The Scion: A Billionaire Romance (The Holbrook Cousins Saga Book 3)

by Alina Jacobs

  "Please?" Liz asked.

  Liam looked at Liz from under his eyelashes. "Are you going to make it worth my while?" he purred. Liz's eyes widened. "Kidding," he said and took a sip of his drink. "For you, Liz? Anything. I'll dig around and see what I can come up with."

  "Thanks, Liam," she said, hugging her old classmate. "I owe you one."

  44

  Wes

  The morning she left for the conference, Wes dropped Liz off at the private airport on his way up to Connecticut. Kal wagged his tail from the back seat as Wes helped Liz with her bags.

  "Be a good boy, and keep Wes company," Liz said to the dog. "I'll miss you! See you in a few days."

  He was going to miss her. Wes couldn't believe how much she had become part of his life. He realized why people desired girlfriends so much, why men fought and rearranged their entire lives. He felt calm and happy with Liz.

  He tried to hold onto that calm when he walked into the Walsh Systech offices. Morale was low—he could feel it as soon as he walked in.

  Robert and the operations director were waiting in his office. One of the Svensson brothers, Greg, was there, as was Braydon. Wes steeled himself for the meeting.

  "So, what's the news?" Robert asked as they all sat down around the conference table. "Are we selling off half our assets?"

  "It's unclear," Wes said. Robert offered him a water, but Wes waved him away. "I don't know what the Holbrooks are planning exactly."

  "What does Svensson want?" Robert asked. "You guys have a big stake in this."

  The blond Svensson brother was silent for a moment, then he turned to Wes. "Liz is still in charge of the transition?"

  "Yes."

  "Has she said anything concrete?"

  "No."

  "Not even unofficially?"

  "What do you mean?"

  Greg Svensson smirked. "Braydon says you have her wrapped around your finger, or rather her mouth around your cock." Wes didn't dare to breathe. He wanted to punch Greg in the face.

  "So, it's true," Greg said. "Look, Wes, this is business. Svensson had projected that Walsh Systech would continue to buy up companies and grow, not start chopping off limbs because Holbrook said so. We own Walsh stock, not Holbrook stock. We have a vested interest in seeing your company grow." He leaned back in his chair. "The stock has been buoyed by the Holbrook takeover, but it won't hold forever. You cannot let Grant Holbrook sell your company for scraps because he's pissed off about whatever you said or because Walter Holbrook is mad at the Svenssons. None of that matters. What is important is that you, Wes, use your giant magic cock, and you make Liz convince Holbrook Enterprises to start pumping money into Walsh Systech. There's no such thing as static in the tech industry. Either you're growing or dying. We need you to grow." He cocked an eyebrow at Wes's stone-faced look. "And that means your cock needs to be growing in Liz. You understand me?"

  Wes glared at Greg Svensson. "That's terrible," he growled. "You're a sick bastard."

  "Says the man who told her he wanted to fuck her in his office in a meeting at eleven a.m. and is currently the reason why I am up here in northern Connecticut, too close for comfort to my half brother's company." The Svenssons leaned forward and glared at Wes.

  Wes glowered back. "Fine," he said after a moment. "I'll work on her."

  "Good man."

  Wes was still in a bad mood when he drove to his town house. That was one reason he didn't notice that someone was standing at the door until Kal bounded over to the woman and started barking.

  "What are you doing her, Mom?" Wes asked.

  "Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked, a pained smile on her face.

  Wes didn't move. "Get off my property."

  "I just wanted to explain!" she pleaded. "You won't answer any of my calls. You ignore my emails."

  "I don't want to hear whatever you have to say. You cheated on Dad. You lied to him, me, and Dana. You destroyed our family. My life is ruined. Do you understand?"

  "I'm sorry," she said, tears running down her face. Wes didn't want his neighbors to see him screaming at a defenseless woman, so he unlocked the door and ushered her inside.

  "Why did you do it?" Wes asked her quietly as they sat at the kitchen table.

  Elaine wiped her eyes. "Walter Holbrook was something else," she began.

  "Spare me the lurid details," Wes snapped.

  "He wasn't always a billionaire. When I knew him, his son had just been put up for adoption. He was broken and out of control. Drank like you wouldn't believe. I met your father—"

  "Stepfather."

  "I met Hank," his mother sighed. "He had a good head on his shoulders. He was employed. I didn't know I was pregnant. Then Walter's company took off. He mended things with Danielle. By then I was too far along. I didn't think anyone would find out."

  Wes was quiet for a moment. "All right," he said finally. "I heard you out, and I still don't care. So I would like you to leave."

  "Your father left me," Elaine choked out. "I don't have any money."

  "And you think I do?" Wes snarled.

  His mother started crying. "You're a billionaire."

  "Your husband is suing me!" he yelled at her. "The lawyer fees this month alone were almost a million dollars." Wes fished out two hundred-dollar bills in his wallet and threw them on the table. "That's all I'm giving you."

  He tried to put his mother out of his mind the next evening as he and Grant hung around in his office, watching the live feed from the pitch event.

  "Dang, these people are crazy smart," Wes remarked.

  "Hopefully, we can acquire at least a few of these startups," Grant said, sipping his beer.

  "Which one are you having Liz pick?" Wes asked Grant.

  Grant gave him an odd look. "Liz is going to pick. She has an eye for companies."

  Wes watched as Liz announced that the all-female startup with the drone technology would be the winner.

  "Good choice," Grant said, switching off the live feed.

  Remembering the meeting with Svensson about the asset and growth issue, Wes thought that now would be a good time to address the issue with his brother.

  "They could come under Walsh Systech," Wes said casually. "It would be a good. We certainly have the space and the facilities for it."

  "Hhn. I guess," Grant said. "Talk to Liz about it. I'm sure she has a plan." He took another sip of his beer.

  Wes was reminded why he hated the corporate types. All he wanted was a straight answer.

  When he was back in his Manhattan apartment, Wes planned out what he would say about the growth plan for Walsh Systech to Liz.

  Wes wanted to call her, but he wasn't sure if she was free.

  Demo went well. I watched it.

  He waited, hoping for a response. It was disconcerting how much he missed her.

  She sent back a smiley-face emoji. Wes wanted to hear her voice.

  Can you talk?

  She replied after a few seconds.

  Later.

  Also Rhonda is planning some big winter getaway after Christmas

  Can Dana come?

  Wes fumed. What was Rhonda 'playing at, organizing a family trip?

  There was a knock on the door. Speak of the devil.

  "Good evening, Wes," Rhonda said as he opened the door. She moved smoothly in her impossibly high heels, barely making any noise.

  "Wes!" Robert said, shaking his hand. Wes let the door slam behind them.

  "Why are you moving in on Liz?" he asked Rhonda. "That's my job."

  Rhonda raised an eyebrow.

  "The winter weekend getaway," Wes added.

  "Ah, yes. You see, someone has to work on our revenge plan. Especially since you're not doing it."

  "She's infatuated with me, isn't she?" Wes countered.

  "I think she loves you, which is not the same thing," Rhonda said. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're falling for her."

  "No, I'm not."

  "You're weak," Rhonda snapped. Rob
ert was glaring at Wes, and Kal growled, angling himself between the two men.

  There was another knock on the door, and it opened slowly.

  "Brayden? What's he doing here?" Wes demanded.

  "I invited him," Rhonda said. "He's running point on the Hank Walsh situation."

  Wes was confused.

  Rhonda chucked him under his chin and cooed, "Who do you think is bankrolling those groups pushing the PR campaign about your father, Hank? We have to attack the Holbrooks on multiple fronts. This lawsuit is perfect! A heartbroken Vietnam vet, a playboy billionaire who screws the little guy, and a woman who cheated him out of his children. The news loves it."

  Wes tried to keep his emotions in check as they discussed the plans for how to ruin the Holbrooks.

  When the meeting was finally over, Rhonda gathered her bag, walked up to Wes, and kissed him full on the mouth.

  "If you do a good job, I'll reward you," she whispered in his ear.

  "I'd like to hit that," Brayden said after the door closed behind Rhonda and Robert. Wes ground his teeth together. Why was Brayden still in his apartment?

  "You must have a mind of steel to resist Rhonda," Brayden added. Wes suppressed a shudder. He could still feel her nails on his cheek.

  "Oh wait, that's right," Brayden said with a grating laugh. "You have Liz. How is she in bed? She and I used to go to school together. Did you know that? She always rebuffed me. My one MBA regret."

  Wes could feel the rage start to build. Kal could sense it, and he growled from his place under the table.

  "Seriously, what's it like to fuck her?" Brayden asked. "How do her tits look?"

  "You should go. I have work to do," Wes growled. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He didn't want Brayden to report back to Rhonda.

  "Cool, cool," Brayden said as he walked to the door. "You know, we should hang out sometime. There's this great spot for spearfishing off the Florida Keys."

  Wes didn't comment. He let the door slam in Brayden's face and waited until Kal calmed down, letting him know Brayden wasn't in the hall anymore.

  He started pacing in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. He couldn't admit to himself that he had fallen for Liz. But that seemed the obvious conclusion with his behavior lately. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't derive any pleasure thinking about hurting her. Quite the opposite in fact. But the Holbrooks had to pay. He wished there was a way to ruin them without hurting Liz.

  45

  Liz

  After returning from Austin, Liz wanted to relax and decompress from the trip. But she had to head straight to the office. Walter Holbrook had called an emergency meeting about the Hank Walsh situation.

  "It's been escalating recently," Kate said, pulling up a presentation with screenshots and moving GIFs of various news broadcasts. "We need to do something about it."

  Liz texted Liam.

  Any news about Hank Walsh?

  He replied that he didn't have any information yet. Liz turned her attention back to Kate.

  "Someone's bankrolling him," Grant said. "But we're not sure who."

  "And you're sure we can't just pay them off?" Wes asked. He looked tense.

  "We need to find out who is bankrolling him and cut them off," Liz told him. "Don't worry. A friend of mine is looking into it." Wes looked concerned.

  "This guy is very well-connected. He'll find out," Liz said reassuringly. She thought Wes seemed on edge.

  "Do you have any information at all we could use against Hank?" Kate asked.

  He started twisting the corner of his note pad. "My father had said he was angry about the fact that he had to raise someone else's child," Wes said, laying his palms flat on the table. "But he wasn't really all that involved."

  "Anything specific?" Kate asked as she started to take notes.

  "Drinking, yelling, throwing furniture. He didn't find a job for a while after he was laid off. It might not have been his fault, but he was sure angry about it."

  Liz felt bad for Wes. He listed off the bad behaviors of his father matter-of-factly, but Liz was sure it must have hurt. It must have been even more bewildering to then to find out that you actually had a billionaire father out there who wanted you.

  "This is great material," Kate said. "We can paint Hank as an out-of-control alcoholic who never loved his kids anyway. Harrington Thurlow is guiding the media to approach this from the angle of a grieving father, but we could paint Hank as a mean, unemployed drunk looking for an easy handout."

  "Maybe you and Dana should change your names to Holbrook," Liz said.

  "Yes!" Kate said. "The Holbrooks step in and save Wes and his sister from being browbeaten by a psychopath."

  "He wasn't—" Wes started to say then snapped his mouth closed.

  Liz looked at Wes in sympathy. "I know this isn't ideal, but if you're going to show up to a gladiator match, the first person who grabs the assault rifle from the rack is going to win."

  "Right," Wes said.

  Wes and Grant spent the afternoon out at meetings. Liz used the time to have meetings of her own about other potential companies to acquire.

  The last meeting went late, and Liz wasn't able to check her phone until she was packing up to leave. She had missed a call from Wes.

  She texted him back.

  Are you free tonight?

  She didn't receive an answer. He had seemed a little upset at the meeting. He hid it well enough, but Liz could tell something was bothering him.

  She tried calling him again as she stood outside her building. No answer. She waved to Osman as he opened the door for her.

  "Liz," he said. "I let your billionaire upstairs. I hope that's okay. He said you wanted to see him?"

  "My billionaire." She tried not to grin like a dork.

  Osman smiled back.

  "Yes, that's quite all right, Osman."

  She opened the door to her apartment, wondering what she would find. It was dark. She heard something skitter on the floor as Kal ran into the foyer to greet her.

  "Hi, boy!" she scratched the dog behind the ears then followed him into the bedroom.

  Wes was sprawled on the bed, his large form lying diagonally on Liz's too-small double bed. His shoes and jacket were off, and one arm covered his eyes.

  She slipped off her heels and went over to him, sitting next to his head. Liz knew she should let him sleep, but he was so enticing lying there. She just wanted to kiss him and wrap around him.

  Wes stirred, and Liz gave in and kissed him. She felt him smile against her lips.

  "Sorry I snuck into your condo," he whispered, gazing up at her and tucking a piece of her hair back out of her face. "Come here." He pulled her down onto the bed next to him. She could feel his crotch pressing into her hip. He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to her lips. Liz felt like it was different this time, like he was kissing her because he loved her.

  She opened her mouth and let his tongue flick out, dipping into her mouth, and she tried to swallow the needy whine that came from within her. Turning her head slightly, she kissed Wes along his slightly stubbly jawline and reached for his belt.

  Wes chuckled as she fumbled with it. His voice was rich and gravelly. "You don't have much practice, I take it."

  She tried not to look hurt.

  "Relax. I was just kidding," he said, undoing the belt and slipping off his pants. "I don't think I could unhook your bra without a map."

  She laughed. "Bras are hard. But not as hard as you." She reached between his legs for the bulge in his form-hugging boxer briefs. Wes pulled her hand back up and nibbled her fingertips.

  "Lay back," he said. "You're just going to sprawl right here on this bed with the ridiculous number of stuffed pillows and let me take care of you."

  He undid her blouse—he was able to take her out of her clothes better than Liz was able to take off his belt, she noticed in mild annoyance. That all went away as Wes pushed the blouse aside to expose her bare skin, kissing her, draggin
g his tongue over her abdomen, and pulling down her skirt and her panties. He moved his lips down her thigh, maddeningly close to the wet heat between her legs.

  "I want—" she gasped, unable to form a coherent sentence. She grabbed blindly for his head, grabbing his hair. She heard Wes chuckle then felt him move to where she wanted. He moved deliberately, his tongue flicking out and hitting all the right notes. Liz was sweaty and moaning when she came.

  Trembling slightly, she dragged Wes up by the collar of his dress shirt and pulled him up to her lips, kissing him greedily. She could still feel his hardness pressing into her thigh.

  "You have amazing self-control," she said.

  "I can be very patient when I'm trying to accomplish a goal," he said.

  "Let me take care of you," she said, running her hand down his chest and slipping it into his boxer briefs. He kissed her neck as she stroked him, then he shrugged off his dress shirt and undershirt.

  "Why won't you let me?"

  "Because," he said. "It's too much."

  Then he was in her. Liz still felt raw from his expert mouth, but it was a good kind of sensory overload.

  The feel of his powerful, muscular body pressing against her and inside of her, his eyelashes fluttering slightly against her cheek, Wes was everything Liz had always wanted. She felt desired and cherished.

  When Wes came, it was a long sharp inhale. He kissed her and stroked her, making sure she came again, then he held her, the thump thump of his heart vibrating against her jaw. She kissed his bare chest.

  "You're all mine," she said.

  46

  Wes

  After Liz left the next morning, Wes felt off kilter. "She's supposed to be your target," he said half-heartedly as he looked at himself in the mirror in her bathroom. She had an array of little glass bottles filled with expensive perfumes and creams. He opened one. It smelled like her, and it took him back to last night.

  He felt too tired almost for revenge. He wanted to stay in her slightly messy apartment and wake up next to her in the mornings. Wes wondered briefly if he could have his revenge on the Holbrooks and keep Liz out of it. Would she even understand? She seemed close to them. Maybe it was only professional loyalty. He crawled back onto the bed and leaned against the headboard. Kal, at his side, eyed one of the stuffed animals.