by Lauren Wood
Leila reached out and grabbed her arm. “Erin, this is a big opportunity for you. What the hell is your relationship with Cade?”
What was her relationship with Cade? “He’s my stepbrother,” she said softly. “His dad, Richard, married my mom when I was sixteen. He was twenty.”
She stopped talking for a moment as she tried to figure out what to say next. “Okay,” Leila said. “So he’s your family. That’s even better. You’ll be able to easily intertwine his past struggles with his present success. What, was he an obnoxious stepbrother?”
Erin snorted. “Please. Cade was too old to bother with me at first. But then, things changed.”
“How so?”
Leila had been her friend since college, and Erin had never told her the story. Mainly because it was too personal, and also because it hurt too much to talk about. “When I was nineteen, I gave Cade my virginity,” she said softly.
“What?” Leila’s mouth dropped open. “You told me Chase Hartfield took you virginity. You lied to me?”
“I lied to Chase too,” Erin said with a wry smile. “It just sort of happened over Christmas one year. Our parents were stuck in Pennsylvania during a snowstorm and couldn’t get home. Cade didn’t get the memo, and came over for Christmas. We were alone for a week before my mom made it back.”
“You spent a week in the bed of Cade Marquis? Your stepbrother? You dirty girl.” Leila perched on a bar stool and leaned over the counter. “Tell me everything!”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Leila, it was six years ago. It didn’t just happen last night.”
“So? That doesn’t mean it’s not forever burned in your memory. God, Erin, Cade practically became a billionaire over night. His consulting business is a huge success. Companies all over the world are trying to hire him. And you spent a week in his bed. I have to know everything.”
Erin stared out the window. “Actually, I don’t really remember it. There was a lot of alcohol involved.” She smiled. “You remember how I was back then. But I do remember that by the end of the week, Cade turned into a complete asshole. He became engrossed in his business, and I started dating Chase. We haven’t really seen each other since then.”
“So it’s not a big deal that you guy spent a week together?”
“Not a big deal,” Erin confirmed with a smile.
“Excellent. Then you won’t have any issues interviewing him. I’ve set up your first meeting for Monday at three. You can spend the next few days doing some background research on him. The Monthly wants the story for next month’s edition which means you have three weeks to interview him and write it.”
“Wait...”
“I’ve got to go, Erin. It’s going to be great. Let me know if you have any questions!”
Her editor blew her a kiss and sailed out of the room, leaving Erin with her mouth hanging open. How had that backfired on her?
***
Erin propped her long legs up on the couch arm and leaned back as she munched on her lo mein. “This was a good idea.”
Cade stared at her. Every single voice of logic in his head was screaming for him to get back in his car and drive home. It was far safer for him to battle the blizzard outside than to spend even a few hours alone with her. He was twenty-three, about to start his own business, and a hair’s breath away from getting Sasha Oliver to go to dinner with him. He’s been pursuing her for a year. That was the girl he needed to be spending the evening with, not his nineteen-year-old stepsister.
But there was something about her that was undeniable. Her long dark hair practically reached her waist, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his fists in it and…
“Earth to Cade.”
He tore his eyes away from her slender body and blinked. “Sorry, I spaced out. What were you saying?”
“I was asked you about you business. Didn’t you say you were setting up shop here?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s a consulting business. I would help others with their own businesses.”
She frowned. “You’re going to start a business to help other people with their businesses? Isn’t that what, like, sixty year old men do?”
“I worked for Simon and Grant for four years,” he pointed out. “And they’re backing me on my business. I’ve got a good mind for business and marketing, but I don’t want to come up with a product. I’d rather market my services, and consulting is what I’m good at. While I was at Simon and Grant, their sales went up seven percent. Do you know how big that is? I was twenty.”
“Okay, I get it,” she laughed. “You don’t have to be so defensive. You’re a guru of business.”
He smiled. He was getting a bit defensive. He wanted to look good for her. “So what are you majoring in?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I love some of the social sciences. I think anthropology and psychology would be fun. I also love history and literature. Right now I’m just taking the core classes while I talk to advisors.”
Her mother used to complain that Erin was all over the place. When she got what she wanted, she grew bored with it several months later. With that kind of track record, it would take her forever to make up her mind about what she wanted to do for a living.
She sat her box down and swung her legs over the side. “I’m going to get a drink. You need anything?”
“Another beer would be nice.” He frowned. “And don’t drink any of it. Your mother will have me castrated if she comes home and you’re drunk.”
“Please,” she rolled her eyes and disappeared in the kitchen. “First off, the beer you drink is disgusting.” She returned a moment later when his beer and a soda for her. She leaned over to put the beer on the table, and he could stare straight down her shirt. “And second of all, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to drink while we’re alone together. You might take advantage of me.”
He struggled not to let his eyes wander over her breasts that hung freely under her shirt. No bra. That was going to drive him insane.
“You’re not my type,” he said as he casually leaned over to grab his beer. Her face was just inches from his, and all he had to do was lean over and touch her lips to his.
“Cade? What the hell?”
Cade snapped his head up to stare at Trey, his publicist. “What?”
“I’m trying to go over your schedule this week. Where is your head?” Trey folded his arms and glared at his friend. “It’s like talking to a brick wall this morning.”
The rain steadily fell outside the large window that served as Cade’s backdrop. He sat fifteen stories above ground level, and it made him uneasy. He liked the idea of having his feet solidly on the ground, but his team told him that he needed to represent his money.
Still, the rain was soothing, and it lulled Cade into a trance like state. And when Cade’s thoughts wandered, they always landed on her.
“I’m sorry, Trey. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. You have my attention.”
“You would have less on your mind if you’d let me help you,” Trey grumbled. “I’m not just your publicist. I’m your friend as well.”
Cade nodded, an amused smile on his face. “I’m sorry. Please continue.”
“Thank you. You have a meeting with Simon and Grant tomorrow morning to discuss some top-secret project that they’re working on. Then Joshua O’Toole wants to meet with you on Friday, and Erin Silva will be here on Monday to start the interview process. I’d actually like to get ahead of this story, because Silva is known to sometimes take her profiles and run in the opposite direction.”
“Trey, did you O’Toole wants to meet on Friday?”
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
Joshua O’Toole had been his first investor. Simon and Grant had been his second. He’d always be grateful for O’Toole, but it wasn’t until a few years after he’d established his company that he learned of the rumors. O’Toole was a billionaire baby and always throwing money at new start up companies, but it wasn’t until afterwards th
at he learned why.
O’Toole like to have his hands dipped in several pies at once because it helped him both spread and cover his illegal activities. He was in deep to the Irish mob. By the time Cade found out, it was too late.
“Do you know what he wants?” Cade demanded.
“No, I…”
“Why the hell not? Am I just supposed to enter a meeting with O’Toole completely blind?”
“Whoa! Cade, what is wrong with you? I don’t know what O’Toole wants. He’s an investor. He can pretty much pop in whenever he likes. You’ve never had an issue before with investors coming in.”
Cade sat back and took a deep breath. He needed to keep a cool head about him. “I’m sorry, Trey. O’Toole hasn’t been here to visit in two years. He could care less about what we did with his money. It just raises a few flags that he would come in now.”
His friend shrugged. “So pay him back. You’ve got more than enough money. Tell him that you appreciated his support, and now you want to try to do things on your own.”
Trey clearly had no idea the reputation that O’Toole had. He didn’t just bow out of deals. If he thought he could use Cade, he would, mercilessly. But that wasn’t Trey’s problem. “You’re right. Now what were you saying at Silva?”
“So when she did the piece on Terrence Shaw a few years ago, she was supposed to do a humanitarian story on his charity work, but instead, she uncovered just how fraudulent his charity was, and she skinned him and fed him to the public. It was terrifying to see their reaction.”
Cade remembered the story well. He was proud of her for sticking to her guns. “Shaw was a crook, and Silva exposed him. Trey, I’m not a crook.”
“No, but I’m afraid she’ll take your success story and spin it in a negative light. As a freelance writer, she’s under no contract to release her notes or her draft to me before it goes to print. I don’t know why you want to work with her. She’s been in the dark ever since she uncovered the horror story behind the Veterans Hospital.”
“Erin Silva is my stepsister. I just want to help her get back on her feet again. She’s not a liar, so if she does say something negative in the story, it’ll be because it’s the truth.”
“She’s your stepsister?” Trey’s jaw dropped open. “You’ve hidden a stepsister from me for three years? How the hell is that possible?”
His status had a tendency to make things uncomfortable for his dad and stepmom. They were constantly bombarded with questions from the media, and Cade wanted to protect Erin from that. After what had happened between them, he owed her that. The media never dug deep enough to care much about her, and he never talked about her.
“I’m sure I’ve mentioned her,” Cade lied softly. “Anyways, don’t worry about her story. Let’s talk about the Simon and Grant project. They’ve been tight lipped about their new product for over a year now. You think that’s what tomorrow’s meeting is about?”
Trey grinned and leaned forward as he dished about what he knew. Cade tried to stay focused, but he couldn’t help but think about Erin. Although the meeting was all set, he hadn’t heard from her. No doubt she’d be pissed about the story. What would she do when she found out that he’d gone to The New York Monthly and pitched the idea first hand?
She’d be livid.
He couldn’t help but smile. He loved to watch Erin Silva when she was angry.
Chapter 2
She straddled his lap and stared at him. How did they get here? One moment they were watching a movie, and the next moment, his arm slowly slid down her body until he was cupping her beneath her shirt. She should have turned around and slapped him. She should have stormed out of the room. Instead, she’d actually arched into his touch and moaned. After a few minute of his lightly brushing his finger over her, she turned and pressed herself against his erection.
“Erin,” he said softly as he stared at her. She knew what he was thinking. If she leaned over and kissed him, they’d both be lost. Isn’t this what they both knew was going to happen? She’d wanted him since the moment she laid eyes on him, and whenever they were alone, she’d teased him mercilessly.
But she was just a kid then. Things were different now. They were alone, and they were both of age. She knew the moment that he closed the front door that this was going to happen. They bickered and argued, but it was just for show. Deep down, she’d been aching for him. And she knew he felt the same. She could see the raw desire in his eyes.
Before he could list all the reasons that they shouldn’t do this, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He moaned softly, and she lengthened her legs, forcing his head back, so she could deepen the kiss. The touch of his tongue had her head swimming, and she had to cling to him for support. The low flicker of fire within her belly burned wild and free now as it raced across her body.
His hands swept beneath her shirt, traced along her bare skin, sent shivers down her spine as he finally filled his hands with her breasts. Her legs buckled, and as she fell into his lap, he took control of the situation. He slanted his lips over her in an urgency that they both understood.
When they finally broke free, they were gasping for breath. “You don’t know what you’re doing,” he moaned while she rocked herself against his hardness.
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” she replied hoarsely. “Please, Cade. There’s no one else I want.”
He braced her with on arm and flipped her over so that her back pressed against the couch cushions. When his body settled on hers, she lifted her legs around his waist and dropped her head back as he licked along her neck. This was it. This was the moment she’d bee waiting for.
“Hello, Erin.”
She took a deep breath and tried to steal her nerves. She’d seen his picture grace the magazines, and she’d seen her stepfather’s pictures of him as he matured into the man he was today, but nothing did him justice. He still had that dark, unkempt hair that made it look like he’d just gotten out of bed. His crystal blue eyes still manage to hold all the intensity and dangerous pleasure that his body was capable of. He’d kept himself in good shape, and she could see the ripples of his muscles under the crisp clean shirt he wore that unbuttoned at the top.
He’d once said in an interview that he never wore ties. He didn’t want to make it any easier for someone to strangle him.
Like her. She definitely wanted to strange him. How unfair was it that he still looked so damn good?
“Mr. Marquis,” she said breezily. “I love the office. Simple, elegant, and incredibly understated. Is that how you want your clients to see you?” Despite her reluctance, this was a job. And she wasn’t going to let her feelings cloud her ability to do her job.
A knowing smile played on his lips as he recognized the game she was playing. No discussion of the past. No discussion of their relationship. A simple, clean-cut interview.
“I certainly don’t want my clients to see me as simple, Ms. Silva.” Although his tone was mocking, her name rolled off his tongue easily, like he’d been practicing.
“Of course not. You became a billionaire in just a matter of a few years. You don’t do that by being simple,” she said lightly. He stood aside, and she walked into his office.
There were no personal mementos. If he was dating anyone long term, her mother and Richard never said. Instead, there was a slew of framed letters. She immediately crossed the office to study them. “Feedback,” she muttered as she read them.
“I ask each company to write me a personal letter discussing what did and didn’t work for them. They are able to do so without any backlash from me as I only want to hear the truth. The best and the worst letter go up on my wall to remind me of what I’m capable of.”
Pleasure and heartbreak. That was what he was capable of. Immediately she pushed the thought out of her head. She would never get through this interview if she didn’t keep it impersonal. She jotted a few things dong in her notebook until she felt his hand on her shoulder.
“If you coul
d leave that part out, I would appreciate it,” he said softly. “This is my personal wall, and I would hate to think that people weren’t giving me honest feedback because they want to be put on display.”
She stiffened under his touch and moved away. “What made you want to help others? Most people with your talent in business want to partner up with products and services. They want to leave a physical mark in the world, and yet you simply work behind the scenes to make other people successful.”
Erin could feel his eyes following her as she moved around the room. “Do you want to sit down?” he asked as he pointed to the chair.
“Walking around and standing keeps the juices flowing,” she said absently as she stared out the window. “Plus, I get to see more of the environment that you work in.”
“You’ve never been here before.” It was more of an accusation that a question. She ignored it.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
He ran his hands through his hair. It was a move that she knew well. He was frustrated. “Erin, can we please just…”
“Stop.” She held her hand up. “Let’s get a few things straight. I know you orchestrated this. I don’t know why. Maybe you think my own career is spiraling downhill, and maybe you’re right, but the point is that I know I’m here for a reason. And I hope to hell that reason isn’t so that you think I’ll owe you for this.”
His mouth dropped open. “Christ, Erin I would never…”
“I’m not done,” she snapped. “It’s been years, Cade. And somewhere in that time, I might have forgiven you for taking my virginity and breaking my heart, but it wasn’t just that, was it? You managed to orchestrate your life and shut me out of it. I could not have felt lower or dirtier when every holiday went by with you making an excuse to not visit until I was out of the house. I had to start lying to your dad and telling him that we occasionally have lunch so he didn’t suspect anything. Do you have any idea how devastating that is? To not only know that I was only good enough to be your fuck buddy for a week but that you were so ashamed of it that you couldn’t face me?”
