Stop it, Lucy! He’s only a man.
And a hot, sexy one at that. One who would ruin her world if she didn’t meet his demands this Friday.
This Friday.
This Friday.
Oh, why was she both terrified and eager to see this Friday appear?
She was terrified of what he might do to her or her business. He acted like a man not to be reckoned with. At the same time, she would be seeing him again this week, right?
Stop it, Lucy! You’re not that desperate, are you?
Lucy and Maxine both went through the playlist one more time. Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ would be amongst the tunes blaring through the speakers in addition to some classical tunes, the Beatles’ Come Together, Avril Lavigne’s Hot, some Beyonce, Britney Spears, Motown artists, Nat King Cole, and all other tunes including Bob Marley’s One Love near the end.
“Wow, that’s quite a collection. So...eclectic.”
“Thanks,” Maxine blushed. “Your aunt was an eclectic-loving woman, you know.”
“I just hope the crowd is okay with that.”
“Oh, trust me. They’ll love it. It’s a mixed audience, you know. A lot of young folks will be in attendance.”
“Okay.” Lucy just thought about something. “What are we going to wear? I haven’t been to any black-tie affairs in so long...” What she had meant to say was that she could not ever remember going to a black-tie affair.
“Don’t worry, girl. I’ve got it covered.”
“You do?”
“Yeah! We’re going shopping before the Bridal Show anyway. We’re going to Yorkdale Shopping Center.”
“I hope this is all in our budget, Maxine.” Lucy sighed deeply. She wanted to look good but she’d recently taken over her auntie’s business and right now finances were tight. Not to mention that impending lawsuit from one of their former bride clients.
“Here’s the invitation.” Maxine handed her a digitally-designed sheet of parchment paper.
Lucy paused.
Romero Realty Inc.
Cordially invites you and a guest to attend its annual Diamond Ball fundraiser to benefit the
Society for a Brighter Future: Helping Young People Succeed
Thursday, September 30th
6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
The Romero Estate - Banquet Hall
18550 Young Street
Black tie.
A night of dinner and dance.
Cocktails 6:00 pm
Dinner 6:30 pm
All proceeds will fund the Society for a Brighter Future: Helping Young People Succeed
If Lucy had been standing, she knew she would have probably collapsed. She felt weak in her limbs. Her mouth was as parched as a desert landscape. She was sure her jaw had dropped to the ground. It sure as hell felt like it. “Maxine, you didn’t tell me that the Romeros were hosting this thing.”
Lucy read over the heading of the invitation: Romero Realty Inc.
It could not be. How could it be? How had she missed this? Romero Realty hosted the annual Diamond Ball fundraiser? An event they were committed to attending but she had no idea about beforehand?
“But I thought you knew. I mean, everyone knows it’s the RR Diamond Ball fundraiser. Romero Realty.”
“I didn’t,” Lucy said quietly trying to swallow the hard lump surging in her throat. She thought she would choke any moment. This entire situation was getting to be more difficult than she imagined. No way could she attend now. And then what about Antonio I’s wishes? And Antonio III’s crazy demands that she end it for his grandfather?
“Girl, you look as if you’re turning blue. You okay? You need oxygen or something?”
Lucy let out a deep breath. She hadn’t realized she’d not inhaled.
As if things could not get any worse, Darla pinged her on the intercom.
“Yes, Darla?”
“Hi, Lucy. Antonio Romero is on the phone.”
Fear and anxiety knotted inside Lucy. A sense of inadequacy swept through her but it was too late. She couldn’t handle this. She should have never gotten into the business. There went her heart fluttering about in her chest again.
She sucked in a deep breath.
“Lucy speaking,” she said answering the phone.
“Hello, my dear,” the other voice on the end of the line was the cheerful voice of Antonio Romero I. “It’s Toni here. Antonio Romero.”
She was relieved it was the elder Romero on the line. She didn’t know if she could possibly handle speaking to anyone else right now. Certainly not his gorgeous, overbearing grandson who was about to make her life a living hell. That much into the future she could see.
“Hi, Mr. Romero.”
“No. Please, call me Toni. I feel like a young man again. It’s Toni.” A hearty chuckle followed on the end of the line.
Toni.
Okay, I’ll call the older Romero Toni from now on. Good. That makes things easier.
Lucy felt as if her heart plummeted to her knees. How could she possibly ruin this happy man’s life? How could she turn around and tell him she wasn’t going to do his high-risk wedding to his young sweetheart? It wasn’t for her or his grandson to decide. He was, after all, a big boy. But then again, she saw Antonio’s point about not wanting any harm to come to his grandfather. She could just see it. The older Romero having a heart attack after being slung from a gigantic human slingshot to the funny tune of Fun Birds and then Romero the third fuming mad and holding her fully responsible for his death.
Lucy blinked her eyes shut and opened them again. She fought hard to stifle a tear.
“Yes, sir. Yes, Toni.”
“Listen, I need to see you right away. It’s very important. How soon do you think you can come over to the house?”
House? Come over to the house? Well, if that isn’t the understatement of the year. Try mansion or palace.
“Um. We’ll be there as soon as possible.”
When Lucy concluded her phone call, she collapsed into her chair and held her head in her hands.
“You okay, Lucy?”
Lucy shook her head. “What have I gotten myself into?”
CHAPTER FOUR
“We need to tighten things up, Antonio,” Mariam told her boss, Antonio Romero III, at his headquarters. “Your expenditure on the Brighter Future project has gone through the roof. I know you want to help our community's younger people but-”
“The matter is closed.” Antonio’s reply was curt. His tone was sharper than he had intended. After all, Mariam had always been his faithful assistant and advisor for as long as he was in business. A friend of his own late father. She had been in the family forever. She was an older woman but charming and had her days. But she was stellar at keeping the family assets in tune with changing times. They’d even survived the great economic meltdown that had adversely affected the real estate market in Toronto many years ago, all thanks to her astute financial planning and management.
“It is for a good cause,” Antonio continued.
“I know it is, sir.” Mariam grew more defensive and formal. “But every little Tom, Dick and Henrietta who comes to your project with a business idea gets your approval for a sizable grant to fund their new business venture and you haven’t even looked at any of their business plans to see if they are solid.”
Antonio leaned back in the leather executive chair behind his oak desk. He gave thought to what Mariam was saying. It was true that during the past year he hadn’t bothered to see if the recipients of his grant program had solid plans but he was extremely preoccupied for some reason. And just this morning he had given more funding to groups of university students who had requested additional sums of money. Why had he done that? Was he displacing emotionally? No. It must have been something else.
Maybe he was tired of the underdogs being kicked and he wanted to overextend himself to give them a good start. Something they would have difficulty securing anywhere else. Or maybe he was simply rebelling ag
ainst his own grandfather and everything his materialistic family stood for.
Perhaps he secretly wanted to give away every dime he inherited to the underprivileged because he knew it would tick off the gold-digging leaches that sucked the lifeblood from his family. And even though Mariam was a loyal associate and assistant, she was a throwback from his father and grandfather’s time and she seemed to worship money more than people and that irked him more than anything.
Antonio’s mind drifted to the flowers he’d sent for his biological mother earlier that day. The mother who turned her back on him and abandoned him many years ago.
His biological mother made it clear to him when she was young and married his father, producing a child in the marriage was part of a business deal. A way for her to earn some extra cash. In fact, she told Antonio that she never really wanted to have children and that she was hired to be a bride for his father. When his father died, Antonio thought for some reason he would be able to get close to his mother but she was cold and hard as he’d ever seen her. She maintained that she would keep her distance from Antonio and that he should do the same.
So much for love and money.
So much for true love and marriage.
The thought left a bitter taste in Antonio’s mouth. Perhaps that was why he never truly trusted women. Because it was always about what a man could do for them. Men were to be providers and nothing more. Still, the pain of the rejection was too much for Antonio, who had always craved his mother’s approval. Why would a mother reject her own child?
At least sending the flowers to her anonymously assuaged his soul in a way no one could possibly understand. It was just his own crazy way of coping. It was wrong for a woman to give birth for money and the hell if he was going to think of himself as some purchased object, some stock option.
Still, Antonio vowed he was never going to get married.
And he was never going to have children.
Heck, if he could change his last name and live anonymously somewhere else in the world—somewhere exotic and unknown, he would do it.
“Are you okay, Antonio?” Mariam’s voice pierced his thoughts. And it was probably a good thing, too.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Antonio lied with conviction. He recomposed himself. He knew what this was all about now, didn’t he? That woman marrying his grandfather.
And then there was that other woman who was running through his mind and his system from the day he laid eyes on her. The girl who owned that crazy wedding agency. Lucy Shillerton. There was something about her he just couldn’t shake off and it drove him out of his mind.
What was it about her?
He’d never felt that way about any woman before. Was it because she didn’t seem to give a damn about his wealthy background or his assets? And the fact that she was so hot? Not only that but whenever he spoke and gave a command, women, especially, heeded it. That was because they were all about men and power. He could clock their reactions automatically.
But Lucy Shillerton.
She was unpredictable. She was different. She really didn’t seem to give a damn. The thought of him shutting down her business by Friday if she didn’t heed his order to stop his grandfather’s risky wedding to the young opportunist didn’t sit too well with Antonio because that would mean he would have to hurt her.
The thought then ran through Antonio’s mind about seducing Lucy Shillerton.
However, he wasn’t into breaking women’s hearts on a whim. He would always be upfront about what he wanted. Sex. No love. Just pure, physical, hard sex. But this wasn’t about sex, it was about destroying her business and all that she had worked for after taking over for her aunt’s enterprise. Could it be Lucy was so different from every woman he had ever known? Could it be that there really are decent, honest, hardworking women who cared about people and not solely material things?
Antonio rubbed his throbbing temple after his lengthy meeting with Mariam once they discussed the last minute preparations for their annual Diamond Ball and Fundraiser Dinner on Thursday and Mariam’s role in taking over for him for the next short while as he attended to other matters.
He sat there alone. Thinking. Pondering over Lucy Shillerton. She was like a song he could not get out of his mind. What was the term they use? Earworm, oh right. But, oh, worms or not, that song brought a smile to the corner of his lips. He wasn’t into skinny girls and he loved a healthy-looking woman with curves in all the right places—and she was that girl.
Yet, he still felt that he had to get this pretty young thing out of his mind and out of his system if he knew what was good for him. It was just way too dangerous. All he knew was that Lucy Shillerton had better follow his orders.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lucy Shillerton's jaw toppled open as she and Maxine drove up to the sprawling luxury estate of the Romero family later that afternoon.
Oh, Holy Grail!
This was not somebody’s home; it was a palace, a fortress, a kingdom! It looked even more impressive in real life than it did on the Internet.
Lucy and Maxine stepped out of the car with their mouths wide open gawking at the massive estate and the multi-level, white-brick mansion that sat behind the golden-gated entrance. There was a concrete flowing water feature in the main garden in front of the house that looked more like an enchanted fountain. The water spurting out of it was richly blue and forceful.
God, it was mesmerizing. Right behind the water fountain dozens of wide steps led up to the main house with its beautiful French doors. There was something about the double French doors that captivated Lucy. The whole scene looked like something out of a movie. So surreal.
This was a far cry from her humble old brick apartment building complex in the suburbs. Heck, the elevators were inoperable virtually every other day. When you had to walk up the steep, dark stairwell after finishing up a 12-hour workday, it was no fun.
But Lucy was still sincerely grateful to have a roof over her head, so she rarely complained.
“Girl, this is hot!” Maxine commented as she took out her smartphone to take a picture.
“Maxine!”
“What?”
“You cannot take a picture. This is private property. There are laws against doing that.”
“The paparazzi do it all the time.”
“Maxine!” Lucy scowled at her assistant.
“Sorry,” Maxine pouted as she slid the phone back in her handbag.
Lucy felt guilty for snapping at her assistant in such a rigid tone. “Listen, if we ask permission later we can probably take pictures of the ballroom area and the garden for the wedding planning.”
“Oh, right. Of course. That was the reason I was taking pictures, Lucy.” Maxine playfully rolled her eyes.
Lucy grinned and shook her head. The excitement of being in a place such as this really got to them. In a good way, of course. They both felt exhilarated. It was as if they were in Hollywood or some sort of paradise.
“So this is what forty acres looks like up close, huh?” Maxine remarked as she and Lucy walked up the stone pathway to the palatial abode. They pressed a button and the intercom sounded. No doubt cameras were planted everywhere. Hidden cameras in addition to the visible ones. Lucy looked around and saw green land stretching far and beyond. The house was slightly on a hill so she could overlook the town. She had never seen this side of outer Toronto before. It was as if she was on an island, secluded from prying eyes, yet she could see all. She was so used to the city life and city living that she’d never imagined being near fresh, uncongested open air with hundreds of acres of land unfolding before her. She knew there was also a winery on the estate. It was amazing. Lucy appreciated that her client worked so hard his entire life to have all of this and she wanted more than ever to give him the dream wedding he so deserved—just as long as it didn’t cost him his life!
The thought of his grandson’s threat loomed large. This dream wedding could turn into a nightmare affair if she wasn’t careful and she k
new that all too well.
“Yes, Miss Shillerton. Mr. Romero will see you in the study.” A man with a waiter’s tuxedo greeted them after opening the door.
“Thank you,” Lucy said warmly. She felt so out of her league and intimidated by the premise and the staff, which was so weird. Why should she be? They were just as human as she was, right?
The inside of the grand entrance boasted golden marble and the ceiling was the tallest she’d ever seen. It seemed to go on forever. An enormous chandelier dangled from above and the walls were adorned with beautiful yet subtle artwork. Lucy felt like she’d just stepped into an art gallery, not somebody’s private residence.
She also noted that this would certainly be an ideal place to take some of the pictures for Toni’s wedding to Shelly. The backdrop would be so romantic. So royal-looking.
Later, they received a brief tour of the beautiful premise and the enormous ballroom where the reception would be held. Maxine ferociously typed away on her iPad taking notes and snapping pictures of the setting. Then they were introduced to the official photographer so they could go over the layout and photo settings.
They had spoken with Shelly, who seemed so full of life and humor. She kept hugging Toni and held firm on his arms. Clearly, the couple seemed as if they were in love. Toni showed Lucy and Maxine his iPad with his Fun Bird scores and told them that while Shelly was caring for him after his second stroke, she’d showed him how to play the game to cheer him up and he hadn’t stopped since. He showed Lucy and Maxine their scoreboards with the names Mr. Romero and Shelly Romero. Of course, they had given Shelly his surname as a joke. Mr. and Mrs. R. Bird they nicknamed themselves.
“Beautiful,” Lucy commented. She was gushing now. This all seemed so perfect, except the fact that they still wanted to go ahead with the Fun Bird slingshot down the aisle.
“Well, you know there are risks involved, right?” Lucy warned the doting couple.
“Of course we know that. Life is a risk, wouldn’t you say?” Toni shot back before bursting into laughter. He seemed to be a jolly old fella who really did look more like a fit forty-something-year-old. Shelly and he looked roughly the same age—almost. His upbeat attitude was so infectious. It was obvious that one of the reasons Shelly loved Toni was because despite his age, he was young at heart and he rarely took things seriously, including himself.
The Billionaire's Second-Chance Bride (The Romero Brothers, #1) Page 4
