by Ivy Nelson
Grant laughed. “It’s the twenty first century, Holly. You can get a new phone in a couple of hours.”
Holly sighed. “I know. I’ve just been really busy at work. Sorry I’ve missed your calls. I hope it’s nothing important.”
“Your dad wants you to come home. He hasn’t seen you in weeks.”
So, why isn’t he calling me himself?”
“He tried last night.”
Holly closed her eyes. “Tell him I’m sorry, OK? I promise, I’ll come home soon. I’ve just…”
“Been busy. So you’ve told me,” Grant said sullenly.
“Grant, please don’t be like this. You and my father are suing me. How am I supposed to react to that?”
“You know that lawsuit means nothing. It’s just a power move between business rivals. Get your damn phone fixed and start returning phone calls. Just because you’re working for Barrett now doesn’t mean you don’t have a family to think about.”
Was he seriously scolding her right now? “And when was the last time you saw your family, Grant?” She knew it was a low blow given his past, but he’d pushed her too far.
“That’s not fair and you know it,” Grant bit out. “If you still give a shit about your father, you’ll come home. If not, I guess you can just go down with Barrett.”
The call disconnected and Holly stared at the phone. Shit. What was she supposed to do now?
Elijah had corporate executives from the software company he was trying to buy in his office, but damn it, she needed him. Pulling out the company cell, she sent him a text.
If you can make five minutes for me, I need you.
There was no response, but she hadn’t really been expecting one. Then his voice crackled over the intercom. “I’ve cleared my office. Come here.”
Relief flooded through her and she jogged the short distance to his office giving an apologetic wave to the executives leaving on the way.
He was waiting for her when she pushed open the door and she let herself relax into his warmth as his arms came around her.
“What’s going on?” he asked, concern lacing his tone.
Holly let the entire phone call with Grant spill out. “I’ve been a terrible daughter,” she said when she finished the story. “I know you think he deserves it, but I need to go home, Elijah.”
They had moved to the couch while she recounted the call, and he was holding her hand tenderly.
“I understand the position you’re in. I’m not going to pretend I like it, but I can’t stop you from going home. Can you at least give me an hour to talk to Jax? It’s not that I don’t trust you. I don’t trust them, and I want you safe. Jax will have opinions about the best way to make that happen.”
Holly sagged against him. “That’s fine. Can I stay in here? I’m sorry I’m being needy today. I just want to be close to you.”
Elijah kissed her forehead. “Of course, baby.”
Holly curled up on his couch and listened while he talked to Jax. The one-sided conversation was vague and difficult to follow, but it wasn’t long before he ended the call.
“Arrange to have dinner with him. Don’t go to the house alone though.”
“But I live there.”
“I know. I’m just asking you to stay away or take Patrick with you.”
Holly snorted. “Patrick hasn’t stepped foot in that house since he was nineteen.”
“Dinner, Holly. That’s the safest thing for you. The man is suing you.” His tone was harsh and his expression stern.
Holly sighed. He was right and she knew it, but she didn’t have to like it.
“I wanted to take you to Colorado with me tonight, but if you want to have dinner with him instead and join me in the morning that will be fine.”
Holly stood and Elijah walked her to the door. “I’ll set it up. I’m sorry for interrupting your meeting with my family drama.”
His smile was tender, and he pulled her to his chest. “You can interrupt me any time you need me, baby. I mean that.”
By the end of the day, she had a dinner reservation with her father for that evening and a first-class flight with Dale to Colorado at eight the next morning. Before he left the office for his own flight to Colorado, Elijah kissed her hard.
“Do not go anywhere without Dale or I’ll punish you,” he said sternly when he pulled away.
Holly nodded. “Yes, Sir. I promise.”
She hated that they were traveling to Colorado separately, but she knew this was something she needed to do.
Now she sat in the back of the town car on her way to an upscale restaurant in her neighborhood. Never in her life had she been nervous about seeing her dad but now she couldn’t stop shaking. She wanted to curse Patrick for shielding her from everything, but she knew she wouldn’t have listened had he tried to tell her anything sooner.
“Here we are, Miss Holly,” Dale said, as they pulled into the lot. “I’m going to go in and have a seat at the bar for a bite to eat. You just holler if you need me.”
Holly gave the older man a kind smile. “Tell Elijah I said thanks for watching out for me, Dale.”
He laughed and waved her out of the car but didn’t deny it. Her father was already seated when she walked into the restaurant. Part of her was surprised that Grant hadn’t shown up.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said when he stood to give her a hug.
“I can’t believe I’ve been reduced to having to make an appointment to see my own daughter.”
He sounded hurt and it tore at Holly’s heart. “I’m sorry, Daddy, but you kind of complicated things when you filed that lawsuit.”
Nicholas scowled. “That was never meant to harm you. It was just to get Barrett to bend.”
Elijah wasn’t known for his flexibility, but Holly figured that probably wasn’t the best thing to comment on right now.
“I just want you to come home, Princess. When I gave my blessing for you to work for him, I didn’t think you would practically move out. And I thought you would be a little more willing to help an old man out with information.”
Holly’s eyes went wide. “You really thought I was going to help you commit some kind of corporate espionage, Daddy? I love you but I’m not going to break the law for you.”
Nicholas waved his hands in front of him. “Nothing like that. Just insights into Barrett and what makes him tick. I would never ask you to break the law, princess.”
Holly eyed him skeptically.
When the waiter brought wine, she quickly swallowed down half a glass and prayed for strength.
“Daddy, why does Patrick hate you so much? He told me you killed mom.”
His face grew red and his hand clenched around the stem of his wine glass. It wasn’t often she saw her father angry.
“That is the most preposterous thing I’ve heard,” he hissed. “Your brother never quite recovered after your mother died and is just looking for someone to blame.”
He was lying. She could see it now. How had she been such a fool? Of course, she hadn’t wanted to see it, so she never asked questions. Now, she felt like she might be ill. But she needed to make it through this dinner without him suspecting that she didn’t believe him.
“He was close to mom,” she said. “They shared a special bond. Not unlike the one you and I have.”
Nicholas blew out a breath. “I need you to come home, Holly.”
“I will, Daddy, I promise I’ll come see you after I get back into town.”
He shook his head. “No. I mean for good. You tried working for Barrett, but I don’t think it’s working out. It’s changing you and I don’t like it.”
Holly wanted to stand and run out of the restaurant, but she willed herself to continue the conversation.
“Daddy, I can’t just quit.”
“Of course, you can.”
Holly twisted the corner of her cloth napkin unsure of how to proceed. Slowly an idea formed, and she said, “I haven’t been there ninety days yet. Let me get that far and
then we can talk.”
Nicholas eyed her. “Why?”
She didn’t want him knowing about the contract or that it was six months and not ninety days, so she went with a lie. “Barrett bet that I wouldn’t last ninety days when he interviewed me. I think it was because I’m a Sutton. If I make it, I get a big bonus.”
Nicholas grinned and she knew she had him in the palm of her hand. “He always has been an arrogant bastard. OK, princess. You have my blessing to see the ninety days through. We’ll teach him a thing or two about us Suttons.”
Holly didn’t say anything as the knots in her stomach grew bigger.
She made it through the rest of dinner without incident and made her excuses when he offered dessert. “I have an early flight out of town tomorrow, Daddy. It was good to see you. I promise we’ll talk soon.”
When she stood, she noticed Dale slip out the front door. Her father stood with her and helped her into her jacket before pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Where are you going?”
Holly shrugged. “Just some business with Mr. Barrett.”
He squinted at her. “Colorado? Don’t think I don’t know about that place, Holly. It’s despicable.”
Holly shook her head. “I signed an NDA. I can’t tell you where I’m going.”
Her father sighed and shook his head. “I love you, princess. Always and forever.”
Holly gave him a sad smile and made her way to the front of the restaurant.
Back in the car, she fought back tears. Dale reached behind him and handed her his hankie, his eyes never leaving the road. She took it and gave him a smile in the rear-view mirror. “Thanks, Dale.”
Halfway home, her phone rang.
“Baby? Dale says you look upset. How was dinner? I thought I told you to call me when you got done.” Elijah said when she answered.
Holly exhaled. “Dale is a snitch,” she said, winking at the driver in the mirror. “I just needed a minute to process before I called you. I promise I was going to as soon as I got back to your place.”
“I pay him extra to be a snitch,” Elijah said, no humor in his tone. “What happened?”
“I’m just starting to realize that my father may have actually had something to do with mom’s death, and I’m not dealing with it very well. He wants me to quit and come back home. I wasn’t sure what to tell him so I kind of made something up.”
Elijah laughed when she told him about the bet she’d invented. “I’ll add it to the contract,” he said when his laughter died down. “I need to get back inside, baby. We had three DMs who couldn’t make it so I’m playing dungeon babysitter tonight.”
Holly smiled. “I wish I were there. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Don’t miss your flight.”
Holly giggled. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Sir.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Elijah hated feeling like he was spying on Holly, but the fact that her story about dinner matched the one Jax and Dale told him gave him a sense of relief. Holly wasn’t a corporate spy, but it sounded like her father had a tighter hold on her than he’d hoped. They were going to have to be careful to keep her away from him.
In half an hour, he would pick her up from the airport and then he was taking her to bed until the Solitaire party tonight.
When he walked into the airport, Holly was just coming down the escalator with Dale. He had other business to attend to but would drive them to the party later that night.
His girl looked sad and Elijah couldn’t blame her. She was dealing with learning the truth about her parents and it wasn’t pretty. He longed to see the spark put back in her gorgeous brown eyes.
He flashed her a bright smile when she looked up and spotted him, and she offered him a sad smile of her own.
When she reached the bottom of the escalator, she ran into his arms, her carry-on suitcase clattering to the ground behind her. He held her and let her cry into his shirt as he watched Dale disappear out the exit.
“Shhh. It’s OK, baby,” he crooned in her ear as he stroked her hair. “Come on. We need to get out of the walkway. Let me get you to the car and then you can fall apart all you need.” He let her go long enough to bend and pick up her suitcase. When he had her hand tucked into his, he led them to the parking garage and the shiny Aston Martin parked there.
He should have had Dale drive them before he went to run his own errands but then again, he knew she wouldn’t want to cry in front of anyone else. He pulled open the passenger door and waited for her to slide in before leaning over her to buckle her seatbelt.”
“I’m not a child,” she muttered petulantly.
“Hmmm. Maybe not but I’ll still turn you over my knee if you aren’t careful.” He dropped a kiss on her nose before stowing her suitcase in the trunk and climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Talk to me, baby,” he said as he navigated traffic. Their hotel was just under an hour away.
“I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know how to deal with any of this. I read reports about my mother’s death on the plane. It’s so easy to see now that it doesn’t add up. Mom wasn’t reckless. She didn’t wear a lot of jewelry, despite dad’s attempts to get her to, and she drove a clunker. Why would someone rob her? That neighborhood wasn’t dangerous.”
Elijah nodded. “Patrick came to the same conclusions. Not to mention he’s pretty sure he overheard plans to carry out the hit. He’s just not sure who he heard talking, or what exactly they were talking about, so he never knew what to say to police. Plus, I think he wanted to protect you from the truth for as long as he could.”
“I just want to go back to my little bubble and forget all of this.”
Elijah squeezed her hand. I hate to be that guy, but if you hadn’t stepped out of your bubble, we wouldn’t be together right now.”
“Silver linings,” Holly said quietly.
“How about we don’t think about it anymore until morning. Tonight, I want to have my way with you and help you forget all of this for a little while. But I need your cooperation, and more importantly, I need your submission. Can you give me that, Holly?”
He turned his gaze her direction when they rolled to a stop at a red light. Her eyes were still sad, but there was a flush to her cheeks. “I can give you that, Sir,” she whispered.
Leaning across the center console, he brushed a kiss across her petal soft lips just in time for the light to change.
At the hotel, he filled the tub and handed her a romance novel he’d picked up. “Enjoy your bath. I do have a bit of work to take care of,” he said, brushing hair behind her ear.
Work, as it turned out, was prepping his toy bag for tonight’s party. Forty-five minutes later, Holly emerged from the bathroom in a fluffy robe. He zipped the bag he’d been organizing and pushed it back into the closet. When she reached him, he tugged at the belt until it came free and the robe fell open. “That’s better,” he said with a wink and pressed a kiss to her nose.
“We’ve got time for a nap before lunch, and I think it would be a good idea. Don’t want you to run out of energy before we get to all the orgasms I’m going to give you later.”
His lips quirked up into a devilish grin when her face turned red.
After their nap and lunch, Elijah took Holly to an upscale lingerie shop, and together they picked out a corset and lacy petticoat for her to wear to the party that night.
As they were leaving the lingerie shop, his phone rang. “Hello,” he answered, as he squeezed Holly’s hand.
“Elijah, it’s Jax. I have no idea what’s going on, but you need to know that the FBI is heading to Colorado.”
Not wanting to alarm Holly, he kissed her cheek and mouthed, “Work,” before leaving her parked on an outdoor bench so he could step out of earshot.
“Sorry. I needed to step away from Holly. What do you think it is? Are they coming to Solitaire?”
“That’s what it sounds like, but I don’t know if it’s for you or Patrick or for the clu
b in general.”
Elijah swore. “If he’s trying to shut my club down, he’s got another thing coming.”
“All I know is he and one of his attorneys met with the FBI and now they’re headed your way. I’m calling in favors to figure out what the hell they’re up to, but I wanted to give you a heads up.”
When he ended the call, he returned to Holly who had pulled out her tablet to read. She flashed him a shy smile when he approached.
“Everything OK?” she asked when he sat next to her.
“I’m honestly not sure, but I’m not ready to say anything yet. I just want to enjoy you for the night. If it turns into anything, we’ll talk about it tomorrow, OK?”
Holly gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Sounds good. What now?”
“Now we think about what we want to do for dinner. Sometimes I meet up with some of the other club members before a party. A group of them are going to be at a Thai place nearby if we want to join them. Or we can go somewhere on our own.”
“I would love to go to dinner with your friends. We haven’t done anything with other people as a couple yet.”
Elijah smiled. “Dinner with friends it is then. We’ll go get changed. You can wear the red dress over your new club outfit.”
Back at the hotel, Elijah took his time helping Holly into her corset and stockings, taking plenty of breaks for kisses and nips of her silky skin. His goal was to have her humming with desire by the time they walked into the club later that night.
At dinner, they enjoyed the company of Hunter, Lance, and Matthew—a quiet soul—along with their partners for the evening. Holly eagerly asked questions of each of them and how they found the lifestyle. While Elijah enjoyed watching her, he couldn’t get the phone call from Jax out of his head. Something wasn’t right, and he hated not knowing what it was.
When Holly and two of the other women excused themselves to the restroom, Elijah leaned over to Lance and said, “We need to tighten security at the party tonight. We’re going to lock the gate to get to the top of the hill after nine. I’ll park Dale down there to shoo anyone away that doesn’t need up.”
