A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Romance (Book 3)

by Cristina Grenier

  No sooner had she left their parents’ home than she’d been informed that she lost her job as one of New York State’s leading attorneys, the house that their father had bought for her had been repossessed and that she was no longer welcome in the social circles her parents ran in. They’d somehow managed to get Hank detained in the state – something having to do with his driver’s license, and the attorney had been forced to come to California alone, pregnant, and with nowhere to go. Though her husband assured her that he would come as soon as he could, Xavier knew just as well as Brandy that their parents had Hank’s family in their pocket. If they demanded that their son-in-law divorce their daughter, he might very well do it.

  Leaving Brandy as a single mother.

  The very thought made Xavier sick to his stomach. His sister had been through hell, all for her sense of loyalty to her little brother. There was absolutely no reason why she might want to help them now…and yet, she did.

  Though she was visibly upset, on some level, Brandy seemed grateful for the break from their family. She insisted that the rift would have come inevitably, and while she regretted not being able to part from her parents on more amicable terms, things had happened the way they had for a reason.

  She would be fine, she promised. What was most important was that they work up their defense and discover what was happening at XTech. That Xavier and Helena had been charged with false crimes still stood, and the list of those charges, Brandy informed them, was quite impressive. Not only did they include larceny, extortion, and conspiracy, but also bribery, forgery, and at least four other criminal acts. As of yet, she had no idea who had issued the charges. They were apparently being handed down from the company itself, which Xavier didn’t understand at all.

  He’d spent the entire previous day in the office and nothing had seemed even remotely amiss. Who the hell was he supposed to suspect? He needed to do some investigation into things, see where all these wild accusations were coming from.

  But first, he needed to get some sleep. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so exhausted.

  It was frustrating, not being able to sleep when his mind was at its limit. Closing his eyes, Xavier nestled closer to Helena, one large hand resting on the swell of her belly as he closed his eyes. Though everything seemed to be falling to shit around them, he still had plenty to be thankful for, he realized. Brandy had never given up on them. She’d come all this way to help them, which meant that they had one of the best attorneys in the country on their side. Helena had gorged herself on salmon and spinach the moment they had returned home, which meant she was well-fed and their baby was healthy.

  And he still had the ring.

  The thought made him smile.

  He would ask her soon. No matter what happened, he would make sure Helena knew how much he loved her and how much he would love their son.

  The thought was enough to help him finally drift into an uneasy sleep.

  Though Xavier’s dreams weren’t too troublesome, he was awoken the next morning by frantic pounding on his front door. For a moment, he was groggy and confused enough to think that the knocking was coming from the bedroom window. Next to him, Helena squirmed and muttered something unintelligible against the pillow as she came awake as well.

  THUD. THUD. THUD.

  “What the hell?” Xavier forced himself awake, sitting up. He realized in an instant that whoever was trying to get their attention wasn’t knocking on the window, but, indeed, their front door.

  Which meant that they had to be pounding with some incredible force.

  Scowling, the CEO tucked the coverlet around his lover before rising from bed to stride down the hall. He didn’t bother to change out of the sweatpants he’d worn to bed, as he had no intention of being civil to whoever was at his front door.

  When he yanked it open, however, he was blinded by what seemed like a hundred flashes of bright light. For a moment, Xavier winced, drawing back as the sound of multiple shutters drowned out all else, disorienting him. He was only allowed a split second to adjust, blinking rapidly in order to clear his vision.

  Then, the questions started.

  Xavier gaped at the sea of media on his front lawn. Every major local news channel was present, along with several national news outlets. About thirty cameras were trained on him and he made out several ridiculous statements being hurled at him before the voices all combined into a yawning din of insanity.

  “Mr. Thompson, how do you handle the accusations from the company you yourself built?”

  “Mr. Thompson, are you aware that XTech is suing you for damages of over fifty million dollars?”

  “Mr. Thompson, don’t you have a child on the way? How is your family dealing with these events?’”

  He could only stare at the plethora of people camped out in front of his house as the few words he could understand echoed in his head like his own death knell. What the hell was going on here? He’d just been at work two days ago and everything had seemed perfectly fine! He needed to speak with Margaret – to his board members – to anyone who might be able to explain what was going on right now!

  “Xavier!” He was jerked from his shock by the slender figure of his sister shoving her way through the crowd. She quickly made her way through the masses before taking the front steps two at a time to take his arm in a firm, reassuring grip. “Xavier, just ignore them. You’re not obligated to answer any of their questions.” Brandy’s voice was low and calm as she gently steered him back inside. She seemed completely unaffected by the throng – almost as if they weren’t there, and closed the door firmly the moment they were back inside.

  All of Xavier’s breath came back in a rush as he exhaled hotly, leaning against the wall. In the past two days he’d been arrested, held in jail overnight, and now he was being interrogated by every major media outlet on his own property. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. In all the preparations he’d made for his company, he’d never imagined that something like this could happen.

  “Xavier?” Both he and Brandy looked to see Helena standing in the center of the hallway, her expression adorably confused as she rubbed her swollen belly. “Brandy? What’s going on?”

  “Helena.” Concern for her immediately banished all of Xavier’s personal worries. For a split second, the reporters’ inquiries about how his family was coping assaulted him. Was he really being sued for fifty million dollars? If that was the case…they would have little left if they lost. He was about to start a family…and now all of this? “Did they wake you? I’m sorry.”

  Crossing the room, he took his lover into his arms, kissing her forehead in apology. Almost immediately, however, Helena pulled away, her mouth turned downward into a frown of concern. “Who are they, Xavier?”

  The CEO sighed, shaking his head. How was he supposed to explain to her that their lawn was currently littered with reporters that were out for their blood?

  “Helena, it’s alright.” Thankfully, Brandy chose that moment to cut in. Approaching the two of them with a perfectly calm expression, she put a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “There are just a number of reporters in your front yard, and you don’t have any obligation to talk to any of them.”

  Helena’s eyes widened as her grip on her stomach tightened protectively. “Reporters? What the hell are they doing here?”

  Xavier frowned deeply. “Asking questions about the case. They want details…details that I don’t have.”

  “Well, I might be able to clear up some of that for you.” Xavier turned to face his sister, surprised. She’d only been in town one day and she’d managed to gather intel. Not for the first time, he realized that he’d underestimated his sister’s skills as an attorney.

  If Brandy did indeed have information, then the tide could be turned in this whole debacle…or at least, he hoped. While Brandy had revealed that she had information, her expression was about as far from jubilant as one could be. She looked tired, as if she hadn’t slept all
night. Running a hand through her disheveled blonde locks, Brandy took a deep breath before speaking again. “You guys might want to sit down. We have some things we need to discuss.”

  So, it was bad then. Xavier shared a look with Helena, his stomach clenching at the weariness in her eyes. She didn’t deserve to be subjected to any of this. From the time spent in a holding cell to being assaulted by the paparazzi…and he couldn’t help but feel as if it were his fault. Taking her hand, he led her to the living room where the both of them sank down on the couch.

  Pulling her hair back into a loose tail, Brandy took a seat in an armchair across from them, placing a manila folder she’d brought with her on the table next to their dinner dishes from the previous night. “Xavier, I’m going to warn you outright that some of this might be hard for you to hear. But the most important thing we can do right now is to keep it together. Whoever is planning this is probably counting on your anger to lead you to stupid decisions. That is the last thing we want.”

  Alright, it was really bad.

  “Brandy.” Helena spoke first, her voice remarkably steady. “Just tell us: What’s happening?” Brandy stared at the folder on the table for a long moment before reaching out to open it. As she spoke, she set a series of papers in front of Xavier and Helena on the table.

  “Well, apparently, the board of XTech is suing Xavier for crimes against the company.”

  Helena’s eyes widened as Xavier’s heart actually stopped in his chest. The board? Those who had believed in him? Who had funded him and just allowed him to make the biggest merger in the history of his company? They were the ones suing him? Before he could inquire further, however, Brandy continued. “There has apparently been a large transfer of money recently. From the company accounts to your personal bank accounts, as well as Helena’s. They were carried out on a premises outside company property and there is paper proof of the transfers in the hands of the authorities.”

  Xavier’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  He was so taken aback that the capacity for rational speech left him for a few minutes as his mind whirled.

  It wasn’t that a huge sum of money had been taken out of the company accounts. That much he knew, as he was the one who had done it at the insistence of his financial advisor and accountant. It was the fact that that particular issue was the source of this mess that astounded him. He’d asked his financial team time and time again if they were following regulations and they assured him that they were. That transferring from the company to his personal accounts was no major malfunction. He’d been so sure he was doing the right thing that he had to make sure that the amount that Brandy was referring too wasn’t an additional amount that may have been somehow overlooked.

  “This amount…” He finally managed, struggling to piece things together in his mind. “Was it forty five point two million?”

  Brandy’s eyes widened in visible shock, then narrowed slightly. “Please, Xavier, tell me that you know that figure for a non-incriminating reason.”

  The CEO turned to his lover, who was looking decidedly pale. Helena knew about the transfer as well, as she’d agreed to hold a portion of the money until they could transfer it back to the company accounts. When he didn’t answer, Brandy took a deep, slow breath, covering her face with her hand for a brief moment before looking back to them both. Her gaze still remained carefully neutral, but the stiffness in her posture alerted him that he’d done something horribly wrong.

  “Brandy.” Helena spoke before he did, drawing his attention to her decidedly worried expression. “We were told to move money into our personal accounts for safe keeping for a week or two before circulating it back to the company accounts in the wake of the merger. Xavier was constantly reassured by his financial advisors and accountant that it wouldn’t affect the company ledger. We were planning on returning it within the week!”

  Brandy stared at the both of them for a moment, unblinking, before a low groan escaped her. “Guys….I believe you…truly I do. But do you have any idea what that’s going to sound like to the police? And what kind of financial advisor,” She railed, shaking her head in denial, “Would ask you to move money to your personal accounts? That’s a gigantic no-no under any circumstances!”

  Xavier felt his stomach turn to ice.

  In the back of his mind, he’d thought that the prospect sounded slightly off, but at the reassurance from Daniel and the other members of the financial team, he’d written off the risk. He’d hired the best of the best, and trusted them.

  Or, at least, he had. Now, he was beginning to doubt. “Brandy.” He covered his eyes with a hand. “You have to understand that I only did this because my team assured me that it was the best option. The only option.”

  “Well, we’re going to need to speak with this team of yours then.” The elder woman replied, flipping through the papers she held. “To clear all of this up. And we’re going to have to return the money. Today. The sooner the better.”

  “Of course.” Xavier rose, glad, at last, to have something to do rather than sit and watch everything unfold helplessly around him. “I’ll go to the bank right now.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Helena immediately tried to rise from the couch, huffing a bit at the weight of her stomach.

  “No, you’re not.” Brandy was immediately at her side, gently helping her sit back down once more. Before she could protest, the attorney continued. “There are too many reporters out there and you and the baby don’t need to be exposed to all of that. Especially not so close to your due date.” She glanced back at her brother. “Xavier and I will go to the bank and then we’ll come right back. You stay here.”

  Helena scowled at her and Xavier couldn’t help but smile at her predictive stubborn nature. He knew what she was going to say before she even said it and pre-empted her protest. “I’ll be gone twenty minutes, hon.” Leaning down, he pecked her downturned mouth, and then her forehead tenderly. “Promise.” He placed a palm on the round of the young woman’s stomach, reverently touching feeling for the pulse of new life within. “Just keep him safe and sound, alright?”

  Helena’s sigh was reluctant, and her smile even more so, but Xavier could only leave once both of them had made an appearance.

  He dressed quickly before gathering the paperwork he would need in his briefcase. Then, he took a deep breath and prepared to face the sea of rabid media outside.

  It was only half as bad as he’d imagined, but that was still pretty damn horrible. Camera men worked so hard to get into his path that he had to push a few out of his way while Brandy strong-armed her way through the masses at his side. Luckily, she had parked relatively close to the driveway, and within five minutes, they were safely on their way to the bank.

  Where they’d be able to undo this whole awful mess.

  When they reached the bank, however, there was another plethora of reporters blocking their way. They had to park about four blocks away and make their way through another sea of people before they were finally admitted.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Xavier hurried to one of the personal bankers to arrange a more private place to talk and within minutes he, Brandy, and the young woman were hunkered down in an executive’s office.

  Xavier quickly explained to her that he wanted the money they’d transferred into he and Helena’s personal accounts to be moved back to the company accounts immediately, handing over the paperwork with the account details. The young woman, both nervous from the commotion outside and slightly star stuck, immediately commenced with the transaction.

  …only to stop after two minutes, her expression confused.

  “Um…Mr. Thompson, sir?” She inquired softly, raising her gaze to him.

  “Yes?” Xavier tried not to be irate. The girl was only trying to do her job, but he needed that money out of his account ASAP. Before someone ran him under a bus.

  “The money you wanted me to move? It’s not present. In fact, your account has a bala
nce of about twenty million, while Ms. Graves’ account only has about one hundred thousand.”

  Immediately, Xavier was hit by a wave of nausea so powerful he thought for a moment that he might be sick. The money was gone. He had just looked into his account three days ago and it had all been there. He’d mentally reminded himself that he needed to ask Daniel when the money needed to be returned at that particular time.

  “What’s the last transaction on the account?” Brandy, as always, managed to keep her cool, placing a reassuring hand on Xavier’s shoulder as she spoke with the banker. The young blonde quickly scanned over the screen in front of her before frowning. When she raised her gaze again, it looked to Xavier with remarkable suspicion.

  “A withdrawal. Yesterday. By Mr. Thompson.”

  Xavier immediately stood, his incredulity rising to a fever pitch. “That’s impossible!” He bellowed, making the poor girl shrink back from him in fright a moment before Brandy gave him a warning look. This time, however, Xavier ignored her and blustered on. “I spent yesterday and the day before in a holding cell at the police station. How on earth could I have come here to make a withdrawal!?”

  “It…it wasn’t here!” The banker replied, visibly shaken. “It was at another branch.”

  “Another branch where?” Xavier struggled to contain his rising panic. It wasn’t his own welfare that he was worried about. He’d been taking care of himself for quite a while. He could figure this out, but he’d need time to be able to do it correctly.

  Time that he didn’t have.

  He had a baby on the way, and his future wife to care for. They’d just bought a new house and his account had been emptied not only of the money he’d been holding for the company, but another large sum besides.

  And they said he did it.

  “One close to San Francisco.” The banker replied lowly, making her client groan low in his throat with frustration. So, over one hundred fifty miles away. How the hell had this happened? And who would have done such a thing? Who had the authority and the account numbers? He’d made sure never to disclose such information to his entire financial team at once. They had bits and pieces but not the full picture.