Resisting the Billionaire Collection (12 page)

"Don’t go there."

"--whatever. A good time. When you said it
was with a flight attendant, I thought you must be jetlagged or
overworked. When you said it was a Drummond employee, I figured you
had lost your mind and I was determined to save you from your own
stupidity. When I heard that Melanie already had a relationship
with another Drummond employee--"

"What?"

"Didn’t you know? She was seeing Mitch
McGovern until very recently."

"How the hell would you even know that?"

"Don’t look so surprised. Melanie told me.
Maybe she trusts me more than you. Did that ever occur to you?"

"It’s bullshit. She knows who we are. Why
would she risk getting herself and Mitch fired by telling you?"

"If you don’t believe me, then just go and
ask her. I’m curious to find out if she’ll even tell you."

Alex glared at the brother he loved and
trusted his whole life. He had never felt anything like hatred for
him before, but there’s a first time for everything.

“Okay, I’ll ask her. But it won’t make any
difference one way or the other -- not to me anyway. It won’t be me
that passes that on to Human Resources, even if it were true."

"It is true. So, when I heard that I
thought, 'Okay, this girl is trouble'. She’s willing to take risks
and she has a big mouth. It’s a very bad combination."

"So if you’re scared, just keep away from
her. Maybe Mitch could get away with seeing her but you know as
well as I do that she’s off limits for us."

"Now that truly is bullshit." Sebastian
said. "The Drummond uniform never stopped the old man from getting
what or even who he wanted."

"That's exactly why he's so against it
now."

"It was all his fault and you know that. Our
mother never did anything wrong. The old man is a good guy, but he
just won't admit to being wrong about anything, ever. He's always
been like that."

Alex took his brother’s arm into a tight
grip.

"We can't touch her, you or me -- end of
story. You know what the rules are: you lay one finger on her and
you're out. Zip. Nada. Homeless. A nobody."

"I don't care." Sebastian retorted. Alex
gave a belly laugh at that.

"Sure. You've never wanted for anything your
whole life. The same as me. We had brand new Maseratis on our
sixteenth birthdays for God's sake, personal shows from pop stars
and comedians, whatever and whoever we wanted. Now you're telling
me you're going to give all that up at the age of 31 and start from
scratch with a flight attendant who will also be unemployed. Have
you ever even set foot inside a 'normal' person's apartment? You
wouldn't have space to store your vintage wine collection for
Christ's sake, let alone live and be happy."

"I won't need wine. All I'll need is
her."

The two went silent for a moment.

Melanie had wandered up to the two men as
she heard Alex’s loud masculine laugh through the trees. She had
intended to sit and watch them fish but when she heard they were
talking something made her hold back. The conversation sounded too
interesting and authentic to be interrupted. Maybe if she had a
little patience she might have a chance of figuring out the truth
about who these two men really were. She decided to stay hidden and
listen in.

"I'm not saying I don't understand." Alex
said. "I've got to admit that this last week...I don't know what's
happening to me...every day I see her she just looks more beautiful
than the last. Every movement, every word from her mouth."

"I know." Sebastian agreed. "This sunshine
and healthy living isn't helping any. She was already gorgeous to
begin with, now with her golden brown skin and that glow of
happiness and health -- she was obviously stressed-out before. Now
she's relaxed and happy. My God, it's like I can't even look
straight at her anymore. I want to, but God, it's almost too
much."

"Is it her? Is she really this gorgeous?
This perfect? Or is it just some kind of island fever?"

"Maybe both. I mean, we've been here three
weeks now and well, we don't exactly have much privacy, if you
catch my drift. She's everywhere. All I can think about is her, and
well, we're just human beings; we have needs. You might be able to
live like the Pope but I'm not used to going this long."

"Especially not with someone so gorgeous
tempting you all the time, just by being there, and being who she
is."

"I know. If only she was an asshole or
superficial, dumb, or something, but not such a perfect lady."

"A lady I need to fuck."

Melanie’s jaw dropped. She gasped and
covered her mouth with her hand.

"Tell me about it."

The two men stood with their heads hanging
down, their increasingly wild dark brown locks covering their
bronzed backs.

Hidden in the trees, Melanie struggled hard
to control her breathing. After all, the men weren't the only ones
who had needs. She knew she was more relaxed and happy, maybe more
at peace than she had ever been in her whole life. But it hadn't
occurred to her that it had made her so much more attractive to her
two island-mates. She looked down at her honey brown skin, her flat
stomach, and golden thighs. She had to admit; she was looking
pretty damn good and feeling even better. Maybe better than she had
ever looked before in her whole life, if she didn't say so
herself.

"That girl was just created to be loved."
Sebastian said.

The problem for Melanie was that the same
thing had happened to the boys. Their hair had grown long and their
already muscular bodies were more toned and bronzed from island
life and tropical sunshine than she could almost bear to look at.
She found herself falling into ever more intense fantasies at
increasingly shorter intervals throughout the day. Sometimes she
had found it impossible to focus on even the smallest task and had
to go and bathe in the sea just to calm herself down.

"I need her." Alex said.

The more they spoke, the harder it was
getting. She was afraid to move in case she cried out.

"That perfect ass." Sebastian said.

Her heart raced.

"Those gorgeous deep blue eyes; I could look
at them forever."

She could feel warmth begin to spread
through her loins.

"I just want to get my hands on her." Alex
said.

She put her own hands to herself now,
between her legs, terrified that they would see her and find her
doing this to herself.

"You keep your hands off her." Sebastian was
serious again.

"Who says she's yours?"

"Trust me, she is and you know it."

"I don't know any such thing." Alex threw
the harpoon into the water and squared up to his brother.

"I’ve already had her for God’s sake. Of
course she’s mine."

Melanie jerked bolt upright.

"Stop telling those damn lies! There wasn’t
any time, you said so yourself." Alex shouted.

"It’s not a lie. There was plenty of time.
Melanie just doesn't remember it yet. We were together in the
master bedroom when the turbulence hit. It was the greatest
experience of my life and judging from her response, I think it was
pretty damn awesome for her too."

Melanie's breath froze. Could it be true?
Had she really done it with one of the brothers already? Was that
why the name Alex meant something to her and Sebastian gave her bad
vibrations? But which one had she been with? Which one was giving
her the bad vibrations? The one she had slept with or the one she
hadn't?

Her head was spinning again.

"If you fucked her -- and I don't believe
you did -- then why are you pretending to be me? What the hell is
with that?"

Sebastian stared at his brother across the
shimmering tropical water.

"I'm not pretending." He said, very
seriously.

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you gone crazy? I really am Alex. It's
the accident. The plane crash. You were confused afterwards, very
confused. Somehow..."

Alex dropped his harpoon and lunged at his
brother, the two crashed into the water and struggled together,
wrestling in silence.

Sebastian knew his brother well, but he
hadn't expected this level of violence in his reaction. What he
thought of as a white lie, an ‘all’s fair in love and war’ game was
obviously driving his brother crazy.

Melanie watched, transfixed as the two men
thrashed silently in the lagoon. The water made their already slick
muscles glimmer in the morning sun. They looked like two Greek gods
battling on earth, two pagan spirits of the forest. They fell to
the sandy bank of the lagoon and continued struggling. Once again,
one of them seemed to be slightly more adept than the other and
pinned his brother beneath him. Melanie tried to tell which was
which, but the armband was lying on the ground beside them.

"Admit it!" The one on top shouted. "Say
your goddamn name!" He held his fist above his brother's head.

"Don't do this, Sebastian." The brother
below said. The brother on top drew his fist back, ready to
strike.

"Stop!" Melanie shouted. "It's enough! Don't
hurt him."

Alex remained with his fist poised, ready to
strike.

"Is it true?" He said. "Did you sleep
together on the plane?"

"I... I don't know." She faltered. "I don't
remember anything."

"Goddamn it." He hissed, lowering his fist
in defeat. "This is going to drive me crazy." He stood up and swept
his dark wet hair back out of his eyes. "Melanie, you have to
believe me, I am who I say I am, even if you can't yet figure out
who's who."

"I want to believe you." She said. "I want
to believe both of you."

"Thank God for that." Sebastian said. Alex
gave him a menacing look.

"I don't know what's gotten into my brother.
You'll have to forgive him."

"Forgive him?" She said. "You're the one who
was ready to beat his brains out."

Alex stood helplessly, realizing his
mistake. He loved his little brother but he knew how shrewd and
cunning he was, especially when it came to women. It was the only
thing he was unable to beat him at. He had never cared because
women also came easily to him; you lost one, there was always
another ready to take her place. Until now.

Alex looked Melanie hard in the eyes.

"Mitch McGovern." He said. "Tell me what he
means to you."

Chapter Twelve

"It’s over between us." She said.

"What’s over?" Alex said.

"Nothing. It was nothing. We were seeing
each other and then--"

"You know what that means at Drummond
Melanie: instant dismissal for both of you."

"It’s done now. There would be no
point."

"Those things are never really over.
Besides, it’s not up to you. Drummond Corporation is very clear and
fair regarding these issues. If you are becoming romantically
involved with someone you work with, then one of you has to resign.
It’s that simple. If you break that rule then you both resign.
You’ve broken the rules already, both of you. So unfortunately for
you, when we get back to LA, both you and Mitch will be looking for
new careers."

"That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.
There’s no reason to punish Mitch for something that ended."

"When? When did it end Melanie?" Sebastian
pursued the question.

Three days before our plane went down. The
truth didn’t sound good.

"It’s not important."

"It is to me." Alex said. "What did he do to
you?"

"It’s none of your business and he didn’t do
anything to me."

"I’m your boss, Melanie. So yes, it does
concern me."

"You just told me I was fired, so no, you
aren’t my boss, and no, it doesn’t concern you."

"Don’t forget that there’s more than one
Drummond here." Alex said. "You aren’t fired yet."

Melanie’s whole body was shaking with
emotion. She wanted to tell the two men where to stick it but she
had to hold back. There was a lot of money riding on this and not
only her job. For all she knew, her mother had already been made
homeless or was in some hellhole of a care facility being
mistreated by underpaid staff.

"I thought I had broken the famous Drummond
rulebook when I had a relationship with another single, emotionally
unattached person of the opposite sex. So now I can break the
rules?"

"It’s Sebastian’s word--"

"My name’s Alex."

"It’s his word against yours and against
Mitch’s. There are no grounds for dismissal there."

"So you would lie to your own company? To
your own father?"

"Yeah little brother, what kind of CEO does
that?"

"The rule needs to be reformed. But for now,
we can only work around it. It’s patently unfair."

"I’ll do better than that Melanie."
Sebastian added. "You don’t need the job. If you want to, I’ll help
you get a better one or retrain--"

"This isn’t an auction." Melanie shouted.
"I’m not for sale to the highest bidder here. Just because we’re
all desperate to sleep with each other…"

Damn. She shut her eyes tightly. This damned
island. This stupid situation.

When she opened her eyes, one of the
brothers was smirking. The other was staring with his mouth just
slightly open in anticipation.

"That’s not what I meant to say,
obviously."

"But it’s what you were thinking." The
smirking one said.

"Don’t twist my words."

"Not much to twist." He said. He was
insufferable. But he was also right.

"I...I need to get out of here." Melanie
turned from the brothers and retreated into the forest.

"Great, now look what you’ve done." She
heard Alex say. Then she second-guessed herself. How did she really
know which was which?

"Melanie, come back!"

"Leave her alone for God’s sake. She needs
some space away from you and your crazy mind games."