The Billionaire’s Rebellious Lover (The Maxfield Brothers Series Book 2) (2 page)

O
nce Gabe got
the meeting under control, it all went smoothly. Angie was doing well as their new CEO and he certainly didn’t begrudge her success. There was a time when he’d suspected her of sabotage, but that changed and under her guidance, Duncan Enterprises had never been more successful.

Duncan Maxfield had always run Duncan Enterprises with an iron fist, especially after his wife passed away. Both Stephen Maxfield, the eldest son, and Nathan Maxfield, the youngest son, broke away from the family to lead their own lives. When Duncan started showing signs of failing health and began to avoid meetings, Gabe had become concerned. But it wasn’t until their father announced that he would sell off two branches of the company that Gabe called Stephen and Nathan and begged them to come back to help him fight their father to keep the business whole.

Like all the Maxfield men, Gabe had flashing blue eyes and the strong square Maxfield chin. He was handsome, and he never lacked for female company. Sex was all about satisfaction and release so that he could balance the rest of his life. Some women were invited back more than once, but he was careful to maintain distance. After all, the company always came first.

Angie, on the other hand, seemed to have mastered the art of being both CEO and wife. She ran the company with passion and precision. Business and family were both equally important to her, and she was a strong, confident woman who had no problem expressing her wishes in either department. So when she made eye contact with him after the meeting, he had a feeling that she was about to ask him to do something that he wasn’t going to like very much.

He tried to make a quick escape, but she followed him down the corridor, calling after him, “Gabe, can I have a word?”

Hesitating, he unlocked his office door and held it open for her. “What can I do for you?”

“Stephen told me that you are going to handle this whole Daisy thing.”

Gabe raised his eyebrows. “I’ll do my best. It’s not really a big problem, there’s no need for you to worry about it, Angie.”

“I’m not worried for the company, Gabe. I’m worried for Nathan’s sake. Don’t you think that it’s odd that she’s targeting Duncan Enterprises?”

He shrugged. “Not really. If I recall, that’s the reason things didn’t go well for them. He felt like she was only with him so she would be in a better position to attack the company. Obviously, now that they’re not together anymore, she’s following through.”

“And if she’s here to mend her relationship with Nathan?”

Gabe paused. That hadn’t even occurred to him. “Did Nathan say something to make you think that’s what is going on?”

“Gabe, I might be your boss, but I’m still a woman. Daisy would not put herself in front of Nathan like that unless she was hoping to provoke a reaction. A woman fighting for the man she loves should not be thrown in jail. I’d like you to handle this with kid gloves.”

He rolled his eyes. Daisy was already a thorn in his side. Kid gloves were the last thing on his mind. “So now that you and Stephen are madly in love and happily married, you think Nathan should be as well?” he grunted.

“He’s your brother. Don’t you want him to be happy?”

“Nathan was affected during the break-up, but he’s good now. It seems to me that the faster we get this over with, the better.”

Angie snorted. “I know you don’t like to deal with people like Daisy, but we’re talking about your brother’s happiness. The very least you can do is struggle through it for his sake.”

“So what do you want me to do?” he muttered in frustration.

“I told you. I want you to handle her with kid gloves.” She smiled. “I thought the meeting went well, and I liked your input.”

“Great. And if you would leave me alone now, I’ll be happy to share that input with others,” Gabe said as he nodded to the door.

“Okay, I get it. You’re kicking me out. Type up your notes, but remember what I said. Kid gloves. This isn’t as your CEO, Gabe. It’s as your sister-in-law.”

“Out,” Gabe snapped. “Damn it to hell, you’re like a broken record. I got it. Kid gloves.”

She chuckled and quietly shut the door behind her. Gabe focused on his computer screen and tried to find some peace. But his mind was jumbled with everything. Daisy and her protesters. Angie and Stephen. Stephen and Nathan. The sooner he dealt with this Daisy thing, the better off he would be.

Frustrated, he grabbed his cellphone and texted Nathan.

Give me her number. I want this over with now.

Three hours later, Gabe was finally in a groove. He was responding to emails, and tomorrow, he would finally get a coveted meeting with the owner of a beachfront property. And it wouldn’t be on company business.

“Mr. Maxfield?” Gabe frowned. His secretary sounded far more nervous than usual. “Security is here with a Daisy Levine. She swears she has a meeting with you.”

Gabe frowned still more. He had specifically told her that he’d meet with her after business hours. At a coffee shop. What was she doing here now? He almost told Sarah to send her away, but since Daisy was here, he might as well get it over with.

“Send her in, Sarah.”

“With security?” she asked. He could hear the question in her voice. Kid gloves, he reminded himself.

Dammit, Angie! “You can send the security guys away. I don’t think we’ll need them for this meeting.”

Soon the door was flung open, and Daisy walked in with a crooked smile on her face. She looked back over her shoulder to send a smug look at Sarah.

“Shut the door, please,” Gabe said, irritated. He knew from first-hand experience how loud Daisy was, and he didn’t need the whole department to overhear their conversation. As she slammed the door shut, he reached down and pulled out a file. “Next time, I’ll ask you to shut the door quietly.”

Daisy slumped in a chair and stared at the file. “What’s that?”

“This is Daisy Levine,” he said as he tapped on the folders. “Did you think if you got here early, I’d be unprepared? Sorry to disappoint.”

She scowled, and he knew that he was right. “You look like you’re prepared for everything. I bet you were a freaking Boy Scout,” she grumbled.

“I was not. But I am equipped to handle all the issues that my company faces. And Daisy, right now you’re an issue. So let’s handle it.”

She rolled her eyes, and for a moment, he became distracted. She looked completely out of place in his up-scale office. As she slumped in the sumptuous padded leather chair, his eyes lingered over her body hugging jeans and tank top. Going for bravado, she said, “So, tell me all the juicy details. What does that file say about me?”

“Not as much as I would like,” Gabe admitted. “A year ago, you graduated with a master’s in environmental science. You’re a smart woman, Daisy. Which is why I can’t understand why you joined Restore Eden a month ago. Before that, you were acting on your own. Restore Eden is known for their aggressive tactics. Why would you join them?”

Daisy waved her hand in the air. “Our section isn’t like that. We’re all about peaceful protests and media coverage only, anything to raise the profile of our cause. But don’t think that means that our protests won’t disrupt your offices. I won’t stop until we get enough signatures on a petition to get the government involved.”

Gabe leaned back and folded his arms. “Daisy, we don’t do anything illegal here. No matter how many signatures you get, the government can’t step in to do anything because there is nothing to be done. We obtain all the right permits to legally dispose of our waste.”

“Then you won’t mind if I see your company records.”

“All of our permits are available for public viewing at the county record’s office,” Gabe said, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath as he tried to stay patient. Kid gloves, he reminded himself. “That goes for all the cities where we undertake contracts.”

She leaned forward and gave him a coy smile. “And the records that aren’t available to the public? The ones that itemize all your waste? Can I see those files too?”

He had a mind to hand them over to her, but he could picture Angie’s disapproving frown in his mind. She obviously wanted Nathan and Daisy to work things out. If he negotiated his terms with Daisy right, he could get both his peace of mind back and Angie off his case if he helped get Nathan and Daisy back together. Hell, Nathan could certainly use a few turns in the sack to help him loosen up.

“I tell you what,” Gabe said as he shut the file with a snap. “You’re not wrong. Your protests are wrecking my mornings. If you will promise to hold off on your protests, then I’ll give you access to our files. And by files, I only mean the files that pertain to our waste management and energy programs. You won’t be allowed access to our contracts or on-going deals.”

“And I’ll have permission to share those files with the media?” Daisy said quickly.

Gabe nearly choked. Media? He was going to kill Angie. Still, Duncan Enterprises didn’t have anything to hide, and Nathan had been working on the latest drive to make the company greener and more environmentally responsible. Maybe the media attention would be a good thing for the company.

“One month,” he said quietly. “You’ll have access for one month, and you’ll hold off the protests.” Four weeks should give him plenty of time to close the deal he’d been working on, and he’d need as little distraction as possible when he drew up that contract.

“One month,” she said with a smile. “This is going to be fun.”

“I’ll have a contract drawn up that you’ll have to sign. Daisy, the deal is for you. It’s not for your whole group. If any members of Restore Eden show up on this property to disrupt anything, I will call the police and the contract will become null and void. Is that clear?”

She nodded eagerly and tugged on her braid. Gabe felt an immediate reaction as he watched her twirl the thick strands around her fingers. “Four weeks. Only me. Got it.”

“Be back in the morning to sign the agreement,” he said as he pushed down the unaccustomed jolt of lust. He was doing this for Nathan. The sooner Daisy was out of his hair, the better off he, and the company, would be.

As she was about to walk out the door, “And Daisy.” He waited for her to face him before he continued. “Curb the attitude. This is a potential win for both our organizations. There’s no need to be antagonistic.”

He expected a round of insults from her but instead, she gave him a confused look and nodded.

* * *

“
W
e did it
!” she squealed when she got in the car. Daisy was alone, but it didn’t make the announcement any less thrilling. There were several wins today. The first was that Duncan Enterprises agreed to work with her, and by working with her, they would be working with Restore Eden. This would be the first step in proving that Restore Eden had what it took to make a difference.

At least, she wouldn’t have to work with Nathan. She hadn’t seen him since he’d moved back, and she wasn’t sure how he would feel about her working with his family’s company. It was the driving force behind their break-up. Part of her felt a sense of relief, but working with Gabe wasn’t much better. Although she had been involved with Nathan for several years, she spent no time with the rest of the family and what she knew of them came from Nathan and it wasn’t good.

Despite the animosity that existed between father and sons, Gabe remained with Duncan Enterprises unlike Stephen and Nathan, and didn’t balk when Duncan picked Angela Lopez over him for CEO. Daisy couldn’t help but wonder if that would make a difference in the coming month.

Would Gabe really want to help a company that passed him over?

Nathan had pictures of his brothers, but they didn’t do them justice. They had always been attractive. Those flashing blue eyes always took her breath away, but there was something dark and intense about Gabe. Daisy didn’t know if she was attracted to him or terrified of him.

Snagging her phone, she started to call Jordan but then hesitated. She didn’t need to call him every time something happened. This was her gig, he worked for her. When Restore Eden suggested that she have a seasoned activist on her team, Jordan was at the top of their list. She had heard rumors that his tactics often tended toward the guerrilla side but he got results and that’s what she wanted.

She didn’t only want to work for Restore Eden. She wanted to grow a completely new branch that could really change San Francisco, maybe even beyond.

“I could change the world,” she whispered to herself. She had always believed that she could get there, but Jordan wasn’t wrong about her. A year ago, she was radical. Not as radical as Restore Eden, but normally she would be pushing the protest against Duncan Enterprises.

Still, she knew that Gabe would never have extended the invitation to work with them if it wasn’t for Nathan. At least that counted for something.

“Jordan,” she said into the phone. “We’re a go. Not only that, but we have a contract to look through some of the company files. We’re going to make a difference, Jordan. We’re going to do this, and we’re going to do it legally.”