I shook my head and put Cassie out of my mind. I couldn’t worry about her now; either she would forgive me or she wouldn’t, and I didn’t have the time to wonder about it. I called my builder, Alejandro. He answered immediately.
“I was expecting your call,” he said. His voice was calm, but I’d worked with him enough to know that he was feeling the same panic I felt. Well, not the same panic; that wasn’t really possible given the different stakes involved for each of us, but he felt panic all the same. I was sure of that.
“What can we do?” I asked. “I’m desperate here.”
“There’s not a lot we can do,” Alejandro said. “The supplies are all here, but the workers, the workers have demanded release to be with their families and vacate if they need to.”
I slammed my hand into the kitchen cabinet near my head. “That’s not good enough,” I said. “This delivery is coming. It’s coming, hurricane or no hurricane. And, you know as well as I do, the sender won’t take no for an answer.”
“I know, Sir,” Alejandro said. “The best we can do is build quickly, get started; I have two men who are very loyal, and very fast. They’re working as we speak. If luck is on our side, we can have the foundation set before the hurricane hits. Whether that will be enough to accept the shipment safely, I don’t know.”
His voice was serious, and each word felt like a nail in my coffin.
“Just do your best,” I said hoarsely, and I hung up the phone.
I collapsed into a chair, my head in my hands. Images of Lorinda and Antoine flooded my mind, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I thought back to the last conversation I’d had with Manuel Brown in which I had disappointed him. Where I hadn’t had done what I’d agreed to.
“Your wife will be very disappointed to hear that,” Manuel had said in a low, evil voice.
I didn’t bother to correct him that Lorinda wasn’t my wife. Antoine was my son, and we shared him; we were engaged to be married. Of course, at that moment, she was as much my wife as she would ever be, though I didn’t know it at the time.
“Let her go,” I whispered. “Please, just let them both go.”
“No,” Manuel said. “You seem to think that there’s some sort of negotiation at work here, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You had a job to do, and you failed. Had you succeeded, your payment would have been the safe return of your wife and son. Now, your wife and son belong to me.”
In the background, I heard Lorinda scream. It wasn’t a scream of pain; it was a scream of rage. She was putting up a fight, trying to save her son. It nearly split me in two.
“Let me talk to her,” I demanded.
Manuel laughed. “And say what? What could you possibly say that would change the outcome of the future? No, no, Mr. White, you will have to say whatever words you can come up with to yourself, for your wife is no longer available.”
And, in a moment I will never forget as long as I live, Lorinda’s scream stopped. It didn’t fade or slow down; it broke off as if choked. Then, there was silence.
“What did you do?” I screamed into the phone.
“Be still, Mr. White,” Manuel said. “Remember, this is what happens when you disobey a simple order.”
Though it was a memory several years old now, it played out in my mind as if it was happening right before my eyes. Manuel was back with his demands… and he still had my son. I cursed out loud to the empty room. I felt powerless… impotent. What good was having all of the money in the world if it continuously cost you what was most dear?
For as long as I could remember, since my grade school days, I’d set my sights on being a millionaire when I grew up. I didn’t care how it worked out; the details truly hadn’t mattered. I’d wanted to keep everything legal, of course. Now, that thought made me laugh. I was one of the top five billionaires in the world, and not a single one of us had earned all our money a hundred percent honestly. I had stopped losing sleep over it, until moments like this. I never could have imagined how much all of my wealth would cost me… and it didn’t look like I was yet paid in full.
I stood up and walked out the door to my suite, anxious energy propelling me as if I was moving by remote control rather than under my own power. The build site for the arms drop was in a remote part of the island that was off the beaten path of the tourists but, due to the size of the island, still accessible by foot rather than by golf cart. I walked quickly along the path, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be watching my movements. The pressure in the air had dropped so much it was an effort to breathe; I imagined that I could actually see the swirl of the hurricane in the wind, though, of course, that was my imagination.
When I arrived at the site, Alejandro was there with two other men. The two men didn’t look up; Alejandro had instructed them to continue their work no matter what.
We had to shout to be heard over the noise of the wind and the rain.
“How large will the shipment be?” Alejandro asked.
“I don’t know,” I shouted back. “The last time, when it was sent to India, it was enough to fill a thirty by thirty foot space from floor to ceiling.” I looked at the space the two men had dug. It was, at most, ten by ten. “Of course, this shipment size will be somewhat limited by the size of the plane that can land on the water, but it will still be giant.” The shipment was to arrive by private plane to Belize City, then transported in unmarked trucks to the water’s edge. There, privately owned boats would divide the shipment and bring it to the island we were currently inhabiting. I shook my head. So much potential for catastrophe… even without the forces of nature that were threatening to wipe the island off the face of the Earth.
Alejandro was shaking his head. “It’s not enough. If you clear the hotel…”
Of course. A light pinged in my head loudly enough that I was sure I’d heard the sound itself. Evacuation meant a terrible drop in revenue for the hotel, but it also meant empty, deserted rooms. It meant all of the energy I typically spent masking my business, watching for anyone who might notice something amiss, could be spent solving this problem.
“I’m ordering an immediate evacuation,” I said. Alejandro nodded. “Tell your men to hold their work; we may be able to salvage this.”
I walked away as the rain began to pour down in torrents. I went to the front desk and paged my entire management team. Within a few minutes, everyone had gathered. Fear and anxiety were palpable in the air.
“I’m ordering a mandatory evacuation of the Legacy property,” I said, “effective immediately. Use the protocol and emergency procedures. Notify the guests, and activate the alarm system. I want to have this island cleared of our guests within the hour.”
There was no hesitation, no questions. Heads nodded and a flurry of activity ensued as my team stood up and moved to their individual tasks.
When they had all cleared the room, I clicked my iPad on and scanned the electronic blueprints of the property. I needed to find space for more than a thousand semi-automatic weapons, all scheduled to arrive at any time, storm be damned.
Cassie
I received notification to evacuate as I sat in the bar sipping, no, guzzling, a pina colada. I thought back to the first day of my vacation with Emma and how I didn’t think anything could get better than that first sip of that first pina colada. Now, that seemed like a lifetime ago.
I signed my tab, barely blinking at putting Brad’s suite number down on the slip of paper. By now, all of the staff knew I was sharing space with him. Fortunately, none of them cared. Or, if they did, they didn’t let on. Brad was their leader, and it was in all of their best interest to keep their eyes averted when anything questionable rolled around.
I thanked the bartender and wished him and his family safety; the locals had a choice whether to evacuate or not, though the evacuation was technically mandatory. I had no idea if the bartender was going to stay or go, but it wouldn’t make much sense for him to stay if all of the guests were gone.
The
rain was crazy; heavier than any other rain I’d seen in my lifetime, and the wind had begun to pick up smaller objects and float them through the air. I raced back to Brad’s suite, my arm covering my head for protection. When I got into the suite, I slammed the door closed and realized I was breathless and soaking wet.
I grabbed a towel and tried to dry myself off. As I did so, I tried to check the weather online. The computer system in the room was down, undoubtedly the Legacy’s wifi had been torn apart, so I checked my phone. I had received a number of texts from Emma, and I responded to let her know that the evacuation was in process and that I was still safe.
Then, I jumped in the shower. For as long as I could remember, showering in the hottest water my skin could handle calmed me down. I let the water of Brad’s incredibly amazing shower wash over me, and I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the cool wall as the water pelted my back.
“Hi,” Brad’s voice echoed through the shower walls and I turned to see him standing in his towel in the open door. I scanned his face for signs of anger from earlier, but all I saw was the strain of the day, exhaustion at the leadership his job demanded.
“Hi,” I said, my voice softer than normal. I didn’t want to fight, and I knew I owed Brad a big fat apology for how I’d left earlier. “I’m sorry.”
He stepped into the shower and pulled me toward him. He had just come in from the rain and his body was cold against mine. He kissed me, and I tasted the cold rain on his lips as well as the warm water pouring down on us.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I’ve made my way in this world by performing one power play after another. Sometimes, I don’t know how to shut it off.” He wrapped his arms around me and dropped his hands to my ass. He drew my hips toward him, and I felt his erection pressing between my legs. I spread my legs apart and then closed them again over his cock, squeezing it between my thighs. Putting one hand on the wall to stabilize myself, I wrapped my other arm around his upper back.
“I’m still sorry,” I said. “Forgive me?”
“If you forgive me,” he said, and he pulled away to look at me. He grabbed my wrists and pushed me gently against the wall, tilting the shower head away from us and toward the opposite wall. I let him restrain me; his hands pressing my arms against the shower tiles aroused me like nothing else could in that moment. If he wanted to feel powerful, I was completely down for that.
“I want you,” I whispered. “Do we have time?”
“We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “The storm is breaking.”
I pulled back, though I had nowhere to go, and looked at him. “What?”
He smiled and shook his head. “It’s stalled out about a hundred and fifty miles out of the hurricane evacuation zone. The weather reports say it’s in a holding pattern. It may not reach the shore after all.”
“But the mandatory evacuation,” I protested. “You sent everyone back to the mainland.”
A shadow passed over his face and I could tell, though I couldn’t put my finger on it, that he was hiding something. Or, if not hiding something, perhaps not revealing the whole truth.
“Do you want to talk,” he growled, “or do you want to fuck?”
“Well,” I said in my most alluring, teasing voice, “I think the answer to that is obvious.”
Brad smiled and turned the water off. He grabbed my hand with one of his, and grabbed two towels with his other hand. When we got to the bedroom, he wrapped me up in one of the plush, warm towels and kissed me.
“Lay down,” he commanded softly. I complied, and he laid down on top of me. He began to kiss me, moving his tongue along my collarbone. I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him to me. His hands groped my breasts and I groaned at the sensation of my nipples against his warm palms. He shifted, and I used the moment to maneuver out from under him. “Where are you going?” he asked.
“Lay down,” I said, echoing his earlier words. I didn’t know if it was the drama of the day, the drinks I’d had at the bar, or the hot shower and the promise of make up sex, but I was in the mood to be on top and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
He arched an eyebrow at me, but he didn’t move.
“You’re in charge all day long,” I said. “Lay back. Enjoy yourself. Let me drive tonight.”
I watched him contemplate it. The struggle in his brain to give up control to me was fascinating. I licked my lips and dangled my breasts in his face as he decided. He smiled, and I lowered myself onto his cock. He filled me, and the sensation of having total control over our speed, our pace, was intoxicating. I spread my legs wider, my knees bent on either side of his hips, and I began to thrust up and down. I leaned back, arching my spine, pushing my full weight onto my quads and knees. I knew I had hit a good angle when Brad cried out, a loud, breathless gasp that was the absolute sound of him giving up his control to me… at least for the moment.
“Slow down,” he panted. “I’m gonna cum… I want… I want to wait… for you.” His words came in staggered stabs on his breath, and I could feel him fighting his urge to release, to flood me with himself. I paused and I felt his body relax, rigid tension sliding away as he thought I’d given him a reprieve.
I smiled, leaned down toward him, letting him lick and suck my nipples. His mouth closed over my nipple and I groaned, a shock of heat moving straight from my nipple to my clit. He moved his hand to the throbbing nub and began to move his thumb in slow, languid swirls.
“Fuck,” I groaned.
“Teasing,” he said.
“Two can play,” I reminded him, and I began to move my hips again, slowly, impossibly slowly, mirroring the pace of his thumb on my clit. As I moved, I clinched the muscles of my pelvic floor, and I felt him shudder beneath me.
“What are you doing to me?” he moaned.
“Shhh,” I whispered, and slowly began to increase my pace. I sped up with each breath and I grabbed the headboard to give myself extra stability. I pounded against him harder and harder until a waterfall of heat and pressure pushed over me and I came, crying out and continuing to slam against him, drawing him deeper into me through my climax.
When he came, it was through a flood of breath and groans, rhythmic gasps in tandem with his ragged breathing, and I felt him stiffen, pause, then explode. His hot cum spilled into me and I felt the itch of a second orgasm pushing through me. I grabbed his hand and moved it to my clit. He knew exactly what was happening, and, before I knew it, he’d flipped me over onto my back and lay next to me, giving my clit his full attention. I left my legs spread and widened them, inviting his hand to push harder, his fingers to move deeper, and I came again. This orgasm was different, riding the wave of the first that had nearly spent me. I felt my body convulsing, yet I couldn’t make a sound. When we were finished, we lay side by side listening to the rain pelt against the windows.
“You’re sure,” I said at one point.
“I wouldn’t keep you here if it wasn’t safe,” he said. “No matter how in charge you think you are.”
I slapped his arm lightly, and I thought I heard him say something else… but I drifted off to sleep.
***
Several days later, I awoke in a strange bed. It took me a few moments to recognize my surroundings and, when I did, I braced for the wave of sadness I knew would wash over me. I was in my own bed, back at home in New York.
I rolled over to grab my phone, hoping to see a familiar name on my notifications, but… nothing. I sighed and pulled my pillow over my head.
A moment later, my phone rang. I snapped up, startled, and answered it without looking to see who it was.
“Hello?” I asked, wincing at the desperate hope in my voice.
“Exactly what I thought,” Emma’s voice said through the speaker. “You’re depressed. Get dressed; I’m taking you to brunch.” Sunday brunch in New York City was an absolute necessity, and I couldn’t argue. I agreed to meet Emma in a half hour after threatening her that if she showered
or wore anything other than her nastiest clothes, I’d walk right out. “Agreed,” she said. “See you soon.”
While I was getting ready, my phone buzzed again. Some day of rest, I thought as I reached for it. I saw my editor’s name on my caller ID and I sighed.
“Hey,” I said. “What’s up?”
“What’s up is you need to pack a bag again. Your story on Legacy Properties is an absolute hit, and we need you to do another one asap.”
At the sound of Legacy, my heart sped up and I felt a snake of anxiety move through my stomach.
“Where do you want me to go?” I asked, crossing my fingers that it was nowhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
“London,” she said. “We’ve got you on a flight to Heathrow that leave on Tuesday morning. You’ll be there for three days, then back again. Can you swing it?”
“Do I have a choice?” I asked, laughing so she would know I was kidding. “Forcing me to London; I may have to report you.”
We laughed for a moment, and she filled me in on the rest of the details. When I left my apartment, I was soundly late for brunch, but I had renewed hope: I was going to go to London and check out one of Brad’s other properties. Of course I would tell him I was going to be there… just maybe not until after I’d arrived.
Brad
After dealing with the fallout from the Belizean hurricane and the evacuation, I headed back to Legacy headquarters in California. I had three headquarters locations, one in California, one in France, and one in India. Eventually, I’d have a fourth in Africa and, if I could maintain the momentum, a fifth and final headquarters location in Australia.
Though I knew Cassie was safely three thousand miles away in New York, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. It wasn’t just the sex; it was the night of the hurricane, the night she had taken charge. I shook my head. I’d never had a woman do anything like that before. I thought about all of the things I’d given up with the money I’d earned. I’d forgotten that happiness was possible to any degree when I’d lost Antoine and Lorinda. Though it was nothing I’d ever say out loud to anyone, with Cassie, I had seen a glimpse of happiness. Just a glimmer, but it was there.
Billionaire Romance Box Set: The Billionaire's Legacy: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 4
