In Love by Design (The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod) (5 page)

Explaining my rationale, I ended his resistance by intoning
with a straight face, “Two is one and one is none.”

I’ve known the man since I was knee-high, so
the ex-marine Mr. Barkley only laughed and called me “saucypants” for using one of his favorite quotes to endorse redundancy. In this instance, two watchdogs are better than one. My new money man doesn’t need to know the degree to which I understand the finer points of investing. At least, not until I totally trust him.

“I agr
ee that Mr. Barkley is the best man ever.” I smiled fondly over at my banker and watched him wag a warning finger my way for embarrassing him before getting back to his chopping. “I’ve been a lucky girl to have him for my entire life.”

At my
soft comment, James turned his piercing regard my way once more. Since we were talking about my money, and I’d made my vow to make James more comfortable as payback for Jazy, everything about the physical man faded completely into the background. I concentrated on the business at hand.

Watching his face for a reaction, I said seriously,
“James, it’s important the next person I choose wants to develop that same kind of business relationship with me. To be blunt, I am not a woman looking for an impersonal fund management firm without a face, or short term help until my business is successful.” I motioned to the papers in his open briefcase and smiled a little. “I already am by my standards, but I intend to keep growing my tidy fortune. What I am seeking is a long term business partnership with a financial genius that lives for this stuff and is okay with me being in the thick of things. This person needs to want to make gobs of money with me while showing me their ropes and helping me expand.”

James tented his fingers and stared back at me steadily.
Jazy was right; James Byrd is very hard to read. I flashed briefly to the poker table that night at my brother’s house when I first met James. His pile of chips had been nearly as large as Luke’s.

Then James
gave a little nod, as if coming to a decision. “Charles already indicated as much, so I’ve had time to think this over before tonight. I’m a financial genius, as you call it, and those general terms of a long term business partnership are acceptable. I’ll steer you to that next level, and the next.” His measured response in his firm voice eliminated any immodest sense of bragging and I appreciated James’ factual attitude regarding his skills. I don’t want to spend my time shoring up any big egos to get the best performance. Although, I’m sure Mr. Barkley wouldn’t suggest someone of that caliber for me anyway. “I’ve been blessed with a great education and a greater mentor in my life. I don’t discount the value of that, but what I also have is sharp instincts. I listen to my instincts when it comes to people.” He smiled, not in self-deprecation, but with the confidence of a man who is comfortable in his beliefs and not bothering to hide it. I consider this another positive point in James’ favor. “Perhaps it stems from my heritage, but I rarely regret a decision I’ve made from acting on these instincts.”

James
let his tented hands drop then and reached for his glass of water. Earlier, he had declined Mr. Barkley’s offer of alcohol. I remained quietly observing to see where James was going with this line of conversation. James took a long drink, and then cleared his throat while carefully setting his glass on the coaster on the glass-topped table between us.

The thought flickered across my brain that he could be nervous, but I
blew it off as quickly as it surfaced. I couldn’t think of a reason why I’d cause a man of his business stature to be nervous.

Then those black eyes pinned me again.
“Before we come to any agreements, I should tell you that I felt a strong attraction for you when we first met at your brother’s house a few weeks ago. This was before I realized you were with Luke Drake.”

‘
Well, okay then, so much for James being nervous,’
I felt my eyes widening inadvertently at his direct candor,
‘but now I am!’

I
glanced towards the kitchen. Mr. Barkley was at the sink filling a pan with water and I was sure he didn’t overhear this declaration. Catching my look, James gave his first broad smile of the night.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you, but it needed to be put on the table since I am sure you’ve suspected
. Am I right?” He asked, and now the dark inscrutable eyes were warm with amusement.

Shrugging a shoulder, I answered,
“Actually, I didn’t give it a thought one way or another, but thanks for the honesty.” I did have a thought now and smiled in relief. “Talking of instincts, I bet your attraction was just due to your sensitivity. It was your body’s chemical reaction in response to all these damn pheromones flying around everywhere lately. They’re worse than mosquitoes. Believe me, they’ve been doing crazy things to everyone, so don’t worry even a microsecond that I’ll take you seriously.”

James laughed softly and sat back, crossing a leg over a knee. In some men, sitting this way looks effeminate. James Byrd could probably wear pink ruffles and a hat with flowers and still look nothing but masculine.

He waved a nonchalant hand and a heavy silver ring caught the light from a nearby lamp and glimmered.
“You’re probably right. Anyway, this….chemical reaction and my instincts had me investigate Luke Drake. This may sound strange, but it’s what I do and second nature to me.”

This statement grabbed my startled attention from his jewelry and I
exclaimed, “It does sound strange! Geez, are you a stalker or what?” My eyes narrowed. “Investigate how?”

He
answered me literally, never showing a crack in his calm demeanor. “No, I’m not a stalker, just very careful and very rich because I follow my instincts. I conducted a general background check, but predominantly focused on Luke Drake’s financials.”

“Huh.” Tilting my head, I wondered how I ever imagined him nervous. James was totally at ease across from me while he patiently waited for my response to his invasion of Luke’s privacy.

Maybe he could read thoughts, too, because James then stated, “It’s
primarily a matter of public record, Anabel, if you know how to do the research.”

There was silence in the kitchen and I knew Mr. Barkley was
now listening to our exchange. My shiny new love for Luke begged me to tell James to take a hike. If I wanted to know the dirt on my boyfriend, I would have grabbed a shovel long ago and dug it up myself.

After I first met Luke and satisfied my basic need-to-knows, I made the conscious
decision that he could tell me all his truths in his own time and in his own way. Beyond immediately experiencing the intense lust I felt for the man, I sensed on some deeper level that Luke’s a driving force to be reckoned with and I responded accordingly. It’s not like I call him my Dark Prince only because of his black hair and all that bronzed skin covering those big yummy muscles. The man’s got issues. Luke’s full of darkness, swirling and seething below the surface of that iron control. He’s manipulative, secretive, and tricky. These are three talents I highly admire and enjoy, although preferably not used against me. As our relationship grows stronger and more intense, I wish for Luke to trust in me and want to voluntarily share his life with me.

Yes, I’m back to that whole partner
ship thing again. You couldn’t blame me for thinking declaring our love was a pretty news-worthy event towards that goal, but what I’ve since learned leads me to suspect otherwise. My Dark Prince and I are not on the same page when it comes to trust, sharing, and partnerships.

Choosing not to poke in Luke’s business is one thing, but deliberately choosing to ignore information presented to me on a
silver platter would be stupid.

“Obviously your instincts found something
, James, and you feel the need to tell me.”

“
Yes, I do. It became more important once I understood your personal financial situation.” His face wore a determined expression, and I thought of Jazy’s story about how James uses his financial talents to help women. “It’s also in the interest of full disclosure. I don’t want to start off a business partnership with secrets between us.”

“
Okay. Very admirable,” I replied neutrally. James seems sincere in wanting to warn me, and I needed to hear whatever he has to report, but I don’t think either of us was particularly enjoying ourselves. I know I wasn’t. “Please, don’t keep me in suspense a moment longer.”

“Luke is over
-extended. For the past few years, he has purchased farms and land outside the Faribault area under various investment company names. Nothing is illegal, since technically the companies all exist and are legitimate.” He added without any dramatics, “Simply put, on paper he’s wealthy. In reality, he’s broke.”

Letting
James’ statement sink in for a moment, I then asked curiously, “Are these properties around his great uncle’s in the Lake Roberds area?”

James answered readily, “T
hat was my first thought. Further investigation proved the sales are all concentrated in sections further south between Faribault and Owatonna. They’re miles away from his inherited acreage.” He reached for a stack of papers from his briefcase. “Luke took a three hundred thousand dollar mortgage out on the Drake farm property. Aside from improvements to the property, he’s used significant amounts of this money for capital injections into two local Owatonna businesses.”

I’ve never heard Luke mention
Owatonna, another old river town from the 1850’s and slightly bigger than Northfield. Owatonna’s located about thirty-five miles south from here, and twenty miles south from Luke’s farm. The Medford Outlet Mall is nearby, but I don’t think those designer shops are locally owned, nor could I imagine Luke choosing to invest in a clothing retail store.

Curious
er and curiouser.

Cautiously wording my question, I asked,
“Capital injections? Does this mean an investment with no guarantees of making any profits or does Luke get something out of the deal?”

“
Again on paper, his cash is giving him equity stakes in the businesses.” James hitched one wide shoulder and shrugged, keeping to the facts. “But essentially the equity, or part ownership, is worthless to Luke if the businesses continue to perform as poorly in the future as their past records indicate. My research shows no change in management since the influx of Luke’s cash, but I didn’t investigate beyond that. One business is a used car dealership and the other is a travel agency.” He tapped a paper on top of the pile with his finger. “In addition to these investments, the remaining balance in Luke’s bank account has been systematically reduced since last April. He withdraws cash every other Friday in increments of four thousand dollars.”

I met James’
dark eyes after this statement. Personal bank account access definitely doesn’t fit under my understanding of a background search using “primarily public records”.

His bland
gaze in return did not blink, as he continued, “I don’t know what Luke is using the four grand for every other week, but it’s not spending money. His personal expenses are accounted for and stay roughly the same from month to month.”

I didn’t say anything
more, but sat staring down at my hands resting on my knees. Mr. Barkley came into the sitting area, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

His
voice was troubled. “James, is it your opinion Luke Drake has been courting Anabel because she’s an extremely wealthy young woman? If this is the direction your thoughts are taking, I think you should know this isn’t common knowledge.”

James
shook his head and replied, “I’m only reporting facts, Charles, not interpreting the data. However, we both know that while Anabel lives rather frugally, it would not be difficult for an interested party to extrapolate. A little investigating and it would soon be apparent she’s not only single and runs a viable business, but also has significant cash assets.” He shrugged dismissively. “Personally, I have no opinion whether or not Luke is the type of man to prey on a woman for her money. There’s nothing I’ve uncovered in his past records to indicate he has, insofar as previous marriages, criminal records, lawsuits, or known addictions like drugs or gambling. In fact, there’s not much data available on his personal life at all. I understand he’s had an Army career until recently. The company he co-owns is healthy, but from the results of my investigation, Luke appears to be living on the edge of personal bankruptcy.”

I glanced up
from my thoughts when James said my name. His eyes were shrewd, but his voice was kind.

“
Anabel, maybe you already know why Luke Drake is flat broke from buying up farms and making ill-advised capital investments, but you seemed surprised. Whatever his reasons, the facts remain they’re not sound investments in the current economy at the prices he paid. You are a woman with money, and regardless if we work together, I am telling you these facts only as a precautionary measure. Forewarned is forearmed.”

I have no idea what Mr. Tricky is up to, or why he’d make
consistent unsound investments. I can’t believe he would, so there must be some method to his madness.

Thinking it over briefly, I believe
James has been fair and forthright in his deliverance of the facts, which was a hell of a lot more than I could say for my boyfriend. Had James tried to tell me Luke is out to marry me for my money, I would have ripped into him, but he hasn’t.