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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
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The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Natalie's POVThat smell of garlic-laden roast chicken filled the air of the dimly lit dining room and was reassuring. I sat just across the table; Brandon was deep into food. All his attention was on the plate as he put labor into cutting the steak. Weak candlelight fell luxuriously on his face, and shadows leaped at his face, making him sadder than usual.I spun my fork around absentmindedly. I wasn't all that hungry for the really good dinner we were having. It had turned into one of those very long days with all the ordinary stress of operating a restaurant, and now, sitting here with Brandon, I can't help but reflect upon how everything had shifted so dramatically in what has to count as hardly any time at all. We had been getting into some kind of rhythm, but so much was still unsaid between us—especially with everything that happened with Arlys.Brandon's cell phone. He looked at the screen to see who it was calling from before answering. "Anthony," he said into his phone, lea
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Brandon's POVI stomped off the terminal and glanced over at the chair next to me. Natalie had clammed up. She would be there, fists tight with hands, all balled up in fists, with me. At least on her face, observably there was some bravado; it was there in those features that one could read restlessness. Reaching over, I grabbed one of the tightly bunched fists and squeezed it."Just a few days," I murmured and continued as if to reassure her—but most definitely myself, "I will be back before you even know it."She just nodded at that and didn't turn her eyes away from the jet outside. "I know," she whispered in return, and I felt worry almost oozing out of her voice. "I just wish things were different."I huffed and let myself fall back into the seat, my gaze out the window to where the super-sleek jet was about to whisk me away from her. "Yeah, I do too," I said truthfully. "But we'll make it through, Natalie. We've gone through worse, right."She turned then, and her eyes met mine,
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FOURTY
Anthony and I sat in his office as we went through all the details of the issues that were dragging the company. I read each document carefully to be able to provide a solution for each one even though it was proving difficult. I replied to his problem, now that he had just laid it all out: "We have to regroup. We have to put the team back on the rail. We have to restore confidence among both the internal and external. So what do we have in terms of a strategy?"Anthony nodded and at once his brain was churning with solutions, "Well, a few things came up that I had to sort out, but I really just wanted to wait until you arrived to make any final decisions. I felt that we needed to present a unified front for this.".I replied, "Right. The starting point begins with the people. We have to build ourselves so that everyone is in the right place. We can be able to faith and assure them, so they will then follow."Leaning back, Anthony mused with a nod, almost to himself, "That's it. We
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FOURTY-ONE
BRANDON’S POVReaching out to my phone to check for messages, there was only one from Natalie just before she went to bed: "Thinking of you, can't wait for you to come home. Stay safe.".I smiled at two of those words and felt myself grow warm in my chest. That's just what I needed that morning. I replied fast telling her that I was thinking of her too, that I was about to call her in a minute.I had taken my quick shower and headed running into the kitchen, where Anthony always had a mug of his supercharged coffee waiting for me. He warmed up a pot long before I hit the office, going over some last-minute details with the team. Walking in, Anthony looked up and then gave me the nod."Morning." He handed over a fresh cup of coffee. "Ready for round two?""You bet," I said awkwardly, reaching for the offered coffee. "Chomping at the bit, ready and raring to go. Let's get 'er done."The first few hours consisted of a walk through each department, meeting staff, overviewing the strategy,
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FOURTY-TWO
NATALIE'S POV.It made a lot of difference, his being cool-headed at that moment when we went into the airport to see off Brandon. My thoughts were furtively going back to his face, all wrinkled in worry while he was leaving, and thought clung to how long he thought this time would last. It was heart-wrenching, soul-crushing hollow agony at the pit of the stomach. But deep down, I knew it had to be done for our sake.I walked into the living room to meet Rebecca. Sprawled out, like it was an everyday thing for her to be doing so, she seemed to sit in some other way that which was upright and classy at the same time. Her eyes rose from the book they had trailed into, then she let fly her warm smile in my direction."Natalie honey," she said, standing and coming over to me. "Glad to see you.""Rebecca, I had not anticipated your coming," embracing her back, and though this was quite a formal relationship, there was something about her that made one feel comfortable.She said to me, pull
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FOURTY-THREE
BRANDON’S POV Anthony came striding in, grinning from one side of his face to the other. "Guess what, mate? We're done here! Time to celebrate.""Done?" I picked up his head, half amused and obviously tired. "More like need twelve hours of sleep.""You can catch up on sleep when we're dead. You've been in this office for days on end; enough's enough. This evening, we hit the town, have a few drinks, and generally let off steam. And I really will not hear no for an answer."I learned one thing at least - arguing with one of Edward's moods never paid. I had a barge-pole mentality, and it was best not to struggle after he had set his eyes on something. Besides, really, at that moment, a lot of drinks did not sound like a bad idea. "Fine, lots of drinks. But not getting crazy."Anthony grinned wickedly. True that "'Wouldn't dream of it, mate.".An hour later, having circled the town, they sat in the corner of one of its countless bars—this one, at any rate, being the one that they mostly
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Mostly left to his own devices, I turned back to his drink. Now, the amber liquor swirled. It hadn't been until now, the alcohol actually hitting him, that thoughts traveled at light speed to becoming sowed. Freshly turned earth. Planted. Placed for and meant to be harvested, I was getting that weird excitement and dread mix. Finally allowing himself to think of Natalie. But at least he was relieved; at least his feelings toward her were not so terribly horrible, not what they could be.Once more, he sipped from the glass and felt the warmth draining into his gut. Although it did little to assuage the rising lightheaded feel, it was already starting to go to his head; he realized he might have overdone it. I should go, he managed to mumble to himself, fumbling to find his way upright.But in the effort to rise, the world would pretty nearly go mad—tilting fiendishly—one way and another…eddy back to the bar on the sudden jerk to find support. The vision would blur, and there would be a
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
It was an implicit threat, but it hung between them like a guillotine. My gut twisted into a painful knot as bile seemed to rise up his throat, and he felt the sudden urge to vomit. I needed to get the hell out of here and put as much space between himself and Arlys as he could before this spiraled any further out of control."This is not going to work, Arlys," I said as firmly as he could, and even that quavered under the strain. "Whatever it is you're trying to do, it's not going to work. I won't let you use this against me."My lips had reminded her of a snarl, hissing back at her as she pressed her body even closer, warm puffs of air brushing against his skin. "Oh Brandon," she purred, fingertips running down the center of his chest, "I'm not trying to use anything against you. I just want to remind you of what's real here. You had your little fun with me last night, and now there are consequences. You can't just pretend like it never happened.".Brandon licked his lips nervously,
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