The Proposal (A Billionaire Romance)

by Nikki Wild

  That’s when two of the words from the article sunk in and hit him like a sack of cement. He snatched the paper and scanned the sentences again…...and there it was; pregnant fiancée. Pregnant fiancée? Danielle’s pregnant? Shane finally put it all together. That was why she was pushing so hard to get me to the charity gala…

  In an uncontrollable fit of rage, Shane got up and punched a hole in the living room wall with his fist. “FUCK!!” Blood immediately sprang forth from his cut-up knuckles and lightning sharp pain traveled the length of his arm up to his shoulder. He cradled his fist and slowly tried to straighten his fingers as he wrapped the tails of his white dress shirt around his hand. Holding it tightly against his abdomen, he ran to get some ice from the freezer. Then he poured himself a Scotch with his good hand, quickly threw it back and poured another as the doorbell rang.

  He ran to open it, at the remote chance that it was Danielle, but to Shane’s utmost alarm he threw open the door to find Grant Tanner standing on his doorstep.

  “Father? I sure as hell wasn’t expecting you. I thought you were in Chicago.”

  True to his usual brash self, Grant Tanner walked into Shane’s house before he was invited to do so. Then he curiously looked his son up and down as if he were surveying the damage of a car wreck.

  “Looks like I got here just in time,” he said scratching his head in wonderment. “What the hell happened to you? You look like shit!”

  Shane caught a frightening glimpse of his disheveled self in the foyer mirror: His hair was matted, his five o’clock shadow was practically a beard, his wrinkled tux looked like he slept in it (because he actually had), his hand was battered and his shirt was splattered in blood. I look worse than shit...

  He led his father into the living room and offered him a drink.

  “I’ll have whatever you’re having. While you’re getting that, tell me where you keep your first-aid kit so we can take care of your hand.”

  Shane reluctantly told him where it was. “It’s in the hallway cabinet, second shelf down.”

  Grant Tanner retrieved the kit and sat down on the couch next to his son. Eyeing the hole in the wall, he pointed to it and asked Shane, “That’s your handiwork?”

  Shane hung his head and nodded in disgust as his father tended to his hand. They made small talk while sipping their whiskeys and after his injury was all cleaned and wrapped Shane repeated the question he had asked him earlier at the front door.

  “So you never said why you’re here instead of in Chicago?”

  “Chicago? Who the hell said I was in Chicago?” his father said with a hefty laugh.

  “Margie did. She said you were there on some sort of legal business.”

  Grant Tanner laughed again. “God love her. I think she knew better than to give you an honest explanation of my whereabouts. I haven’t left California in months. She called me late last night and told me she was worried something might have happened to you. That’s why I’m here. Now… where’s Danielle?”

  Shane was completely dumbfounded by everything the old man just said. That didn’t sound like the Margie he knew at all. He was having a hard time believing she was anything less than honest with him at all times.

  “Danielle?”

  “She is my future daughter-in-law isn’t she? Don’t play stupid, son. I know you’ve fallen back in with the girl you met in college. The time apart seems to have done you both some good. She’s a beauty and from where I’m sitting it looks like she’s a brilliant marketing director as well. The way the two of you have increased the hotel’s revenue is beyond impressive.”

  Shane stared at the man sitting next him in disbelief. He was totally unrecognizable to him. Who is this imposter and what has he done with my father?

  “Are you ok?”

  “Of course I am. What the hell’s the matter with you? Did you slam your fist AND your head into that wall?”

  “Since when do you know so much about Danielle and why do you seem so goddamned happy? I thought you’d be furious that I haven’t closed the land deal yet.”

  “I’m not furious about anything. The Lanai land deal isn’t over, it’s still very much in play. Margie’s been keeping me up-to-date since the two of you got here. We speak on the phone several times a week.”

  Shane was glad his father wasn’t angry but he still couldn’t help feeling hurt and bewildered by Margie’s two-faced betrayal. She’d been acting as a double-agent between the two of them all along.

  “So much for trust and discretion...”

  “She’s your temporary assistant, Shane. She’s my lifelong loyal secretary,” he winked and chuckled. “Why do you think I call her my second wife? That woman is true blue. I’m afraid you still have a few things to learn about women.”

  “You’re right about that. I seriously fucked up this time. Danielle left me.…. and I’m pretty sure she’s not coming back.”

  Shane tossed the newspaper to his father and watched as his face slowly turned bright red with anger.

  “What the fuck is the meaning of this Shane? How could you do this? And Danielle is carrying my grandchild beside? I just don’t understand you. You had everything and you threw it all away for a piece of tail?”

  “I don’t understand it either. I can’t remember a goddamned thing about last night. I met with Tony Fong on his yacht, and next thing I remember is waking up face-down on the dock.”

  “You were meeting on Tony Fong’s yacht? Let me see that newspaper again.”

  This time he put his eyeglasses on so he could see the photos more clearly.

  “Was this woman’s name Nikko by any chance?”

  “Yes, Nikko Yoshi. Do you know her?”

  “Of course I do. She’s Tony Fong’s wife and business partner.”

  “He said she was some kind of personal assistant.”

  “I attended their wedding in Japan a couple of years ago. Did they give you anything to drink?”

  “We had some kind of special sake, but I drank ten or twelve ounces of it at the most.”

  “I think you fell for the oldest trick in the book. Let me guess, Nikko tried to get you alone as soon as you stepped on that yacht?”

  “She tried to follow me into a bathroom.”

  “And when you turned her down, out came the sake. Am I right?”

  “You’re saying she drugged me.”

  “Little miss Nikko slipped you a mickey, son. When you wouldn’t play along for the cameras, they knocked you out and played dress-up.”

  “And why the hell would Tony Fong’s wife do that?”

  The moment the question left his lips Shane knew it was a silly one. “Never mind. I’m sure there’s billions of reasons.”

  “So I guess I’m the big loser here? Drugged up and fucking some old man’s wife while my pregnant fiancée waited at a charity function? Maybe Danielle’s better off without me.” Shane poured himself another Scotch.

  “Goddammit Shane I will not listen to that kind of talk, you hear me? You were set up. Those photos are staged. Fong wouldn’t let you fuck his wife. He just wanted to make it look like you did.”

  “Do you think any of that really matters? The pictures in the paper speak a thousand words. Nobody is going to believe me. They see the billionaire playboy and another of his bimbo conquests. I need proof. Should I go to the hospital or something? Maybe they can give me a blood test.”

  “There’s no way Mr. Fong would risk using a drug that would stay in your system this long. Unless you’ve got a glass of sake in your pocket, you’re out of luck.”

  “Then there’s nothing I can do…”

  “There’s always something you can do. My son isn’t going to take this laying down. You have made me nothing but proud these months you’ve been over here. Our company’s new image is giving us unprecedented respect and our bookings have soared. You’ve surpassed my highest expectations in every way possible and I apologize for not believing in you before. I’m going to help you get out of this,
but first, I need you to screw your goddamned head on straight so we can make a plan.”

  Shane had never heard his father speak to him like that before and he had to admit it felt pretty damn good. His words seemed real and heartfelt for a change. At that moment Shane felt closer to him than he could ever recall feeling throughout his life.

  “Dad…”

  “Yes son?”

  “What if I do have a glass of sake in my pocket?”

  Thirty-Three

  While Shane headed to Margie’s to plead his case to the only woman he ever loved, his father remained behind making dozens of calls in an effort to prove his son’s innocence. The sly and resourceful businessman was not about to let the good name of Tanner get dragged through the Maui mud if he could help it, especially now that the hotel brand was doing better than ever.

  Shane was nervous as he approached Dani’s front stoop with a giant bouquet of roses in hand. Margie appeared through the screen and opened the door before he could ring the doorbell.

  “Shhhhh….come on in. Dani’s still sleeping. I gave her an herbal sedative. She was pretty upset.”

  He tiptoed across the threshold and whispered, “Did my father explain what happened Margie? Did you tell Dani? She won’t take my calls.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to tell her. She’s been asleep and her phone is at the bottom of the ocean.”

  “In the ocean Margie?”

  “What can I tell you, she’s got quite a pitching arm.”

  Before another word could be spoken, Danielle came walking out of bedroom. “Is someone here Margie?”

  She stopped short as soon as she saw Shane standing there with the flowers. She was overcome with a dizzying array of emotions; first and foremost was a sense of relief, but there were also the razor-sharp pangs of betrayal, anger and resentment. She didn’t know whether to cry or punch him in the face.

  “Danielle you’re pregnant. I can’t believe it honey. It’s so wonderful.” He walked toward her intending to envelope her in his arms.

  “Stop right there Shane. Who do you think you are? You think you can just come waltzing back in here with a bunch of roses and all is forgiven?”

  “Danielle, I can explain. I was drugged so someone could take pictures of me with that woman. They left me blacked out face-down on the dock. This whole thing is a setup.”

  Margie interjected, “He’s telling the truth. Your father said it was Tony Fong’s wife? That’s incredible…”

  “Wait a minute Margie…..Shane’s dad? Fong’s wife? What the hell’s going on?” asked Dani.

  “I’ve been doing a bit of detective work while you were sleeping Dani.”

  Shane was dying to hear any information that could help him.“What did you find out Margie? Something incriminating I hope?”

  “Did I ever. May said her brother was married to Ohana’s cousin, so I got his phone number from her and you won’t believe what he told me. Jon Ohana has been out of the country for weeks. He’s in the damn Philippines! No wonder we couldn’t get a hold of him and his one voice mail message was left in the middle of the night. He certainly wasn’t going to be at any kind of meeting last night. Fong and Ohana set this whole thing up to distract you and take our company out of the running. They knew they couldn’t out-bid us, so they needed to come up with a way to keep you distracted.”

  “But why would Jon Ohana do any of this?”

  “I’m certain he’s getting a retirement-fund sized kick-back from Fong. Cold hard cash has a way of bending ears, and Fong is known the world over for his backhanded dealing. They just needed a good reason to reject your proposed bid. After the public relations disaster in the papers thismorning, there’s no way Ohana could work with you. A couple dirty pictures and the bad guys win.”

  “Jesus Christ Margie. I can’t believe it. That little fucker.”

  He went to Dani’s side now, pleading in desperation.

  “Danielle, it’s just like I said - I was set up. Fong and his wife drugged me and took pictures while I was out fucking cold. The whole meeting was just a sham. Fong was deliberately trying to ruin my credibility and destroy my reputation.”

  Dani’s eyes overflowed with tears as she ran to Shane and threw her arms around him. Ever the efficient secretary, Margie quickly jumped in and relieved him of the roses so the happy couple could embrace without a giant bouquet between them.

  After sharing what was probably the longest kiss on record, Danielle looked up at Shane with a deeply humble and apologetic face.

  “Shane can you ever forgive me for doubting you? I jumped to the very worst possible conclusions… I should have trusted you.”

  “Those photos would make any woman in your position feel the same way. I forgive you, Dani.”

  Dani suddenly noticed Shane’s bandaged hand.

  “What happened to your beautiful hand?” she said as she kissed it gently.

  “It’s a long story……but remind me to call a drywall repair man later.”

  Shane knelt down and pressed his ear against Dani’s rounded tummy.

  “I don’t hear anything. Are you sure little Danielle or Danny is in there?”

  “Oh yes I’m quite sure. My due date is May 18th.”

  They both laughed and Danielle melted into Shane’s arms once again.

  “I love you so much Danielle. Don’t you ever doubt it. I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”

  “I love you too Shane, and don’t you ever doubt it either.”

  They kissed passionately and then Shane swept her completely off her feet and carried her to the living room couch.

  “Now you just sit here and rest little mother while I make you some lunch.”

  Margie looked at him and shook her head. “I wouldn’t count on that. I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to go grocery shopping lately. The pantry and fridge are pretty bare.”

  “Never fear. You ladies sit tight,” he said as he headed out the door. “I’ll just pop over to the market around the corner.”

  “But what about the papers? What about Fong and his wife and the land deal and…”

  “Don’t you worry about any of that. Wheels are already turning. As a businessman, you need to know when to tackle a problem head-on, and when to delegate the responsibility. Right now, you are my only priority,” Shane said as he headed out the door.

  “Wow that man of yours is something else Danielle.” Margie came over to her on the sofa and stroked her hair.”

  “He sure is,” agreed Dani. “But one thing still bothers me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Shane was victimized. I ever get my hands on the little bitch who did this so help me I’ll pull her fucking hair out of her fucking head.”

  “I’ll hold her down for you,” Margie replied, laughing.

  A short time later Shane returned from the store with dozens of bags of food and he ended up spending the entire afternoon barbecuing in the backyard of the little house. Auntie May came over with a big bowl of her homemade macadamia nut ice cream and Daisy in tow. Shane cooked up a whole package of hot dogs just for Daisy and they quickly became best buddies. He also thanked May profusely for her help in exposing Ohana’s deceit.

  “Hey I told you he was a greedy slime-bag,” she said matter-of-factly.

  In the midst of their celebration a big booming voice sounded from the side of the house.

  “Is everybody back here? I smell barbecue!”

  Grant Tanner appeared from around the corner and strolled over to the little group on the patio.

  “I see things went swimmingly son. I told you if you got cleaned up she’d take you back.”

  “You were right dad. Everything’s great.” And for the first time in a very long time, the two Tanner men hugged each other.

  Then the old man surveyed the little group in search of the woman he’d heard only great things about.

  “And there she is at last - Danielle Kane. The one and only love of my son’s life and t
he mother of my little grandbaby. Come over here and let me look at you and give you a hug.”

  Dani came out from behind the table and gave her future father-in-law a giant hug. As they began to chat, Shane abruptly interrupted them.

  “I’m sorry you two. I know you have lots of catching up to do but I can’t wait that long. What was the results?”

  “I did.” His father looked extremely pleased with himself as he brought forth an important looking piece of folded paper from the breast pocket of his jacket. “This is the chemical report from the lab. I had that residue sample tested and it came back showing all kinds of goodies.” He handed the analysis to his son.

  Shane quickly perused the report.

  “Valium…. Demerol….. and Curare? I know Valium’s a sedative and Demerol’s a pain killer but what the hell is Curare?”

  “The lab said it’s a very rare and potent poison usually applied to the tips of blow gun darts. The native people of South America use it to paralyze their prey. It’s potentially lethal and one hundred percent illegal in the United States. Fong obviously used it to put you out for the evening.”

  “Are you fucking kidding?! They could have killed me!”

  Daniel immediately enveloped him in her arms. “Oh my god Shane. They knocked you out and paralyzed you? All for a piece of land?”

  Auntie May interjected a quick reminder to the group, “Not just any land; Hawaiian land. I don’t think I have to tell you how protective we are of our islands. The Hawaiian people favoring Tanner development over Asian-Pacific was a real threat to Fong.

  Margaret spoke up. “I only have one question. Where did you find a sample of Fong’s drugged sake?”

  “I spilled a glass of it down the leg of my pants. I guess you could say I brought it home in my pocket.”

  The two Tanners laughed.

  Thirty-Four

  Although Shane desperately wanted to avenge his and Danielle’s traumatic ordeal as soon as possible, he laid low with his evidence while he waited for Jon Ohana’s return to Lanai. May’s brother had promised to keep him abreast of his sneaky brother-in-law’s every move. At last, after several days, word came down that the contract had been drawn up and the sale of the Lanai property was ready to be finalized. The meeting between Ohana and Fong was scheduled to convene on Fong’s yacht which was still docked at the marina on Maui.