Page 62 of Billionaire Romantic
My to-die-for lover is the evil CFO.
He’sthe one who’s going to ruin me.
Noah Steel is Noah Fucking Maddox.
28
We stand there sort of facingoff, both of us too shocked to speak.
Even though I’m speechless, my brain is still able to replay a series of sex-flashbacks that might make me blush if I wasn’t so pissed off.The hot throb of his spilling cock as he came so hard I was overflowing with it, my body squeezing his in clenching, pleasure-heavy pulls.
It’s hard to reconcile that my beautiful lover is the same man who’s about to ruin my life.
I heard what he was saying as I walked in the door.We’re not fucking budging on fifteen. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that company is worth even close to that much.
He’s wrong.
Itisworth that much. Much more than that. Or itcouldbe if I only had enough time to get it there.
It’s very possible that I’m good enough at my job to do that. Sure, it’s also possible that I’m not. If my decrepit old man Board is any judge, I’m not up to the task. But deep down I know I am.
“Wait a minute.” It’s the brother Cash introduced as Colton. His gaze is on Noah, who’s still staring at me in mute shock andstunned disbelief. Then it slides over to me. “LuckyAshton? The L. of L. Emerson Ashton stands forLucky?”
“Yes,” I confirm.
It doesn’t take a PhD to figure out that Colton is the brother who set Noah up on our blind date. I know the story. And he knows at least half my alias, which might as well be the whole thing. It’s easy to see that Colton understands what’s going on here—and why his brother looks like he’s just seen a ghost.
Noah finally speaks. “Lucky?—”
At exactly the same time, Colton bursts into raucous laughter. “Ho-o-ly shit.”
“What?” Cash asks, still in the dark.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little bit of a snafu with your latest deal, bro.” Colton seems to find this hilarious.
I don’t know if it’s the overload of emotion I’ve experienced over the past 72 hours that’s making me feel madder than hell. I fell in love this weekend, it’s as simple and life-changing as that. To realize that I’ve fallen in love with an asshole sort of breaks my heart in slow motion as I’m standing here glaring at these three ultra-powerful, loaded-beyond-belief, kings-of-New-York brothers who eat people like me for breakfast and spit out their bones without a second thought.
That’swhy they’re at the top of the heap. Because they don’t care about anyone but themselves. Obviously. Because they—and especiallyhim, the CFO with no heart—would like nothing more than to steal my father’s company right out from under me.
I decide in the moment that I’d rather go bankrupt than take their fifteen million of pity money. Actually, it’s not even pity. Just hard-ball greed. They know they’re getting a bargain and they couldn’t care less about how much it’s going to hurt me.
At least with bankruptcy you don’toweanything once you’ve declared it. So what if you can’t borrow, your credit’s shot andbanks won’t even look at you for a decade. The upside is that you don’t have to pay back high-interest loans for years to come. At this point I’ll take it.
Maybe the Irish banks won’t have that information. Maybe they won’t care. I’ll have to renew the old passport my mother had issued for our trip when I was three that I’ve let lapse. I’ll start a new life.
Me and my little blue-eyed baby.
I don’t wait for Colton to explain to Cash what the situation is. “I came here to negotiate.” My voice sounds cold. I’m looking right at Noah when I say it. “Since your CFO has very clearly stated that you’re not willing to budge on fifteen, then there’s nothing to discuss. Because that number doesn’t work for me.” I turn to Cash. “Thank you for your time. There’s no need for me to take any more of it. The deal’s off.”
Before I burst into tears—my new thing that I have no idea how to control—I walk out.
29
Just as Ireach the elevators, I hear footsteps behind me. “Lucky?—”
“Leave me alone.” The elevator doors slide open and I step inside. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Bullshit.” Noah steps in beside me.
