Jordan said smoothly. “Malcolm had his fingers in the sex trade pie. All his assets are frozen, including any properties he owned.”
My head tilted slightly, and Jordan’s lips twitched.
“I guess you’re not the only one in the room with a law degree,” Jordan replied to my unasked question. “Mine happens to be for criminal law, where the bad guys reside. I didn’t catch the 101 class.”
Xavier huffed out a laugh beside me. “What are you doing, Dad?”
“Helping a friend escape her husband. I knew her father and he would have done the same if I’d had a daughter.”
Jordan tutted, flicking through the file. “As your barrister, Xavier, I’m instructing you not to use Bartholomew Enterprises to buy this as it would drag you into this investigation.”
Mr. Bartholomew stood suddenly, his seat falling over. “Listen, you little shit.”
“Enough.” Xavier’s voice was low and cold. “We’re sorry to have wasted your time here today, but our company will not be purchasing this property, or any of the others in the portfolio.”
The man from The Twilight Rooms watched in glee, his eyes snapping between Xavier, his father, and me.
“You made me an equal business partner,” Xavier continued. “That means you need my signature on the sale.”
His father glared at Xavier as if he was going to go over the table to get to him, before turning on his heel and storming out. Jordan moved around the room, taking the man who knew about my relationship to one side. Even in a suit and sporting a law degree, Jordan was a scary fucker.
“Miss Kinkade, can I speak to you privately for a moment?” Xavier’s blue eyes bored down into mine and trepidation fluttered low in my stomach.
“Certainly.” I lifted my laptop and exited the room, heading to my office.
The sound of the door locking made me want to hide. Xavier in a suit was a force to be reckoned with. “Is there any reason you’re not wearing your ring?” he asked quietly.
Kicking my heels off, I began to fiddle with the button on the back of my skirt. It was stupid and silly, and he hadn’t shouted at me, but tears began to roll down my face.
>
Xavier watched me for several seconds before he appeared behind me and deftly opened the button and tugged down the zip.
I slumped into the sofa in front of the window and buried my face in my hands, my hair cascading forward to hide me. “My clothes don’t fit anymore, I can’t concentrate, and if I wear the ring then I need to answer questions that I’m not ready for.”
“What sort of questions?” He dragged his jacket off and flung it onto my desk, loosening his tie.
My eyes finally met his. “If I tell the world that we’re engaged, my career is over. Al won’t trust me and his contract with your company will be in jeopardy.” I glared at him. “This is all your fault.”
His eyebrows shot up. “My fault?”
“Yeah, you were supposed to be a naughty fantasy that stayed locked away. Then you arrive in my life with your penis and the next thing I know I’m fat and my shoes don’t fit anymore.”
His lips twitched. “I’m sorry about your shoes. I know how much you love your shoe collection, it took me ages to pack them up for you.”
“You’re not sorry about upsetting my life with your penis?”
He settled himself on the sofa, moved my legs onto his knee. and began to rub my feet. “Nope, not sorry about any of that. My penis is more than happy with the arrangement.”
“Ugh!” I muttered, flinging my head back. His presence here actually helped to steady my emotions, and he gave the best foot massages in the world.
There was a knock on the door and Xavier set my feet on the sofa so he could go and open it. Jordan stood there looking grim. He pushed past Xavier, who locked the door again.
“Sorry to interrupt.” He didn’t look sorry, he appeared pissed.
I lifted my feet for Xavier to slip back into his previous position of chief foot massager.
“What’s up?” Xavier asked.
“What the fuck is your father playing at? He knows those properties are hot and that we are all under scrutiny right now!” Jordan trailed his fingers through his hair, his expression saying he’d prefer to punch something.
“Top filing cabinet drawer,” I said.
Jordan stared at me for several seconds before opening it. A grin emerged as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “I knew I liked you.”
“Glasses are in the next drawer down.”
Another knock sounded on my door. Jordan opened it and Megan stood there. He held it open for her to enter before he locked it again.
“Is there really any point in locking it?” I asked in disbelief.
Megan hadn’t been happy about the start of my relationship with Xavier, and she was even less happy when she discovered I’d been assaulted after I ran away. She lifted four glasses from my middle drawer and set them on my desk. “What’s happening?” she whispered.
“What makes you think anything is happening?” Jordan mock whispered, his dark eyes watching her with predator precision.
“Everyone is talking about the showdown in the office. They think you’re in here trying to silence Cas.” Her eyes were huge when they landed on me. “Just tell me if they’re trying to intimidate you.”
Jordan laughed and I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to be scared or amused. The sound was unnatural, considering I’d decided he was a psychopath. “That woman has Zee wrapped around her little finger. I would suggest your statement is the wrong way around.”
Megan took the bottle from Jordan and poured four glasses. He took one and poured it into the end glass to make it a double, lifting another to hand to Xavier.
“Jay!” Megan gasped.
His right eyebrow lifted, and her gaze dropped immediately. “Cas is pregnant and can’t drink. At this rate, your attitude will need an adjustment.”
Megan’s cheeks flushed at his words until they all finally registered. Her eyes flashed to mine. “Pregnant? How did that happen?”
Jordan glared again and she chewed the side of her mouth. He said she’d been his sub, I could see that she wanted to obey him, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. It was an interesting concept, considering Megan was always in charge and bossing me around.
Xavier downed his drink in one gulp and raised his glass in a silent salute to Jordan. “I can answer that one,” Xavier replied. “When I discovered that the sexy solicitor with the fake fuck-me glasses on was the woman who’d dumped me in The Midnight Rooms, I followed her to her office. Considering that I don’t generally have sex during meetings, I didn’t have any condoms with me, and so it’s entirely possible that our future child was conceived on that desk, or against the window, or maybe on this sofa.”
Jordan chuckled as Megan’s gaze followed Xavier’s description to every surface in the room he mentioned.
“Ignore him, Meg. He’s being a dick.” I nudged his stomach with my toes, making him grin in response.
She sank into a chair and stared at me. “Al will be furious when he finds out.”
“In fairness, neither of us knew who each other was until after all the contracts had been signed,” Xavier said. “If Alastair Benson has a problem, he can speak to me about it.”
My life was descending into chaos until I barely knew what was happening anymore.
“We gotta go, Zee, and find out what your dad’s planning. This won’t stop him,” Jordan said, setting his glass on my desk. He placed a kiss on Megan’s forehead and the way she looked up at him sent shivers down my spine. She never once looked at her ex-fiancé like that, and I’d never witnessed Jordan showing any form of affection to anyone.
“You need to go home,” Xavier chastised me. “Your scan is next week and the doctor said you needed to rest after the attack.”
“I have work to do,” I protested.
Xavier gave me a look which made me stop talking. He rarely ever got all alpha male around me. He wore silk gloves when dealing with me when the rest of the world got his fists of steel. “Get your coat, we’ll drop you off on the way through.”
He pulled me to my feet and silently buttoned and zipped up my skirt. This was the reason I came back to him. No one else understood me or treated me the way he did. Like I was the most valuable person in their life.
“Today’s gonna be a bitch. You should probably stay with her,” Jordan told Megan.
She nodded and slipped from the office, returning a few minutes later with her coat and handbag. “I told Al you’re upset and I’m taking you home.”
All three stood and watched me until I reluctantly gave in. Xavier’s arm wrapped around my waist to tug me against him. His lips kissed the top of my head. “I need you to be safe. The only place I can do that is at home.”
I nodded silently.
“Don’t go out. Don’t answer the intercom to anyone. Call me if you need anything and that includes just hearing my voice.”
A smile curved my lips at the reference to the night I was abducted. We both knew the only reason I phoned him was because I needed to hear his voice. It saved my life. That and big boobs to hide a phone in.
I straightened Xavier’s tie and we all left my office in a group, the men emanating menace to stop anyone asking questions. Xavier’s Jaguar was in the carpark below the building. Megan and I slipped into the back, her hand finding and squeezing mine.
We both knew that if the men were acting like this, then there was a problem. Xavier shielded me from most of his life, telling me only what I needed to know to be in his world. If he was worried, then I definitely should be.
Fear trickled down my spine because I knew whatever was coming involved guns and death. I could only pray that Xavier survived.
***
Chapter Fifteen
Xavier
Something had happened to spook Dad and it wasn’t the raid on the premises last night, I doubted he even knew about that since I’d been doing damage control all morning until Cassandra messaged. We picked Ash up, filling him in on the way to Dad’s house.
He was on the phone when we arrived, barking ord
ers. Jordan discreetly began prowling around the perimeter of the house. We’d found Dad easily because he wore a tracker he didn’t even know was there.
His gaze finally found me standing in the doorway. “I’ll phone you back,” Dad snapped before disconnecting the call.
“Want to tell me what is going on?” I asked, propping my hip on the doorframe.
“There’s nothing to tell. How did you know about my meeting this morning?” He glared at me, anger radiating from him in waves, his back rigid and fist bunched at his side.
“Sit down, Dad, we need to talk.” He’d always been there watching over me since Mum passed away. Whatever was happening, we needed to sort it quickly so I could focus on Cassandra and the family we were starting.
He reluctantly sat down, bent forward so his elbows were on his thighs and his head lowered.
“Firstly, I need to make sure you’re free next Friday.” My stomach flipped at the thought of what I had planned.
“I’m booked for a meeting in Paris.”
“Cancel it.” His expression hardened at my words. “Dad, I’m getting married. I want you to be there.”
His eyebrows shot up. “But you’re not even dating anyone.”
“You need better spies,” I said. “My fiancée is living with me and currently pregnant with our first child.”
My father always had the answers before he asked the questions, so he was rarely surprised. His jaw dropped and he blinked.
A smile ghosted across my lips. “Uncle Lucas lands in the country early next week for the ceremony.”
“You told him before me?” he queried.
“No, he thinks he’s coming for a family conference about my shares in the wine business.”
Dad nodded thoughtfully. “Who is she? And when do I get to meet my future daughter-in-law?”
“You’ve already met her. Cassandra and I started dating before you’d employed her solicitor firm. She had no clue who I was, and only realised that day I arrived with the guys.” It was basically true since we’d agreed to meet in The Midnight Rooms. Technically, that counted as a date.
“The sexy little solicitor with an attitude problem?”
