Sugar Rush
Authors: Anna J. McIntyre
Sugar
Rush
By Anna J. McIntyre
SUGAR
RUSH
When
Lexi Beaumont refuses to marry the man of her grandfather’s choosing, she is
banished from her home and stripped of all her belongings. Being abandoned by
the manipulative and selfish man who raised her is not especially traumatic—she’s
been looking for a way to leave her grandfather’s home, and was grateful for
the college education he provided.
What
she wasn’t prepared for was her grandfather’s attempt to sabotage her efforts
at finding a job, nor did she realize he’d hired a man to spy on her.
Needing
to regroup, Lexi and her best friend flee to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, believing
it would be one place her grandfather would not look.
She
discovers a sweet path to financial security with the help of the supportive
and handsome neighbor, who is also new to Havasu. What she doesn’t know is that
he’s been hired by her grandfather.
SENSUAL ROMANCE SERIES
By Anna J. McIntyre
After Sundown
While Snowbound
Sugar Rush
SUGAR RUSH
By Anna J. McIntyre
Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey
Editor:
Suzie O'Connell
SENSUAL ROMANCE SERIES
PUBLISHED BY:
Robeth Publishing, LLC
Copyright © 2013 Anna J. McIntyre, B. Holmes
Robeth
Publishing, LLC, All Rights Reserved
To my dad, Walt.
Your special hot fudge recipe has always
been a favorite with family and friends. I hope you don’t mind me stealing the
recipe for this book! I know you never cooked yours in the microwave, but I
really did figure out a way to make Walt’s Hot Fudge on Demand Mix. I loaned
that recipe to my character, Lexi. And I loaned your name to Lexi’s dad. Love
you.
“I WANT YOU TO MARRY JEROME PETERS.”
Her grandfather’s decree
was not what she expected to hear. When summoned to his study to discuss her
future, Lexi had naturally assumed the topic would focus on career plans, now
that she was finished with college.
“Are you serious?” The
phrasing of her question was all wrong. Lexi realized that immediately. No one
would describe Ethan Beaumont as a jokester.
The elderly man sat rigid
in the leather wingback chair, and did not respond to her outburst. As was his
habit, he rested his elbows on the chair’s arms, the fingers of his hands laced
together, absently tapping the knuckles against his narrow chin. Silently, he
studied his granddaughter’s expression.
Another man might look
overdressed in the three-piece grey silk business suit, considering the home
setting, but not her grandfather. The fact he wasn’t wearing the jacket didn’t
make him look any less dignified and formal. The years had been kind to
Beaumont, who—at age 81—still had a full head of gray hair. If he’d lost height
due to the passing of time, it proved insignificant, for he still stood over
six feet. There was a slight slouch to his posture, yet his overall physical
appearance was sturdy and solid.
“I discussed it with
him when we were in Europe, and he agreed you’d make a suitable partner,
especially now that you’ve finished college. Your marriage would secure the
future of the company.”
“Grandfather, I barely
know Jerome Peters. Not to mention the fact he’s old enough to be my father.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lexi.
You’ve known Jerome all your life. Plus, a girl your age needs an older man to
guide her.”
“Umm, Grandfather, you
do know we live in the 21
st
century, don’t you?”
“Don’t be impudent,
girl,” he snapped.
“I’m sorry,
Grandfather, but I’m not marrying Jerome Peters. I wouldn’t even go out on a
date with the man, much less marry him.”
“Don’t be hasty, Lexi.
That’s a trait you inherited from your father. Hasty decisions never served him
well.”
“You mean because he
married my mother?” Silently, Lexi reminded herself,
Maintain composure.
“Precisely. I’m
pleased to see you understand.”
“My father loved my
mother.”
“Perhaps, but no good
came of it.”
I suppose that includes
me. I must be a constant disappointment to you, Grandfather.
“Lexi, I didn’t call
you here to discuss your parent’s misfortunes. We’re here to discuss your
future, and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes as your father. It’s
obvious you’re too young and immature to make the right choices. We all have
duties, Lexi. You have one to this family.”
“I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Lexi was not a bit sorry. “I really don’t understand
how marrying a man I barely know—and don’t particularly like—has anything to do
with duty toward family. Perhaps it will in some way help your business, but
I’m afraid I’m not willing to throw away my life for your company.”
“You have two choices.
You behave as a Beaumont should, and marry Jerome and work very hard to be a
good wife, or you leave this house and don’t ask me for anything, ever again.”
“You’re kicking me out?”
As threats go, Lexi
didn’t find this one especially intimidating. Her grandfather always expected
things to be on his terms, and everything came with a price. Since she wanted a
degree in graphic design, she had followed his rules without complaint. During
the school term, she had lived in the dorms, and spent the summer and holidays
at her grandfather’s estate, typically alone with the servants.
Her final term had ended
days before Christmas. There hadn’t been a ceremony to commemorate the fact she
had graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design.
Even if there had been, it was doubtful her grandfather would have attended. As
it was, he wasn’t home for Christmas. He was in Europe on business, and had just
returned home this morning.
Lexi had had no idea he
was coming home that day, and had been on her way to help her best friend,
Angie with a photo shoot, when her grandfather’s housekeeper stopped her at the
front door.
“Your grandfather got
home early this morning,”
the housekeeper had told her. “
He
wants to see you immediately.”
Lexi had given Angie a
quick call on the cell phone, before going to her grandfather’s study. It was just
an informal photo shoot, and they were planning to have some breakfast first,
anyhow, so neither girl was particularly upset about the delay. Lexi hadn’t
intended to tell her grandfather about her plans until she landed a job and was
assured of a regular paycheck. Then she would sit down with the elderly man and
let him know she would no longer be living under his roof—or under his control.
Of course, she hadn’t intended to point out the latter part.
Lexi expected her
grandfather to object to the move. But now, here she was, sitting across from
him in the study, and he was threatening to kick her out, something she was
more than willing to do on her own.
“Okay Grandfather,” Lexi
said calmly, standing up and clutching her large handbag. “If that’s what you
want, I’ll move out.”
An unpleasant smile
played on Ethan Beaumont’s thin lips. Narrowing his eyes, he studied his
granddaughter. “I don’t believe you understand fully the consequences,” he said
in a low menacing tone.
“You want me to move
out or marry your business partner. Yes, I understand. I’ll go pack my things
now, and I’ll move out today.”
“No, Lexi. You will not
pack
your
things. I paid for your things. I paid for your car; it’s in
my name. If you make this choice, you’ll walk out that front door now, and
don’t come back. Be grateful I gave you an education. That is certainly more
than what you arrived with.”
“Are you saying I can’t
go get my clothes? My personal belongings?” Knowing her grandfather, she wasn’t
especially surprised about the car. She’d already discussed it with Angie.
“
If I move out,
Angie, Grandfather won’t let me keep the car. I need to be prepared to take
public transportation or walk to work, until I can afford to buy one. Maybe
I’ll get a scooter,”
she had told her friend.
“But the car was a high
school graduation gift!”
Angie had countered.
“I know my grandfather.
If he decides he doesn’t want me to move out, he’ll dangle the car in front of
me as a possible punishment. I’d be surprised if he didn’t.”
What had surprised Lexi
was the business with Jerome Peters, and the fact her grandfather intended to
hold her clothes and other personal belongings hostage. With surprising calm, Lexi
walked from the study, leaving her grandfather sitting on his leather perch
like a predatory hawk. Refusing to look back, she walked to the front door and
out of her grandfather’s house.
Terrified he might
snatch her handbag from her grasp, she picked up her pace, and walked as fast
as she could without actually running from her grandfather’s estate. Of all her
worldly possessions, those that mattered the most to Lexi Beaumont were the items
in her oversized purse.
There was her digital
camera, which was more than just a camera—it was a source of income.
Unbeknownst to her grandfather, she had been submitting photographs and vector
images to stock photos sites for the last three years. Each month her income
grew, and she was now earning over $500 a month. It was hardly enough to live
on, but it was an income stream.
Also stuffed in the
oversized purse was her laptop computer. While in art school she’d purchased a
number of graphic software programs at the student rate—a necessary educational
expense. Had her grandfather thought to confiscate the computer, it would cost
her thousands of dollars to replace the programs alone. She was fairly certain
he assumed her computer and camera were upstairs in her room with the rest of
her personal belongings.
He had no idea she’d
opened her own bank account when she turned eighteen, and had been stashing
money away each month. As far as he knew, the only cell phone she owned was the
one on his cell plan. She was fairly certain he would have her phone
disconnected by the time she reached the end of his driveway. It didn’t matter.
She’d purchased her own cell phone, with a separate number, several years
earlier. Ethan Beaumont had taught his granddaughter one invaluable lesson in
the last eleven years—whatever Ethan Beaumont gives, he does so with
conditions.
She just had no idea,
until now, how extreme those conditions could be. When she reached the
sidewalk, she pulled the cell phone from her purse and called Angie.
“Can you pick me up?” Lexi
asked her friend when Angie answered the phone.
“Is there something
wrong with your car?”
“I don’t have a car,
remember? It belongs to my grandfather.”
“Oh, you told him!”
“Well, not exactly. But
he’s kicked me out of his house.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll explain it all
when you pick me up. I’m walking in the direction of your apartment, so if you
could just come get me, I’d really appreciate it.”
* * *
“Would you like
breakfast now, sir?” the housekeeper asked Ethan Beaumont as he strode out of
his study, making his way to the staircase.
“No. But call J.B. Tell
him to get over here immediately,” he snapped.
Ethan climbed the
staircase and went straight to Lexi’s room. He found her bed carelessly made,
as if she’d rushed out that morning in a hurry. Glancing around the room, he
took visual inventory of her belongings. It seemed to be mostly clothes, shoes
and a few books. Jerking open drawers in her dresser, he rummaged through each
one before going to the next. Opening the closet doors, he found her clothes
neatly on hangers, and several boxes tucked on the top shelf.
In the adjoining
bathroom, he found her robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door, and a
toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner sitting on the counter. The
only sign of makeup was a mascara smudge on the sink. Going back into the
bedroom, he walked to the window and looked outside. Her car was still parked
in the driveway; she’d obviously not tried to challenge him on that point.
There was a soft knock
on the door.
“Yes?” he called out.
The housekeeper opened the door slightly, and timidly peeked in.
“Mr. Barnett said he’ll
be right over.”
“Helen, do you know
where my granddaughter keeps her computer, her camera?”
“If it isn’t in her
room, I imagine she has it with her.” Helen opened the door wider and stood in
the doorway.
“Damn. Helen, I want
you to box up all my granddaughter’s belongings. Store them in the carriage
house for the next week. If she doesn’t return, put them out with the trash.
And you’re not to give her any of the boxes unless you check with me first. Do
you understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Helen
didn’t understand.