Bedding the Billionaire (Book 3) (Legacy Collection) (4 page)

“
Trust me, I thought about it.
”

“Dominic
–
”

“Don’t
worry,
I’m not going to do anything rash. That’s why I’m sending you. Consider this a…”

“Don’t say it, Dom. Don’t even go there. I’ve spent the last week flying all over the country trying to save your ass. Your favor account has been depleted.”

“I’m not sure I like the new you, Jake.” Dominic growled.

Jake head
ed down the stairs to get his mo
rning cup of black coffee.
“
I’m not the one who changed
, Dom.
You need to get your head back in the game before you
lose everything.”

And I need to
stay focused
.

Which meant going to see Lil was out of the question.

Not a man who could be accused of playing fair,
Dominic added, “Don’t force me to bring out the big guns over this.”

“You wouldn’t,
”
Jake said with annoyance
,
and
put his coffee mug down, untouched.

“I will if you leave me no other choice.”

That was also
how Dominic won
–
with a long history of following through with his threats.
It was never a case of
if
he would do it, but rather a question of whether or not you could handle a particular consequence of denying him.

Often, it was simply easier to work around him instead of against him.

Once Lil was safely deposited in her new, highly secure abode and
the interview was a non-issue,
Jake would try to reason with Dominic again. “
Fine
,
and I’ll
handle the
interview while I’m there.
Duhamel can arrange the details
of
the move
.
I’ll get
Lil
in the penthouse
by tonight
but after
that, I’m not promising anything. I can’t make her stay there.”

“
You can talk anyone into anything.
”

Not true.
I’ve been trying to talk you back from crazy for over a month.

Dominic added,
“Oh, one more thing.
See
that she
come
s
down to New York
on
Friday
.
This is an important weekend for us.”

Seriously?

Jake
leaned
against the kitchen counter.
“Dom,
are they worth this?
T
his fa
mily that you’re so attached to?
Do you really think
they’re
going to stick around if you’re a mail clerk next year?”

“Yes,” he said in a tone that took Jake aback. “Yes, I do.”

“I sure hope you’re right, Dom, because I don’t know if we’re going to make our deadline.”

“I’ve got a plan, Jake. Don’t worry.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that claim
.

He hoped it was true this time.
“I’ll b
e back by Wednesday and then we’ll
talk about who you’ve lined up. I should prep before I meet with them,” Jake said.

Dom
inic
said, “Don’t worry, you know them.”

“I do?” Jake didn
’t think he’d left one computer-
savvy
acquaintance
off his list.

Dom
inic
said, “I’m counting on it. Call me if you hit a snag in Boston.”

And you’ll do what?
“I won’t.”

“Oh, and try to make it sound like it was your idea to go.”

That request did not even warrant a reply.

Jake shook his head at the phone and hung up.

How the mighty Dominic had fallen.
             

Jake packed an overnight bag and made arrangements for
his luxury helicopter.
He’d chosen this particular New York building
as his home
because the generous roof had allowed him to install a private landing pad.
Sure, a jet would have gotten him to Boston faster, but he liked the increased landing opportunities that helicopters offered. His could fly six people
with the same
quiet
comfort of a limo
directly to one of his buildings without the hassle of dealing with traffic.
A helicopter with that
level
of sound insulation and
refinement cost more than many private jets, but it was one of the few luxuries Jake
found
pleasure in
owning
.

Once in the city
,
he usually rented a
private car and drove himself. He preferred
less
pomp and circumstance and
found the constant presence of someone, especially those attempting to anticipate his every need, extremely tiring.

For that reason, his house
staff came on
Mondays and Thursdays while he was at work. They cleaned his home, stocked his shelves, and left
a few
premade
meals
that he could microwa
ve if he didn’t wish to order out.
The only evidence of the staff’s existence
was the constant availability of everything he required.

Nice and neat.

Just the way he liked his life.

Lil peered out the window by pulling down one blind just enough to see through it and groaned. A flock of press had descended on her small house in the suburbs of Boston almost immediately after the
promo of her tell-
all interview had televised.
They had been there all day.

She glanced down at the baby who was still happily playing on her back in the middle of a small blanket, kicking at the toys tha
t hung from an arch above her.
“Colby, what am I going to do?”

The only way the news station could have an interview from her was if the woman who had called yesterday claiming to be her sister’s new personal assistant had lied. That possibility was unacceptable because it would mean that her entire practice session on how to field questions from the press had been recorded. It would
also
mean that a ho
st of things she would never have
shared
,
if not for the jovial tone of
the
fake
interview
,
were
about to be made public.

She didn’t need this today.

Having already completed the final assignments for two of her three
remaining
college courses,
this week was supposed to revolve around studying for tomorrow’s final exam in
integrated office systems.
One more class and she’d have
an Administrative
Assistant
degree
.
Not her ideal job, but one that would bring in a stable income.

If
I don’t fail my final course.
Or,
make myself unemployable with stunts like this.
She’d gotten several calls regarding
her
resume since she’d blanketed the local area with it.
Would t
his
TV
fiasco ruin her chances?
It certainly wasn’t going to improve them.

Her cell phone showed three missed calls from Abby.

Colby rolled into a seated position and gurgled up at her mother.

“
You’
re right, Colby.
Mommy’s
just
too proud to ask her
for help
.
Auntie Abby would fix this, just like s
he’s always fixed everything and t
he worst part
is
that she
wouldn’t
even be angry with me. She expects me to do shit like this. Hell, why shouldn’t she? This is what I do.”

Sucking on one fist, Lil’s daughter met her eyes with the concern of a child who only knows that her mother is
n’t happy but doesn’t know why.

Lil continued on as if her daughter
c
ould understand. “
How could I have done this?”

From the moment she’
d received the news that she was carrying a new life within her, something in her had shifted.
One incredibly painful weekend of
self-reflection
had birthed some difficult resolutions. No more
letting Abby
support her, clean up after her,
save her from the consequences of her actions
.
No more lamenting on what she thought her life should have been.

It was time to grow up.

Although she’d always stood up for her beliefs and done what she’d thought was the right thing, where had it gotten her?

A long string of
dead-
end
jobs.

A future that was as bleak as her bank account.

Not a life you bring a baby into.

So,
Lil had
enrolled in college courses
and resolved to stop compulsively
speaking her mind–
at least where her employers were concerned.
Too bad she hadn’t kept her thoughts to herself when Abby had asked her opinion of Dominic. Of course, there was no way she could have known how wildly in love her sister would fall or how
much
of an effect
that relationship would have on
her own
life.