Breaking Braydon (2 page)

“Every girl is your best girl, Colin.” I gave him my best, most dramatic eye roll.

He held his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded. Sincerely wounded.” His mouth turned down into his signature pout.

“I’m not falling for that. I know you love everyone equally.” I patted his arm to let him know it was okay.

He tilted his head back and laughed. His eyes shifted back and forth, searching for eavesdroppers. He whispered, “Shhh. You
are
my favorite. I love you. Well, like a sister, because anything else would be creepy.”

I laughed in return. “It’s unfortunate because you’re the only man I can stand to be around for any length of time.”

His expression dropped. “We need to fix that, Jain. I can’t stand the idea of you being lonely. You’re the only woman I’ve ever met who made me wish I wasn’t gay. But you know…” He shrugged.

“Don’t say that! We have the perfect relationship. We don’t need to mess it up with a bunch of sex.” I pretended to shiver in mock disgust.

Although, I will admit, if Colin weren’t gay, he’d be my dream man. His six-foot-two, toned body, dark, wavy hair, and deep blue eyes kept both men and woman interested. Too bad he was always working. He’d be the ideal catch.

We sat huddled together, giggling like preschoolers, when Martin Bastion, the owner and director of our clinic, burst into the room. Red-faced with beads of sweat rolling down his neck, he said five words that would forever change my life
.

“Our funding has been cut.”

No. No. No.

Without funding, we’d have to close down.
My vision blurred around the edges as my carefully constructed world came crashing down around me. Bastion Medical Research was my life. My entire life. I built everything around it.

What would I do now?

THREE

Braydon

“Here’s another one.” With a loud thud, Todd dropped the stack of papers on my desk.

“No, Todd, no more.” I pushed the stack away, hoping the pile would disappear.

“You know you love this stuff. You could’ve done anything with that over-achieving brain of yours.” Todd was convinced I was some superhero. He’s wrong; it was just hard work and determination.

I was the numbers man while Todd led the executive unit. He was also my right-hand man, including head of creative development. We were a great team, and yes, we did help medical research facilities, along with many other innovative companies. But we didn’t deserve all the accolades my father and some others gave us. All we did was put together a good event, and if we were successful, we’d receive a small portion of the profits. I’d also invested heavily in a few start-ups. Fortunately for us, my choices had been very successful.

I took a deep breath and surveyed my office. I had a deep sense of gratitude for what we were able to accomplish. It never got old – the large windows that accentuated the beautiful Seattle skyline, the oversized desk shipped from Europe, the plush carpet and original art pieces. The interior designer had done a fantastic job setting the right tone of prestige and success for our potential clients.

I started my business, BCD Funding Solutions, right out of college. It was all work, no play, for the first two years. I didn’t even make an income back then. Good ole dad had to put up with me moving back in after college, until I was able to turn a profit. Luckily, we got along great, and it was more like having a roommate rather than a parent. I bought him a waterfront home on one of the San Juan Islands last year, I hoped he felt compensated for having my sorry ass in the spare bedroom for so long.

My dad, Brian Decker, was about as proud as a father could be. After the company’s net worth reached the billion dollar status, I couldn’t shut him up. At places like the grocery store, he’d say, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Hey Marcy – did you know Braydon is a billionaire now? Can you believe it? My son the billionaire.
And
he’s doing great things for the world. You name it – he raises the money. Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, AIDS –you name a disease, and I’ll bet he’s already raised money for it.”

My dad’s proclamations had always embarrassed me. I wasn’t responsible for the treatments developed or the cures that some of the brilliant medical researchers had discovered. Those people were amazing. They’d spend their entire lives in the effort to help people heal or cope with diseases that were not only debilitating, but just downright horrendous. I only played a small part in the raising of capital, so they could continue their groundbreaking discoveries.

Todd gave my arm a shove. “Did you fall asleep? Where’d you go? Daydreaming about Angela again?”

I brushed Todd’s hand aside and stood
. “
What the hell do you mean by that?”

He stepped back and held up his hand. “Nothing. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just commenting on the fact that you spent the entire night staring at her.”

“Yeah, well, I knew her back in high school. She’s a royal bitch.” I shook my head as I gathered my wits.
What’s wrong with me?

I sat back down in my chair. “Sorry, man. I guess the mention of her name pushed a button. My school years weren’t pleasant.” That was an understatement.

“Ahh, I thought her name sounded familiar. Angela.” He tapped his finger on his temple, eyes raised toward the ceiling. His spine straightened; he dropped his gaze and looked directly at me. “She’s the chick who—”

“Stop! I don’t even want to think about it!”
Shit
.
When did I tell him about that?

“I told you about that?” For the life of me, I couldn’t remember.

“After the celebration for Waxon Technologies. If you recall, it was our first million dollar payout. You were celebrating, quite enthusiastically as I remember.”

I remembered that night—well, most of it anyway. We’d raised almost a hundred million dollars in one of our first sponsored charity events. It was a soaring success, guaranteeing our company many new clients. The rounds of eighteen-year-old
Sazerac shots didn’t stop until we were almost passed out. I guess that’s when I must have let some of my childhood memories slip. I remembered it like it was yesterday. Angela, she’d put me through hell.

“Oh God. What did I tell you?” I was almost afraid to ask. I was an expert at keeping certain emotions clamped down. Anger was easily expressed; helplessness and vulnerability were not. I had vowed never to put myself in the position to experience those feelings ever again.

Todd clapped me on the shoulder. “I think I’d rather not say. I barely avoided getting knocked to the floor just mentioning her name.” He said it in a lighthearted manner, but I could tell he was eyeing me, trying to gauge my mood.

Todd had seen all my moods, and he knew when to take a step back. I’d been known to throw things when I got mad, so, I doubted he wanted to take any chances.

“It was just a kneejerk reaction to her name. I’ll keep my temper under control. I promise.” Or at least I’d try.

His eyes narrowed, and he nodded once. “Okay. I’ll tell you. But if you get angry, take it out on an inanimate object, not me. Deal?”

“Don’t I always?” I replied.

“You did say something interesting. Something I’ve always wanted to ask you about.”

He paused while I pretended to stretch and yawn. I didn’t want him to know how much this conversation affected me.

“You told me you hated beautiful women. Now, I found that strange because you’re with beautiful women all the time. What’s with that anyway?”

The shame and humiliation from my past bubbled beneath the surface of my relaxed façade. I shrugged. “You know how I am. I hate things one day and love them the next. I was probably just talking about Angela. I did hate her.” Damn. I still hated her. Beyond reason. “But I don’t care about her anymore.” I lied. I was fascinated by her. The way she moved, the way she talked and laughed. The same feelings from ninth grade had followed me into adulthood. Lust. Hatred. Shame.

Angela had attended one of our charity events two days earlier. I’d watched her all evening, staying in the background so I wouldn’t be noticed. She was with her parents,
the
Bartholomew’s, originally from Texas. I remembered they were old money, oil, I thought. They were wealthy beyond reason, with so much money, I was sure they could feed a small country. They would never do that though, not with their precious daughter, whom they spoiled rotten. Angela had worn a designer gown with so many diamonds, I thought I spotted a security guard shadowing her.

I recalled Angela’s outgoing personality, her ability to attract attention whenever she entered the room. She’d flaunted her wealth during high school, but I’d been too distracted by the newfound lust storming through my body to notice. That, or I didn’t care. When it came to Angela, I hadn’t cared about anything but her. What an idiot I’d been. I vowed never to make that mistake again.

“You know, I just thought about something.” Todd’s gaze landed on me. “All the girls you date? All of them look a lot like Angela.”

Sweat started to bead on my forehead.
Damn.

FOUR

Jain

“Do you think they can help us?” I asked.

“I do. They have a stellar reputation in the fundraising business. They’re supposed to be the best,” Colin answered for Martin. We were in Martin’s executive office, troubleshooting the funding problem. It had always been the three of us that hashed out problems dealing with financial issues.

“He’s right. They’ve raised millions for companies just like ours. The owner, Braydon Decker, is a known workaholic, stopping at nothing until he meets the goal of his client,” Martin added.

“Yeah, he gets what he wants all right,” Colin muttered under his breath.

“
That
Braydon?” I asked.

“The very one,” he responded.

I turned my alarmed eyes back to Martin. “We have to work with
the famous
Braydon? The one the tabloids refer to as Bad Boy Braydon? The one all the women want to break?”

Martin raised his eyebrows and rubbed his chin. “What? Why would they want to break him?”

Colin, who knew everything about everybody, chimed in. “Braydon Decker is a known playboy. What makes him special, or I should say, different, is the fact that he never spends more than six hours with any given woman. And he never goes back for seconds. All the eligible women on the charity circuit and their mamas want to be the one to ‘break’ him. Who wouldn’t want a billionaire for a husband or son-in-law? But he has a certain type. Blonde, blue-eyed, tall and slim. Oh, and beautiful. Can’t forget that.”

Relief spread through me. “Well, I should be safe then!”

Martin exhaled quietly. “Good. Because I’ve assigned you as the liaison. You’ll be coordinating the event with Mr. Decker.”

I was stunned silent for a moment. “Wait. What?” I turned and stared at Colin, trying to communicate my reticence with my eyes. “Why me?” Colin should do this. I didn’t want to waste my time with some womanizer. There were more important things to do! I had at least ten clinical trials I was responsible for. My gaze darted back to Martin.

Martin met my borderline desperate, pleading gaze and replied, “You coordinate all our other functions and events. It seems logical you’d do this one, as well.”

No. He can’t believe I’m qualified for this. “I’ve organized employee meetings and a yearly holiday party.” This was nowhere near my skill level. “Can’t we hire this out?”

Martin’s eyes cast down before meeting mine. “I’m so sorry, Jain. We’re completely out of money. We’ll have to do this in-house if we have a chance of holding on.”

I tried my most convincing expression. “How about Colin?”

He shook his head. “I’ve got Colin working on firming up our business plan. Our numbers will need to be spot-on if we have a chance of securing funds.”

My shoulders slumped as I came to terms with my new assignment. I knew when I took on this job right after medical school that I’d need to be creative. At the time, I thought it would be in the field of research, not party planning. Or, should I say, fundraising? Were they the same thing? I should know the difference.
What did I get myself into?
I didn’t know what I was doing, combined with the fact I’d have to interact with the biggest player in the city, possibly even the country.

I tried to shake off the dread to no avail. The fancy coffee drink I enjoyed an hour earlier, seemed to be working against the lining in my stomach. It burned as a nervous feeling crept through my body. This was so far out of my comfort zone, I didn’t know what to think or do. I had to come to terms with my new assignment. I must do this. Now, I just needed to figure out how.

FIVE

Braydon

No, it couldn’t be. Todd’s statement about Angela took root, unnerving me. Hell, no. Like a photo album, my mind flipped through the many women I’d dated. Well, maybe not dated – bedded would be more accurate. Damn. All those women did have something in common. If they weren’t blonde by nature, they were by the bottle. They weren’t shy with their make-up and were extremely wealthy. They dressed and acted alike. But didn’t most women have that in common? That’s what it was.

Although the truth churned in my gut, attempts to ignore it failed. Could it be I attempted to replace Angela with these women? Was that why I felt such disgust and panic after we’d had sex? All I ever wanted afterwards was for them to leave, and fast. These girls knew what they were getting into. It shouldn’t come as a surprise when I’d asked them to go. I needed them to. Never thought about why. It had always been that way. Now, I started to question myself.

“You’re daydreaming again.” Todd’s statement jolted me from my inner musings.

“I was thinking about what you said – you know, about the women I date.”

“Yeah?” He arched an eyebrow.