The Irresistible Bundle (143 page)

"Give me a few minutes" he slurs. A swarm of butterflies flutter throughout my entire body as I watch him instantly pass out. My pussy complains but my heart and brain are so elated, so satisfied that my sexual needs are insignificant. I cuddle up to Diego treasuring him and this moment.
Tesoro.
The pieces finally click together. It's more than an endearment. It's more than a feeling. What Diego and I have is priceless, worth cherishing.

"I love you too" I confess to his soft even breaths. I close my eyes finally accepting us. He's proven that he can give and receive. I've proven that I can too. I need a strong man but one that also recognizes when it's time to lead and when it's time to follow.

"Love you" he mumbles pulling me close. I melt into him knowing that Diego is that man.

GOING UNDER

~ DIEGO ~

My stomach churns recalling the last time one of the guys summoned me to a meeting. Flashbacks of Pete kicking a barely conscious Carina assaults me as I drive to the estate. My hands shake making me grip the steering wheel harder. Everyone was affected by her assault. There isn't a single person from our intimate group that didn't experience a ripple effect from the attack and aftermath. Desirae and I were probably the most severely impacted although Jaxon, Marco, and Valentino might beg to differ. Regardless, we've all gotten closer, stronger because of it.

Hedonism
looms ahead of me. Normally the palatial estate and manicured grounds warms me. It isn't so much a foreboding feeling but just hesitation on my part. Carina's irritated as hell that I've checked in on her several times since Valentino and Nicholas called this little rendezvous. My only consolation is that Jaxon and Marco are hanging out with the girls at their apartment. Despite everything that's happened in this last year I fucking love that Carina has an apartment with Andrea, Sati, and Desirae. The girls watch out for each other. Add in Jaxon and no one gets in or out of their building without plenty of eyes, ears, and muscle.

"Good afternoon Mr. Lobos!" A tiny blonde with overly perky tits greets me at the door.

"I've told you to call me Diego" I insist for like the umpteenth time. The staff treats me like royalty when I don't deserve it in the least. I don't contribute monetarily or through sweat equity. It's a hard pill to swallow sometimes, like today.

"Of course" she agrees without doing as I request. It took me a few visits to catch on. They always say whatever necessary to placate me but ultimately still formally addressing me. No wonder Nicholas has an extensive waiting list and stringent vetting process for members.

Perky Tits escorts me to Nicholas' office. The moment Desirae became mine, the staff backed off from their outrageous flirting. It's not so much that I miss it but to see the power she wields under this roof is pretty fucking intoxicating.

Nicholas and Valentino sit huddled over a stack of papers in the corner of the spacious office. They mutter and curse making me chuckle. It's rare to see this duo flustered. They must be working on some serious shit. "You summoned milord" I bow my head making Nicholas shake his head and roll his eyes in irritation.

"Marco says you were calling every 10 minutes until Desirae cussed you out." Valentino smirks. His eyes shine with approval although his voice mercilessly teases me.

"Yep" I don't even bother denying it. "The last time I was summoned to a meeting..." my voice trails off. Valentino's dark expression says enough. Nicholas nods but doesn't say anything. The silence of the room is neither comforting nor deafening. It just is. I'm grateful everyday that Carina found and befriended this group of extraordinary men. Okay, maybe she did more than become friends but that's beside the point.

"I didn't want the girls here for a reason" Nicholas begins. He points to the pile of papers drawing my attention to two familiar faces. The bastards from Desirae's past impassively stare at us from the pictures. It's obvious their pictures have been taken without their consent; simple candid shots throughout all hours of the day and night.

Valentino hands me two files, one labeled MCNAMARA and the other labeled PEARCE. Each folder is organized in the same fashion. They have background information, criminal and credit histories, real estate deeds, and financial portfolios. The folders are thick bulging with years of information. Nicholas and Valentino remain silent as I read through each scrap of paper, memorizing every bit of information I can regarding these motherfuckers.

"Have you noticed that she never says or addresses them by their first names?" Nicholas observes. I look up but he's directing the question to Valentino.

"Almost like if they even suspect she's disrespecting them in private or with an audience that there will be consequences." Valentino taps his pen against the table seeming a thousand miles away. I've only seen Des interact with these assholes once and she passed out the moment we were safe in the car. It was like it'd taken everything she had to appear indifferent while in their presence.

"What is all this?" I motion to the folders of information, pictures, and handwritten notes littering the table. "I mean I know what it is but why are you gathering information?"

We know the fuckers are after Desirae. They've made no pretense about it. All we have to do is get her through these next few years and she'll forever be rid of her worthless parents. There's still a lot of shit she hasn't told me and the little bit I do know is beyond fucked up. I've known friends and classmates who have lost parents to death, have drunks as parents, and even foster parents who only see their foster child as a steady source of income.

"We're trying to see if there's any proof that these bastards are doing the same thing to another minor." Valentino snarls. His balled fists tremble with quiet rage. My heart slams into my chest.

"
Both
of them were doing this to her when she was in high school?" I croak. I knew about Pearce but this McNamara bastard is a whole 'nother story. The fucker looks lethal. Is he the reason why Desirae prefers to delve in dark and dangerous territories?

"The Philippe family accumulated a tremendous amount of wealth and status during Desirae's teenage years. It can't be a coincidence but the conniving bastards are slick." Nicholas pushes several documents away in disgust. "We need to get a hold of that trust document and dissect it."

"What are you hoping for?" I'm not sure why they keep pushing for it. If Des can't touch it until she's 25 that can feel like a century away when someone has you by the throat. 25 means she'll have attained her Bachelor's Degree with the possibility of pursuing her Master's.

"Desirae has a vested interest in the estate. She doesn't need to ask her family for shit. Her tuition's covered and she has steady income, but she has every right to that trust and I'll be damned if her Father holds that over her." Valentino stares at the wall. He and Nicholas are determined to keep Desirae from her family's evil grasp.

"Did you get a hold of Jeremy?" Valentino asks Nicholas. I hate being half-informed of everything.

"And who's that?"

"The attorney who represented Desirae regarding Chelsea's assault" Nicholas replies.

"Jaxon's uncle" Valentino adds. I scrunch my brows wondering how the Dean could also be her attorney. "Not Dean Richards" Valentino answers my unspoken question.

"Okay" I slowly reply. Call me slow but I'm still confused as to why Nicholas called this meeting. "So you two hired a private investigator to see if you could uncover dirt from those fuckers. You've hired Jaxon's uncle the attorney to request and review the trust document. What else?"

"We want another set of eyes looking over everything in case we've missed something."

"Like a pattern?" I interject. Nicholas and Valentino are fucking sharp. They don't need me triple checking what they've already done.

Valentino shrugs. There's no need to bullshit me. I accept that they're freely bringing me into this. There's really no need for me to be involved. "We wanted you to know as much as possible."

I swallow trying to loosen the knot in my throat. It means a lot that they're bringing me into this. We spend the next two hours going line-by-line, page-by-page over every document.

I rub my eyes as Nicholas' office door slowly opens. Several carts roll in with staff members. They park the carts by the other table without saying a word. Nicholas nods at them silently thanking and dismissing them in one motion. Leticia comes in minutes later with a man I've never seen before.

"You flirt anymore with him and I'm going to have to tell on you" Valentino teases her.

Leticia rolls her eyes. She nudges the man before heading back to the door. "Jaxon doesn't need to worry about anything."

"I don't know" the man's eyes light up. "I might have to give my nephew a run for his money. I didn't realize the kind of beauties he's so fondly befriended."

"One of those beauties is mine" Valentino narrows his eyes at the man who I'm now realizing is the attorney. Jeremy Wright was it?

"Two of those beauties are mine" I interject. I don't care that Valentino and I are talking about one of the same beauties but I will always claim and protect my sister.

"Nicholas, are you claiming one too" Jeremy drawls. He looks sharp in his designer suit.

"I can" he shrugs. "But it isn't a relationship like these two have" he motions to Valentino and Leticia. It stings a little but it's true. Desirae and I need to get our shit together. I'm tired of sitting on the fence waiting for her to decide if and when she's ready to get serious.

"Well, I'll let you boys get to it" Leticia waves goodbye before quietly exiting the room. Nicholas stands up from the mountain of paperwork, shakes Jeremy's hand, then walks over to the corner of the room with the food and drinks. He efficiently arranges the four spots with a placemat, plates of food, and drinks. It only takes us a second to catch on. We gladly amble over to the table. The room remains silent as we eat. There's no need for idle chatter. The girls master small talk but it's not necessary with us.

Only once the meal is over and everything is cleared does Nicholas return back to business mode. He brings Jeremy up-to-date regarding the investigation. Just like the three of us he scours over the paperwork. His notes are different than Nicholas and Valentino's written observations. He looks through everything through the lens of an attorney. I can't feel the least bit resentful about it. Whatever it takes to help free Desirae from the shackles of her past.

Jeremy hands over a copy of the trust to each of us. I swear the thing is like 100 pages long. There are notes throughout the pages, highlighted portions, and an outline of talking points. I'm impressed. The man is thorough, organized, and professional.

"The trust does stipulate that Ms. Philippe has full control and access to it upon her 25
th
birthday" Jeremy begins. He points to a heavily highlighted section with a few notes to the side. "But it gets a little interesting" he seems a little too eager as he flips toward the middle of the countless pages. Unlike ours, his copy has colorful tabs sticking out of certain sections. "The trust goes on to stipulate that if her parents are unable to pay for her continuing education including housing, books, and meals..."

Nicholas and Valentino lean forward. They've got shit eating grins plastered all over their faces. I scrunch my brows realizing I'm a little behind the program. I know they mentioned details about Desirae negotiating a contract between her and the estate. Still I thought her parents were paying her tuition. The university does whatever Mr. Philippe demands since he "so generously" donates to their causes.

"All she has to do is make the estate attorney aware that her family did not pay for her tuition and anything related. Once they confirm, she can have access to her trust for that specified amount of money."

"Does she have to provide the estate with an invoice and proof of it being paid from the trust?" Nicholas asks.

"According to this document all she needs to provide proof of is her need and that her family isn't covering those expenses. Now, this doesn't apply if she wants to purchase a new car or travel the world but if she decides to purchase a house close to the university it's permissible. If she wants to purchase a laptop or pay sorority dues, it's allowable under the trust."

"So I can still cover those things we agreed upon but she can pull the funds from her trust and place it into an account or invest it" Nicholas clarifies just to make sure. Their wheels are all spinning making me feel a little left out.

"Does it put a price limit on the house she can buy?" I ask just to feel important. Wouldn't it be fucking awesome if she bought a place big enough for all of us? I'm sure dad would be okay with renting our place to other students just so Carina and I could live under the same roof again.

"Nope" Jeremy smirks knowing where I'm going with this. "Just so long as it's within the specified distance of the university she's attending."

"And does she have to sell it immediately upon graduating in order to pay back the trust since she won't be of age?" Valentino inquires.

Jeremy opens to another colorfully highlighted section with massive notes. "I've had a real estate attorney review this section...."

"Damn how much is this going to cost y'all" I mutter. Jeremy sighs while Valentino smirks in agreement.

"Do you want her safe from them" Nicholas' cold voice saps any remaining sarcasm from me.

"Yes sir" I firmly reply. Time to keep my mouth shut and listen.

"There is no housing limitation in terms of price, size, or number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Technically she could purchase a mansion and as long as it was close to the university and she lived in it the trust would pay for it and all related expenses like taxes, insurance, and maintenance."

"Would the house be in the name of the trust?" Nicholas asks showing he's all business.

"Yes" Jeremy points to a particular section. "But once she turns 25 she can change the deed of the house to her name or even sell it and keep all the profit. If she sells it before her 25
th
birthday she's required to pay back the trust."