Page 19 of His Undercover Wolf

Otsana

I was telling Xavier moreabout myself than I’d told anyone, including Nick. It was one of the things he’d constantly complained about—that he knew nothing about me or my work. He refused to understand that the names of corporations and people I was investigating were confidential and not for public knowledge.

I’d met Nick when his father’s pack— Varulvstjärnor, which had its origins in Sweden, had invited some of the senior members of our pack for a relaxed barbeque. We had immediately hit it off and four months later, Nick had moved into my home. It was the biggest mistake I’d ever made.

I’d heard from Zarina, who was nosy as well as being a drama queen, that the wolf I’d caught him with had moved on after finding Nick kissing another member of their pack. It had been a narrow escape for both of us. The man didn’t have a clue how to be faithful and I hoped one day he’d get his comeuppance.

Thinking back, Nick had always been disrespectful about everything I engaged in, but especially my job. He only seemed happy when he was the focus of attention. Even though a part of me had hoped for marriage, another part had been warning me things didn’t feel quite right. I’d chosen to ignore the latter but I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. When warning flags were raised about a man I was with following our split, I walked away.

“What encouraged you to form Worlds Apart?” I asked, returning to the present.

Xavier waited while the server placed Scandinavian steak with baby potatoes and asparagus in front of him and chicken with marsala risotto before me.

I cut a small piece from the delicious smelling chicken and scooped up some of the risotto before popping it into my mouth. The white meat, so tender it melted in my mouth was complimented with a burst of marsala flavor that permeated the risotto and I moaned silently.

I swallowed and when my eyes met Xavier’s, he had a grin on his face. If the moans are any indication, I gather you enjoyed that bite of food.”

I slapped a hand across my mouth for a second before returning it to the table. My face heated with embarrassment. “Fuck. I thought that was in my head.” I indicated the plate with my fork. “This is so good.”

“Jared always was a good cook. We…Cillian and I, would use any excuse to hang out at his house. He’d always make us a meal and it was usually the best we ate until the next visit. His mother encouraged him, and his parents paid for culinary school. They also gave him the money to put a deposit on this place. He and Penny had been sweet on each other since the second grade and their bond, and love for each other, grew stronger over the years so it was pretty much a given that they would marry.”

“Not many long-lasting relationships like that these days.”

“No, there aren’t. Penny is a wonderful pastry chef in her own right, so they work together very well. They now own sixteen restaurants throughout the state which they visit every couple of months. They have excellent managers who are paid twenty-five percent of all profits their places make over and above a generous salary.”

“They have a vested interest in keeping the restaurants successful.”

“Exactly. It’s a rather unusual arrangement as most business owners like to make as much profit as possible for themselves. Jared and Penny are millionaires many times over and their generosity has afforded them loyalty.”

Xavier’s voice became quiet and I suspected he was troubled to know someone he trusted and believed loyal, was actually betraying him.

Reaching out, I placed a hand over his where it rested on the table. “We’ll find who is causing your pain. I know firsthand how it hurts to be betrayed by someone you care about.”

Xavier nodded and I pulled my hand back. We both finished eating, me keeping the moans of delight firmly ensconced in my head.

“To answer your earlier question, Worlds Apart kind of happened by accident. My interest is in gadgets that make life a little easier for the disabled community. Indigo, our first product, was costing more to release than I envisaged, and I was determined not to ask my parents for help in the form of money. Mind you, they would have been more than willing to help, but I was determined to do things on my own. Cillian suggested we incorporate and encourage investment by offering a limited number of shares. Where I have the brain for gadgets, Cillian has an exceptional business brain. The investment we raised was enough to release Indigo which broke sales records all over the world. Cillian and I became instant billionaires, and the rest is history.”

“Are you able to tell me about Panda?”

Xavier inclined his head and studied me for a moment. When he smiled, a dimple punctuated his left cheek. “I think I can trust you. Panda is basically a cell phone with a raised keyboard. It has both etched numbers and braille on the keys to enable those who are blind, or with limited vision, to have the experience of making a phone call or to send a text message like the rest of us. They will still have voice activation but will give the blind options. We have almost three hundred and two million pre-ordered worldwide.”

I pushed my empty plate aside. “Wow! What total sales are you expecting?”

“Most likely in the vicinity of seven or eight hundred million.”

“Fuck…I had no idea sales numbers like that even existed.”

“Our other new release products have sold in similar numbers and our electronics lines sell in the thousands every day.”

“I noted in the file that you give quite large amounts to charities but there is no record of you attending their galas.”

Xavier shook his head. “That’s Cillian’s job. I don’t like the attention.”

Well, Xavier was certainly the opposite of Nick would do anything to take center stage in the limelight. “What does a man who has everything, including a mansion, spend his money on?”

“Mansion? I don’t have a mansion. I have a cottage that was built in 1860 over in Fritton. It was barely standing when I bought it sixteen years ago but the location was ideal and the frame was solid. I hired a company to restore it to original and the interior and furnishings are true to the period. My only indulgences are my classicChevyand aHarleymotorcycle.”

“Ah, now the interest in Zarina’sPorschemakes sense and the comment earlier about you doing your own cooking.”

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