Caviar and Covert Ops
Military Moguls
Book Three
Olivia Jaymes
www.OliviaJaymes.com
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CAVIAR AND COVERT OPS
Kindle Edition
Copyright © 2015 by Olivia Jaymes
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Dedication
To all the servicemen and women who leave behind loved ones to serve their country.
Caviar and Covert Ops
Women are only attracted to Dane Braxton because of his money and movie star looks. At least that’s what he thinks. He’s sure the single mother he’s secretly investigating isn’t any different. Females are all the same.
Maybe.
Lily is a tired, overworked, and underappreciated single parent living paycheck to paycheck. It makes for a hard, lonely life but as long as her son is happy and healthy it’s worth the sacrifice.
So when Lily meets handsome attorney Dane in the park, she falls head over heels for his intelligent wit and caring nature. He’s everything she’s wanted and more.
Dane feels the same about Lily. She’s nothing like the other women he’s dated and he can’t wait to plan a future with her.
There’s just the little matter of telling her who he really is…
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
About the Book
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
About the Author
Military Moguls Series
Chapter One
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Dane Braxton ushered the elderly family attorney into a chair and then sat down at his own desk in the law firm he shared with his two best friends. Dane’s office wasn’t as luxurious as the older man’s but that had never been the kind of law Dane wanted to practice. He could have easily joined any number of top firms in Tampa, but for the most part he tried to stay out of the rarified air his family took for granted.
Honestly, he’d been dreading this meeting since finding out his recently deceased cousin had named Dane as the executor to his estate. He hadn’t been all that close to Brandon in the last several years, so it – and Brandon’s untimely death – had come as something of a shock.
“Thank you for seeing me today, Dane.” Arthur Fieldsworth had been the Braxton family attorney for as long as Dane could remember, handling their personal affairs, not their business. Silver-haired, the man was easily pushing seventy-five but still had a confident air about him that made him look ten years younger. The dark Armani pinstriped suit and expensive diamond cuff links didn’t hurt. Dane had heard at some barely tolerable cocktail party that Arthur had a fortyish mistress that he kept in opulent style. But then Dane’s own father kept a mistress or two tucked away, as did most of the men in Dane’s family.
“Not a problem,” Dane said. “I know that we need to talk about Brandon’s estate. I’m not really sure why he chose me, to be honest.”
The older man shrugged his shoulders philosophically. “Who knows why he did anything? He was always unpredictable, especially at the end. His drinking and partying was way out of control. It was really only a matter of time before he self-destructed. But he liked you. He always said you weren’t the typical Braxton.”
Brandon Donovan had perished in a fiery car crash on a winding, mountain road in Greece. The young woman with him had also died and the story was they were eloping at the time. Dane doubted the rumors as Brandon had never been the marrying type, although he certainly might have told the young woman he would.
“I’ve gone through his finances and he had precious little despite his lavish lifestyle,” Dane observed, flipping open a file folder. “He spent every cent of his trust fund and then some.”
Arthur stiffened slightly, his blue eyes icy at Dane’s implied criticism. “It was not my place to opine on your cousin’s financial decisions. My job was to disburse the funds of his trust on the first day of the year, every year. He spent to his limit but never asked for more.”
Dane sat back in the chair and flipped through a few more pages. “But you were aware that Brandon was obtaining loans against his trust?”
“There was nothing in the trust to stop him. As I said, that was his business.”
Dane closed the folder, done with this meeting and with Arthur. As far as Dane was concerned, Arthur Fieldsworth was as cold and soulless as Dane’s own father. Neither of them deserved his time or attention.
“I’ve spent the better part of the last two weeks sorting out Brandon’s financial mess, using what was left of his trust and the few assets he owned to pay his creditors. I’ve organized an estate sale company to take possession of the art pieces and furniture and they’ll be put up for auction. Long story short, he won’t die owing anyone. As for sullying the Braxton name—well, he pales in comparison to some of our ancestors.”
Dane stood, the meeting at an end but the older man shook his head and waved Dane back into his seat.
“There is one more possible creditor. Your cousin gave me a copy of an email he received a few years ago for safekeeping. Now I’m giving it to you. What you do with it is your business.”
Frowning, Dane sat back down and held out his hand. “Another creditor? I thought I had all the pertinent paperwork.”
Arthur shook his head. “This isn’t paperwork, Dane. This is a letter and it concerns Brandon’s personal life. I’m leaving it with you. It’s from a woman.”
The attorney handed Dane a single sheet of paper folded into thirds. “A woman? Did Brandon have a secret wife somewhere?”
“I don’t think he ever married her. The fact is, I don’t think Brandon ever answered that email. He read it. I know that for sure, but I don’t think he ever did anything about it. Whether you want to is up to you.”
Dane held up the paper. “Why did he give it to you and why are you giving it to me?”
Arthur stood and rebuttoned his suit jacket. “I think Brandon was scared. He asked me to hold on to it while he figured out what he was going to do. As far as I know he didn’t do anything. Now I need to get back to my own office. Congratulations on the law firm, Dane. Your father is very proud of you.”
Dane doubted that, but then his father’s opinion hadn’t mattered to him in a long time.
“Ann will show you out.” Dane stood and walked Arthur to the office door. “Thank you for stopping by today.”
The attorney left and Dane shoved the paper in his breast pocket before heading down the hall to the small kitchen for another cup of coffee. Whatever Brandon had gotten himself into was probably a clusterfuck and now Dane was going to have to somehow fix everything. He’d load up on caffeine and then give this letter a read to see what Braxton family mess he was going to have to clean up this time.
*
Christian, Dane’s friend and law partner, signaled the waitress for another round. After Dane had told them he needed t
heir advice they’d hit the local sports bar at the end of the day. The letter had sat on Dane’s desk for the last several hours constantly pulling his attention from everything he should be concentrating on. But the words he’d read simply wouldn’t leave him in peace.
What had Brandon been thinking?
“So read it again.” Chris pointed to the paper that Dane had spread out on the table. “Do you think it’s real?”
“I think we have to assume it’s real until we know otherwise,” Seb interjected. “We don’t have any evidence that this person was pulling some sort of hoax.”
“Or scam,” Dane offered, his bullshit radar on full alert. He’d seen too many women try and scheme their way into money. “Brandon wouldn’t be the first rich man taken for a ride.”
“Except that he didn’t have any money.” Seb thanked the waitress as she set down three new beers and a tray of appetizers. “You said that yourself.”
“She might not have known that. Brandon kept up a pretty good smokescreen. He had money in January. A lot of it. But by July he’d spent every dime.” He lifted up the letter. “I can read it again but I don’t think we’re going to see anything we haven’t the last two times I read it or the six times I read it before we got here.”
Dane cleared his throat.
Dear Brandon,
This is the last letter I’ll send to you. You didn’t answer the last two, and if you don’t answer this one I will assume that this means nothing to you.
Nicholas Michael Emery was born at 11:32 PM weighing seven pounds, 3 ounces. He has my hair and your mouth and nose. His eyes are blue but I’m told that all babies have blue eyes so they might not stay that way. I can already tell that he’s smart by the way he quietly watches everything going on around him.
As I said in my last two letters, our relationship is over and I honestly think it’s for the best but Nicholas needs some sort of father figure in his life, even if only part of the time. He’s going to need a good role model as he grows up. When I hold him in my arms and look at him I can’t help but wonder who he is going to be and I worry about his future. I’ve never been a mother before and I want to do this right.
Mom and Dad are going to let me have the rental unit permanently and I’ll be home tomorrow. You could come by and see him. I know once you do you’ll fall in love with him as quickly as I did.
Yours,
Lily
“He knew her well enough to know where the ‘rental unit’ was located,” Chris offered. “Do you remember her?”
Dane shook his head, frustrated and tired. He’d spent the last month straightening out the financial spaghetti that Brandon had left only to find out it was just the tip of the fucking iceberg.
“No, but Brandon and I haven’t spent more than an hour of two in the same room for years and then only because it was an obligatory family function. The last female I saw him with was his junior prom date.”
Chris loaded his plate with wings and potato skins. “If Brandon did knock up this girl and then left her high and dry? Shit, that’s cold. No way I could do something like that knowing I had a son or daughter somewhere growing up without me.”
Dane couldn’t argue Chris’s opinion. It was a really shitty thing to do, and if this woman truly had a Braxton child then she deserved financial help in raising the boy. It was only right.
Seb shook his head and pointed to the letter. “From what I remember about Brandon he wasn’t fit to be anyone’s role model, even in the old days. So I’d guess they were together a few months at most. Long enough to know some fairly mundane details about each other but not long enough for her to see the real Brandon.”
“So what are you going to do?” Chris asked. “Please tell me you’re not going to be your usual cynical self and toss this letter in the trash.”
Chris and Seb were always giving Dane a hard time about his skeptical attitude toward women, but then they hadn’t been brought up in the Braxton household. If they had they’d be singing a different tune.
“I am not planning to throw it out. I’ll investigate this Lily Emery. If she’s genuine and Nicholas is Brandon’s son then I will make sure that she is taken care of.”
“Investigate?” Seb’s brows raised in question. “You mean a private investigator? Not sure what they’re going to be able to tell you.”
A plan had already begun forming in Dane’s brain. “I’ll have a PI do some cursory investigation but you’re right. He won’t be able to tell me if this kid is Brandon’s or whether she set out to trap him or both.”
“How does one ask someone you’ve just met to take a DNA test?” Chris wondered, wiping his hands with a paper napkin. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you. Can I have a cheek swab from your son? It’s not that I don’t trust you but I don’t really trust you.”
“Would you just blindly trust someone in this situation?” Dane countered, frustrated his friends didn’t see this for what it could possibly be. “Am I just supposed to hand over a check on her word?”
“My question is this. If this boy is Brandon’s son, does it matter if she set out to trap your cousin?” Seb challenged. “The boy still exists either way and Braxton blood still flows through his veins. Should he suffer because his mother may be a less than honest person?”
It didn’t matter financially; Dane was willing to see a Braxton child supported. It did make a difference in how that money might be organized. If the mother was of a less than stellar character Dane would make sure the fund was tied up neatly and only to be used for the benefit of the boy. If she was more upstanding and seemed to have her son’s best interests at heart, Dane would be more inclined to be less stringent on the guidelines for the money.
“No one is going to suffer unless this Lily person is trying to get money from Brandon while having another man’s baby. That’s fraud,” Dane finally answered, leaving out the minor details about the money.
“I don’t see how you’ll ever know if she intended to get pregnant or not,” Chris shrugged. “And it takes two, after all. Brandon was there and if he didn’t take precautions… Dad always told me to cover my willy, and shit—I didn’t have sex without a condom until Susie. I knew when she told me she was on the pill and clean I could take that to the bank.”
Dane groaned and rubbed his temples. “I don’t even want to think about another man’s willy or why it might be covered or not.”
“It’s good advice nonetheless.” Seb grinned and lifted his beer in salute. “Here’s to covering our willy until the right woman comes along. I’ve found mine.”
Chris and Dane broke into laughter and lifted their own glasses in a toast. Leave it to Seb to crack them all up at a serious moment, and leave it to Chris’s dad to provide the fodder.
“I have too,” Chris replied with a smirk. “That just leaves Dane who is alone and unloveable.”
Dane was never alone unless he wanted to be. There were always women who wanted to be around a rich, successful man. He never fooled himself that they were there because of who he was – truly was – deep inside. They didn’t care about his hopes, dreams, and fears. They cared what he brought to the table and what was in it for them.
And that’s why he had to be extra cautious in this situation. If some woman was simply trying to ride the Braxton gravy train Dane would make sure she didn’t get a ticket. He’d expose her for the schemer that she was while making sure the boy didn’t suffer. He wasn’t heartless.
He was wary. And for good reason.
Chapter Two
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Lily Emery was tired. She’d been tired since practically the moment her handsome son Nicky was born and it felt like she’d never get enough rest. Instead of sexual fantasies she dreamed about slipping between freshly washed sheets, sleeping all night long, and waking refreshed to breakfast in bed served by a gorgeous hunk with washboard abs.
There wasn’t a furry rat’s butt chance of that happening in the foreseeable future. A single mom with a rambunctious t
oddler, she worked two jobs to make ends meet. Tired was her new middle name.
So in love with her son, most of the time it didn’t matter. He made everything worthwhile. She hadn’t known true love or happiness until Nicky had come into her world. But there were days like today when she didn’t feel good and worked sucked that reality slapped her around a little.
Now she was trying to act like nothing was wrong while watching Nicky scamper around the playground along with a dozen or so other toddlers and their parents.
“Did you work the lunch shift today?” Myra asked. She was a mother of a two year old girl and a good friend who understood single parent life. Myra’s boyfriend drove a truck for a living and wasn’t around much, leaving most of the parenting to her.
Lily flexed her sore feet and groaned. “I did and it was crazy. We had a cook out sick today so food was coming out slow. Everyone complained and of course they took it out on me and my tips. I might as well have not even worked today.”
“At least you don’t have to pay your mom to babysit. I swear half my paycheck goes to daycare and babysitters.”
Nicky and Myra’s little girl Amelia settled into the sandbox and Lily relaxed slightly. She had to be extra vigilant with a daredevil for a son but the sandbox seemed less dangerous. She only had to make sure he didn’t throw sand at the other kids or eat it. Her mother told her she worried too much.
“A little dirt and mud never hurt anyone. Let him get dirty and explore a little,” her mom would say, shaking her head at Lily’s hovering.
She tried to follow her mother’s advice…up to a point.
“I am grateful but sometimes Mom thinks Nicky is her son. She tries to tell me what to do and if I don’t agree she’ll go behind my back. Like when she decided the reason Nicky didn’t know his colors was because his eyesight was bad and she took him for an eye exam. Of course he was fine and he knows all his colors now but he didn’t know them early enough for her.”
Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) Page 1
