Page 359 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

“You know how Naomi’s always snooping through everything, no matter who it belongs to or how expensive it is?” she returns.

“Yeah,” nod. “So?”

“Well, up until very recently, Ihadn’tdone that in a long time,” she says. “Where do you think Naomi picked it up? Anyway, I didn’t call him. I found his address and went, hoping he still lived there.”

“When did you do all this?” I ask. “We’ve been together pretty much the whole time I’ve been—”

“You’re a heavy sleeper,” she tells me. “So, the security guard wasn’t going to let me through or even get a message to him, but I wasn’t ready to give up, so I climbed the fence.”

I’m not sure I believe any of this, but it’s an interesting story. I ask, “You climbed the fence?”

“Okay, so I didn’t climb the fence so much as I grabbed an empty nearby trash can which thankfully had a sturdy lid, set it around the side of the fence so the security guard wouldn’t see me climbing over and dropped down to the other side,” she tells me.

Okay, now I believe her. The fence around Jacque’s is nine feet high and there’s not a lot to grab onto until the top. Not that I’ve ever tried it personally.

“I think I tripped a motion sensor or something, because that’s when I heard the sound of a lot of dogs in the distance. I tried running for a minute, until I realized they were all Pomeranians. There had to be fifteen or twenty of them and they all just surrounded me. They weren’t really nipping at me—and anyway I was wearing long pants, so it wouldn’t have mattered if they were—but the way they were all crowded around me and jumping up on me, I was afraid to move because I didn’t want to accidentally kick or step on any of them.”

“Behold the brilliant mind behind all of Stingray’s best technology solutions,” I tell her. “He drew up schematics for them before he left the company and I had a few people work on it after he was gone.”

“What?” she asks. “Those weren’t real dogs?”

“It’s hilarious he was using them for security,” I tell her. “No, it was a little, if you’ll excuse the expression, pet project he thought up one day. We offered to market them to the public, but he just wanted ‘an even twenty-three of them.’”

“Well,” she says, “it worked. The security guard heard everything and he didn’t even run on his way over. Apparently, this had happened before. When he walked up, the dogs all moved out of the way—which makes a lot more sense now I know they’re not real. Anyway, Jacque must have overheard all of this, because I could see him looking out the window in my direction. I don’t know why I thought it would work, but I shouted out my name to him and my connection to you and what you did for the company.

“Whoever’s behind the gossip mill at your office is fantastic, by the way. Nolan had just about everything you told me. I didn’t want to say anything, but I thought you should know in case you start hearing stories about me on drugs or trying to beat up the former co-chair of your lost company or however they’ll spin it if they get ahold of it. I was really only shouting up to him because nobody had been able to get through. I’m surprised that lawyer of yours didn’t try something like that. He didn’t shout back or come down or anything. So, there’s my damage control out of the way for the evening.”

“When was this?” I ask, baffled.

“The first night I was back here,” Grace says. “I waited until I knew you were asleep, because I knew you’d tell me not to do it. I would have told you sooner, but it did take you awhile to finally tell me yourself that you gave up the company, so I think fair’s fair,” She straightens my tie. “We should probably get out there, though,” she tells me. “Our guests should be arriving soon.”

Grace gives herself a conservative spritz of perfume and we come out of the bathroom.

We’re coming out into the front room and it looks like the first cars are starting to pull into the driveway through the open front gate. Grace and I position ourselves appropriately off to one side of the entryway to properly greet our guests.

Verne is always the first to arrive anywhere, because he likes to get started on the booze early. I shake his hand and smile as he comes in and I introduce him to Grace. Next is Geraldine, then it’s Mason, then it’s Iman, then Howard, then Nancy, then Bertrand and last, as always to show up is Daniel Reeves.

I’m gracious, even kind to all of them as they arrive and Grace is nothing but charm as she meets the people I’ve been complaining about so long.

We chat for a while over cocktails, but when Yako says dinner is ready, she won’t wait longer than two minutes to serve before she throws everything out and starts again. The most skilled people in any profession, I’ve found, are always a little crazy.

When we’re all seated, Yako whispers in my ear that we’re under two minutes, but if I want her to come back, I should more properly prepare my guests. I nod and try not to laugh.

The food is in front of us within ten seconds.

“Well, good evening everyone,” I say. “Welcome, and I hope we can all have a pleasant evening.”

I feel like a moron talking to these people this way, but there’s no need for nastiness.

“I’m sure the board joins me in my appreciation for inviting us to your home,” Reeves says. “I hope there aren’t any hard feelings.”

“Of course not,” I tell him. “Well, I’m sure there are plenty on all sides, but we don’t have to make this dinner all about work.”

“I think that sounds lovely,” Reeves says.

This is going to be the worst part of the evening, but one of the most necessary. The people sitting around this table, Grace excluded, are the most vengeful, conniving group I’ve had the misfortune to know up close.

What’s more, they’re not stupid. Not one of them is sitting comfortably in their chairs, yet everyone’s smiling. They all know something’s coming. What happens now is Grace and I try to divert them with kindness and hope it doesn’t come off like the charade it is.

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