The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance

by Bell, Victoria

  “I want us to protect each other,” he replied. “And I owe you one already.”

  In spite of her turmoil of emotions, Dylan grinned.

  “Yes, you do,” she agreed. “I suppose it would be unfair of me to leave you owing me something.”

  Garret swooped down, gently kissing his lips to hers.

  “I want us to be even always,” he replied.

  The Billionaire’s Maid

  A Billionaire Romance

  Olivia Summers

  The Billionaire’s Maid

  Copyright 2017 Olivia Summers

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  WARNING:

  Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.

  Chapter One

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass what Bryce says, Cameron, just do it. Last I checked I was chairman of the company and my vote trumps all.”

  Aaric Buckley did not wait for a response before disconnecting the call, smirking to himself.

  Idiots. They think they know my business better than I do. How many times do I must tell them that I am the brains of Cornerstone?

  Sighing, he rose from his bed and pulled open the filmy curtains, staring out into Norris Cut beyond the slender rectangular pool outside his private deck.

  His naked body rippled against the bright morning sunlight, and Aaric idly wondered the time.

  It seems to be nearing noon, he thought, peering up at the bright Miami Beach sunshine but it was irrelevant. He was “on vacation” despite the fact he slept with his earpiece attached to his head.

  “Aaric, come back to bed,” Ilona called from the California king, but he ignored her, grimacing into the view.

  Why is she still here? He asked himself, annoyed. He reasoned he had drunk too much the previous night or else he would have sent her packing after having his way with her. He glanced at the nightstand to see if her money was still there. It was.

  She knows better than to spend the night; I will deal with her later.

  “Baby, I’m hungry,” she whined, and Aaric whirled to face her.

  “Then I suggest you dress and find your way back to the mainland to the nearest MacDonald’s,” he snapped, relishing the look of hurt which flittered across her face.

  Ilona was pretty in a trailer park beauty queen way. Her hair was a bleached, platinum blonde and her too skinny body boasted firm, high enhanced breasts and gaunt cheekbones. Bright blue eyes were spaced too close together, and her brow was wide, but as a package, she was well enough put together.

  She was Aaric’s favorite hooker because she usually respected the rules.

  Usually.

  “I thought maybe Elena could whip us up some breakfast in bed,” she called, sitting up against the Egyptian cotton sheets and allowing the linen to fall away from her lithe body. She pouted in a manner which Aaric was sure she considered alluring, but he was not impressed.

  “Elena has a job to do which does not entail cooking for escorts,” Aaric retorted, his British accent laced with contempt. “Get dressed. I’ll have Wendell take you back to the Beach.”

  “Yesterday you said that we would spend the day on your yacht,” Ilona protested, her eyes wide with dismay.

  “Yesterday I thought to have sex with you was a good idea,” Aaric snapped rudely. “Get dressed and get out before I throw you in the ocean.”

  Ilona’s mouth grew into a line of anger, and she slipped from the bed, shifting her gaze toward the floor so he would not read her expression, but Aaric did see her irritation, and it pleased him.

  Another moron in my midst, he thought, rolling his eyes and turning back toward the window. How did my life become this? I am surrounded by imbeciles.

  It did not occur to Aaric that he reaped what he sowed.

  “Where should I meet Wen?” Ilona asked sullenly, pulling on a slinky red dress. Aaric cringed as he looked at her. Her attire screeched “whore,” and he did not want the neighbors seeing her about. He did not even wish for the house staff to see her on the property but he had little choice but to allow his driver to take her off Fisher Island.

  What was I thinking bringing her back here last night? I should have rented a hotel room as I always do. Not that they are ignorant of my proclivities, Aaric mused, but he decided to ship her back to Miami Beach through Norris Cut. The private ferry was too risky.

  She’s nothing Wendell hasn’t seen before, he reasoned, eyeing the prostitute.

  “I will come with you to find him,” Aaric sighed, looking about for his robe. His vacation was already shaping up poorly.

  I am going to have to watch my imbibing going forward. The last thing I want is to wake up with strange women in my bed when I am supposed to be collecting myself.

  The “vacation” had been Cameron’s idea, and while Aaric had been steadfast against it, he had to admit his assistant had a point.

  With the bad publicity facing Cornerstone Enterprises over the past months, Cameron had suggested that keeping a low profile out of the public eye for a couple weeks might benefit the company.

  It did not mean that Aaric was handing off the company; on the contrary. It only meant that the CEO would sunbathe on his Fisher Island mansion and handle business from behind the scenes.

  Of course, if I am seen smuggling hookers out of my house, it will defeat the purpose entirely, Aaric told himself wryly, slipping on a pair of orthopedic sandals. More bad publicity will help no one.

  He could almost read the headlines as he peered at Ilona. He wondered what kept him going back to the girl.

  Oh, that’s right – she has a mouth like a Hoover vacuum.

  “Let’s go,” he ordered Ilona, ushering out of the double doors of the master suite. She scowled but walked without protest.

  As they exited, Aaric cringed inwardly. Elena glanced up from her spot in the hallway, a duster in hand.

  The housekeeper’s dark brown eyes registered surprise, immediately followed by disgust as her gaze rested on Ilona.

  “Where is Wendell?” Aaric asked Elena.

  “In the courtyard,” Elena replied shortly, turning back to her dusting as if trying to block the image from her mind. “You know, working.”

  Aaric gritted his teeth, ignoring her sarcastic tone and looked at Ilona again.

  Inexplicably he was embarrassed that Elena had seen the escort.

  “Elena, can we have some breakfast?” Ilona piped up, and Aaric felt anger spring through him.

  Elena glanced at the woman and then at her boss, her black eyebrows raising.

  “Breakfast?” she echoed. “It’s noon.”

  “Ilona is leaving. You can get me some coffee, Elena,” Aaric answered firmly, grabbing the blonde by the arm and pulling her down the floating staircase.

  “But I’m hungry!” Ilona squealed as the CEO yanked her toward the back of the sprawling estate home.

  “You are pushing your luck,” he hissed. “You should know better than to be here in the morning.”

  Ilona pouted and shrugged.

  “You asked me to stay last night,” she whimpered. “I wasn’t going to say no.”

  “No isn’t really in your vocabulary, is it?” Aaric commented, throwing open the door to the backyard.

  As Elena had
said, Wendell was in the courtyard, landscaping the bushes along the retaining wall.

  “Wendell, take this girl back to the Beach,” Aaric barked, releasing Ilona’s arm roughly. She stumbled forward, turning to glare at Aaric but he was already sauntering back into the house as if she had never been there.

  I must find another agency. These girls are getting too familiar with me and think they can do whatever they want.

  His cell was ringing again, and Aaric accepted the call without glancing at his screen. There were only two people with his private number; Cameron and Lilyanne.

  “What is it?” he asked, sauntering into the dining room. Elena was laying out a percolator of coffee at the head of the custom-made table. She backed away from the high back chair as he approached. Her face was pinched into a fine line of annoyance, but Aaric barely noticed as Lilyanne’s mellifluous bitching filled his earpiece.

  “What is it?” she screeched, her lyrical Southern accent pitched higher than usual. “What is it?”

  “I am on vacation, Lil. I don’t have time for guessing games. Out with it or leave me be.”

  Aaric could almost hear the frothing emitting from Lilyanne’s mouth as she struggled to catch her breath.

  “You are on vacation?” she bellowed. Aaric rolled his gray eyes and collapsed into his chair wondering how she had earned the position as his secretary.

  I must stop thinking with my erections, he thought crudely, taking a sip of the Jamaica Blue coffee from his cup. He winced as the burning liquid scorched his lips and his eyes darted upward to glare at Elena who pretended to busy herself by the buffet.

  He could see her cast him a glance through his peripheral vision and he thought he saw her smirk.

  “Are you practicing for a role as a parrot?” Aaric snapped at Lilyanne. “Why are you having an anxiety attack?”

  “You left me here holding the bag!” she screamed. “Without warning when the walls are collapsing around my head!”

  “Your job is to answer phones,” Aaric retorted icily, knowing that his secretary did much more than merely play receptionist at his multi-billion-dollar corporation. It did not stop him from jabbing at her whenever he got the chance.

  “You’re a horse’s ass, Aaric,” Lilyanne growled. “When are you coming back?”

  “I don’t know, love. Whenever I grow bored of sunning myself, I imagine.”

  Aaric grinned cruelly, envisioning Lilyanne’s rosebud mouth falling agape at his flippant response.

  “I am not answering your calls anymore,” Lilyanne snarled. “I quit!”

  Aaric chortled at the empty threat.

  “Fine. Can you be a doll and call the temp agency before you go?”

  Lilyanne let out a sound which was a cross between a howl and a cry of sheer frustration before hanging up the phone in his ear.

  Silly girl, Aaric thought, shaking his head. Forgetting his initial burn, he put the hot beverage to his mouth again and once more injured his mouth.

  “Elena, this coffee is scalding!” he barked at his housekeeper. The bright-eyed brunette turned to him, her expression one of feigned innocence.

  “Is it?” she asked. Aaric stared at her, waiting for an apology but of course one did not spring from her lips.

  Elena had been his housekeeper for seven years, joining him on Fisher Island as soon as he bought the eighteen-million-dollar home.

  She was the youngest woman he had ever hired outside of the office, bringing her into the mansion when she was only twenty.

  At first, he had made lewd sexual innuendo toward her, overtly offering her a place in his bed but Elena shot him down in such a way it had deterred him from ever asking again.

  She had a way of crushing his soul in few words, a talent he found irresistible. While he quickly stopped pursuing the exotic looking brunette, he found himself fascinated by her ability almost to intimidate him.

  Naturally, this was a fact Aaric kept to himself and on days such as that, he knew that keeping Elena around was terrible for his ego.

  “Yes, it is, or I would not have said so,” Aaric bit back. Elena drew near him, staring into his eyes deeply. As she approached, he felt his heart rate quicken despite knowing she had something uncouth up her sleeve. Still, he could not tear his smoky irises from her chocolate brown eyes, and when she leaned over, Aaric started.

  “What are you -?”

  His question was cut short as Elena blew into the cup, as a mother would do for her child’s hot soup. Humiliation colored his face as she sat back.

  “Try it now,” she encouraged sweetly. “Let me know if I should run and get you an ice cube.”

  Aaric’s jaw clenched as Elena whirled, knowing that her words were rhetorical and he watched her leave with loathing.

  I need to fire all the ungrateful bitches in my life, he thought furiously, picking up his cup. As he took a sip his tan face grew more scarlet as he realized that the coffee was, in fact, easier to drink in the wake of what she had done.

  I hate her. I truly despise her and Lilyanne. Women should all be gagged permanently.

  The thought of Elena with a ball gag in her mouth, dressed in leather suddenly gave him an erection.

  His cell buzzed, and this time Aaric did look to see who was calling, sighing as he saw it was Cameron again.

  “You know, for someone who wanted me on vacation, you aren’t doing a very good job of allowing me peace and quiet,” Aaric grumbled.

  “Sorry, Aaric but you have a problem,” his assistant warned without preamble.

  “Oh, for the love of God, who is it now? TSA? IRS?”

  “It’s worse,” Cameron replied quietly, and Aaric felt his blood run cold.

  “FBI?” he asked tersely, sweat forming on his brow.

  “Immigration,” Cameron answered.

  “Immigration?” Aaric asked, perplexed. “What the hell do they want?”

  There was a slight pause as Cameron cleared his throat.

  “You need to meet with them tomorrow. They may be revoking your green card.”

  Aaric guffawed.

  “Please tell me this is your idea of a bad joke,” the Briton laughed. “I have been doing business in the States since the beginning of Cornerstone, twenty-two years ago.”

  Cameroon was silent again as if gathering his words and strength.

  “Considering your current investigations, they want to suspend your privileges in the States.”

  Where blood had stained his face moments before, Aaric suddenly found it difficult to breathe as the plasma drained into his feet.

  “How can they do that?” he whispered.

  “I suggest you call Vince right away. You have an appointment with them in Miami at two o’clock tomorrow, but I am sure you know with the crack down on immigration happening right now…” Cameron trailed off, and Aaric shook his head.

  “I thought that the threat was undocumented workers and you know, like people trying to bomb America,” Aaric replied dryly. “Not a man who pours millions of dollars back into the economy annually.”

  “Whatever it is, Aaric, you need to deal with it,” Cameron replied.

  This is absurd. Whomever is responsible for this will pay when I figure it out. They can’t deport me. I am Aaric Nigel Buckley, CEO of Cornerstone Enterprises. They need me here.

  Yet as Aaric bid goodbye to Cameron, searching through his cell for his lawyer’s phone number, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  Why must it always pour when it rains? He wondered.

  Chapter Two

  “No, mom, I will be home this weekend, I promise,” Elena Mancini said into her cell. She flopped back against the pillows on her bed, swallowing the lump in her throat as she listened to her mother’s raspy voice.

  “You never come see your mama,” Angela complained, her Italian accent filled with disappointment. “You forget about your mama and papa.”

  “Come on, mom, that’s not true,” Elena replied, rolling her eyes heavenward
. “It’s just not easy to get away all the time.”

  “Yea, yea, you have a big important job as a slave to rich man, I know,” Angela retorted sarcastically. “Why you no come home to Naples? We gonna die soon, you know. Then you be sorry.”

  Elena cringed at the words because, despite her mother’s natural Italian guilting style, she knew that it was not far from the truth. Her father’s kidneys were failing, and her mother’s health was not much better.

  “Stop saying things like that,” Elena pleaded. “I have to work, mom. You know that better than anyone.”

  Because Elena’s room and board were covered by her arrogant and demanding employer, she sent every cent she could spare home to care for her parents.

  “What about your family, cara mia? You haven’t seen your nieces in almost two years!”

  Shame colored Elena’s face as the truth of the words hit her full force.

  “Tell Lorenzo and Natalie to come this weekend,” Elena urged. “I would love to see the girls.”

  “Your brother is away, always away like you,” Angela muttered. “He has no time for us neither.”

  Elena stifled a groan.

  “Fine. Then tell Natalie to bring the girls,” she proposed. “It will be nice for her to get away for a weekend too.”

  “She no like us,” Angela complained, and Elena sighed loudly. There was no reasoning with her mother. The stubborn old-world streak was embedded in her from ancient times, and there was nothing Elena would be able to do to convince her of something she did not wish to hear.

  “I’ll call Natalie myself,” Elena said. “Is there anything you need right now? Should I call the Aldersons for anything to help you?”

  “I only need my children but they too busy,” Angela bemoaned.

  “Okay, mom, I gotta go,” Elena lied. “I’ll see you on Saturday, okay?”

  “Sure, you say that but Saturday you’ll make an excuse not to come.”

  “I’m coming!” Elena almost yelled. “I’ll be there, okay?”

  “Okay, okay,” Angela relented. “You no need scream at me. That is the problem with American kids. No respect for their mamas.”