Seduced by the CEO

by Barbara Dunlop

  The kitchen was decked out with state of the art, stainless steel appliances, a massive island and pure, white countertops. The hallways led to two big bedrooms, each with its own en suite bathroom, and each of which led onto the wraparound deck.

  “We have a right of first refusal on anything that comes up for sale in the building,” said Darci. “There are two units expected to be listed next month.”

  “I know I keep saying this,” said Kalissa. “But this is too much. It’s too big. It’s too opulent.”

  “It’s what was available,” said Darci.

  “When you buy, can it be something smaller?”

  Darci exchanged a glance with Garrison who was standing in the doorway. He was either guarding it or giving the three women a wide berth.

  Megan obviously noticed their look. “I don’t think they come any smaller,” she said to Kalissa.

  “I’m not going to be able to get used to this.”

  “Well, I am,” said Megan. “Never mind a bedroom, we each get our own bathroom.”

  “Which one do you want?” Kalissa asked.

  Megan laughed. “Yeah, I think you get the master.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “I’m just along for the ride.”

  “So am I,” said Kalissa.

  Darci looked to Garrison again.

  He stepped forward. “Megan, I think we should go get some of your things together.”

  His words seemed to take Megan by surprise. “My things?”

  “From the old place. Yours and Kalissa’s.”

  “I’ll come help,” said Kalissa.

  “Stay here with me,” said Darci.

  “You’re going to help me pack boxes?” Megan asked Garrison with obvious disbelief.

  “They’ll need me,” said Kalissa.

  “I’m going to help you talk to the movers,” Garrison said to Megan. “They’ll pack the boxes.”

  “Stay,” Darci said to Kalissa. “We’ve got some things to discuss.”

  “But...” Kalissa couldn’t let everyone else do her work.

  “They’re professional movers,” said Darci. “They won’t break anything.”

  “I’m not worried about breakage.”

  Garrison opened the door and gestured to Megan.

  “I can take a hint,” Megan breezily told him as she strode for the door.

  “Are you thirsty?” asked Darci.

  Kalissa watched the door close behind the pair, feeling like she’d missed something important.

  “Thirsty?” she asked.

  “There’s a wine cooler in the pantry.” Darci made her way to the kitchen.

  “It has wine in it?” Kalissa asked.

  It was early afternoon, but it was one of the strangest days of her life. Wine wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

  “Shane had them move some bottles from the cellar last night.”

  “These are from the mansion?”

  “They are,” said Darci, selecting a bottle.

  “Not the good stuff.”

  Darci laughed. “Don’t let Shane hear you say that. He’ll tell you it’s all the good stuff.”

  Kalissa supposed that was true.

  She moved closer to Darci. “You have to slow down. It’s making me horribly uncomfortable.”

  “We should chat,” said Darci, pressing the button on an electric corkscrew. “There are glasses hanging above the island.”

  “How does this place have wine glasses?” Appliances, Kalissa could understand, even furniture and the odd painting. But dishes?

  “Sometimes people only rent it for a weekend. It’s nice if it has all the amenities.”

  Kalissa wanted to ask how much they were paying, but she was afraid of the answer. Instead, she retrieved two wine glasses.

  Darci crossed to the table. “We’ll let it breathe for a minute.” She sat down at one end.

  Kalissa took the chair next to Darci’s. They were padded and upholstered, and ridiculously comfortable for dining chairs.

  “I haven’t told you much about our father,” said Darci.

  “That’s okay.” Kalissa knew that Ian Rivers had been unhappy with his life and not particularly successful.

  “No, it’s not okay. There are things you need to understand. The first one is that our dad was once very close to Dalton Colborn.”

  “Really?” The revelation surprised Kalissa. “I thought you only met Shane in the spring.”

  “I did. Dad and Dalton went to school together. They opened a company together. They invented a turbine together. But then it all fell apart.”

  “What happened?”

  “They fought. Dalton stole the turbine designs, and for some reason our father never went after him. I think he tried at first but gave up.”

  “So our dad was an engineer?” That was impressive.

  “A good one, it turns out. When he died, well, I told you I spied on Shane.”

  Kalissa nodded.

  “I did it to prove Dalton was a criminal, and that Shane’s fortune was based on the theft of our father’s intellectual property.”

  Now Kalissa was intrigued. “And that’s how you met Shane?”

  “He caught me spying.”

  Kalissa couldn’t help but smile. She knew enough about Shane’s temper to guess it hadn’t been pretty.

  “But he fell for you anyway?”

  Darci smirked. “I guess I’m irresistible.” She lifted the bottle of wine. “But, here’s the thing. I had the last laugh. I proved our dad had invented the turbine.”

  Kalissa sat back in amazement. She had no idea what to say.

  Darci started to pour. “You know I own half of Colborn?”

  Kalissa didn’t know the details, but Shane had made a few jokes about Darci’s ownership. “Okay.”

  “That’s not because I married Shane. It’s because I could have sued him and won.”

  “You were going to sue Shane?”

  Darci set down the bottle. “Here’s the thing and, by the way, this is a very fine bottle of wine.”

  Kalissa glanced reflexively at the label.

  “Our dad, your birth father, should rightly have owned half of Colborn.” Darci lifted one of the glasses.

  Kalissa quickly picked up the other.

  “Congratulations, Kalissa Smith. Twenty-five percent of Colborn Aerospace belongs to you.”

  Kalissa nearly dropped the glass.

  She couldn’t form a word. She couldn’t ask a question. Her vocal cords had frozen completely stiff.

  Darci grinned as she touched her glass to Kalissa’s.

  “What?” Kalissa finally managed to sputter.

  Darci drank. “We’re in this together, sister. Take a drink.”

  “What? No. No.”

  “Yes,” said Darci. “Drink.”

  Kalissa sat with her jaw hanging open.

  Darci pushed the glass toward her. “It’s not official until you take a drink.”

  “It’s not official at all.”

  “Ah, but it is.”

  Kalissa did take a swallow of her wine. A big one.

  Darci set down her glass. “Okay, that was fun.”

  “Fun? You think that was fun?”

  “I know it’s a bit freaky right at first. But you’ll get used to it.”

  Kalissa came to her feet. “I’ll get used to being a billionaire? It’s not like a new haircut.”

  “It is, in a way.”

  Kalissa blinked at her sister in complete stupefaction.

  “Well, a radical haircut. You have to start thinking of yourself in a new way. I’m glad you like Garrison, because he’s not going
away. From now on you won’t have to worry about money. You can pay off whatever business debts you have, and grow your business a lot faster than you’d planned. That’s all good, right?”

  Kalissa dropped back into the chair.

  “I’d have another drink if I was you,” said Darci.

  Kalissa took her advice. “This is insane.”

  “Yeah.” The teasing look went out of Darci’s eyes, and she topped up their glasses. “But I’ve been through it myself, and I’m here to help.”

  “Could you wake me up?”

  That would be the most helpful thing Darci could do at the moment.

  “You don’t have to do anything right away,” said Darci. “Settle in here. There are some papers to sign.”

  Kalissa felt a ray of hope. “What if I don’t sign them?”

  Darci shrugged. “It won’t help. Shane has very good lawyers. We’ll get you one way or the other.” Her gaze went soft, eyes almost teary. “Our father would be so thrilled, so thrilled by this. We’re together. And he’s been exonerated. I know it’s a lot to take in. But it feels so right. I’ve never been happier.”

  Kalissa squeezed her eyes shut. “A billionaire.”

  “Technically, only a quarter billionaire. But I’m sure you’ll find a way to scrape by. First off, there are the clothes. And you’ll never have to fly coach again.”

  Kalissa was too overwhelmed to laugh at the joke. “Who else knows?”

  “So far, just me, Shane and a couple of lawyers.”

  “Can we keep it a secret?”

  “For as long as you want. Well, you know, within reason. You don’t have to be scared of this, Kalissa.”

  “Really? Because right now I’m terrified.”

  “We also told Garrison. It’s not a good idea to keep secrets from your security people.”

  Kalissa could live with that.

  “I just want to be normal,” she said. Then she did laugh. “All right, as normal as I can be right now. Just for a little while longer.”

  For some reason, she dreaded telling Riley. He might not care. It might not change things between them. But she wasn’t ready to take that chance.

  * * *

  Riley wasn’t going to let Shane keep him away from Kalissa. Ellis aviation had just won the Canadian contract, and Shane was going to be massively annoyed. But that wasn’t stopping Riley from showing up at her door.

  The security desk had his name and let him straight through. So he headed up in the elevator. He’d brought along a large pizza and a six pack of imported beer, guessing Megan would be around on a Sunday night.

  It was Megan who opened the door, but there were other voices behind her.

  “Hi, Riley.” She greeted him with a smile, pulling the door open. “Come on in.”

  Garrison was also in the room, as were Shane and Darci. Perfect.

  “It’s Riley,” Megan called out, relieving him of the pizza box.

  “Yum,” she said to him.

  Kalissa gave him a smile and rose to her feet, crossing to meet him. Behind her back, Shane scowled. Riley assumed he’d either heard about the new contract or about him and Kalissa having spent the night together. Either way, they’d agreed to ignore each other, and that was exactly what Riley intended to do.

  He gave Kalissa a hug and a quick kiss. “Settling in?” he asked her.

  “Getting thoroughly spoiled. Did you know The Range Club delivers steak and crab?”

  Riley couldn’t help but glance at the simple pizza box Megan had set on the dining table. Maybe he should have added the morel mushrooms.

  “Didn’t know that,” he said.

  “They were amazing.”

  “So, you’re off corndogs, then?”

  She gave him an odd look, and he realized there’d been a defensive edge to his voice.

  “Nice place,” he said to change the subject.

  She glanced around. “It seemed huge at first. But I’m getting used to it.”

  Riley couldn’t help but think that had happened fast. He shot another quick glance in Shane’s direction, encountering his hostile stare. Was that his plan? Make her want the good life, knowing that he could give her more than Riley?

  “Come on,” said Kalissa. “Sit down.”

  She kept hold of his arm, leading them to one of the sofas. Directly in front of him were the fireplace and a bay window overlooking the lake. Closer still was Shane’s glare.

  “I’ll give you the tour later,” said Kalissa. “But the other rooms are full of boxes.”

  “That’s why we didn’t cook,” said Megan. “Anybody want pizza?”

  Nobody took her up on the offer. Riley was hungry, but he’d wait.

  “We don’t end up doing a lot of cooking,” said Darci.

  Unlike Shane, she didn’t seem irked with Riley. He hoped that was a good sign.

  “I had the best of intentions,” she said. While she spoke, Shane took her hand. “But everything is so close and so convenient. It was easy to get lazy.”

  “You’re not lazy,” said Shane.

  “Well, Kalissa and I are still on a budget,” said Megan.

  Darci and Kalissa seemed to exchange a look.

  “Good thing Colborn has accounts at the nearby restaurants,” Shane casually tossed out. “Just give them our name.”

  Riley couldn’t help smirking at that offer. Shane was playing this well.

  “We can’t do that,” said Megan.

  She looked at Kalissa, who was gazing at Darci.

  “Thanks, Shane,” said Kalissa. “That’s very nice of you.”

  Riley felt himself stiffen.

  “Are you kidding?” asked Megan. “We have carte blanche at five star restaurant takeout?”

  “Only if we start using the stairs to wear off the calories,” Kalissa said with a laugh that sounded slightly strained.

  “Do we need more wine?” Darci asked brightly, coming to her feet.

  Shane stood. “I can—”

  “No, darling. Kalissa? Can you give me a hand?”

  “If you don’t need me anymore tonight, Mr. Colborn,” Garrison said, rising.

  “We’re fine,” said Shane. “Thanks.”

  Garrison gave him a nod. Then he turned to Megan. “Do you want me to move that box before I go?”

  Megan’s brow went up. “Box? Oh, yes please, the box. I’d forgotten about it.” She unfolded her legs and pulled herself out of the deep armchair.

  Kalissa and Darci went to the kitchen, while Garrison and Megan headed down the hall.

  “You think you can keep up the pace?” Shane asked.

  “I can afford all the steak and crab she wants.”

  Shane looked momentarily confused. “I meant the Canadian jet deal.”

  Riley gave himself a mental shake. “You heard?”

  “Of course, I heard. You’re spreading yourself pretty thin.”

  Riley wasn’t worried. Well, he wasn’t too worried. Maxing out capacity wasn’t without its risks. “Maybe I’ll hire some of your staff.”

  “Maybe I’ll back out of the Dubai, Britain and California bids. I left myself an out clause. I’m betting you didn’t. If you get every contract, it’ll force you into late delivery penalties.”

  “No, you won’t.” Riley might not like Shane, but it seemed Shane stuck to his own moral code. “If you were going to fight dirty, you’d have kept hold of the engine mounting brackets. Or at least charged me a mark-up.”

  “It’s not the same thing.”

  “Yeah, it kinda is.”

  “I’m not backing off,” said Shane.

  “I’m going to keep growing,” said Riley.

  “Then we’re going to keep fighting.” />
  “I thought we’d agreed to ignore each other.”

  “You want to sit here and scowl at each other instead?”

  “Sure.”

  “We found a Chateau de Fontaines,” Darci called out, breezing back into the room. “Kalissa’s bringing you a glass,” she said to Riley.

  “We should take off,” said Shane.

  Darci glanced between the two men. She obviously understood the undercurrents, but she was doing her best to keep things light and cheerful.

  “Early morning,” Shane said to her, his tone implacable.

  “You’re right,” she agreed easily.

  “I think the corkscrew ran out of batteries,” Kalissa said laughingly as she re-entered the room.

  “We’re going to say goodnight,” Darci told her, moving to give her a quick hug.

  Shane followed suit, hugging Kalissa tightly.

  Riley found himself rising to his feet. He knew he had no cause to be jealous, but he hated watching another man touch her.

  They finally made it out the door, and Kalissa returned her attention to the wine bottle, her tone still chirpy. “I’m not sure how we’re going to break into this.”

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Huh?” she looked up.

  “Is that all it takes? Expensive wine, free steak and crab?”

  Her expression fell. “What’s the matter with you?”

  “You can see what he’s doing, can’t you?” Riley advanced on her.

  “Helping me out?”

  “Throwing luxury in your face and hoping you’ll like it.”

  “You want me to hate Chateau de Fontaines?”

  “I brought beer. You used to like beer.”

  “Who says I don’t like beer?”

  Voices sounded down the hallway, and Riley remembered Megan and Garrison were still there.

  “I also brought pizza, ordinary, normal, inexpensive pizza.”

  “Are you hungry?” she asked.

  “I am.”

  “Then eat some pizza, and quit yelling at me.”

  “I’m not yelling at you.” He stopped and lowered his voice. “I’m not yelling at you.”