The Truth about Billionaires (Southern Billionaires Book 2)

by Michelle Pennington

  Chapter Twenty

  Sunday night, Blake stared at Jill’s suitcase where it stood in the hall next to the guest room. It had become his worst enemy because of all it represented. The last two days had shown him a new side of Jill—a laid-back and comfortable side. He’d never tell her that he found her comfortable, but it was the most attractive quality he’d ever found in a woman. She might stay in big cities and work with some of the wealthiest people in the country, but the way she belonged in his home stunned him.

  He had to take her back to Dallas, but he wanted her here. Here, joking with his ranch manager and stable hands, spending time with Hayden. Here, helping him cook meals and wash dishes. Here, relaxing with him on the porch, watching the stars come out and the clouds sweep across the landscape. Here, but not in his guest room. And looking at her suitcase, packed and ready to leave made him realize just how much he wanted her here as his wife, for keeps.

  She came out with her purse over her shoulder. She tried to smile, but it came off looking forlorn. “I’m ready if you are.”

  Blake ground his teeth and picked up her bag. Too bad her statement only referred to leaving and not to moving their relationship to the next level. Like marriage.

  He stopped, causing Jill to run straight into his back. He felt her brace herself with her hands splayed across his back. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” He got moving again because if he didn’t, he might make some sort of crazy proposal, and she was nowhere near ready to consider one. He’d take things slow and give her time to decide what she wanted.

  When they got out to the truck, Hayden was already waiting with her earbuds in her ears, focused on her phone screen. Blake glanced at her as he opened Jill’s door. “She hates leaving the ranch. That’s her way of coping.”

  “I get it. I might need a coping mechanism too.”

  Blake stowed her bags next to his and Hayden’s in the back of the truck and got in. As he backed the truck up and headed down the driveway, he watched her staring out the dark windows, trying to catch her last sight of the house. “I’m glad you had fun.”

  “This place is heaven on earth. Why don’t you just dump the whole billionaire executive thing and make this your life?”

  Her question warmed his heart. He’d never thought she might be after his money. In fact, he would be glad if she’d go after him for any reason. But that statement proved how little she cared about his bank account. “Holding the welfare of so many people in my hands is not something I take lightly. And even though I was impressed when Nate Haverton chose to step away from some of the business world, I doubt I will ever give it up.”

  “You’re always so decided about things. I always thought I knew what I wanted, but lately I’m being pulled in different directions.” She held out her hand to him as if seeking comfort. Or an anchor.

  He took it and curled his fingers through hers, driving with one hand. “Talk to me about it.

  We have a whole hour-long drive ahead of us.”

  Jill looked back over her shoulder at Hayden. “Are you sure?”

  Blake nodded. “She won’t hear us.” When she didn’t speak right away, he prompted, “Tell me about the right man.”

  “What?” she asked with a surprised laugh.

  “You know, the one who got away. The one you mentioned the day we met. Remember?”

  Her mouth turned down. “Oh, Brian.”

  Blake hated him already. “A boyfriend?”

  She nodded. “Almost a fiancée. He wanted me to marry him.”

  “If he was Mr. Right, what went wrong?”

  “I wouldn’t sacrifice enough for him. He wanted me to give up college for him, and I refused. At that point, I had already spent half of my life preparing to go to work for my dad. Accounting, languages, business management, social graces. You name it, I’d been learning it. And so, I turned him down and he was gone.”

  “Idiot.”

  This time her laughter was full, ringing out through the cab of the truck. “Me or him.”

  “Him of course. Whatever he was doing, wherever he was going, his dreams weren’t more important than yours.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot. I struggled with regret for years and years. Even after I got over him, I struggled with being alone. Traveling as I do, it’s impossible to have real relationships. Well, you know, we’ve talked about this before, haven’t we?”

  Blake nodded. “It’s the same old question for you, isn’t it?”

  Her expression grew somber, a deeper shade than sad. “Yes.” It was almost a whisper.

  He ran his thumb over the back of her hand. “We could figure it out, Jill.”

  “Maybe. A big part of me is desperately hoping for it, but I also don’t want to be hurt. Not by this.”

  He heard the unspoken meaning in her words. This, meaning them, meant more than Mr. Right had all those years ago. He just wished he knew where to go from here. “Well, like you said, let’s get this final report taken care of and then we can figure it out without all this business stuff in the way.”

  When she didn’t say anything, he squeezed her hand tighter until she looked up. All she gave him was a quick nod.

  “Although, I wanted to ask you if you’d be my date for the Children’s Charity Ball on Thursday night.” Considering how close they’d been over the weekend, he didn’t doubt that she’d go with him, so he was perplexed by her answer. Actually, perplexed wasn’t strong enough. Gut-foundered more like.

  “I’m sorry, Blake, but I already have a date. At least, I hope I do.”

  “You hope you do? Why, so you don’t have to go with me?” Blake only realized he’d raised his voice when Jill glanced back at his sister.

  “Yes. This is why I was worried about doing this before I’d wrapped up my job here.”

  “It has to do with your job?”

  She nodded her head, a worried pucker between her eyebrows. “I asked Trevor.”

  He let go of her hand and put his back on the wheel. Dismay held him quiet long enough to make the silence awkward, but he didn’t care. “Why?”

  Jill sighed. “I would prefer not to tell you.”

  Blake clenched his teeth. “Really? That’s all you’re going to say?” How could they be sitting so close, but still have so much distance between them. His head whirled with confusion.

  “Just remember, Blake, that I work for Nate. I have his interests in mind by keeping this to myself. But I promise that you’ll know—and approve of—everything on Friday.”

  “Friday? But you’re going to the charity ball with Trevor on Thursday?”

  She shrugged. “I haven’t gotten an answer from him yet.”

  Blake glanced at her lovely face, illuminated by the lights over the highway he was merging onto. “Like he would turn you down.”

  “I’m equally dreading his answer either way,” she said, her words soft and elusive.

  ***

  For the rest of the week at work, Blake stewed over their words on the drive home from the ranch. It had created a wall between them. Surely, he thought, a wall that could easily be broken through, but he felt the division every time he saw her. It was an odd sensation of wanting mixed with enough hurt to keep him away. The one thought that kept him from going nuts was that he was sure she didn’t have any romantic feelings for the guy. Still, he daydreamed about humiliating ways to fire Trevor anyway.

  And maybe, just maybe, the guy would turn Jill down.

  Then she would walk past him, leaving him in a mist of light, floral perfume and yearning. His arms would ache with the desire to reach out and pull her tight against him. His heart would pound with awareness. No, Trevor would not turn her down. Not if he thought he had a chance of being with her.

  That certainty of their date didn’t stop Blake from tracking her down at the end of the day on Thursday. He found her at her desk, typing on her laptop and biting her bottom lip in concentration. That tic of hers was beginning to drive him mad. “Jill.” Ma
n, he sounded as nervous as a high schooler.

  She looked up, and he saw her eyes soften, though her expression didn’t waver from the steady professionalism she so often exuded at work. “Yes, Blake?”

  Mindful of the listening ears around them, he said, “Did you receive an answer from Trevor?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did he say?”

  She looked at him like his head was full of sawdust. “I told you. Yes.”

  Frustrated and unable to unleash the argument he really wanted to have, he said, “You need to make your answers clearer.”

  She smiled at him, but there was no warmth in it. From her tone, it was more likely a rebuke. “I will make a great many things clearer if you wish.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “That’s precisely what I’ve been hoping you’d do for the last four days.”

  Jill looked around and shut her computer before putting it in her bag. “Number one, I’m going home now to get ready for my date.”

  “And number two?”

  She walked around her desk as she said, “That will have to wait for tomorrow. Then everything will be clear.” She paused next to him. “I’ll see you tonight, Mr. McDaniel.”

  He watched her walk away, furious to realize that he was not the only male eye in the room gawking at her.

  He spun and walked back to his office, passing Ivey’s along the way. He’d been avoiding her all week, which was an unmanageable situation with your personal assistant, but he needed to talk to her now. He stepped into her office, realizing that he’d never before stepped beyond the door frame. Had he always had an unconscious caution where she was concerned?

  “Ivey, I am afraid that my date for this evening has fallen through. I can hardly go alone since I am one of the organizers. Would you be willing to go with me, even though it’s so last minute?”

  She looked up, her expression surprised, rather like she’d won the lottery. She quickly controlled her features however, saying, “I could manage it. I was planning to go anyway and have an appropriate dress.”

  “Excellent. Let me know what time you’d like me to pick you up. Just send it to my calendar.”

  As he walked back to his office, Blake couldn’t help but think that Jill would hate to see Ivey on his arm. He might not want to spend any more time with the woman than he had to, but annoying Jill certainly made it worth the effort.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Not wanting to give Trevor any opportunities to get handsy with her, Jill arranged to meet him at the venue. The ball was being held at a big hotel downtown, and, not wanting to deal with traffic or parking, she hired a driver to drop her off. As she went inside, flashing her invitation at the reception table, she found Trevor leaning against the wall, sipping a glass of champagne. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to keep walking.

  “Good evening. You look devastatingly gorgeous, tonight.”

  Jill tensed when his eyes lingered over certain parts of her anatomy. “Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.” And he did. His tux improved him so much that even to her eyes, biased as they were by what she knew of him, he was a very attractive man.

  “Can I get you a drink?”

  “No thanks,” Jill said. “I would enjoy dancing though.”

  Trevor smiled and tipped the rest of his champagne down. “Let’s go then.”

  For the next hour or so, she felt as though she was dancing with one hand permanently extended to keep Trevor away. He kept trying to put the moves on her in the middle of the dance floor. Kneeing him in the groin would probably ruin any chance she had at getting him to make her a business offer. But when he suggested they go get a drink, she firmly directed him toward the buffet of gourmet delicacies. Maybe if he put something in his stomach, it would keep him from getting too drunk.

  After they had each selected a few items to eat and stopped by one of the many bars scattered around the venue, Trevor directed her to a table near the dance floor. It was currently vacant, though the empty plates and glasses left on the table showed they were not the first ones to sit there. Jill, who had gotten a ginger ale, ignored Trevor’s disdain and ate her food. She was grateful for the way it settled her stomach instead of upsetting it further.

  She was just considering where she might lure Trevor off to for the private conversation she was determined to have, when a shadow fell over their table. Looking up sharply, she saw Blake, though it was hard to make out his expression since he was silhouetted by the lights over the dance floor.

  “Good evening,” he said. His voice was smooth as glass, but she heard the note of displeasure in it.

  Groaning inwardly, she prayed he wasn’t going to make a scene. Her trepidation didn’t stop her from noticing how hot Blake looked in a tux. He made Trevor look sloppy, like a senior who’d worn his rented tux through two hours of rowdy dancing. “Hello,” Jill replied to him, hoping he would get the hint in her tone and move along. Of course, she also hoped he would stay right where he was, by her side, for the rest of her life. But then, a woman can be pardoned for fantasizing over a man who looked the way he did.

  “Are you enjoying yourselves this evening?”

  “Very much.” Jill didn’t wait for Trevor to answer, but noticed he was watching the two of them like they were a tennis game.

  “And you, Mr. Walton?” Blake extended a hand to Trevor. Jill knew a thing or two about body language, and there was no doubt who was the dominant player in that exchange. Trevor even tried to stretch his hands unobtrusively on the table as if Blake’s grip had been too much for him.

  “How do you think I am with such a hot date?” Trevor ran his eyes over her, lingering on her chest.

  Jill’s stomach revolted at his leering, but mostly, she was alarmed to see Blake’s shoulders flex and his jaw tense. She jumped up. “Will you dance with me, Blake?”

  Saying his name finally dragged his attention away from decking Trevor, as she was sure he wanted to do. He nodded and led her to the dance floor with his hand in the small of her back. Fortunately, a slow song came on. Jill moved into Blake’s arms, relishing in the feeling of rightness that always swept over her when he was close. She didn’t resist when he pulled her in close, and for a moment, she wished they were anywhere but here. Anywhere that didn’t pull them away from each other.

  They didn’t speak, but a current of communication flowed between them. The charge of attraction surging through Jill’s veins couldn’t be denied, only resisted. She did her best, but as the song went on, she found herself softening, melting into him. She knew he could read the yearning in her eyes, but didn’t have the strength to turn them away from his beautiful, brooding face. Finally though, she forced herself to go back into business mode.

  “When this song is over, I need to go back to Trevor, and you are not to follow me.”

  The song ended then and Blake didn’t say anything else. He just let his arms drop as he took a step back. Glancing back over her shoulder, Jill saw Ivey approach him and move into the next dance with him. Her brain stuttered. He’d brought Ivey?

  And Ivey looked stunning tonight in a crimson sequin dress with a plunging back and her hair piled up on top of her head to show off her long slender neck. A neck which Jill very much wanted to squeeze just then.

  Determined to go home as soon as possible, Jill headed straight for Trevor, who was, by her count, on his fourth glass of champagne. “What do you say we go find somewhere private?”

  He jerked to his feet, and while he wasn’t at all unsteady, she noticed that his eyes were overly bright. “Let’s.”

  The crowd was so dense, they had to weave through it with Trevor following behind her the best he could. Finally, they broke out of the main ballroom and found a long hall leading toward a glass door. A few people stood talking in clusters, but when Jill and Trevor stepped outside on to a broad balcony, they were the only people there. Probably because it was a hot, humid evening and only fools or lovers would brave it. Jill had n
o problem categorizing herself as a fool.

  She walked over to the metal guard rail and looked out at the sparkling lights of the city. Trevor came up behind her and put his arm around her shoulders, resting his hand on her upper arm. Repulsion shivered up her spine, and she longed to throw it off, but she was so close now. Instead, she turned to face him better. “Have you thought more about our conversation?”

  Trevor nodded and moved to lean his elbows against the rail, folding his hands together. “Can I depend on you to give me and Gourmand’s a positive recommendation to McDaniel?”

  Choosing her words with precision, Jill answered, “Of course. Gourmands will receive a glowing report and I only need to add your excellent management to my recommendation that Mr. McDaniel not only keep the company, but invest in expanding it.”

  Jill could almost see dollar signs flash in his eyes as she said these words. He licked his lips. “Then I will be quite able to show you my appreciation.”

  “How much do you appreciate it?” she asked pointedly.

  “Ten thousand dollars’ worth.”

  “Make it fifteen,” she said, running her finger up his arm, “And I’d say we are well on our way to a prosperous relationship.”

  “Twelve and a bonus when McDaniel’s investment hit’s the ledgers.”

  “Deal,” she said, holding out her hand to him.

  Instead of shaking it, he raised it to his lips. “I always have had a thing for women who knew how to negotiate.”

  “And I appreciate a man who takes advantage of opportunities. It’s your chocolate supplier, isn’t it? That’s how you’re laundering money, right?”

  Trevor flinched, then looked around a moment. Jill suspected that he’d had just enough to drink to let him feel he was in control but to make him more careless than he otherwise would be. He certainly seemed willing to share more information with her.