Escorting the Billionaire by Leigh James
Audrey
James wason the phone for what felt like forever.
“I talked to Danielle’s parents. They’re going to help us,” he said when he finally came out. His face was drawn, and his eyes were red. “My mother’s going to have a nasty surprise waiting for her when we get back.”
He poured himself another cup of coffee. “I also called my lawyer. He’s better than my mother’s, by the way. He said that he’ll get the paperwork prepared for you to become Tommy’s sole guardian. You’ll have to sign it when we get back, and then he’ll start the process with the court. And I made a call to that private investigator, too—he said he was going to go to your mom’s house today with a large file and a larger threat.”
“But what if she tells Celia?” I asked.
“She won’t. We’re going to make her an offer she can’t refuse. So she’ll receive a financial incentive while simultaneously being blackmailed. It’s win-win.”
My heart sank. “I don’t want her getting any more of your money…”
“I’d rather she gets it from us than from my parents,” he said. “Plus, we can’t just let your mother stay in that apartment, living like that, when there’s more than enough money to take care of her. It’s not right.”
I wasn’t going to forgive my mother so easily, either for what she’d done to Tommy or what she’d done to James. “It’s exactly what she deserves,” I said. “She doesn’t seem unhappy to me. Just greedy. And scheming.”
“Well, you’re right. She is greedy. And she’ll just come looking, threatening us again. I don’t want to deal with that for the rest of my life, and I know you don’t either. It’s better to just manage her, Audrey. She’s your mother. She’s not going to change, and she’s not going anywhere.”
I sighed, understanding what he saying and wishing I didn’t. “How did it go with Danielle’s parents? That must have been such a tough conversation. It was so out of the blue.”
His eyes looked hollowed out. “It was awful. I’m sure hearing from me after all this time was the last thing they were expecting.”
“What did they say?” I asked. I couldn’t even imagine.
“I spoke with her father. I told him that I didn’t know the details, but that I believed my parents were directly involved with Danielle’s death. That it wasn’t an accident. I told him that you’d confronted my mother, and that she was threatening you, and that I needed his help.”
“What did you ask him to do?”
“I told him to go to the police. That we’d be back soon,” James said. His face was pale. I went to him and wrapped my arms around him. “He thanked me, Audrey—he said the way my mother had acted afterward had bothered him for years. He said he felt like she’d been relieved that Danielle was dead. He wants her to go to prison.”
“And you?” I asked. “Is that what you want, too?”
“I’m pretty sure prison’s too good for her,” he said. “But it’ll have to do.” He paused for a beat. “We need to call your mother. To let her know that she’s got company coming.”
I held up my hand. “I got this,” I said, picking up his fancy cell phone. “The farther I can keep you away from my mother, the better.”
Todd, Evie, Cole, and Jenny were waiting for us down at the dock again. “Good morning,” Cole called. He had a huge smile on his face, and so did Jenny. Since they’d professed their love for one another, I hadn’t seen them stop smiling.
Even though my world was on the edge of veering wildly out of control, their enthusiasm was infectious. I beamed at Jenny and gave her a big hug. “You look gorgeous,” I said, “and happy.”
“I am. Everything’s working out,” she said, holding me tight. “But I’m worried about you. Evie said Celia read you the riot act last night, and that you were wicked pale and upset after. What’s going on?”
I shook my head and blew out a deep, ragged breath. “She’s giving my mother a run for Mother of the Year, is all.”
Jenny snorted. “You and James are good people. Maybe you were both adopted.”
“I wish,” I said.
We snorkeled all morning. The kitchen staff had packed lunch for us; the crew dropped us on a secluded beach with our enormous picnic basket and a cooler full of prosecco and beer. “I could get used to this,” Todd said, sitting back on the blanket that Evie had set up and cracking a beer. “Sure beats filing Department of Labor compliance docs.”
Cole smiled at him. “I don’t miss compliance or due diligence, but I do miss my hockey team. But really, I have every thing I need right here.” He threw his arm around Jenny.
“I don’t miss work,” Jenny said, deadpan. “I don’t think I’m going back.”
“You’re not. You’re retiring,” Cole said protectively.
“I have about ten deals that have probably gone south in the past two weeks, and I don’t even care,” James said. He poured us each a glass of champagne and gave me a loving kiss on the cheek. I leaned back against him, trying not to stare at his tanned six-pack stomach, rising up tautly from his swim trunks.
“I’m sure you’ll still have a booming empire to attend to when you get back,” Todd said. “You always do. Audrey, are you going to transfer to a school out there?”
“I think so,” I said. I hope I make it that far, I thought. “California would be a nice change of pace.”
“I know—warm weather, can you imagine? Winter lasted forever this year,” Evie said. It was true; there had been dirty snowbanks in Boston well into April. “Being down here’s been really nice. It’s so beautiful here. I’m glad you guys came—you’re way more fun than my cousins. All they do is talk about their protein intake and their training schedules. And their screaming kids.” She looked at Todd and wrinkled her nose. “That’s not normal, is it?”
“No, honey, it’s not,” Todd said agreeably. “We won’t be like that when we’re parents. We won’t talk about our kids all the time, and they won’t be screaming, filthy little buggers like your cousins’.”
“Of course not,” she said. She was wearing a pink-polka-dot bikini, her collarbones tanned and on prominent display. “We have manners, and so will our children.”
“We should come down here every year—and we won’t invite your cousins. Or your screaming kids,” Cole said to Evie.
“My children won’t be screaming,” Evie said defensively, telling the same lie all non-parents told themselves.
“Then it’s a date,” James said, lacing his fingers through mine. “Same time next year.”
We wenthome and showered before the night’s festivities; Todd and Evie had arranged for dinner at the fanciest of the resort’s restaurants. We had to dress up, which bothered me. Only because I was worried that I’d have to run away from Mrs. Preston in my spike-heeled sandals. And that I wouldn’t get far.
James was dashing in a sand-colored linen suit; he wore a white shirt underneath, slightly unbuttoned, showing off just a peek of his gorgeous, tanned chest.
“Do we have to have to go right now?” I asked, fanning myself. “’Cause you look wicked hot. That tan is killing me.”
“Wicked hot?” he asked, laughing. “Is my wicked hot girlfriend from Southie, or what?”
“She is,” I said, grinning at him.
He pulled me to him and gave me a long, lingering kiss that took my breath away. I felt him stir against me. “Yes, please,” I said and started undoing his belt.
James groaned. “No, thank you,” he said, even though he’d sprung to life instantly underneath my touch. “We have reservations, and we have to go deal with my parents, remember?”
“Ugh,” I said, forgetting all about undoing his belt.
“Ugh is right,” he said. “But I’d like to pick that back up as soon as we get home, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind,” I said and kissed him again. “Taking your clothes off is about the only thing that can keep my mind off of all our… more unpleasant business.” I sighed. “That and thinking about your abs.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” he said, beaming at me. “You’re perfect, you know that? Now let’s go, before I start trying to show you my abs.”
As soon aswe were back out in the sunlight, my heart started thudding in my chest. We had to face his mother again. James still hadn’t told me what our strategy was going to be at dinner. He’d just instructed me to play along.
He looked straight ahead as we headed to the restaurant, gripping my hand. His easy demeanor of a minute ago was gone. He was almost a little scary right now, striding toward the restaurant in full-blown preparedness for combat.
“Audrey,” he said when we got to the door, “I want you to remember something. This is about to be a show. Don’t lose the plot, okay? Remember who the enemy is. And remember that no matter what I say in there, I will love you forever.”
