Tempting the Crown

by Violet Paige

  “I don’t believe it.” Abby blinked. The green in her eyes glistening. “This is for a charity?”

  He chuckled. “We’re not green-headed monsters. We have hearts, despite all your pre-conceived ideas.”

  “My pre-conceived ideas are based on the reality of my situation.”

  “I’ll give you that.”

  She paused. “Ok. So I’m supposed to design the artwork for a children’s foundation that does what exactly?”

  She had started to take notes.

  “We don’t want to narrow our focus too much, or make it too broad. Deacon would like to make sure we’re giving as many educational opportunities as possible to young children through high school.”

  “And you? Do you have a different focus?”

  Cole nodded. “I love his idea, but I want to make sure that kids stay healthy. That they get the chance to live out that educational dream of his. So, my end is more children’s health. Helping families pay medical bills. That kind of thing.”

  Abby’s jaw dropped. “You are fucking with me right now, aren’t you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She shook the blond curls from her shoulders. “You seriously want me to believe that you are both so enthralled with the livelihood and well-being of children that you’re setting up a foundation?”

  “That’s exactly what we’ve done. The Vegas trip in two weeks is when we are announcing it to our shareholders and to the public. We are anticipating a high media presence. They are going to expect us to roll out a new product, but instead they are going to get this. And we hope the foundation gets a lot of support. What better way to kick off a campaign?”

  “I really don’t know what to say.”

  “Do you think you have enough information to start the design work? You’re running on a short time table. The other artists we have consulted certainly have a head start on you.”

  “Th-this is huge,” Abby stuttered.

  “Are you up for it?”

  She nodded. “I-I have to be, don’t I?”

  He smiled. “That’s up to you. You don’t have to take the assignment, Abby. Deacon’s not going to be easy on you. He has an art background. He knows his stuff. He has the final say.”

  “And if I don’t then I sit around the office all day while you two work and wait for you to walk me home.”

  “I didn’t say that. I’m sure we could find another position for you. This was your negation.”

  She sat back in her chair. For a moment, he thought she might reconsider. She might pull her offer to design the brand.

  “I want the job.” She pulled her shoulders back. “If there is one thing I know, it’s how much children need a foundation like this. I’m going to produce the winning design.”

  “Good.” He pushed off from the chair. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

  “It’s going to be the Vegas design.”

  Cole paused in the doorway. He could see the determination in her eyes. Feel the defiance dripping off her. She was beautiful and smart. And every time he saw her she was getting under his skin more and more. He wanted to clear everything off her desk and kiss her until she screamed his name. Abby was more than he ever could have imagined.

  “If it is, then I guess Vegas will be our last weekend together.” He said the words slowly. He didn’t want that to happen. But he wanted her to win. He wanted her to feel that kind of satisfaction from proving her work and her art.

  He was torn, wanting to keep her, and wanting her to be successful enough she freed herself.

  “Then Vegas it is.” She grinned triumphantly. “Thank you for the information, Cole. I know what I need to do now.”

  “Glad I could help.” He tapped the doorframe. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

  “Right. Dinner.”

  He walked out of Abby’s office.

  9

  Abby

  Cole walked out of her office and Abby still didn’t know how to take what he had told her. All this time she thought she was going to design their latest million-dollar product, when in fact they were trying to launch the most amazing foundation she had ever heard of. It was going to change lives. Make families whole. Help children and parents when they needed it most.

  Who were these men?

  She tapped her pen on the desk. They had given her a corner office that most people worked their entire lives to earn.

  She didn’t want to think she had pegged them wrong. That they gave because maybe they were generous, not because they were trying to seduce her. Maybe they gave because that’s how they showed they cared. They gave because it made them feel good.

  She twisted her lips together, confused more than before Cole’s visit. What if there was something good about Cole and Deacon buried underneath their sexy exteriors? What if they were capable of caring beyond their global domination? What if they were good men and she had judged them because of something stupid Cal did?

  Her head spun with the possibilities. But Abby did what she always did when things were complicated. She walked to the new design table and picked up a charcoal pencil. There was one place where she could get lost. One place where everything else faded away and nothing else mattered. Her art.

  ***

  It took ten days. A grueling ten days of working on the Soar design. Abby had never loved a project more than this. She wasn’t sure she was ready to admit it openly, but it was true. She awoke in the mansion each morning, eager to get to the office.

  There were some nights she stayed up late, designing and creating. She felt as if part of her soul were invested in it. It had to be the most beautiful creation she had made.

  Today was it. Deacon and Cole would receive the final submissions from the other artists. Abby’s fingers tingled with nerves. It was hard to decide what made her more nervous—wanting the design to be chosen because she loved it, or wanting it to be chosen to give her the freedom she had sought.

  Either way, it was enough to keep her stomach in knots. She skipped her cup of coffee Douglas offered in the dining room.

  “Can I get you something else, ma’am?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t think I can eat.”

  Deacon rested his tablet next to him at the table. “Is there a reason you have no appetite today?” He smirked.

  She wanted to slap that beautiful smile off his face. It was irritating how sexy he was.

  “I think you know exactly what is at stake today.”

  Cole smiled. “I’m sure your design is going to be chosen.”

  Abby exhaled and smiled at him. He had a way of calming her when she least expected it. “Thank you. I guess I’ll know this afternoon.”

  “Whatever happens, we appreciate that you’ve worked hard for the foundation.”

  “Thank you.” She folded her napkin in her lap. There was no way she could eat the omelet Douglas placed in front of her. “Would you allow me to go to the office this morning alone?”

  She looked at Cole first before seeking Deacon’s permission.

  She hadn’t been allowed to leave without an escort from HiTech, the mansion, or either of them.

  Deacon poured a cup of coffee. He was relaxed and cocky as usual.

  “I don’t see why not. You can take my car. I’ll ride with Cole.”

  “Are you serious?” She stared at him.

  He nodded. “Take it. It’s fast. I think you’ll like how it feels.”

  “I just need to get to the office. I don’t care if I drive a pickup truck.”

  Cole muffled a laugh. “I’d like to see you in a truck, Abby.”

  She shot him a frantic glance. “So I can go? You aren’t going to drag me back?”

  Deacon winked. “The keys are on my dresser. Take it. We’ll see you in the office in an hour. Proposals are due on my desk at ten.”

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  She rushed from the dining room and climbed the stairs to the second story. She had trie
d to stay away from the guys’ bedrooms, but she had no doubt where Deacon’s bedroom was. He was the last door on the left.

  Sometimes at night she thought she heard him pause outside her door, but she was never sure. They had respected her boundaries.

  She barged into his room and snatched the keys from the dresser, but not before she noticed the pictures tucked into the mirror. Abby paused.

  She had never thought before about what kinds of things mattered to Deacon. She had been too busy either hating him, or trying to keep her distance from his smoldering stare. The last two weeks of work had given her an escape.

  But now, she absorbed the photos he had saved.

  He had his arm around a woman with wisps of gray in her hair. It must be his mother. There was a picture of him and Cole. She stared at the collection of art museum shots. He had been to every impressive collection in the world. She couldn’t believe it.

  Abby fought the burning interest in her belly. She had to get to the office. Today Deacon wasn’t a hot sexy man who might have a side she’d like to get to know. No, that couldn’t happen. Today, Deacon was the man who decided her fate. That was all that mattered.

  10

  Deacon

  He took a look at the three leader portfolios in front of him. Deacon pushed away from his desk and walked to the bar to pour a drink. He filled the rocks glass with bourbon and leaned his heavy frame against the marble surface.

  He knocked back the first swallow. If he chose Abby’s design, she would be free. He took another sip.

  It was the last thing he or Cole wanted. Two weeks with her had changed him. He didn’t know how to admit it, or face it, but it was the fucking truth.

  She had a smile that could bring him to his knees. She had a smart mouth that he wanted to kiss every morning and every night. Her voice. Her laugh. She had invaded every part of him when he wasn’t looking. The thought of letting her go was ludicrous.

  But he had made a deal and he wasn’t going to break his word, even if it cost him the one thing he wanted more than anything.

  The elevator in his office dinged. The doors retracted and Cole stepped inside.

  “Have you made a decision yet?” he asked.

  Deacon shook his head. “No. I haven’t even opened them.” He nodded at the presentations on his desk.

  “You know Abby is a nervous wreck waiting on your answer.”

  Deacon frowned. His brows almost touched with the scowl.

  “I know. There’s a lot riding on this.”

  “Which part? The foundation? Or Abby?”

  Deacon exhaled. “Both. I don’t want to fuck up either.”

  “It’s going to crush her if you don’t choose her design, man.”

  “You don’t think I know that?” He shot a look at his best friend. “I want hers to be the one, just as much as I don’t.” He took a seat behind his desk. “This is the one time I wish I didn’t know a damn thing about art.”

  “I could go through them if you like,” Cole offered.

  “No.” He shook his head. “This is my fucking responsibility. She’s counting on me to get it right.”

  “By right, do you mean granting her freedom?”

  Deacon felt his scowl deepen. He clenched his fist. “Yeah. I guess so.”

  “I don’t want her to leave.”

  “Neither do I.” Deacon glanced at the travel package on the corner of his desk. “Vegas is tomorrow. We’re unveiling the foundation. Soar needs me to do the right thing. And so does Abby. But I’ve been thinking about Vegas.”

  “Yeah? What are your thoughts?” Cole shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “I think it’s important that whoever our designer is, attends the event.” He smiled.

  Cole grinned. “I think that’s part of the agreement with our artists, isn’t it?”

  Deacon nodded. “Standard. Even if it means we take the smelly French guy with us.”

  Cole laughed. “Son of a bitch. One more weekend with her.”

  Deacon felt the burden lift. It wasn’t much, but if he did choose Abby’s design she would have to debut it at the conference. If he didn’t, she was required to be their travel companion. It was a win-win.

  “Get out of here and let me study these proposals. I’ll let you know the finalist.”

  Cole nodded. “I’ll wait for you call.” He stepped in the elevator and disappeared.

  Deacon opened the flap to the first design. He sat back in his chair and studied the lines. This might be one of the biggest decisions he made, but at least he knew he had one more weekend to spend with Abby. One more weekend to convince her to become theirs. One last chance to make her realize she was where she needed to be.

  11

  Abby

  She paced back and forth in front of the large windows in her office. This was agonizing. She had delivered her design over three hours ago. How long was it going to take Deacon to make a decision? What if he already had and she wasn’t the choice? He had gone with someone else and she had two more weeks with the bachelors.

  She closed her eyes, exhaling a long breath. The past two weeks had changed her. She hadn’t had any contact with Cal. She had a new kind of freedom, even though it was under the constraints Deacon and Cole set.

  She felt free from the Mantelli world. No more doing Cal’s bidding. No more schemes to make money. She didn’t like to think about the ways she had helped him over the years. Something about her two weeks with Deacon and Cole had taught her the past could really be the past.

  She had moved into a new home. Was given a new office. Had a new career, using her passion for art. And every night she dined with the sexiest most eligible bachelors in Chicago. As much as she had hated how it came to be, she had started to wake up with a smile on her face.

  She went to bed feeling safe. She awoke feeling as if she had a purpose. Deacon and Cole had given that to her.

  What happened if she did win the bet? Would Deacon throw her out of the office? She won and her freedom was instantaneous? She shook with nerves, rubbing her arms. Was that really what she wanted? Did she want to leave them and not look back?

  Abby jumped when her phone buzzed.

  “Abby, Deacon would like you to meet him in his office.” Abby rushed to press the button on her intercom.

  “All right. Please tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “He asked that you use his private elevator. Do you know where that entrance is?” Annette, her assistant asked.

  Abby nodded. “I do.” The butterflies attacked her stomach. She didn’t know if she could walk. This was it. The moment of truth was about to hit her.

  ***

  It was a different experience riding in the elevator without being slung over someone’s shoulder. She watched as the numbers rose higher about the doors. The carriage finally arrived at the top floor and the doors retracted.

  Deacon leaned against the front of his desk, his arms crossed. She almost lost her breath. He shouldn’t look so edible.

  She cleared her throat and took her first step into his office.

  “I heard you’ve made a decision.”

  He nodded. “I have.”

  She didn’t know how much longer she could wait. She bit her lip. “Well?”

  Deacon’s broad chest rose. “It’s you, Abby. Only you.”

  Her eyes widened. “Me? I won?”

  He bowed her head in her direction. “Your design was impressive. Unique. Inspired. It was the only one I even considered.”

  Her palm flattened over her heart. She tried to stop it from beating out of control. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

  Deacon broke his stance and walked toward her. “Why don’t you take a seat? We have to discuss your obligations to the project at this point.”

  “Obligations?” She sat on the leather sofa across from him. There was a coffee table in between them.

  “You have heard Cole and I discuss the Vegas trip this weekend. Launching the foundation is t
he pinnacle of our careers. It has to be flawless. The creator of the brand needs to be at the announcement. You are the vision, Abby. You can’t miss being on an international stage with something so critical for the foundation.”

  “We agreed if I won, I could go.”

  “Yes. We did. You won. You can go. I’m asking you to do this for the foundation. I’m asking you as the artist who created something beautiful, to see your vison shared the way it is supposed to be.”

  Her chest prickled. Her blood rushed with heat. “You’re asking me to stay on?”

  “I’m asking you to travel with Cole and me. Represent your art.”

  “You’re going back on your deal, Deacon,” she fired.

  He shook his head. “No. I’m not. You can get up and walk out of here if you want. I won’t stop you. I swear.”

  She looked at the set of double doors over her should and the elevator to her side.

  “But, now that you’re free, I’d like you to stay because you want to see the project finished. At least through the weekend, Abby.” He smiled devilishly. “I promise Cole and I can make Vegas fun.”

  She felt more heat rush through her. It spread between her legs and rushed to her nipples. Shit. What kind of effect did this man have on her? Was this even legal what he could do to her body without even touching her?

  “Vegas for the weekend?” she whispered.

  He raked his teeth against his lip and she thought she might melt off the couch. Was it crazy she wanted to go? She could see it. Having drinks with Cole and Deacon. Dinner at a five-star restaurant.

  “You won’t regret it,” he urged. “We do everything first-class. It will be a trip of a lifetime. By the time we leave everyone will want you to design for them. You can’t get exposure like this any other way, Abby. Think about your career.”