Barry lifted an eyebrow at her.
“Marilyn told me that this dessert is the best way to butter you up, Mr. Grant,” Jarryd said, holding up the box to Barry. “Since I really want you to like me, I thought I’d hand it to you myself. I’ll even go so far as to offer you my slice if you promise not to kick me out of your house if I happen to hug your daughter in front of you tonight.”
Barry’s jaw dropped as he stared at Jarryd, his eyes round.
Marilyn held her breath, her own eyes bugged out as she watched the two men. Goodness, what had gotten into Jarryd?
“It’s this apron, isn’t it?” Barry finally said, wincing as he looked down at his attire.
Jarryd shrugged, grinning widely. “It does soften your aura, sir.”
Barry sighed. “Tell you what. How about you tell my wife that Marilyn can help her in the kitchen while I give you a tour around the house, and I’ll let you keep your slice of that cake.”
Marilyn gasped. “Hey, not fair! I was looking forward to showing Jarryd around.” She was tickled pink, though, that her father didn’t get mad at Jarryd.
“Then how can I give him a piece of my mind without you listening?” Barry asked, deadpan.
Oh, no. “Dad, he was only joking.”
“It’s okay, honey,” Jarryd said. “I’ll take what I deserve. As long as he doesn’t make me wear that apron.”
Barry laughed out loud, shaking his head. “You’ve got spunk, Jarryd. I like that. Let’s go to the kitchen, kids, or Alice will wonder if I’ve run Jarryd off.”
Marilyn linked her arm with Jarryd’s as they followed Barry to the back of the house. “I’m so impressed,” she whispered to him.
“Good,” Jarryd whispered back. “You can give me my reward later.”
“Hello!” Alice called out as they appeared in the kitchen.
“Jarryd’s helping you, love,” Barry said, taking the box of dessert from Jarryd. “His only condition is that he doesn’t wear any apron.”
“Barry,” Alice said with censure.
“Happy to help, Mrs. Grant,” Jarryd said. “Mr. Grant has agreed that he won’t give me the evil eye when I kiss Marilyn in front of him.”
“Kiss?” Barry boomed. “You said you were only going to hug her.”
“Well, we didn’t talk about relieving you of your kitchen duties before, sir. Just making sure everything’s fair.”
Marilyn chuckled at the incredulous look on her mother’s face at the exchange between the men. “Dad likes Jarryd. He thinks he’s spunky,” she said.
“Well, isn’t it great that you’re getting along like a house on fire,” Alice said to the guys. “But you’re not getting out of helping me here, Barry Grant. Jarryd is our guest and Marilyn will be entertaining him while we finish preparing dinner.”
Barry let out a heavy breath. “Okay. But let me talk business with Marilyn first for about ten minutes.”
“Anything to get you out of the kitchen, huh, Dad?” Marilyn teased.
“So we won’t have to interrupt our night with business talk later,” Barry said innocently.
“Okay,” Alice conceded. “Don’t be too long, you two. Jarryd, sit down, please. You’re not lifting a finger on your first dinner with us.”
Marilyn followed her father to his study, giving Jarryd a brief wave goodbye.
“Obviously, you and Jarryd are getting serious,” Barry said as he closed the door. “You said you started dating three months ago?”
“Yes.” She didn’t see a reason to tell her dad that they had been on a break for a whole two months of that time.
“Aren’t things going too fast?”
“I thought you wanted to talk business, Dad.”
Barry faced her fully. “I’ve never seen you so taken by anyone before, Marilyn. I know you’ve asked me to ease up on Jarryd, but it’s natural for me to worry. I don’t want you getting swept up by your feelings before you get to know him well.”
She smiled wryly. “I thought we were going too fast as well. But it feels right. And I trust Jarryd.”
“It might feel right. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is right. And what’s your basis for fully trusting him?”
“Jarryd was my friend first before we went out together,” she reasoned in a measured tone. “And you can ask Rick or Lucas or the Carmichael brothers about him. He’s friends with them too. Besides, I’ve never felt more... comfortable or... at ease or... I can’t explain it. I just feel that Jarryd and I are meant for each other.” Oh God, what had made her blurt that sappy statement out?
But that was exactly how she felt.
“Has he told you he loves you?”
She blushed. “I think it’s way too early for that.”
“Good. It’s good to wait. Be sure of his feelings for you first. What some people think is love might have more to do with being attracted to our wealth and social status than anything else.”
She opened her mouth to defend Jarryd, but Barry held up a hand to halt her.
“I’m not saying that Jarryd is only using you or that he’s only after your money. I actually like what I see so far. He’s not scared to offend me and that’s saying a lot. All I’m advising you is get to know him better before you start thinking that he might be the one.”
Too late. She was already believing that Jarryd was the one. But she nodded to appease her father. “Don’t worry, Dad.”
Barry stared at her for a moment, then smiled. “Your mother told you we want to make a bid for Well of Brilliance.”
“Yes.”
Barry took two files out from his drawer and dropped them on his desk. “Here’s all the information about the company, and here’s the proposal that we’ll be putting up on Friday to Lorna and Ben Tramwell, the siblings who own it. They’re not going to make a decision until after the new year, but they want to know that our offer is competitive enough so they can advise Greeves Minerals that there’s another offer on the table that they want to consider. Apparently, they were close to finalising the deal until we contacted them. We’ll have to prepare for a bidding war. Fortunately, we’ll get to enjoy the holidays first before that happens.”
“That gives me time to make my decision, then,” she said.
“Marilyn, I can’t see why you’d want to limit yourself to your business brokering firm. You’ve already proven to everyone that you’ll be more than capable of heading a company like Well of Brilliance if we happen to be successful in acquiring it. And if we lose out on it, I still want you back at Grant Ace. What I’d do if I were you is to start letting your second-in-command sit at the helm. Free yourself to work with us again.”
“You’re not gonna stop bugging me until I say yes, right?” she asked dryly.
“Do you really not see yourself working for Grant Ace again? Do you just want your share of the profits without being actively involved in steering the company?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’ve always known I’ll go back to work there. It’s a matter of when.”
“I’d say this is the right time.”
“Maybe. Let me go through those documents.”
“If you’re in, it’s better that you’re in from the beginning. So I suggest you make your decision before we submit the proposal, so you can make suggestions or changes to it before then.”
She could see the sense in that. “Okay.”
“Good! Now let’s go rejoin your mum and your boyfriend.”
She smiled, thrilled that it had been easy for her dad to refer to Jarryd as her boyfriend. “What help are you supposed to give Mum?” she asked as they left the study.
“She wants me to stir-fry the veggies while she grills the salmon. How about you do it for me?”
She smirked. “I’m giving Jarryd a tour of the house. But don’t worry. You won’t have to help clean up later.”
“When did you grow up and stop obeying me?” he asked with faux authority.
“A long, long time ago, Daddy,” she said with a
chuckle, hugging him as they walked back into the kitchen.
Jarryd was sitting on a stool by the island bench, a glass of wine in his hand and a bowl of nuts in front of him while he chatted with her mother. Jarryd beamed when he spotted her.
Her heart skipped, excited to see him again. Gosh, she had it bad. But she wasn’t complaining at all.
“Business talk finished?” Alice asked them as she pulled something from the fridge.
“For tonight,” Barry said. “Oh, by the way, Marilyn. Have you decided if you want to appear on Biz Q&A? Aren’t you supposed to answer Patrick soon?”
Jarryd’s strangled coughing startled Marilyn.
“You okay?” she asked, hurrying to him. He wasn’t choking on a nut, was he?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jarryd nodded his thanks to Alice as he took the glass of water she’d hurriedly handed to him. He took large gulps, soothing the tickle that had lodged in his throat from his surprise at Barry’s words.
Patrick O’Neill had invited Marilyn to appear on Biz Q&A?
Had Patrick found out that he was going out with Marilyn, and was this Patrick’s way of telling him who had the upper hand?
“You okay?” Marilyn repeated, rubbing his back and looking at him with concern.
He hacked one last time to totally get rid of the discomfort. “The wine just went down the wrong way. I’m okay now.”
“Thank goodness it wasn’t a nut,” Alice said. “Well, we should be ready to eat in about twenty minutes. How about you two do the house tour before then?”
“Okay,” Marilyn said, raising her eyebrows questioningly at Jarryd.
He nodded eagerly, keen to be alone with her.
Marilyn took his hand and showed him the formal living areas first, sharing with him her fond memories of the place. He pushed aside his nagging worries to concentrate on Marilyn’s stories and to admire the property, which really was something special. The period features had been kept and maintained, blending well with the modern, comfortable furnishings and impressive art collection.
They stepped out into the vast outdoor entertaining area, punctuated by the oval-shaped swimming pool, and went back inside again through a set of double doors leading to the library with floor-to-ceiling shelving filled with books. It was hard not to be impressed with the house’s understated grandeur and the homey feel that permeated it.
Marilyn quickly showed him the study, powder room and a downstairs guest room before they headed upstairs, where Marilyn started with the two spacious guest rooms. Then she showed him her parents’ impressive master suite, with its own sitting room, study, cavernous dressing room and stunning bathroom with marble floors.
“There used to be six big bedrooms up here when my parents bought the house when I was around ten,” Marilyn said. “Then when Mum and Dad had it renovated, they took three of the bedrooms to form this suite into the sanctuary they’d always wanted.”
“It’s a beautiful house. Very solid bones and full of character and warmth,” he said, admiring the detailing on the cornices.
“Yeah. I even stayed until I was twenty-one before I moved out, when my parents bought me my current place. In the beginning, I felt like coming back here was coming home. But working on the renovations at my place for two long years finally made me feel like my house is my home.”
Jarryd looked at her in surprise. “It took two years to renovate your place?”
“Because I wanted the salary I earned to pay for the renovations, not the money that came from the family trust fund. So I had my place done up little by little, as I was able to afford it.”
He smiled at her, more than impressed. Marilyn could have grown up a spoiled brat, being an only daughter of ultra-wealthy parents who were quite obviously supportive. But she hadn’t.
“What?” Marilyn asked with a laugh as he continued to stare.
He pulled her to him. “You’re so special,” he murmured.
She snickered. “Why? Because I used money that was a product of my hard work to pay for my home renovations? I don’t think that makes me special. You’ll find millions of others doing that around the world. Heck, I didn’t even buy my own house, so you could say I’m less than impressive.”
“You know what I mean.”
She shrugged. “I’ve learnt long ago that being wealthy has its own set of drawbacks. Sometimes they can be extreme. There are people who never bother to get to know me, and only see me for who my parents are, not for who I am. Either they put me down, believing I’m just another rich bitch who’d thumb my nose at them, or they put me on a pedestal, thinking knowing me is the best thing for their careers, social life, or whatnot. I’m not saying that to complain, because I know how blessed I am—how lucky. All I’m saying is as far as I’m concerned, whoever we are, we all have challenges and blessings—just in varied areas of our lives. Some people have big issues with money, but they’re lucky in love. Some have health problems, but they’re rich with support from friends and family. Others are estranged from their loved ones, but are setting the world on fire with their careers. What I’m trying to say is we all hurt and rejoice, just for different reasons. In that sense, we’re really all equals.”
Jarryd gawked at her, touched by her words.
He was trying to tell her she was special to him. But was this her way of saying she didn’t care that he was a guy of average means while she came from a rich family? That she saw him as nothing less than her equal?
That was so sweet, but he didn’t want to discuss financial status right now. The time wasn’t right. He’d have to outright lie if they did. “You haven’t shown me your old bedroom yet,” he said to change the subject.
Marilyn grinned. “This way.”
He followed her to the room at the far end of the hallway. Marilyn opened the door and he was greeted with furnishings similar to the ones she had at her place—which instantly reminded him of what they’d done in her bed before they’d come here. “How many times do you stay here overnight?”
“Not very often. Usually only when we have parties here and I don’t feel like driving home after having too much to drink.” Marilyn ran her hand on the bedspread in a smoothing gesture.
Jarryd’s cock stirred. Marilyn and her bed. He knew what he’d prefer to do with both right here, right now, but it wasn’t possible. Still, he couldn’t help but tease at the very least. “Would be nice for us to try that bed,” he murmured, looking at her lasciviously.
Marilyn’s eyes widened. “Now?”
“I didn’t have a particular time in mind, but since you’ve said the word now...” He pulled her flush against him.
Marilyn gasped. “Dinner is almost ready. They’d look for us if we’re gone for longer than expected.”
“We still have about,”—he checked his watch—“six minutes. That’s enough for a quickie.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Biting back his laughter, he kissed her passionately.
He’d expected her to resist, but Marilyn let out a soft moan, curving her arms around his neck and moulding her body to his.
His dick got hard with the speed that only Marilyn could arouse. “I’m only joking, honey,” he murmured against her lips. “I don’t want your parents to have a bad impression of me.”
“Don’t tell me you’re choosing my parents over me,” Marilyn said, her oh-so-naughty hand going to his crotch and rubbing.
“Babe,” he groaned, stopping her as his erection got bigger. “Don’t, please. I can’t have a hard-on right now.”
“I can’t believe you just said that.”
“You’re such a tease.”
“You started it.”
He gave her a loud kiss before moving away from her. “Let’s get out of here or I won’t get the image of you naked and writhing under me out of my head.”
“Ugh, now who’s being a tease?” Marilyn said with a glare before heading out of the room.
He grinned. “Good to know I’m no
t the only one feeling frustrated here.”
Marilyn chuckled.
He adjusted himself as he followed her, his dick still uncomfortably hard. He better think of something that would make it go down before they rejoined Alice and Barry.
What about the reason for his coughing fit earlier? His erection softened quickly. He couldn’t believe he’d almost forgotten about that. “Hey, what’s with you being invited to Biz Q&A?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Oh, that. Well, Patrick O’Neill originally wanted Dad or Mum to appear on the show as a mentor, but they both declined,” Marilyn said as they climbed down the stairs. “Then Patrick called me. It seems he’s keen for one of us Grants to be on the show. I’m finding it hard to make up my mind, though. I’m still tossing over the pros and cons of it in my head.”
“I guess the biggest thing would be the loss of some of the privacy you enjoy now.”
“Yeah, that’s the main drawback that I can think of. But my parents are thinking of acquiring another business that they want me to head, so appearing on Biz Q&A might actually be a good move if I decide to return to the Grant Ace fold.”
His heart thudded hard. No way he’d want Marilyn to work with Patrick O’Neill. “What business are your parents planning to buy?”
“A company that retails gemstones. It’s all hush-hush at this point, so I can’t talk about it, but my parents want me to tell them if I’m in or not by Friday.”
He swallowed hard. A company that retailed gemstones? Not Well of Brilliance, surely.
“Great timing,” Barry said as they walked into the kitchen. “Dinner’s just about ready.”
Jarryd did his utmost to push his worries aside during dinner, but it was difficult. Fortunately, most of the conversation centred around Marilyn’s childhood in the mansion, and Alice was more than happy to do most of the talking.
Soon, dinner was over, to his relief.
“Jarryd and I will do the cleaning up,” Marilyn said during a lull in the conversation after they’d finished dessert.
Alice and Barry happily stepped out to the pool area to enjoy the rest of their wine outside.
The Unknown Billionaire (Captured by Love Book 6) Page 6
