The Billionaire's Secret: Billionaire Obsession (Tycoon Billionaires Book 5) (3 page)

“Why not?”

“Because you’re drunk and emotional. And I’m not a sleazebag.”

She smiled shrewdly. “I know you’re not a sleazebag. Otherwise I wouldn’t invite you in, would I?”

She reached over and rested her hand on his thigh. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to resist. “I can’t,” he said.

“Just in case Graves is around,” she said. “Please. I’m afraid to go in there alone.”

Her logic spoke directly to his protective instincts, and he couldn’t argue. “All right. Let me find somewhere to park up.”

He parked the car, making sure it was properly alarmed in this rundown area, then they walked toward the apartment building. It was chilly out here and she hugged herself and gazed up at him, so he automatically put his arm around her to keep her warm – knowing he was being manipulated by those big blue eyes. She sunk into his body as they reached the entrance of her building.

“You’re very nice, Jake.”

“You don’t know me, sweetheart.”

“I’d like to.”

He pulled open the main entrance door. This building was a run-down concrete monstrosity, consisting of twenty floors, with an ugly rusting fire escape running all the way down the front. Jake had followed her home daily, and every evening he’d wanted to take her back to his place and let her sleep in his king-sized luxury bed – after making love to her all night long. His brothers were paying him well, and he was living in a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park. It was a world away from this place, with its paper-thin walls and grubby foyer.

He halted near the entrance and glanced at the metal elevator, watching out for any lurking danger – as he always did. He was satisfied she was safe, so he bent to kiss her on the cheek, relishing how soft her skin was on his lips.

“Well, goodnight,” he said. “Nice to meet you, Astrid. I’ll see you around.”

She grabbed his jacket. “Come in.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

She laughed. “I told you – I’m not sleeping with you. I just…” She fell serious. “I’m scared to go up alone. What if Graves is up there waiting for me?”

The thought of abandoning her to Graves filled Jake with protective guilt. What harm would it do just to check she was safe and locked in for the night?

He was a strong-minded guy with enough willpower to say no to a beautiful woman…

Wasn’t he?

They traveled up in the elevator together, with the tension sizzling between them. He wanted this woman more than anything else on the planet right now. But he had to resist her. If he slept with her, not only would it be immoral because she was drunk, but also it would put the entire investigation – and probably her job – at risk. He refused to fuck up this project for his brothers, but mainly it was Astrid’s well-being he was thinking of.

What the fuck was happening to him?

The rickety elevator creaked to a halt at her floor and she shot him a shy smile. What was she thinking right now? Did she
really
just want to check there was no danger in her apartment? Or was she as attracted to him as he was to her?

He walked with her to the front door, then stepped inside. The apartment was exactly as he’d expected – cramped and old. The front door led directly to the living room, which was only just big enough to squeeze in the three-seater couch and coffee table. He couldn’t see a TV, but she seemed to work most nights anyway. The room was decorated in light tones in an attempt to make it look bigger, but the illusion wasn’t fooling Jake. He could see the kitchenette through an archway, and presumably the bedroom and bathroom were through those two doors. The high ceiling and large windows gave the place a slightly less crowded feel, but – in truth – this place was smaller than most hotel rooms his brothers would stay in on business trips.

“Coffee?” she asked.

“I should go down.”

She burst into laughter at his Freudian slip. “Oh really?”

“Down to the foyer… to my car.”

“Just stay for a coffee?”

He gazed at the couch. It looked invitingly comfortable, with a cream throw draped over it – probably disguising how decrepit it was. 

She smiled sweetly. “It’s okay, I don’t bite.”

He chuckled. “Shame.”

He strolled over to the couch and sat down, making the springs beneath him boing – and making them both laugh. She sat next to him. “Jake, when you kissed me earlier…”

He gazed into her innocent eyes and realized he needed to put a stop to this right now. It didn’t matter what
he
wanted – he wasn’t what she was looking for, even if
she
didn’t yet know it.

He shrugged coolly. “It was just to make Graves think we were together.”

Disappointment flashed across her face. “I know. That’s what I thought. Thank you.”

She stared at him for a moment, and he tried to harden himself against her. He shifted position to get up and leave, but his heart melted with tender affection as her lip twitched with the onset of tears – which was quickly followed by a gushing sob. Oh
shit
… Crying women were his weakness – they had him in chains…

“Oh god,” he said. “Please don’t cry. Come here.” He wrapped her up in his arms and she crumpled into his chest, letting out her emotion and soaking his shirt with a deluge of tears.

He soothed her, holding her close and gently rocking, wishing he could take away the pain induced by Graves, his brothers, and her ex. All those men were making her feel bad, but for some reason she trusted Jake enough to break down in his arms like a vulnerable child.

The Scotch had probably helped. But really, she didn’t know him. He didn’t want to hurt her, so this couldn’t happen.

But she seemingly needed this release, and he was happy to oblige for now… There was
another
type of release he was keen to give her too, but he had to be strong and resist. He held her tight and kissed her on the head as her tears slowly faded, then she lay there on his chest, breathing peacefully. He glanced down and realized she’d fallen asleep, so he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the tiny bedroom, where he pulled back the covers and placed her on the bed, like a sleeping beauty.

She snuffled and smiled gently through half-closed eyes. “Goodnight, Jake.”

Unable to resist, he kissed her on the lips and watched her for a moment. “Bye, Astrid. Nice knowing you.”

He turned around and went back down to his car, trying to shake off the gnawing feeling of disappointment from knowing he could never have her. He climbed back into his Ferrari, then gazed at himself in the rear-view mirror, trying to figure out whether he was a class-A sleaze for what he was doing to her, or just a minor one for not taking advantage.

He shook away his guilt and drove to his own apartment back in Manhattan. It was a gorgeous place to live – better than he could’ve ever imagined he’d end up. The rent for this luxury pad was crazy money, and he was grateful he could afford it, but it was like living in the pages of a home-furnishings catalogue. The huge squashy couches were like sitting on a cloud, but the cream fittings, beige carpets, and angular furniture made relaxation difficult. It was bland and impersonal, and far too big for him rattling around here alone.

And it didn’t have Astrid in it.

Jake padded into the luxury marble bathroom and turned on the powerful shower, then he undressed, feeling the lust in his cock throb hard. He stood under the flow of warm water and lathered up the soap in his hands, then he gripped one hand around his erection and the other around his balls. It was such a relief to be able to touch himself. He’d wanted Astrid so badly, but there was no way, not while she was drunk and emotional. Or – in fact – ever. There was too much at stake to get close to her. Even if they
weren’t
both involved with the Quinlan Brothers investigation, she was far too sweet for a guy like him. She’d just have to stay as his fantasy…

He slid his soapy hand up and down the shaft of his cock, and imagined he was out in the tropical rain, standing naked on a secluded luxury beach. Astrid was there, dressed in a negligee, looking incredible. Her body was curvy and her breasts were plump, and she was more confident than usual – something had changed in her and he hoped it was something he’d incited.

“Hey, baby,” she purred, walking towards him. “Let me take care of you.”

She kissed him and took his cock in her hand, fondling him and rubbing soap suds into her silky negligee, which was becoming wet from the warm rain.

“So good,” he whispered, touching her breasts through the silky material.

She threw him a mischievous grin, kissed him hard, then dropped to her knees in front of him. “Allow me to blow your mind.”

Her red lips wrapped around the tip of his cock and she licked off the pre-cum. Still pumping his shaft in her fingers, she moved her face away and teased his balls in her lips, making horny grunts as she licked and sucked.

“Mmm… tastes so good,” she purred.

She knelt up and gazed into his eyes, then she moved his throbbing cock toward her cleavage and rubbed it between her breasts.

“Jesus, I’m gonna come…” Jake said. Back in reality, under the shower, he let go his balls and leaned his hand heavily on the wall-tiles, as he continued to frantically jerk off with his other hand.

His eyes scrunched tight and Astrid was there again, sucking him off – her head bobbing; lips sliding up and down his shaft; taking him deep.

He groaned as he shot his load in her mouth – and all over his hand in reality.

The room rang with silence – other than the whooshing sound of the shower. He cleaned the discharge off his fingers, feeling empty and dirty somehow.

He wanted that woman so bad – but he knew he could never give her what she deserved.

He turned off the shower and dried himself with a soft towel, wishing she was here so he could make love to her in reality. But for now, he’d just have to make do with his fantasies.

The next morning, Astrid awoke in her cramped apartment, and groaned. Her head throbbed with a hangover from hell, and the sunlight stabbed her eyes through the open drapes. She shifted her weight slowly, causing an errant mattress spring to poke painfully into her back.

“Ow!”

But actually, her physical discomfort was the least of her worries. She scrunched up her eyes and tried to think… What had she done last night to get into this state? Consciousness trickled in and a dreaded memory drifted cruelly back. Jake… Oh
god
, she’d been so drunk! Had she really thrown herself at him like that? Her cheeks flushed red from embarrassment. The way she’d kept hinting that she liked him… and he’d kept saying no. He must’ve thought she was such a sad loser. Humiliation buzzed in her brain and she groaned again.

She wanted to go back to sleep – to bury herself under the comforter and never emerge, but she had an important meeting with the Quinlan Brothers this morning… Cole Graves, oh god… There was no way he was going to get away with trying to intimidate and bribe her last night. She planned to tell Adam and Dylan exactly what had happened… at least, she’d tell them everything up until she’d downed that first Scotch.

She sat up and grabbed her phone. It was nine o’clock and she already had a few missed calls from Simon. That was normal, and it was why she always left her phone on silent at night – to prevent him from waking her up with his aggressive demands to win her back.

She leaned against the headboard, dreading this morning’s meeting. The technology the Quinlan brothers wanted to invest in seemed progressive enough – artificial intelligence machines that sped into burning buildings and pulled out victims, thus saving lives. But the prototype hadn’t passed the most basic safety checks. Astrid was convinced this well-meaning technology would cause more injuries and deaths than it would prevent. As a health-and-safety officer, she couldn’t give it her blessing.

Reluctant to get out of bed, she opened up her emails. Her heart lurched with anticipation as she saw that a lead who she’d been in communication with over the last few days had replied. If her own conclusions on the new technology weren’t damning enough, this person was confirming that Graves had bribed a wounded factory worker at his plant to remain silent about injuries he’d sustained while working on the prototype device. The lead was a broker in an insurance company, and he’d confirmed that the worker had placed a claim, then canceled it – despite his hospital treatment costing thousands of dollars. The benefactor of the hospital treatment was Graves’ own company. It stunk of corruption. It was circumstantial evidence, but Astrid was satisfied that Graves’ project was harmful and needed to be stopped.

Also, there were rumors flying around that he planned to sell this technology to the Russian military…

She hauled herself out of bed and padded to the bathroom, clutching her head and hoping her stomach would hold up. She needed to get to the Quinlan Brothers meeting and try to wrap up this ridiculous situation. She had no idea why Adam and Dylan would want to stake their reputation on something this shady, but that was their problem. They were arrogant, bullying assholes and the sooner she finished this investigation, the sooner she could file her report recommending that her supervisor make the decision to ban the project. Then she’d be away from them and assigned to her next job.

She finished showering, put on her suit and heels, then left for the Quinlan Brothers building on the outskirts of Times Square – sticking to the backstreets to avoid the crowds. Her fear of crowds and confined spaces was relatively new, but sometimes she felt as if she might be stuck like this forever. Even just walking along the quieter streets caused her vision to blur up and her head to feel dizzy. Simon had a lot to answer for, and Astrid hoped she’d never have to see him again...

Except he still lived in her hometown, of course. So if she ever wanted to see her parents and sister again, she’d
have
to see him…

The Quinlan Brothers building was impressive – but it made Astrid feel small and insignificant. It had forty floors, and it was made of glass and steel. The interior was lavish, with marble floors and carved pillars. There was even a corporate coffee shop in the foyer. Astrid knew there were several other companies within the building, but she’d heard a rumor that Adam and Dylan actually owned this entire place, which meant they were making millions in rent alone. No wonder they had the money to frivolously invest in risky projects.

Gripping her laptop case, she rode the express elevator to the top floor where the directors suites were based, then she strode into the reception area and smiled tightly at the receptionist, who gestured for her to go straight into the huge boardroom. She was fifteen minutes late, so she held her head high and tried to act casual as she strolled into the glass room – which overlooked the stunning New York skyline. This room was bigger than Astrid’s apartment, and the furnishings were certainly more expensive. Adam, Dylan, and Graves were standing at the head of the massive board-table, dressed in their designer suits, casually chatting and laughing. If only they weren’t all so bloody good-looking and charming, she might stand a chance of feeling less intimidated.

They fell silent as she walked in. Graves gazed directly into her eyes and fear spiraled up her spine. Surely he wouldn’t try to assault her here…

But really who knew? She’d recently discovered that he’d been arrested last year on charges of paying an assassin to murder his accountant, for refusing to commit fraud on his behalf. All charges had been dropped, but she wouldn’t put it past him. His aura was nasty – and it emanated from him now, smothering the confident air she was trying to fake.

“Morning, Ms. Lawrence,” Dylan said, smiling politely. “We were beginning to wonder whether you’d changed your mind about coming today.”

She dropped her laptop case on the board-table. “Good morning, gentlemen. My apologies for being late. Shall we begin?”

The three men swaggered to their seats and she suddenly felt as if she was in a room with three hyenas. She forced herself to relax. She could handle them.

Hopefully.

“So, how are you getting on with discrediting my company?” Graves asked.

Astrid steeled herself. He had a horrible habit of trying to humiliate her in front of Adam and Dylan like a school bully. She wasn’t going to let him. “It’s not my intention to discredit anyone undeservedly,” she said, holding Graves’ eye contact. “I’m here to protect the welfare of the people of this country, and I will do that to the letter.”

“I’ve no doubt,” Graves said.

“You’re almost ready to file your report,” Adam said. “What will you be telling the department?”

“I’ll be telling them that I believe this technology is unsafe. And there’s been a cover-up of an accident at the plant. I believe Mr. Graves hasn’t been truthful with the American government
or
with your company, Mr. Quinlan. I would strongly suggest that you don’t invest in this technology. By all means pay for an independent second opinion, but
I
think if you invest in Mr. Graves’ company you’ll not only lose a lot of money – because we’ll be shutting him down – but you’ll also lose your reputations as wise and powerful businessmen.”

Adam threw her that cocky grin of his, which derailed her for a moment. For some reasons, he reminded her of Jake… It was probably just because he was so prominent in her mind and she wished he’d left his number. But he’d made it clear he wasn’t interested, so she needed to forget him…

“On what grounds, Ms. Lawrence?” Adam asked, dragging her back to her job. 

Astrid sat tall and focused on Adam and Dylan. “I want you both to know that Mr. Graves followed me home in his car last night and assaulted me in the street.”

Graves guffawed. “What bullshit!”

Adam and Dylan gazed at her with concern about this revelation.

Astrid ignored Graves and continued. “He tried to pull me into his car. He said everyone has their price and he wanted to find mine. He wants me to falsify my report to grant his technology the green light. I just wanted you to know that. Obviously this point has nothing to do with the fact that I believe his product is totally unsafe –
and
the serious allegation that he’s paid off a wounded worker – but it’s pertinent nonetheless. This is the sort of man we’re dealing with here.”

Adam and Dylan seemed shocked. Dylan leaned aggressively toward Graves. “Is this true?”

“Certainly not.”

“Deny it all you wish,” Astrid continued. “Your harassment of me in the street aside, I’ve received an email from a reliable source that the wounded factory worker wanted to claim compensation but he was silenced by Mr. Graves’ company with a payoff. And possibly with threats of violence.”

Graves slammed his fist on the wooden table. “Slander! That is a complete lie.”

“You have an email saying that?” Dylan asked, not taking his eyes off Astrid.

“I do. I received it overnight.”

“Can we see it?” Adam asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Astrid said. “It’s confidential and I’m not here to work for you. Just to ensure the law is carried out to the letter.”

Dylan held up his hands. “It’s okay. I’m sure we can get to the source of that email one way or another.”

He winked subtly at Adam. Adam nodded slyly. Astrid frowned. What the hell were they implying? Were they planning to set their own investigation up and start hacking into all the emails of the factory workers?

Dread crept over her. Perhaps they were going to figure out a way to hack into
her
emails…

She cast her eye over Adam and Dylan. They both smiled reassuringly at her. But she suddenly had a sinking feeling that they were playing nasty with her. Was she being set up?

She leaned on the table, confident that she knew she was right about this allegation. “Listen, you can do whatever you want with your money – it’s not my business. I’m just informing you of the facts. Mr. Graves knows the truth about his company, and it’s my job to tell the government what I’ve discovered. You can ignore me or not. It’s entirely up to you.”

Adam straightened his tie. “Cole, do you wish to add anything to this?”

Graves smiled coolly. “I’m telling you, Adam, this woman is a liar. She’s trying to discredit me.”

“Why would she?” Dylan said. “She’s a pencil-pusher. She has no reason to discredit you. Has she?”

Graves gazed at Astrid as if she was scum. “Who knows? But – come on – you know me. I wouldn’t assault anyone in the street. I wouldn’t lie.”

“We’re going to have to think about what she’s told us,” Dylan said. “We do actually have an independent agent working on our behalf who’s looking into things. We’ll wait until he’s given us his report before we proceed.”

Graves’ expression flickered with worry. Astrid smiled, glad to hear Adam and Dylan weren’t just trusting him as blindly as she’d assumed. Hopefully their independent agent would confirm everything she’d said. Then perhaps Graves could go harass
him
, and leave her alone.

“And,” Adam said, “if we discover what Ms. Lawrence is saying is true, we won’t be able to invest. There’s just no way.”

Graves glared at Astrid with his beady eyes. “I hope you’re pleased with yourself.” He pointed his finger at her. “If my project doesn’t get funding, you’re going to pay one way or another.”

The room squeezed in around her.

“Hey,” Adam said. “We don’t threaten people around our board-table, thank you.”

Dylan stood up. “Perhaps we should adjourn this meeting. Adam and I have a few things we’d like to look into. Ms. Lawrence, can you spare us another day?”

“I planned to file this report to my supervisor today.”

Adam shot her a charming smile. “Please? Just one more day?”

She wished she could resist, but he was so charismatic… and perhaps one extra day might be enough to get them onside. Astrid cared very much about stopping Graves and she didn’t want the Quinlans to waste their time or money on him. It gave him far too much gravitas.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll give you an extra day. I’ll come back tomorrow to discuss the final report with you, and then I’ll send it to my supervisor who will make the ultimate decision.”

Cole stood up and strutted toward the door. “Adam, Dylan, You
will
invest in my product. Your company has nothing to worry about. This woman is full of lies and the sooner she’s silenced the better for everyone.”

He pulled open the door and strode out into the corridor, leaving the room reeling from his aggression.

Astrid realized her hands were trembling. She didn’t want to let Adam and Dylan know she was rattled, so she quickly started to gather her things together.

“Are you okay Ms. Lawrence?” Dylan asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just trying to do my job.”

“We appreciate that,” Adam said. “And it seems there are things Mr. Graves hasn’t told us.”

“I’m sure your independent agent will uncover the truth for you, just as I have.”

“Oh I’m sure he will. He has a knack for that.”