CUZ: Billionaire Stepbrother Romance (8 page)

“What is it?” he asked.

As I read the letter inside, my heart sank.
What the fuck?

“What is it?” he repeated, walking over with a drink in each hand.

“It’s from an attorney. I guess when I ran that DNA test and started asking about my birth parents, this lawyer found out.”

“And what does he want? Are you being sued?”

“No, it’s not that,” I said, dropping the letter to my side.

I took one of the drinks with my other hand.

“Let’s sit down.”

He followed me to the edge of the bed. We sat down next to each other. I raised the tumbler to my mouth and took a long swig of the whiskey. It burned as it went down my throat, but a warmth soon spread through my body.

“Come on, Ash. Just tell me. We can handle it. I have a legal team.”

I turned my head and looked into his eyes. “We’re related after all.”

“What?” His eyes opened wide. “Give me the paper.”

He reached over me and grabbed it out of my other hand. I watched as he scanned the page.

“We’re fucking cousins?”

I laughed nervously. “Literally, apparently.”

“Wait, hold on,” he said, getting to the end. “Fifth cousins? What the fuck does that mean, exactly?”

“I’m not sure, but it means we’re far enough apart genetically that it’s okay for us to have children together.”

He tilted his head, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

“Like Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt,” I said.

“What?”

“FDR and Eleanor were fifth cousins, but no one ever gave them any grief.”

He nodded his head slowly. “What’s this on the bottom of the page?”

“I guess that’s the good news. The attorney has a trust fund left to me by my parents. It doesn’t say how much, but anything will help me.”

“This is crazy,” he said.

“You’re telling me.”

“I thought we… I mean…”

“I know.” I put my hand around his back. “We’re okay. You don’t regret what happened, do you?”

“What? No. Not at all. I’m just confused I guess.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“I need to get you an attorney.”

“That would be appreciated. I can pay you back if I end up getting a little money or something.”

“I don’t need your money.”

He doesn’t seem to be taking this well
, I thought as I took a deep breath.

“I know, but still. We’ll go see this attorney about my parents in the morning. For now, I want to fuck you like a wild woman.”

He smiled, walked over, and put his arm around me, pulling me close.

“That I can help you with…”

We made sweet love again. The expeience was even better the second time.

* * *

At the lawyer’s office the next day, Mr. Goshen treated us like royalty as soon as we introduced ourselves. A smile never left his face as he passed on the exact details.

“All told, your parents left you one hundred million dollars if you ever came looking for them. They were devastated every single day of their lives for giving you away for adoption, but they had no choice at the time. Right after they won the lottery, they set up a trust fund for you. Two days later, they were both hit by a semi-truck on the expressway while on their way to find you.”

My mind reeled. The room spun. I turned to Josh, my anchor. He looked as confused as me.

“What’s this mean?” I asked, turning back to the attorney.

“Once you sign some paperwork, you’ll have your money minus my fees and taxes deposited into your account.”

“When?”

“The whole process takes about a month. If you wait longer, we may be able to find some loopholes so you can get an extra million or two back.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “A month is fine.”

“Very well.” He handed me a stack of papers. “If you’ll sign by the green x on the last five pages…”

My hand was so numb I had to sign my name slowly. Once it was done, the attorney took them back, the million-dollar smile still on his face. Josh reached out and took my hand in his, squeezing it gently. I turned to him. Is that fear? Why is he afraid? Things are going great. I pushed the questions out of my mind and turned back to the attorney.

“Is that all?”

“Yes. We have your contact information now, and we will be in touch when the money is in your bank account.”

I stood up. “Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem.”

“Did you know my parents?” I asked suddenly, trying to trip him up.

“No. Unfortunately, I didn’t know either of them personally. But I hear they were both wonderful people.”

“Do you know why they put me up for adoption?”

His smile disappeared. “No, I’m sorry. I have another client. Do you mind?” He waved his hand toward the door.

“Thanks again,” I said, turning around.

Josh walked next to me. Outside, we got into his Mercedes.

“Can you believe it?” he asked, laughing.

I shook my head, still trying to process what had just happened.

“I wonder how much will be left for me.”

“Probably not much.” He laughed. “Welcome to my world. More money, more problems.”

“Can we get some lunch somewhere? I’m starving.”

“What do you recommend?”

“There’s a place on the outskirts of town. They have amazing gumbo.”

He pressed a button on the dash. “You know the address?”

“Just drive,” I said. “I’ll tell you where to go. Trust me.”

“Ms. Big Bucks bossing me around.”

“Onward, driver,” I commanded.

As soon as he pulled away, I changed my mind.

“You know what? Just take me back to my apartment. I need to think about all this.”

“Are you serious?” he asked, glancing at me for a moment.

“Yeah. It’s not you. I just need some time alone, please.”

“What about what happened?”

“The money?”

“No, I’m talking about what happened between us,” he said.

“What about it? I loved it, but I don’t know if it should happen again.”

“Are you serious? After everything we’ve been through?”

“I’m just not sure.”

“Fine.”

Neither of us talked as he drove – quickly – to my apartment. After he parked in front of my building, I turned to him.

“I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Call all you want,” he said.

“Don’t be like that, Josh,” I begged.

He stared straight ahead. I sighed and opened the car door. As soon as I got out and closed it, he took off into the night. I went inside and poured a glass of wine, needing to unwind. Everything was happening so quickly. I needed time to think.

Fourteen

Josh

When I got back to the hotel, I went straight to my room and ordered two bottles of whiskey, two steaks, two potatoes, and two of everything else I could think to get. Senseless spending of money would only offer me a temporary fix, but it would have to do. After finally fucking Ashley, all I could think about was her body and mind.

Is she dumping me because she has her own money now? Was she just using me? Are we back to friends now that she doesn’t need me? The more I drank, the more questions and doubts popped up, assaulting me. After my sixth shot, I called a cab to take me away. I wanted to play and not think anymore.

After I stumbled downstairs in the elevator, an annoying man from the hotel staff approached me. I walked faster, hoping to escape, but he intercepted me before I reached the front entrance. The look on his face told me it was serious.
Nothing money can’t fix
, I thought with a drunken smirk.

“Excuse me, Mr. Knight.”

“Yeah, what is it? I’m sorry,” I said, slurring my speech.

“Your credit card has been rejected. We tried to run it when you ordered all the food.”

“What?” The entire lobby spun as I stared at him. It made me dizzy.

“You are going to have to pay in cash or vacate the premises.”

“Do you know who the fuck I am?” I bellowed.

“Yes, sir. Your parents called and informed us. They will not be funding your adventures anymore.”

“Listen you,” I said, grabbing his shitty red shirt.

He snapped his fingers. Two massive men appeared and dragged me to the door.

“What about my stuff?” I asked.

“Come back when you’re sober,” he said.

Fuck it, I got cash
, I thought to myself. The fact that the Knights had cut me off financially and froze my trust fund account hadn’t registered completely due to the alcohol coursing through my veins. As I waited for the cab I called, I took another hit from the hip flask I’d filled before leaving. The yellow car arrived and stopped on the side of the road. I got in.

I mumbled the name of the strip club Ashley had worked at, where I’d rescued her. It was a terrible idea, but my alcohol soaked brain wasn’t thinking clearly. The five hundred dollars of food going bad back in my hotel room was testament to my inebriated insanity. Boobies, I thought.
Fucking lap dance, and I’ll forget about her and get back to making money
.

When I entered the club, I strode confidently to the bar and sat down. The bartender, a great looking redhead, looked at me strangely, but I brushed it off and took a hundred dollar bill out of my front pocket, one of a large stack. I wasn’t even sure how much I had on me. As one of the ultra-wealthy for so long, I saw money differently than most people.

“Here you go,” I slurred and tossed the hundred-dollar bill on the bar. “How’s that? A drink for me?” I asked.

She frowned and looked over my shoulder. I got up and turned around just in time to see Benji, the owner of the club, walk up with three of his goons.

“You got a lot of nerve coming here,” he said, glaring at me.

“I paid you your money,” I said, swaying back and forth.

“And I told you never to come back here.”

“I don’t remember that, Lassie.” I laughed.

“It’s Benji, mother fucker. Or should I say sister fucker?” He snorted. “I read about you two. That’s some fucked up shit.”

“She’s not my sister, you fuck,” I said, ready to punch him.

Stop spinning and moving!
I screamed to him in my mind.

“That’s it. Take him out back and teach him a lesson, boys.”

Three men approached me – or was it four? Multiple arms grabbed me and dragged me to the back of the club. Outside, two of them held me while the third punched me in the gut.
Fuck!
I thought. The alcohol dulled most of the pain, but I knew it would hurt like hell in the morning. He hit me another time.

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I screamed drunkenly.

He reached back to hit me again, but before he could take the swing, the man in the black trench coat appeared out of the darkness. The two holding me let go. I dropped to the ground.

“Here’s how it’s going to go down,” he said confidently. “I’m going to give you five hundred each, and you’re going to tell your boss you took care of him really good.” He looked into the largest man’s eyes. “You good?”

“Let’s see the money.”

The private investigator pulled out a slim stack of hundred-dollar bills and handed it to him.

“Let’s go, Josh. Can you walk?” he asked me.

I got to my feet and stumbled forward a few steps, almost falling. He rushed up and put his arm around me. With the extra balance, we walked away to his waiting car. Inside the front seat, I instantly regretted drinking so much. As I scolded myself, he got into the driver’s seat and started the car. Once we were on the road, he turned to me.

“You look like shit, Josh,” he said, turning his attention back to the road.

“I feel like shit.”

“I told you they were going to cut your money off.”

“I know,” I snapped.

“Don’t get mad at me, Josh. I’m here to help you. There’s a road back.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, looking at him.

“All you have to do is sign a little document stating you’ll have nothing to do with Ashley anymore.”

“What the fuck? Why do they even care?”

“They tell me they want the best for you. Surely you can find a better woman than her.”

“Watch it,” I said.

“Like I said, don’t shoot the messenger. I’ll give you my card and you can call me.”

“I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“You’re not going to run to her? Good. I tell you what. I’ll give you five thousand. That should get you through the week. Come next Monday, you either sign the contract, or they’re going to cut you out of their lives forever.” He glanced at me. “Do you understand?”