Waterfall Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story (Saltwater Kisses Book 8)

by Krista Lakes

  I took a deep breath and went over to the coffee station on the side of the room. A big pot of fresh coffee was already sitting and waiting. I took one of the mugs and poured the dark liquid along with my requisite two creams and sugars. Maybe some caffeine would help me settle.

  “Hi, Charlotte,” Toby greeted me. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I hadn't heard him come in. Luckily, my coffee was sitting on the counter so I could stir it, or it would have ended up all over me. That wouldn't have helped my nerves.

  “Hi, Toby,” I stuttered. I did my best to smile, but what I really wanted to do was rip his head off. Here he was, smiling and acting all friendly, when in reality he was blackmailing his employer. “How are you?”

  Toby reached for a mug. He was already sweating and I doubted hot coffee would help him. “I'm doing fine. I'd rather be out on a beach than here, but...” He shrugged. “That's the job, right? Got to do what the boss man says.”

  “Yeah,” I half-heartedly agreed. I swallowed on a dry throat. “Hey, Toby? Do you know if Leo's used the CEO slush fund for anything recently?”

  Toby wiped his forehead with his sleeve before dropping a creamer in his coffee. He refused to raise his eyes to mine, instead staring into his drink. “I'm not sure. Why?”

  I did my best to keep my face calm. I suddenly had a new respect for actors. This was hard. “The accountants are on me for it. There's money missing from the account.”

  “Well, it's a slush fund, right? Money's always moving around in those.” Toby sipped on his coffee. “Besides, they're billionaires. I doubt it's anything. It's not like they're going to miss a few dollars out of their Scrooge McDuck swimming pool vaults.”

  “I'd agree with you, except not for this account.” I shrugged, trying to make it not sound like I was accusing him. “Due to how easy it would be to hide money in this account, the accountants are anal about it. They have to have receipts for everything. They track every dollar. This isn't the cash box for the secretaries where ten bucks won't be missed. This is a special funds account. They watch it down to the penny.”

  “They do?” Toby paled and his hand shook slightly, spilling his coffee down the side of his cup. His Adam's apple bobbed as he dry-swallowed. If I hadn't been sure it was him, this reaction at least told me he was panicked. No wonder he was a terrible gambler. The man had no poker face and a billion tells.

  “Yeah. It was Leo's account authorization that took the money out, so I was hoping you might know what it was. The accountants are tracking where he logged in from and where the money went. They're really on my butt about it.” I lowered my voice and glanced around the room. “It's part of why I called the meeting today. Your boss is in some serious trouble.”

  I so deserved an Oscar for this. Even though I was shaking in my shoes, I was somehow managing to control my blushing and keep my voice even.

  Toby's eyes widened. “What do you mean? What's else is he in trouble for?”

  “I shouldn't... it'll all come out in the meeting.” I bit my lower lip, wondering if I was overplaying it. Toby seemed to be eating up my worry with a spoon, though. Maybe I did have a future in film. I rubbed my forehead like I was getting a tension headache. “This is going to be a crappy meeting.”

  “I didn't realize that so much was wrong. Are you okay?” Toby asked, his mousy face furrowing into a concerned frown.

  “Not really,” I answered with a big sigh. “I found out that Leo's been keeping a big secret about how Kindling Dating was founded. I don't know exactly what it is, I just overheard him on the phone the other day. When I asked him about it, we had a big fight. I'm hoping he'll just come clean during the meeting today.”

  “So you don't know what he did?” Toby looked far too hopeful.

  I shrugged and hugged my arms around me. “I know it has something to do with some money. Then, this whole slush fund money going missing? I know they're related. I'm just hoping that he'll come clean and let us help him. Even though we had a big fight, I still love him, you know?”

  Toby patted my shoulder, but it was obvious his thoughts were elsewhere. “I'm sure he'll do the right thing. I know you mean a lot to him.”

  “Enough that he won't tell me anything?” I scoffed. “From what I've figured out, it's bad. It might not be a bad idea to take a look at your resume. I don't think this is going to go well.”

  “Thanks...” Toby's voice shook at the prospect of not only losing his job but his blackmail gravy train.

  I patted his shoulder and he shrunk away slightly. I couldn't believe he bought my performance. I felt like I was the worst liar in the world. There were so many holes in the story I just told, but the shaky way he was playing with his coffee cup made me believe he thought it was the truth.

  I turned and headed for the table, trying hard not to giggle with nervousness. Hopefully, he would slip up. The thought of losing his job hopefully would make him nervous and he would get a little desperate. We needed him to speak without thinking.

  The door opened and Bastian and Gabe walked in, confident and well dressed. They looked like businessmen instead of beach bums today.

  “You realize I should be on a beach with a beautiful woman right now?” Bastian informed me as he flopped into one of the leather chairs and gave me a displeased look.

  “Sorry to make you actually work,” I retorted.

  “Luckily for me, there are beaches and beautiful women here in Miami,” Gabe chimed in, taking a seat across from Bastian. He grinned at me. “So, at least I'm not mad at you, Charlotte.”

  “I appreciate that, Gabe,” I replied, taking a sip of my coffee.

  Gabe's assistant, an older woman who was always showing off pictures of her grandkids, came in and sat in the chair next to him. I smiled at her, knowing that she considered Gabe one of her own children. There was no way she'd ever do this kind of thing to Gabe. But then again, I never thought Toby would do this either.

  We were just waiting on Leo now. Anxiety gnawed in my stomach and sat heavy on my chest.

  “Hey, assistant,” Bastian barked at me. “Will you get me some coffee?”

  I crossed my arms and glared at him. “What's the magic word, boss?”

  “Paycheck.” Bastian grinned at me to show me that he was just playing. He could read the tension written all over my face and was just trying to make me focus on him instead of being nervous. He was always looking out for me.

  I rolled my eyes at him, but poured him a cup and put it in front of him. “You can get your own cream and sugar for what you pay me.”

  Gabe snickered and his assistant's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

  That's when the door opened and Leo limped in.

  The bruises on his face were starting to set in and he looked like hell. Seeing him all beat up made my heart hurt. I wished there was a way that I could take some of his pain away. He just looked so broken that it made what I was going to have to do next that much harder.

  Leo didn't say anything. He just took his place at the table, clutching his broken arm tight to his body, the pain obvious on his face. He looked broken. It took everything I had not to look at him. We had to pretend like we were fighting for this to be believable to Toby.

  I cleared my throat and stood at the head of the table. “Now that we're all here, I'd like to thank you all for coming.”

  “We didn't really have much of a choice,” Gabe murmured under his breath and I gave him a dirty look. He plastered innocence on his face.

  “Anyway, I called this meeting because some information has come to light.” My voice caught. I knew that this was what needed to be said, but the words didn't want to come out. I hated this so much. Even though it was a show to get Toby to confess, I struggled with the words. “I... Leo, he...”

  “Charlotte... please...” The way Leo said my name broke my heart. I knew this was all a show to get Toby to confess, but it sounded real. I nearly broke.

  “I have to, Leo,” I whispered. “I'm mad at y
ou.”

  “I have something to say,” Leo announced. He stood up and I closed my eyes. I knew what words were coming. “I quit.”

  Bastian and Gabe both sat up straight in their seats, their leisurely, carefree attitude completely gone. Toby looked ready to throw up. Without Leo, he didn't have a job.

  “You can't quit!” Bastian crossed his arms, the scar above his eye going white.

  “Well, I can quit or you can fire me,” Leo replied, his voice somehow even and calm. “ I'd rather quit.”

  Bastian's eyes narrowed. “What the hell is wrong with you, Leo?” His voice was dangerously low.

  Leo took a breath and opened his mouth.

  “Leo, think about what you're doing,” Toby interjected, standing up and going over to him. Toby put a hand on his shoulder. “Don't do this.”

  “I have to, Toby.” Leo pushed Toby's hand from his shoulder. “This should have been said a long time ago. It's time to finally come clean.”

  Toby stared at him, the whites of his eyes going big. If Leo revealed the secret, his blackmail would be worthless.

  “Leo, can I talk to you for a second?” Toby asked, pulling Leo to face him. “Before you do this, let me just talk to you. I don't think you've thought this through.”

  “You know what? He's right, Leo,” Gabe said, standing up. “Bastian and I are going to go grab a doughnut. You let your assistant talk some sense into you.”

  I looked over at Gabe as he and Bastian got up. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go, but it could still work. Gabe's assistant was looking at us like we were all nuts, but she was already halfway out the door.

  “You should go with them, Charlotte,” Toby said, motioning to the door.

  “No, you should stay.” Leo was firm. “She already suspects something, Toby. Why do you think she called this meeting?”

  Toby glanced back and forth between the two of us, deciding if it was worth pushing Leo. “You can do whatever you want, Charlotte. I'd go if I were you.”

  “I want to see this through.” I crossed my arms. “He should come clean. At least to me.”

  Toby frowned at me, turning back to face Leo.

  “You shouldn't do this, Leo. Charlotte doesn't know anything. She's just being a woman and trying to get back at you for your fight.”

  I made a scoffing noise and had to cross my arms to keep from hitting the chauvinistic bastard. Just being a woman? I didn't know it was possible to despise someone this much.

  “Don't insult her,” Leo growled. I wished I could smile. Even with everything on the line, Leo was going to defend me.

  Toby changed his tactic. “Imagine what Bastian and Gabe are going to think. They're your friends, but they'll hate you after this.” Toby took a deep breath. “I mean, look how Charlotte's reacting. No offense, but she's got you up in front of the board. She's been lovesick about you for years and she's throwing you to the wolves. What are Bastian and Gabe going to do?”

  I shook my head in disbelief. Toby still assumed that Leo didn't know the blackmailer was him. If he kept Leo from quitting, he could still keep his cushy job. If he could convince Leo to keep his mouth shut, he could keep his money-making blackmail machine going as well. He was going to gamble on Leo's guilt and try to keep it all.

  “Toby, Leo made a huge mistake. He betrayed all of our trust.” I crossed my arms and glared at Leo, doing my best to look angry. “I don't think I can ever forgive that. He needs to come clean.”

  “Charlotte, it was a long time ago,” Toby said sharply. “I really think you should leave and let me talk some sense into Leo.”

  “Talk some sense into him?” I took an angry step forward. “Do you know what he did?”

  “Do you?” Toby replied.

  “I know enough. I know that he's a liar.” I paused. I needed him to contradict me. “I know that you helped him.”

  “What?” Toby shook his head in surprise. “I didn't help him! He made that bet on his own.”

  “But you told him to,” I pushed. “You told him to bet on that game.”

  “I lost my shirt in that game. He won forty grand and made a billion dollar company. Me? I had to go ask my mom to help me with rent.” Toby was mad now. “There's no reason for Leo to have all this and for me to have nothing.”

  “So you should have won? I don't think you even had the money to make a real bet,” I sneered.

  Toby's eyes flashed. “Like he did? He took his friends' money. He's no different than me. If he had lost instead of me, you'd wouldn't look at him the way you do.”

  “So you knew? You knew about the money and the bet?” I let out incredulous sigh. “And you didn't tell anyone either?”

  “Oh, I knew.” Toby got right up into my face. “I figured it out long before you ever did. If you could just see how guilty he is. He pretends that he's helping people- giving them jobs and going to meetings- but it's just guilt. He's no better than me even if he acts like he is. Someday, everyone will know.”

  “After you get yours?” I pressed. “You're pathetic.”

  “Says the woman who hangs her boyfriend out to dry because of a fight,” Toby countered. “One fight and you have to go tattle to your brother?”

  “My brother isn't a part of this. Why do you deserve to have what Leo does?” I asked, glaring at him. “He worked hard for it.”

  “Because I deserve it more than he does!” Toby's round face was livid. “He thinks he's all high and mighty because he doesn't gamble anymore. But he's no better than me. He's a fraud. Once I get what I'm owed, everyone will know what he did to get here.”

  “You just want money? You'd hold this secret over his head for money?” I hoped I wasn't too obvious, but I need him to say more. “You don't deserve anything!”

  “I deserve everything! He fucking owes me!” Toby's voice rose to a yell. “I'll get what I'm owed or I really will tell everyone. I follow through on my threats.”

  “You deserve everything you get, Toby,” I hissed. “You're scum.”

  Toby laughed. “Like you could ever do anything about it.”

  “She just did,” Leo said quietly. “It's over, Toby.”

  Toby looked over at him in surprise as if he had forgotten that Leo was there. “What?”

  Leo walked to the table and picked up my tablet. He touched a button and suddenly Toby's voice boomed into the room on the speakers. It sounded too high and feminine.

  “Once I get what I'm owed, everyone will know what he did to get here.”

  “You'd hold this secret over his head for money? You don't deserve anything!”

  “I deserve everything! He fucking owes me! I'll get what I'm owed or I really will tell everyone. I follow through on my threats.”

  Leo tapped the tablet and the room fell silent. Toby's eyes were about to bug out of his head.

  “Really, Toby,” I said, shaking my head. “You should know we record everything in these rooms. That's how we take minutes. That's the point of having meetings in these rooms.”

  “You set me up!” Toby blanched and then his round cheeks turned red. “You bitch!”

  He lunged for me, but Leo stepped in front of him.

  “Touch her and you're a dead man.” Leo's voice was low and dangerous. Fire flashed in his blue eyes and his shoulders somehow got bigger and more intimidating. Even with a broken arm and a beat-up face, Leo was determined to be my protector.

  Toby stepped back, putting his hands up in the air. If looks could kill, I'd be ten feet under. He looked like he was going to lunge again as soon as Leo moved.

  The door to the meeting room opened and Bastian and Gabe sauntered in, followed by three police officers.

  “Toby, I think it best you leave with these nice gentlemen,” Gabe announced, indicating to the armed guards. “Oh, and yes- we were all outside listening to everything.”

  “But, how?” Toby searched the room with his eyes, desperately looking for a way out of the situation. As soon as he realized there wasn't one,
the fight drained from his body. “He already told you all everything. This was a trap.”

  “Yes, it was Toby.” I crossed my arms. “I'm sorry, but it had to be done.”

  “I just wanted to win. Just once,” Toby whispered as he walked to the door. “It's not fair.”

  One of the police officers put his hand on Toby's back, leading him out of the room. I watched as the door swung shut and then let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed into a chair. It was done.

  “Well, that went well,” Bastian observed. “You did a nice job, Charlotte.”

  “She did a great job,” Leo corrected. He moved to stand behind me, putting his good hand on my shoulder. “I need to thank all of you. For helping me with this.”

  Gabe grinned. “It was actually kind of fun. Though, next time I want Charlotte's job. I want to be the one who gets the confession.”

  “There better not be a next time,” I told him. “No more secrets.”

  “Agreed,” Bastian, Leo and Gabe said at the same time.

  I looked at the three men in my life and smiled. Leo had explained everything to Bastian and Gabe on the plane ride back to Miami. They had actually taken it better than I had, though I was fairly certain the only reason Leo wasn't sporting black eyes from the two of them was because he was already beat up from his accident.

  “What happened with that slush fund money?” Gabe asked, picking up one of the mugs and playing with it.

  “The accountants tracked it. It was withdrawn for cash from the bank across the street from where Toby was staying. Leo was on the island at the time,” I explained. “They did a little more digging, and from what I could understand of their banking-legalese terms, it's pretty obvious that Toby took it for his gambling.”

  “I wish I could have helped him,” Leo said quietly.

  “What? They guy just tried to blackmail you and stole money from you, and you wish you could have done more?” Gabe shook his head. “You're too nice, Leo. I'd be doing a tap dance of glee right now.”

  “I think it's sweet,” I countered. “You don't want anybody stuck in that hell.”

  “You tried, Leo,” Bastian said with a shrug. “You can't save everybody.”