Her Billionaire Lion: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Leo

by Dominique Eastwick

  Copyright page

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  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2017 Dominique Eastwick

  Editor Wizards in Publishing

  Cover design by Ravenborn

  https://www.facebook.com/RavenbornC...

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  About the Author

  Also by Dominique Eastwick

  Her Billionaire Lion

  When Kalista’s father suffers a stroke just hours before making an important payment on a loan, she rushes to Greece to make amends before the billionaire tycoon swoops in to take the family business. She is convinced if she gives him the check in person, all will be fine and she can return to help her father on his long road to recovery. She did not anticipate Leonidas Karatasos.

  This is not the first time Mr. Vidal has missed a payment, but it would be the last. Leonidas would let no one take advantage of him or his family, but when he steps off the boat on his family’s island, his mate is waiting for him check in hand. Kalista Vidal is everything he wanted and nothing he expected.

  With the moon rising into the reign of Leo, Leonidas has one month to woo and bond with Kalista, or he must wait until the next Leo cycle. But with the world’s prides convening on the island for the month, he must deal with dangers his mate could never imagine. All the while figuring out how to let his lion out of the bag.

  Her Billionaire Lion

  A Zodiac Shifters Story

  By

  Dominique Eastwick

  Dedication

  Dedicated to T.t, Nadine, Trish, Tina, Rebecca, Tracy and Kate. Thanks for all the support you give me ladies.

  Chapter One

  Leo is Confident

  High above the pride’s main villa, the green flag with its silhouette of Michelangelo’s David embroidered in the center flapped in the wind. Leonidas Karatasos growled. Stepping off the boat onto the dock, his attention locked on the offending fabric. “How long has the human been here?”

  “Two hours, sir.” The teen climbed onto the skiff and pulled off his leader’s bags. “Shall I take these to the main house?”

  Fair question. Leonidas had been known to escape the main house to seek solace, alone time before the island’s population grew by triple digits. In a couple of days, the rule of Cancer would end, and the rule of his people would begin. He would find little solitude in the next month. But the flag flying in lieu of the usual golden banner with a lion’s head alerted him a human unaware of their kind had arrived on the island.

  The flagstone steps up to the main balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea lay before him as did an unwelcome guest. Ascending the steps he paused, his middle sister Cosima lifted her coffee to her lips and smirked. “Welcome home, adelphos. You have a visitor.”

  He glanced up at the flag again. “Who the hell would be visiting me now?”

  “The question we all have asked, and, so far, she has been unwilling to chat with anyone but you.”

  “She?” More and more curious. Someone arriving here hours before his planned return tomorrow struck him as odd.

  “Kalista Vidal.” Cosima eyed him over the rim of her cup. “She is quiet…cute.”

  “Her father stood me up and fears I’m about to call in their loan. Sending in a female family member, no matter how cute, isn’t going to contain my wrath.”

  His sister choked on her coffee as she sat forward. “Morgan Vidal blew off his meeting with you? That doesn’t sound like him.”

  “I gave him two chances to respond. I went by his business last night, but it was closed and showed no signs of opening again. Perhaps it’s a front.” He glanced back to the flag. “I flew home overnight to deal with getting our money back.”

  “Well, it doesn’t make sense to send her into the lion’s den.” When he shot her a glare, she giggled. “So to speak.”

  “I’ve been two weeks too long in a foreign city. I itch to shift, and now I have to deal with this. I’m not amused.” He cracked his neck. “Where is she?”

  “In the waiting area outside your office. Diata is keeping an eye on her.”

  “Let me deal with this so her ass can be back on the boat before sundown.” He stalked down the eastern hall past the family offices. Approaching his secretary’s desk, a fizzle ran down his spine. He chalked it up to displeasure.

  “Afentikó, welcome home.” His secretary, Diata, who had married into the pride and served in her current position since his father’s time, stood. She handed him a pile of sealed envelopes, any mail she deemed none of her business or private. “Guests will start arriving this evening for the family reunion, but you aren’t expected to entertain until tomorrow night. Your tuxedo is in your office, pressed and cleaned. There are also gifts in the corner for the other heads of family.”

  “Thank you, koukla.” It took every ounce of self-control not to turn to address the woman sitting in one of the visitor chairs whose very presence put him off-center. After shuffling through the post, he placed three letters back on her desk. “These are new clients. Please take care of their monthly billing.”

  “Yes, sir.” He could sense a nervous energy from the corner of the room. He waited, and after a long moment Diata said, “You have a guest.”

  “So I understand.” He turned to find a gorgeous blonde woman getting to her feet. His breath caught, a palpable sizzle radiated from the center of his chest through his arms. His lion demanded attention. Twenty-four hours until the moon moved into Leo’s reign, and his mate stood before him. He sniffed the air and sensed nothing but human from her. “Ms. Vidal, will you come through please?”

  Indicating the door to his personal office, he stepped back to avoid contact. “Diata, please have the kitchen bring some lunch. Would you like something, Ms. Vidal?”

  “No thank you. I ate before boarding the boat. Please call me Kalista, or Kali.”

  “Very well, Kalista.” He turned back to his assistant. “A tray for me. Otherwise, I’m not to be disturbed.”

  “Yes, sir.” Diata’s attention stayed on her computer screen.

  The large double door to his office closed on a soft click. “Please have a seat. Excuse me for ordering food, but I did not have a chance to eat this morning. I was unaware you were here until I stepped onto the island.”

  “It’s fine.” She sat in the chair in front of his desk, set her bag on the floor, and fussed with her skirt, smoothing it over her knees, focused on the fabric. Being offered up on a platter likely did not sit well with her.

  “Shall we get on with this so you can breathe easy again?”

  She lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes aflame. “I understand my father missed an important meeting with you last
week.”

  “Yes. One might call it dire.”

  “He meant to meet you, honest he did.” She inched to the edge of her seat. “Sunday evening, he had a stroke.”

  Skeptical, he raised an eyebrow. He had dealt with all kinds of excuses in the past. Grandparents, parents, even children dying. Fires, a cat pissing on a computer and, once, a claim of amnesia, but never a stroke. Two points for originality. “A stroke? I do hope he is recovering well.”

  She nodded then shook her head before settling on a shrug. “He is still hospitalized.”

  When he stood to offer her a tissue, her lower lip trembled. If an actress, she was a good one. Instead of returning to his chair, he rested a hip on his desk, his lion demanding he comfort his mate, while his head insisted he would be better without a mate than to have one who would con his family for even a drachma. “What is the prognosis?”

  “At present, the right of side of his body is paralyzed, but he shows some signs of improvement. His speech has been affected, and they say there might be some memory loss.” Though her eyes brimmed with tears, she held her back straight, bunching the tissue in her hands. “Only time will tell.”

  “Sounds as if he stroked on the left side of the brain. My thoughts will be with your family.” He could determine the veracity of her statement with a phone call to hospitals in the area of her father’s office. All three had Leo pride members. Morgan having a stroke made more sense than his trying to get out of his last payment, even with it being so large.

  “Thank you, but I didn’t come about the stroke.” She reached for the bag on the floor and pulled out a crumpled envelope. “This was in his hand when he got to the hospital. No one paid any attention to it until yesterday when I was going through his possessions.” She extended it in his direction. “I opened it. Even though it had your name on it, we needed to know what was in it.”

  He thumbed open the ripped tab to find a business check and a note promising the balance to him the next month. He would have been okay with the arrangement. The man had missed a few payments during the recession and had been trying to catch up. “How are you handling the medical bills?”

  “Health insurance, for the moment.”

  “Your father had one more payment after this one.”

  “If you tell me the final amount, I’ll make sure you get it.” She pulled out a journal and continued to paw through her purse. “Let me find a pen. I’m not sure who is going to take on the day-to-day management of the business. But one of my siblings or I will make sure you receive the payment…on time.”

  “You misunderstand. With this check, your debt is paid. Use the rest for the rehab he will need.”

  Her head rose. “You would do that for my father?”

  No. I would do that for my mate. He didn’t plan to cash the check in his hand, either. Funny how a couple of minutes could change events. “He needs to focus on healing.”

  “Thank you so much.” She stood at the same time the door opened. His nephew, Theo, came in with a tray. “Your lunch. I won’t keep you.”

  “When do you fly back?”

  “Not for a couple of days. I’m lucky I got a flight here during peak tourist season. The earliest return was Tuesday of next week.”

  There were always open seats, but not for someone on a serious budget, which left him wondering about where else she scrimped. “Where are you staying?”

  “I’ll find something when I get back to the mainland.”

  “You came alone? No boyfriend or sibling?” He didn’t know what he would do if she said she had a significant other waiting for her. And which would make him angrier, another man with his mate, or a man who allowed her to come to a strange island alone.

  “No, I don’t have a boyfriend on the mainland, or anywhere for that matter. And my siblings all have families. Only I was available to make the trip.”

  “Why not send this by messenger? Or digitally?” Either would have been quicker and, in the long run, cheaper.

  “My father is able to write, even if talking is difficult. He requested someone from the family place the check in your hands. I think he believed the personal touch would make up for the slight.” She blushed. “Not that the personal touch means anything other than handing it to you. I don’t want you to think I offer anything other than the check.”

  “No slight at all.” He grinned, lifting the phone on his desk as she stumbled over her words. “Why don’t you call his room and assure him and the rest of your family all is fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure he is anxious for word from you. Give me the number. I can dial it for you.”

  She flipped a page in her journal and handed it over, her writing neat and meticulous. He dialed the number and waited for someone to answer. “Mr. Vidal’s room?”

  “This is his son. Who is this?” a male voice demanded.

  “Please hold for Kalista.” He handed the phone over.

  “Hello…Jeffrey?... Yes I’m fine, how is Dad?... I see…Well, tell him I delivered the check…yes now… What did he do?… He tried to smile, really?” Her voice lifted, and a golden glow of hope brightened her face. She cast him a wide-eyed smile.

  Leonidas crossed the marble floor and pulled back the sheer drapes to view the brilliant cerulean waters of the Mediterranean. He had no reason to call and verify her story. She was as open a book as her journal still in his hand. He closed it, not wanting to invade her privacy there, yet trying to give her some on her call. A few minutes later the sound of the phone clicked into its cradle. “Relieved?”

  “So much. Thank you. I would have worried until I got to a hotel.” She took her proffered journal. “My brother said they had been trying to call but couldn’t get through. I left so quickly, I didn’t have time to add international calling to my phone.”

  “Unlock your phone, and my assistant will take care of for you now.” He waited until she handed him her out-of-date phone.

  “The code to get in is 5558.”

  He exited his office. “Diata, please make sure this phone is international call-ready by the time Ms. Vidal leaves.”

  She picked up the phone he laid on her desk. “Good Goddess, is it even capable of international calling? Who still has a flip phone?”

  “My mate does,” he growled.

  “Yeah, I caught the sizzle from you both when you arrived. So, is she really leaving?”

  “No time soon. She isn’t about to head to the mainland to search for a cheap hotel, that is for certain.” He reentered his office. “As you mentioned, it’s the height of tourist season. Finding a room in a safe part of town might be difficult. We have more than enough space here. I would be honored to have you as a guest until your flight home.”

  “No, you have done so much. Gone over and above.”

  “Nonsense. Stay here,” he encouraged. “We’ll be hosting a huge party this weekend. One more person will make little difference. I insist.”

  “I don’t want to put you out.”

  “You should stay. The party will be a great deal of fun,” his nephew put in, giving Leonidas a wink before leaving them alone again.

  “You need to save your pennies. Rehab, I hear, can be pricey.” He neglected to say he would bring her father to the island for his healers to work with, would cover his expenses. All those details would be worked out later. For now, he needed her to stay because, with the moon entering his sign in the next few days, he had to be on the island with his people. But he remained conflicted; the next zodiac month would be the only time in the next year he could bond with his mate.

  She signed but nodded. “If you’re sure I’m not putting you out, I’d be relieved to stay.”

  Picking up his phone, he jabbed the button for his secretary. “Please have housekeeping make up a room for Ms. Vidal.”

  “Already started. I put her near your rooms, but perhaps you would prefer her as far as away as possible.”

  Kalista pressed on her abdomen, he
r focus on the plate of food on the coffee table. The growls from her stomach didn’t sound like she’d already had lunch. He pushed the plate toward her, still speaking into the receiver. “The Marble Room would be my first choice, and have the kitchen send another tray.”

  He replaced the handset in the cradle. “Eat. You’re hungry, and there’s more food coming.”

  She grabbed half of the chicken salad sandwich but handed him the rest. “To tide you over until the next one gets here.”

  He loved a woman who ate when she was hungry. She took a bite and rolled her eyes in pleasure as a groan escaped her. “This is so good. I would be the size of a house if I ate this food every day.”

  “My kitchen staff is amazing. My cousin Argus is here on summer break from a culinary school in New England, and his sister Melina went to Le Cordon Bleu. Their parents instilled a love of the culinary arts in them when they were young. Now they’re always trying to one-up the other.” He debated handing her his half of the sandwich, but it would set him back a few steps. She had done what lionesses of his pride did instinctually, fed her king. The lionesses hunted and reared the children. Even though he tried in this modern era to have the men help, the women would have none of it.

  The men protected the pride and, in the modern age, acted as bodyguards for those who worked in high-power positions in their international shipping company. He needed her to form their connection. Humans, unlike his kind, needed wooing. They needed time. Shifters mating with humans might be unusual, but not unheard of. A shifter female would have rubbed up against him, alerted him of her interest then they would fuck and mate. Thoughts of her curvaceous body, naked ass up, with him pounding behind her, had his cock on full alert. “So, do you work for your father? I can’t believe we have never met in his office.”

  Wiping her mouth with the napkin he handed her, she swallowed hard. “No. I just quit my job.”