But what he hadn’t expected was just how absolutely bored he’d felt during the whole thing.
While he’d turned half an ear toward her prattle, pretending to be interested in whatever attempt at witty conversation she was trying to engage him in, his mind had drifted constantly toward his business. His brain consistently churning out potential scenarios for wheels and deals he was trying to move toward, for all the meetings he was scheduled to have for the deals he already had on the table, for all employees he had to manage and cultivate, many of which were clan, others which were not.
Most men would have been fantasizing about a woman they really did want to be spending time with, or at least the fantasy of one. And many of them would have at least considered trying to find a way beneath Ravena’s skirt without having to give up their souls.
But he had only been concerned with business.
What’s happened to me? He wondered, leaning back in his chair, and running a hand through his hair, tousling chestnut brown locks. Staring up at the recessed ceiling, he propped his feet on a corner of his desk, and sincerely pondered the question. He hadn’t always been such a workaholic – back in the day, before the clan war had started, and he’d rebelled against his mother and father’s wishes in retaliation for their constant fighting, he’d lived the high life, riding fast cars and faster women, going on wild, carefree adventures with Emerson and his friends whenever they could get the chance, and reveling with some of the hottest night club in Chicago.
Of course, things were a little different back then – both more dangerous and less restrictive in a lot of ways. But still, he no longer found excitement in that sort of thing.
He knew the reason he’d shunned that life and thrown himself into the roll of leader and entrepreneur had been his father. The man had died shortly after the war, his injuries too great to sustain him for long, leaving him what was left of his real estate business and a fractured, broken-hearted clan that had lost many of its brethren. Though Jericho had been ill equipped for the role, he’d seen the clan as his responsibility, and in keeping with his vow to never treat his family the way his own parents had treated him, had thrown himself wholeheartedly into both the clan and the business. He’d given the clan much-needed unity and strength, and had built his father’s business into a billion-dollar empire that would provide both himself and the clan with financial security for the rest of their lives.
But apparently that wasn’t enough, because now he had to force himself to marry a she-bear that was the antithesis of everything he wanted in a mate. Though he acknowledged the clan was well within their rights to insist on it – he was well past the time he came of age to take a mate, and the longer he waited, the higher the chances were that he’d be killed without producing any offspring – he still chafed at the idea of being forced to do something he didn’t want to do.
Most people looked at him and simply saw the wealth and power he commanded. Seldom did they ever look down to notice the chains that bound him to that wealth and power, denying him the comforts of a simple life
Oh stop being so melodramatic, the voice in his head argued. It’s not like you.
No, it wasn’t like him to wallow in self-pity. Doing so never accomplished much of anything except a raging desire to drown his sorrows in whatever manner he could – and since the only manner available was work, that was always what he turned to.
But maybe, just maybe he could allow himself a distraction of another sort. A throwback to the days of fun and mayhem where he didn’t have a care in the world – or at least he ignored them. Surely if he was going to bind himself to Ravena, he was allowed a little bit of a wild spree first, wasn’t he?
The wheels in his head began to turn, driving the headache away as a true smile lit his face for the first time that day.
* * *
“I’m sorry, you’re going where?” Emerson sputtered.
“Paris.” Jericho leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the corner of his desk so he could get a better look at Emerson. His second was standing in front of the bank of windows that lined his corner office wearing a white button-down shirt and grey slacks, and an expression that could only be described as complete and utter shock. Behind him, the rising sun hovered over the Chicago skyline – a spectacular view that, being the boss, he enjoyed every day with a nice cup of coffee from his office window.
With any luck, he’d be missing out on that view for at least a couple of days. And he couldn’t wait.
“There’s got to be some kind of mistake here,” Emerson said, whipping out his phone to check the calendar. “I don’t remember putting you down for any meetings in Paris tomorrow – ”
“Emerson,” Jericho said gently, trying not to sound too amused at his cousin’s frazzled behavior. Here at the office, Emerson was his partner, and therefore knew about any meetings or business trips they had planned. “This isn’t something you overlooked. I’ve just decided to take a break from everything for a few days.”
A frown drew Emerson’s dark blond brows together, and he crossed his arms, instantly morphing from confused partner into annoyed second-in-command. “You? A vacation? You haven’t taken any time off in years, and that last time was only because you had to attend a mating ceremony out of state.”
Jericho bit back a wince. He really was a workaholic. “Yeah, well, I figured it was time for a change. I’ve been working so hard for so long that I’ve forgotten what it means to have fun. I figure I’ve busted my ass long enough for this business, and for the clan that I can afford to take a little time off, don’t you?”
Emerson stared at Jericho as if he’d grown a second head, then surprised Jericho as a huge grin burst onto his face. “I never thought I’d hear those words!” he exclaimed, clapping Jericho heartily on the shoulder. “Man, Ravena’s turning out to be a great influence on you!”
Jericho’s mood instantly darkened at the mention of the she-bear’s name. “Yeah, whatever you say Emerson,” he said lightly.
If Emerson noticed the dip in Jericho’s mood, he chose to ignore it. “Good for you, buddy.” He reached for his phone. “I’ll have to fill in for a few of your meetings. I’ll go ahead and get that all set up, but do you need me to book your flight or anything?”
Jericho held up a hand. “No,” he said, suddenly feeling antsy. “I’ve got it all under control.”
Emerson frowned. “Okay, but– ”
“Really, I got it,” Jericho said firmly, arching a brow.
Emerson snapped his mouth shut. “Of course,” he replied, a grin spreading across his face. “This is going to do wonders for you, Jericho. You’re gonna be a new man when you get back.”
Jericho couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m counting on it.”
Chapter Three
“Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we request that all electronic devices be turned off for the time being. We will notify you when it is safe to use such devices.”
Jericho sighed as he powered off his phone, grateful for the flight attendant’s announcement. He’d made it all of three minutes before he’d whipped out his phone to check his email, which had quickly turned into responding to emails, which in turn had lead into researching market reports, which had then turned into…
Stop it, he berated himself as he started to take out his phone again. To remove himself from temptation, he took the device from his pocket, and stored it in his carry on bag in the overhead luggage compartment. There, he thought to himself as he returned to his seat, ignoring the flight attendant’s scowl – he was supposed to be all buckled up by now. Now I can’t do any work during the entire flight.
Resting his head against the seat, he closed his eyes and waited for the flight to take off. His ears filled with the sound of the plane rumbling across the lane, of the turbines roaring as they powered up, of the wind shrieking as the plane’s wings sliced through the air, and then they were up, up, up, rising into the sky.
Headed for Paris.
His eyes popped open, and he glanced out the window, watching as Chicago slowly began to recede from view. He’d done it. He was on his way to Paris. Excitement filled him at the thought of spending a few days alone, without any responsibility on his shoulders at all. It was quickly chased by a hefty douse of fear, for his company and his clan. Would they be able to manage without him? What if they were attacked in his absence?
Don’t be ridiculous, he scoffed at himself. None of the clans were at war with each other right now, so there was no need to be concerned about that. Emerson was as easy going and laid-back as they came, so there was no way he was going to do anything to get their clan riled up in a conflict while he was gone.
Stranger things have happened… a voice reminded him slyly.
Jericho clenched his jaw. It was time for him to stop worrying about his responsibilities and kick back, relax.
Looking around, he noticed that several passengers were already pulling out books and e-readers. Ah, reading. An excellent idea. He was just about to reach into his pocket for his phone, and then cursed aloud when he remembered he’d stowed it away so he wouldn’t be able to work while on the flight.
“Are you alright, honey?” The elderly woman next to him slowly turned, her milky blue eyes blinking slowly as she regarded him through huge spectacles.
Jericho winced as he realized he’d drawn attention to himself. “No, I’m fine,” he assured her hastily. “I apologize for disturbing you.”
The old lady smiled sweetly at him. “It’s not a problem at all. Why don’t you tell me what’s got you all worked up?”
“It’s nothing really,” Jericho replied, but he relented under the woman’s kind gaze. “I just forgot to pick up a book before I got on the flight.”
“Oh, I see.” The woman nodded sagely, then reached forward and produced what looked like a hand-knitted drawstring pack, woven from multicolored thread. “Well lucky for you, I always bring a couple of different books with me on a flight. Why don’t you borrow one?”
“I don’t – ” startled, he took the paperback thrust into his hands, and his mouth dropped open at the sight of a gaudy romance novel cover featuring a burly, bare-chested warrior holding a half-naked woman in his arms. “I can’t take – ”
“Oh please, I insist.” The old woman patted his knee reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I trust you’ll keep it safe during the flight.”
“Thank you,” he replied, unwilling to spurn her gift by telling her he’d never in a million years read a novel like this. Unsure of what to do, he opened the book and stared at the pages without really reading the words, trying to think of what to do. He supposed he could ask the flight attendant for headphones and watch TV –
‘He slid a hand beneath the bodice of her gown, and gently cupped her heavy, round breast, eliciting a sharp, indrawn breath from her.’
Wait. What?
Jericho blinked as the sentence jumped out at him from the page, and before he knew it, he was reading more. ‘His thumb flicked back and forth across her nipple, teasing the nub into a taut, aching bud, and he smiled as he felt her knees wobble. It didn’t take long before her legs threatened to give out from beneath her, and when that happened he swooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.’
Jericho chuckled. What kind of book was this?
‘He laid her gently atop the feather tick mattress, taking a moment to admire the way her reddish brown tresses gleamed in the firelight as they spilled across the pillows, the way her whiskey eyes shone with desire, the way her pink lips glistened moistly, swollen with his kisses. Kneeling on the bed, he slowly pushed her skirt up her legs, drawing it past her hips to expose –‘
Good God! Jericho whipped his eyes away from the page before he read more, swiftly glancing around at the elderly woman out of the corner of his eye. What was the matter with her? Was she trying to torture him by making him suffer through a raging hard-on for the rest of the flight? For that matter, how on earth did she sit here reading this stuff without getting worked up herself?
Don’t even go there, he thought, a shudder going through him at the very idea. But still, women of all ages apparently read these things. He’d seen plenty of them reading romance paperbacks at bus stops and train stations, and yes, most certainly during flights, but he’d never even opened a book like this himself.
Sighing, he checked the time on his watch. It was going to be another four hours before they landed in Paris. Resigned to his fate, he settled back in his chair to read about lustful tales of barbarians and wenches, and hoped to God he’d eventually fall asleep and spend the rest of the flight in a state of blissful unawareness.
Chapter Four
Becca Donaldson blew across the surface of the steaming Styrofoam cup of cheap coffee she held in her hands, and tried to imagine it was a delicious cappuccino instead, and that rather than sitting at her desk at Tour de Paris, the tour guide agency she worked for, she was sitting at a patio café in Italy, with a tall, dark handsome stranger to converse with – preferably one who had already bought the cappuccino for her.
“Daydreaming again?” Crystalle, her supervisor and one of her best friends, teased from her own desk. Becca glanced over to where her friend sat, with a mountain of paperwork on her desk, and had to admit she had it lucky she didn’t have to deal with that bullshit.
“Just cooling my coffee while I wait for my client to show up,” she said lightly, then closed her eyes as she took a sip of the coffee. The hit of caffeine rushed through her bloodstream like wildfire, boosting her flagging energy. Boy did she love the stuff. She didn’t understand how anyone lived without it.
“Is that all?” Crystalle waggled her painted-on eyebrows playfully. An explosion of blonde hair curled around her square face, deliberately teased by copious amounts of hair product. “You weren’t, say, thinking about a new lover, perhaps?”
Becca let out a gusty sigh. “Not a chance.” she muttered. She hadn’t dated anybody in months, and hadn’t seen anybody seriously since she’d broken up with her ex, Ethan.
Crystalle’s playful expression turned into a frown. “Sweetheart, you’ve got to get out more often,” she admonished. “There are plenty of handsome men out there who’d love to sweep a beautiful girl like you off your feet. Have fun while you’re young!”
“Sure,” Becca said half-heartedly, twirling a strand of her reddish-brown hair around a finger as she glanced away. Once, she would have agreed wholeheartedly with idea of living it up, but now, after Ethan had so carelessly discarded her for another’s affections, she wasn’t so sure that would do her any good. He’d been the tall, handsome guy who’d swept her off her feet, and caught up in the whirlwind of their romance, she hadn’t bothered to look out for red flags and warning signs.
And now that she had her heart ripped from her chest by someone she loved and trusted, she felt that anxiety whenever she so much as glanced at a potential lover.
“Don’t let that asshole Ethan scare you off of men,” Crystalle warned, practically reading Becca’s mind. “Just because he was a bastard doesn’t mean all men are. You deserve so much better than him, and I have no doubt that you’ll find it.”
“Thanks.” Becca tried to give Crystalle a real smile, knowing her friend would continue to badger her until she did. “I’m just not ready to try again.”
A sly smile returned to Crystalle’s lips. “You might to reconsider that, because from what I can see of your next client, he’s one hell of a good looking man.”
“Huh?” Becca shook her head in disbelief as Crystalle turned her screen to face her. “You know I don’t date clientele, Crys.” One-night stands and long-distance relationships were not her thing, and since those were the only things that could come of hooking up with clients, she refrained, no matter how good-looking they were. “Don’t do this to me.”
“What’s the harm in looking, my love? He’s going to be here any minute, right? May as well get a good look at him beforehand so you
r jaw doesn’t drop when you walk in.”
As if on cue, a bell tinkled, signifying that the front door opened, and they froze at the sound of an American accent that sounded deep, and rough, and sexy as sin. “Excuse me, but I’m here for my tour guide?”
Becca and Crystalle wordlessly stared at each order. Their desks were a level below the reception area, so they couldn’t see whoever was up there, but if he looked down over the wall next to the reception area he would definitely see them. “Shut that off!” Becca hissed, waving a hand frantically as Crystalle cleared her screen.
“Sure! Can I have your full name, please?” the receptionist asked the man.
“Jericho Knight.”
“Oh my God,” Crystalle half-squealed, half-whispered. “That’s him!”
Becca took a deep breath, then picked up her coffee, and took another sip before the receptionist called to notify her that a client was waiting.
Tamping down on the nervous jitters, she gathered her bag and quickly walked up the stairs to the reception area, determined not to overreact. But that resolution flew right out the window when she caught sight of him leaning against the counter, waiting for her.
It wasn’t the fact that he was at least six-feet-tall and built like a linebacker that got her heart racing. It wasn’t the chiseled face that looked like it had been carved by angels, or the mass of beautiful dark hair that was trimmed perfectly to frame his masculine face. It wasn’t even his piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right through her, and into her very soul. Nor was it the sexy dimples on his sculpted face that appeared when he smiled at her, or the way his eyes roamed her body approvingly as she took a step toward him.
No, it wasn’t any of those things that had her pulse racing, or her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
It was the fact that the gorgeous stranger in front of her was a were-bear.
Billion Dollar Bear Page 2
