Page 31 of Merging with the Billionaire

“What…what are you doing?” Tiffany stammered out with surprise as she looked up into his eyes.

“I can’t let you escape without tasting those perfect lips,” he whispered, claiming her mouth with his own.

Tiffany was stiff at first, probably frightened by where they were, but within a couple of seconds, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned into his embrace, letting her own lips move with desire against his.

“You have to be kidding me,” Roger’s angry voice boomed right beside them.

Tiffany jerked back, her startled wide eyes darting between Roger and Conrad. A flush crept across her cheeks as her chin dipped down with embarrassment.

“I thought I told you not to go down this road, Tiffany. I understand you had to finish working with him, and you might have even felt bad for him, which is why you invited him to church, but to get romantically entangled with him is sheer stupidity. Why aren’t you listening to me when it comes to Conrad?” her brother asked in disapproval.

“What we do, or don’t do, is none of your concern,” Conrad growled out, not liking how Roger thought he had a right to interfere in their relationship. When was the man going to finally stop acting like he was better than Conrad, like he wasn’t good enough to date his sister?

“You’re wrong about that. She’s my little sister, which means everything she does concerns me.”

“She’s a grown woman and can take care of herself.”

“She needs protecting from the likes of you,” Roger countered.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I care for Tiffany, very much.”

“I highly doubt it. You’re just using her to get at me. I have a good mind to go get security and have you escorted from the area,” Roger threatened.

“What, too afraid to do it yourself? Why am I not surprised? Sounds like the same old Roger Boswell, letting everyone else do his dirty work,” Conrad spat out scornfully.

Roger moved towards Conrad, a menacing glare in his eyes. Conrad readied himself for a fight, balling his fists up at his side. He half-hoped Roger would be rash enough to swing at him. Little did Roger know, he had been on the wrestling team in high school and had been so good he took the Florida State championship, and nearly the national one with it. He would mop the floor with Roger if he dared to make this confrontation physical.

Tiffany stepped in between them, placing her hands against both their chests. “Stop this right now,” she barked out at both of them. “This is ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous is you thinking being involved with Conrad Gaines is a smart idea,” Roger retorted. “I demand you break it off with him right now. The merger of his solar tech into the company is done, there’s no need for you two to see each other anymore.”

“You’re wrong, I care about Conrad. You need to accept that, and if you can’t, then we won’t have anything but a professional relationship, Roger.”

“You don’t mean that, Tiffany. I’m your brother. You can’t cut me out of your life, not overhim.”

“It’s not up to me; how you decide to proceed will determine what type of relationship we have going forward,” Tiffany warned.

“I just want—”

Before Roger could finish, Celeste came up with a worried look on her face. She didn’t even comment on what she interrupted, but instead, asked, “Have any of you seen Marcus? I’ve been looking for him for several minutes and don’t know where he is. I thought he was playing with a group of boys on the field nearby, but when they came back to grab some food, he wasn’t with them.”

The color drained from Roger’s face as a look of fear seized his face. “Where is he, Celeste?”

“I…I don’t know,” she cried out. “I’ve been looking everywhere, even asked several of the other company employees to help me look. I can’t find him anywhere.”

“We can help look,” Conrad quickly volunteered, worried about the little guy. Even if he wasn’t getting along with the boy’s father, the least he could do was help look for a missing child.

“What if someone took him? Doesn’t that happen with rich people, for ransoms?” Celeste inquired. “Shouldn’t we call the police?”

Roger nodded, pulling out his cell phone. “I’m dialing 9-1-1 right now.”

“How long has it exactly been since you last saw him, Celeste?” Tiffany asked, wanting to know the facts before they involved the police if Marcus simply curled up and took a nap somewhere.

“At least twenty minutes. The nanny is rather new, and I thought she was doing a good job, but between being busy with the employees and making sure the picnic was successful, I didn’t watch Marcus as close as I normally would have,” Celeste prattled. “If anything happens to him, I’ll never forgive myself.” Tears starting streaming down Celeste’s cheeks, her face bright red and her body shaking from the hysteria that was taking hold of her.

As Conrad looked around the area, he wondered how they would ever find such a small child in such a thickly populated area. If he knew one thing, they were going to need help. Though prayer was new to him, it was all he could think of doing.

God, help us find Marcus. You know where he is and what needs to happen to help us find him.

---