He wasn’t expecting that and his gaze sharpened. He looked at me with much more interest, which confused me. The picture I’d built up of this man was that he was utterly uncaring, but I could already tell that wasn’t the case.
How strange. Why had David ignored that phone call? Or all of the ones before—the ones I knew Theodore had made himself before becoming too weak? I could swear he was deeply grieved and I shook my head slightly.
None of this made any sense.
“Why did you thank me?” I finally broke the silence. It seemed he wasn’t going to be the one to do it. In fact, it seemed he had slipped into a world of his own, barely acknowledging my presence at all.
“For taking care of him.” There was a long silence before he spoke, and for a moment, I actually thought he wouldn’t say anything at all. “Excuse me. I see that people are leaving and I should say goodbye.”
Before I could say anything, he was gone. What was there to say, anyway? My thoughts were far too confused to come up with anything coherent. It was better to just let him go.
I had walked into this room not liking David Black much at all. In less than five minutes, the man had blown that out of the water, though not enough for me to forget entirely how he had treated his own grandfather. But it was enough to confuse me a little.
He was charming, no doubt about it.
Oh well. I didn’t have such an inflated sense of my own importance that I thought it would matter much to David what I thought of him. Why should it? I would probably never see the guy again.
Remembering his dark, penetrating eyes, his strong body, and his slightly rough, deep voice, I had to think it was probably a good thing, me not ever seeing him again.
He put my thoughts into disarray, and that was after only knowing about his existence for a few days. It was sort of ridiculous, and not particularly like me at all to get this worked up over someone.
It was just his charisma. But with that being said, I decided to execute the better part of valor and take off, still figuring no one would notice if I left.
I was almost right. One person did notice. As I pushed open the door to the funeral home, where the funeral itself and the reception had been held, I looked back just once and noticed a particular pair of dark, thoughtful eyes following me out.
David was frowning as he looked at me, and I told myself quite firmly that it was none of my business—none at all—what the man’s deal was. My involvement with the Black family had ended with Theodore’s death.
As the door shut behind me, I really did have the notion I would never see David again. I even thought I might never hear his name again. Why would I? I was hardly involved in the Portland business scene.
There was something unresolved between us that day, but I didn’t acknowledge it to myself. Maybe it was because I was too busy grieving for the patient who had become my friend, but as I walked away, I was sure I had closed that particular chapter in my life.
Even so, David Black and his piercing eyes, high cheekbones, and slightly mocking smirk haunted me. I tried not to acknowledge it even to myself, but they did.
David
The day of the reading of the will dawned clear and bright, a perfect Indian summer day. The sky was a dark, rich blue, the occasional little cloud puffing through the air, and I knew I was about to become a much wealthier man very soon.
The whole money issue hadn’t actually occurred to me until the lawyer had called to ask me to be there for the reading. Of course, I was going to get everything, but in my attempts to distance myself from the whole situation, I had forgotten entirely about his estate.
I knew he’d been a very, very wealthy man—far beyond my own not insignificant net worth. He’d had decades to build it all up, and I was really only just starting off.
Oh, but the things I was going to be able to do with all he had undoubtedly left me …
I had visions in my head as I went into the lawyer’s office. With the money I had been left, I could boost Black Tech and really make it grow. Maybe I could even run with the big boys. With enough money and work, anything was possible.
As I walked, I could almost swear the soles of my Fendi shoes barely touched the linoleum floors. At the same time, though, my heart was heavy. I had assumed I had time to make up with my grandfather. I had assumed I would have the three measly days to do that much.
I didn’t deserve this, but I knew what I could do. Grandpa’s mind had been a shrewd one, and I could honor him by building a company for the future—one that would carry not just his name, but also his spirit.
In short, the circumstances were terrible, but I would turn this experience into something really great. I had stood over his coffin and promised him I would do it, and I always kept my promises.
I stopped dead in my tracks when I pushed open the door to the office. It was a quiet, tasteful place, with generic, classy art on the walls and very few people waiting in the office.
Actually, there were only two people there, other than myself. One of them was the receptionist, who glanced up at me and smiled politely, apparently appeased by my expensive clothing.
The other one was that little nurse—Kaye something or other. The pretty young lady who had apparently been taking care of my grandfather. The question was, what was she doing at my grandpa’s lawyer’s office?
Well, the old man had good taste. Kaye was something close to stunning, with her wide, full, generous mouth and her enormous green eyes. Even in her modest outfit, I could tell that she had curves for days—rounded hips and breasts and a tiny little waist—and beautiful, long, black hair that I was willing to bet would fall almost to her ass if she let it down from the loose up-do she had it in.
It was more than just her physical appearance, though. Kaye had this aura that I couldn’t help but find soothing. She was a nurse, and I would be willing to bet almost anything she was very good at her job. She radiated both competence and gentleness all at the same time.
She looked up at me, and I found myself unprepared for the look in her eyes. She was trying to learn about me, wasn’t she? Just by looking at me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone just a little bit more blunt than usual. She’d surprised me by coming to the funeral, and she downright shocked me by being here for the reading of my grandfather’s will. Unless she was here for some other reason?
“The same thing as you, I would imagine.” She glanced down, away from my gaze, and I frowned thoughtfully. So she’d been invited to this, too? Had the unpredictable old man actually left something to his nurse?
“Mr. Black, Miss James, we’re ready for you now.” The receptionist won my everlasting affection for breaking the awkward moment. I hadn’t been all that gracious. Actually, I’d sort of been a dick, hadn’t I? I’d just been so dumbfounded by seeing her there at all.
“Shall we?” I asked, and I even held the door open for her as we went into the office, which was enormous and had a gorgeous, unhindered view of the Columbia River. This guy was clearly doing all right for himself, which I had pretty much figured. I’d never seen my grandfather—or my father, for that matter—skimp on anything that was really important.
A lawyer would definitely fall into that category.
“Thank you both for coming,” the lawyer, a distinguished older gentleman with beautiful, white hair and a dark tan that I suspected couldn’t be real, intoned. His name was, if I remembered correctly, John Dixon, or something of the sort.
He started to talk, and I didn’t pay a lot of attention. I knew what I was going to hear, after all. The only thing I was curious about was what the lovely Miss Kaye James was going to be granted. How important had she been to him, really?
“To my grandson and only living heir, I leave a message. It grieves me greatly that we were not, during my life, able to mend whatever rift there was between us.” John was reading from a paper on his desk, and I started to pay much more attention.
I realized, then, that I d
idn’t even know how much money was in the estate. I didn’t even know what I was about to inherit. I listened carefully, but the lawyer just turned to the lovely Kaye, and I frowned a little bit. For the first time, I started to think that something was very wrong here.
Unless he was going to deal with her very small bequest first? But then why had he mentioned me first? It didn’t make sense.
“To my nurse, Kaye James,” the lawyer continued. “You filled my last days with light and happiness. Your smiles meant everything to me. Your gentle spirit brought me peace. To you, I leave it all. Every car, every property, every last cent in every bank account. Thank you, Kaye. I only wish I had more to give you because you certainly deserve it.”
For a moment, there was complete silence in the room. During that silence, I felt something inside me—some basic idea the universe was a good and fair place—die. The last little bit of hope—of trust—in my heart withered, and in its place anger blossomed. Sick. Hot. Feverish.
“You bitch,” I hissed, turning to face Kaye. All of my dreams went up in smoke right then and there. I could, and I would, build Black Tech into a leading worldwide brand, but it was going to be a lot harder and I would be very old by the time that happened.
“Mr. Black! Please,” the lawyer said, and I noted dimly that he didn’t seem surprised by my outburst. If the man read wills on a regular basis, no doubt he was used to this sort of thing.
Kaye didn’t say anything back. She just bowed her head, letting her hair swing forward in a dark, wavy waterfall to obscure her features. In her eyes, just before they were hidden, I could swear I saw the faintest gleam of something.
Tears?
Surely not. No doubt this woman had plotted with my grandfather. Maybe she’d even put him up to it.
“He wasn’t in his right mind when he wrote this will,” I stated. I tried to keep the hint of desperation out of my voice—to sound firm and strong and not like I was grasping at straws. “He never would have done this otherwise.”
“Slander,” the lawyer said right back, his tone casual enough, but his eyes burning. “I was there, Mr. Black, and I assure you that he was in complete control of his mental faculties. I don’t appreciate you insinuating otherwise.”
It was a warning, and we both knew it. He was a lawyer and I wasn’t, and if he thought he could make a slander suit stick, he probably could. I needed to be careful, even if I suddenly felt like every inch of my body was packed with coals, smoldering and burning me from the inside out. Even if the last thing I wanted was to be careful.
So I did the one and only thing that I could do—the only thing that could save me before I said or did something to get myself into more trouble than I could handle. I wasn’t poor, but getting into a legal pissing contest with a lawyer wasn’t something that I could really afford.
I stood up and I stormed out of the room. I even let the door slam behind me and walked past the receptionist without so much as looking at her. She probably was pretty used to people having reactions like that, just as her boss was.
I would very much like to claim that I didn’t look back, but it wasn’t true. I did, just once, but just for a split second. Not at the asshole lawyer, but at Kaye, who hadn’t moved from her spot or spoken the entire time she was there.
I wasn’t going to just take this lying down. Legally, I knew I couldn’t challenge her for the money. The will had been incredibly clear. There had to be something I could do—I had never been known for simply accepting situations I didn’t like.
There was something about the way Kaye bowed forward with some sadness far more eloquent than words could ever express. Words could lie, but I was absolutely certain she could not have faked that posture. Not unless she was a lot more of a con artist than I already thought.
As my anger burned, it changed. It didn’t stay quite as hot, but lingered on and refused to die out. A hotter anger might have burned itself to ashes, but this slow, simmering rage, I knew, could last for years.
For as long as it took to get back what was mine.
The details, I wasn’t quite sure about yet. I would figure them out when I’d had some time to think about it. One thing I did know, however, was that Kaye James was going to suffer for what my grandfather had done.
Even then, I felt a surge of misgiving about that. What had Kaye done wrong? Nothing, really, other than provide exemplary service to a dying old man. Could that have been enough for him to sign away all of his worldly possessions to a relative stranger, though? No, she must have done something to convince him, I told myself.
In business, there was collateral damage. Kaye was a nurse and nurses were tough. So I did my best to put the small twinge of guilt I felt out of the way and focused instead on my dreams—the ones that needed money in order to become a reality.
Those dreams had seemed so attainable and hopeful just earlier that day, tinged only with grief over my grandfather’s death. Now they were tinged with bitterness, feeling poisonous as they wound through my head.
I was going to get what I wanted, though, no matter the cost. The businessman in me could hardly do anything else.
That bitch would get what she deserved.
Vengeance would be mine.
Chapter 3
Kaye
I’m not sure whether I was entirely aware of what was happening in my life for a couple of days after the meeting.
The next day, I went back to work. From the details I had been given about Theodore’s estate, I knew I would never have to work again. At least, I knew it logically, though I was learning from first-hand experience that you can know something in your head and not in your heart.
I’d always had to work, like most people did, just to pay the rent and make sure I could continue to eat. The fact that I could just stop wasn’t something that really resonated with me
What would Theodore want? For me to sit around and live idly off of the inheritance? No way. I knew the man well enough to know he would never want something like that for me. Not in a million years. Theodore himself had only ever been idle when extreme illness had enforced it.
So I went back to work, and I didn’t tell anyone about all of the money I suddenly had, or was going to have when everything cleared. I took care of people, because that was my job, and more than that, because it was my passion.
I was a nurse. No matter what happened to me and no matter where my life took me, I would nurse people. I could have ten dollars to my name, or I could (somehow, in a way that didn’t even really fully make sense to me yet) be worth slightly over 100 billion dollars, but I would always be who I was.
I knew one thing for certain. I didn’t want this money to change me. As I started to come to terms with the money, I poked cautiously around for charities. Keeping that much money for myself wasn’t something that I could even fathom.
I couldn’t spend it in my entire lifetime, especially because part of it was in properties. I would never have to worry about having a place to live, and paying rent, as strange as it seemed, was something I didn’t have to do anymore.
Yes, definitely charities. The problem I ran into was there just wasn’t enough money to donate a decent amount to all of the worthy ones out there. It was all a little bit overwhelming.
Not only that, but there was the strangest feeling of guilt over even having this indecent amount of money. I owned properties I had never seen. The numbers, locations, and place names had started to blur as the lawyer had listed them all. In the end, it had sort of sounded like he was speaking Martian or something.
Part of it was the look I’d glimpsed on David Black’s face just before he stormed out. That money was his, wasn’t it? At least, David had clearly assumed so. Did he need it? I really knew very little about the man.
He’d been so angry. Part of me couldn’t blame him. As the only family Theodore had left, surely he had been expecting the lion’s share of the estate, if not all of it. It was hard not to feel a little bit sorry for him.
Still, that didn’t do much, if anything, to excuse him. Not to my way of thinking. His grandfather had reached out to him, and I knew the day that I’d dialed the phone for him hadn’t been the first time.
How many times had Theodore reached out to David, and how many times had David rejected him without a word? I didn’t know the whole story, but I couldn’t imagine what Theodore could have done to deserve that.
Nobody deserved to be left completely alone.
Nobody.
To say I was conflicted about David Black would be a definite understatement. It was a strange situation—to feel angry at someone for betraying someone I cared about and at the same time to feel sorry for them too.
David was so angry at me, too. The disdain and the fury with which he had looked at me would haunt me if I let it. I barely knew the guy, and normally I would probably be able to brush off his opinion of me with very little difficulty.
Somehow, with David, it was more difficult.
It seemed easier to just dive into my work. It would take time for everything to clear, and there was no law that said I had to decide what to do right this second. Or even ever. I could take my time.
One thing I didn’t do, though, was let them assign me to work one-on-one with another patient. Not full-time. Theodore’s passing had broken my heart, and I wasn’t sure I could take it if something like that happened again.
I worked until I couldn’t anymore. Any overtime offered, I took, and when I fell into bed, it was because I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open for even another second.
Until one night, about a week after I got the news, I found that I couldn’t sleep, despite having worked my full shift and then some. I lay in bed, too tired to toss and turn, but my eyes simply wouldn’t remain shut.
It wasn’t right. I had all of this money and I hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Why had Theodore left it all to me? The houses, the car, the investments—it was all mine and all I had ever done was my job.
Vengeful Seduction_A Submissives’ Secrets Novel Page 3
