ONE NIGHT STAND (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) Page 7

  “Maybe later, I can make you feel a whole lot better, if you can squeeze me in.”

  “Oh, I’ll squeeze you in,” he said with a wink and hurried to the conference room.

  But as he headed away, he realized he hadn’t meant that at all. Having sex with Natalie suddenly did not sound even vaguely appealing. He was always in the mood for a good lay, but now? He tried to picture Natalie’s face and only saw Charlotte’s.

  “Mr. Keagan, are you ready to begin?” a man’s voice called, and Braydon realized he’d made it to the conference room and was holding open the door, just standing there. “Mr. Keagan?”

  “Yes, sorry,” he said and hurried inside and took the chair at the head of the table.

  “Now, then,” Todd began, an aging, balding man who tended to be on Braydon’s side. Most of the time. Braydon’s main worries were the three D’s: Don, Dean, and Darrell, the three stingiest and most overbearing men Braydon had ever met in his life. They fought him at every turn, no matter what the issue. “We are holding this meeting today to go over your reasons for turning down the deal on Friday.”

  Braydon nodded as he flipped open the files in front of him. “I don’t fully understand the necessity of this meeting, but I will amuse the board by attending.”

  “The necessity is that you may have very well turned down what could be the next big step for our company,” Margaret replied. She pointed her wrinkled finger in Braydon’s direction and shook her head. “The numbers were solid, as was their plan to help us grow. It would have created at least five hundred jobs and allowed us to expand into the Midwest, not to mention into England and France. Maybe even China. We would have been global.”

  “Yes, I understand that, but as I said on Friday, I will not do business with a known associate of the Irish mob.”

  “And where’s your proof of this? The man has never been convicted of any crimes that we can find,” Don said, waving him off. “We had a few shady characters when you took over the firm, but the company has come a long way since then.”

  Braydon’s hand curled into a fist on the table. “Which is why I will not let this company become sullied again because of a deal that sounds too good to be true from a man with an uncertain past.”

  Don sighed. “You have no proof of that,” he repeated, growing angry. “Hence the reason they are still doing business, as we should be.”

  “Not with them.”

  “I think Mr. Keagan has made his point,” Todd said.

  “Not good enough. We are passing up a great opportunity here, and I have called in someone who might be able to make you change your mind.” Don waved at someone outside the conference room, and everyone turned to stare.

  The second Braydon saw the man, he felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm, and he cursed under his breath. He watched the man in a perfectly tailored, flashy, black suit out of the corner of his eye as he greeted everyone. His hair was slicked back, and all Braydon wanted to do was walk over and punch him in the face and have him arrested. But he couldn’t, because there was no proof this was the man who had shot him.

  “Mr. Keagan, I am so glad I could come and meet with you and your board members this morning,” Ronan McKinley said as he approached Braydon’s chair.

  Braydon stood and smiled through gritted teeth. He forced his hand out to take Ronan’s. “Mr. McKinley. The man of the hour, or so it would seem. I did not expect to ever see you again, let alone be dangerously close to working with you.”

  “Is that why you turned down the proposal?”

  Still smiling, Braydon said, “As a matter of fact, yes.”

  Don glared at Braydon and motioned for Ronan to have a seat. “I would like you to set to rest any doubts that Mr. Keagan might have. He feels that you still have ties to the Irish mob, and I want him to understand you don’t.”

  Ronan nodded as he sat, tucking his coat over the back of his chair. Braydon retook his seat stiffly, though his eyes did not move from the man’s face. He didn’t trust him. And now he knew he couldn’t trust Don. He wondered if the other two D’s were in on it too. Braydon glanced around the table, trying to gauge everyone’s reactions. Margaret did not seem happy, but Francis kept smiling at the young Irish man. She was a sucker for men with charm.

  “Now then, what I am hearing is that you believe rumors that have been circulating around the business world for many, many years,” Ronan said with a smile. “I have never, nor has my company, had ties directly to the mob.”

  “Really? Rumors? That is what you’re going to bring to the table?” Braydon snapped. “That it was all just rumors?”

  Ronan smiled even wider, as if he was speaking to a child. “Yes, rumors. My associate, Hilary, was supposed to show you all the appropriate paperwork. Did she not do so?”

  “She did, but I failed to see the benefits of accepting such a deal with you tied to it,” Braydon answered. “I will not put this company at risk unless you can give me solid evidence that you are not affiliated with the mob in any way, shape or form. If you do not, you will take your business elsewhere.”

  Braydon glanced around the table. From the looks on their faces, most of them were against his decision. Though he was CEO, his power was not always absolute. In certain instances, if it was deemed beneficial for the company as far as profitability and growth were concerned, the board could take a vote to overturn his decision. He knew from looking around that he had Todd on his side and that Francis and Margery were numbers-based. All he had to do was find someone else to do business with who was just as good. It would be hard to get any of the others to turn, but it appeared Don was trying to do just that by dragging Ronan into the meeting. Unless there was something else going on that Braydon didn’t know about yet.

  “Do you have proof that I do?”

  Without realizing he was doing it, Braydon grabbed his left elbow and rubbed it. Ronan followed his move, and the slightest of smirks crossed his face.

  “No, I do not,” Braydon said, trying to find a way around this, but at the moment, his hands were tied.

  “What is your decision then?” Todd asked after a few tense moments of silence.

  Braydon tapped his fingers on the table, then smiled. “Well, since Mr. McKinley has come in person to assure me of his company’s virtue,” he answered, “I guess I have no choice but to accept the deal and trust this man at his word. Todd, will you see the paperwork drawn up so we can get this started?”

  Todd nodded, a bit surprised, and said he’d get right on it. Everyone else stood as well and shook hands with their new partner. Braydon was the last to go to Ronan. He made sure to grip the man’s hand hard enough that he flinched.

  “I will be watching every move you make,” Braydon whispered, “very, very closely.”

  “You know,” Ronan hissed back, “if I were you, I’d be more worried about what you had to do to get here and the price that may or may not still be on your head. Good day, Braydon.”

  Braydon stood rooted to the spot. There was a price on his head still? He felt his stomach sink to the floor, and he hurried out of the conference room, past everyone, and straight into his office. Natalie tried to talk to him, but he waved her off as he closed and locked the door. He had been told he would be safe. They had sworn no one would come after him, that they’d taken care of it. Apparently, they were wrong. Everything he’d done wrong in his past threatened to catch up to him.

  Braydon took a deep breath to steady himself. Ronan was bluffing, had to be. Everyone knew where Braydon was. If they wanted to take a shot, they would have, and he’d be gone. He’d already taken down the men he’d needed to, which was how he’d wound up being the CEO of this company.

  “It’s fine, he’s just trying to make you panic,” he muttered to himself. “Just calm down.”

  Braydon walked to his chair and sat down, staring out over the bustling streets of Boston. He pulled out his cell and randomly opened and closed apps, trying to get his mind
to stop imagining his own gruesome death. His thumb tapped open his contacts, and he stared in surprise when a certain name scrolled to the top.

  “Charlotte? How did I get her number?”

  He didn’t remember her giving it to him. Maybe last night? He tried to remember and smirked when he finally realized what he’d done. Quin had passed out, and Braydon had taken his cell and retrieved Charlotte’s number. His thumb hovered over it now, wanting to press it but not sure what he would say. That he wanted to have sex with her again? After all, the proposition had worked the first time.

  Not giving himself another second to think about it, he dialed her number. It rang a few times, then went to voicemail, and Braydon was extremely disappointed that she didn’t answer. It beeped, and he left a very quick and brief message, doubtful she’d call him back. As he hung up and tossed his cell on his desk, Natalie called through the door. Braydon hung his head, but he had too much pent up energy at the moment and wasn’t sure what to do with it.

  “Want to tell me what’s going on?” she asked after he’d unlocked the door to let her in.

  “Not really,” he growled as he relocked the door and pulled her close. But it didn’t last. Braydon pulled back slowly and turned away. “I’m sorry, I just… I’m not really in the mood today, after all.”

  She stared at him with an odd look, more confused than hurt, and nodded. “You sure you’re all right?”

  “Sorry, I was a bit thrown off during the meeting. Decided to take the deal.”

  “You did what?”

  “I’ll explain later. I have some work to finish before my three o’clock.” He sat down behind his desk and breathed deeply, trying to calm the storm raging through him. The second his lips had touched Natalie’s, he knew it was wrong. He didn’t want her anymore. He wanted Charlotte.

  Natalie didn’t say another word as she turned and left him in peace.

  Chapter 9

  Charlotte heard her phone beep again, but she didn’t roll over to check it. Since last night, she’d been locked in her room, trying to make sense of what was happening. Quin had called her at least six times, wanting to smooth things over and take her out for a nice relaxing dinner.

  But now, anything with him was not relaxing.

  She was under so much pressure to make the right decision. The one that would stop her and her mother from becoming bankrupt. It just didn’t make sense, but what could Charlotte do? She didn’t know the inner workings of their finances, and now that they were so close to losing everything, she regretted never trying to find out where their money came from.

  “Charlotte,” Milly called through the door, “I’ve brought you some lunch.”

  “No, thank you, Milly. I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, it comes with a gentleman caller,” she added.

  Charlotte popped up in bed. Braydon? Would he come to her house? Did he even know where she lived? Her heart started to hammer in her chest as she glanced down at herself. A bit casual compared to what she usually wore, but it didn’t matter. She hurried to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open… and tried not to let the disappointment show too much on her face.

  “Quin—hi,” she said.

  “Hi. I’ve brought you your lunch.” He held up the tray as Milly retreated down the hallway. “I hope this is okay. You weren’t answering your cell, and I was worried.”

  “Sorry, I’ve just been feeling a bit under the weather.” She wanted to send him away, but that would be rude and her mother would throw a fit. Charlotte was trying to regain whatever composure she still had. “Want to come in for a few minutes and talk?”

  He glanced around as if looking for her mother, then headed into Charlotte’s room. She closed the door and set the tray of food on her desk, although she was no hungrier than she’d been a few minutes ago. They sat in an awkward silence, and Charlotte wanted nothing more than to go back in time and have him not ask her that question. Everything was wrong now. She’d lost her best friend in that moment because their parents had decided it’d be a good idea for them to get married.

  “So,” he said after walking to the window ledge and sitting where he always did. “Some party yesterday.”

  “Yes, that’s one way to put it,” she said, remembering her embarrassment.

  “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t forewarn you. It was Mother’s idea. I guess she thought it’d be a good surprise or something.”

  “Next time, you should just tell me.”

  He hung his head. “Yeah, that was my mistake.”

  “Listen, I just… I’m not sure we should go along with this idea because our parents think it’s what’s best for us. Don’t you want some time to… I don’t know, date other people?”

  Quin looked taken aback. “I honestly never really thought about it.”

  She stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. “Never?”

  “I… I don’t know. I guess I simply assumed that when the time came, we’d both be ready. Do you want to date other people first?” he asked, and Charlotte could tell he was trying not to sound hurt. He’d been so sheltered all his life; it wasn’t fair for him to suddenly be married to someone he’d known forever.

  It wasn’t fair to Charlotte, either. Not when she knew men like Braydon were out in the world, roaming free, ready to tempt her. “I kind of do. It’s nothing against you, Quin. I just don’t want us to make a mistake.”

  “You mean you don’t want to regret marrying me.”

  “That’s pretty much it.”

  Charlotte wasn’t sure what made her say it, especially now that she knew so much was on the line. But that didn’t matter. She’d find a job if she had to and force her mother to sell the house. But she was not quite ready to settle down and begin a dull life with Quin. He never did anything exciting, and until this past weekend, neither had Charlotte. But now, she wanted to. More than ever.

  “It makes sense. I’ll make sure Mother stays away from you until then.”

  “I don’t think she’s too happy with me right now.”

  “Trust me, I heard it all,” he said, then immediately apologized again when Charlotte looked upset. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll just have to understand.”

  Charlotte hoped so. Having Meredith breathing down her neck was not something she wanted to deal with for the next few days while she figured out what to do. Her cell went off again, and Quin picked it up off her windowsill.

  “Nah, I’m not answering today.”

  He shrugged and was about to set it down when he looked at the number. “Braydon? Why is he calling you?”

  Charlotte reached for her cell so fast she almost knocked Quin over. “I… uh… met him yesterday at your house,” she muttered, hoping he’d buy the lie. She let it go to voicemail again and glanced up at Quin. “He’s your stepbrother, right?”

  “Yeah, he is,” he said, frowning. “He didn’t mention to me that you two met.”

  “It was a quick meeting. We were just talking in the library,” she said.

  “Oh, I guess after I proposed,” he said with a nervous laugh. “He’s a pretty great guy.”

  Charlotte wanted to say how much of a great guy he really was, but Quin didn’t need to hear that about the man who was basically his competition. She wasn’t sure what to say about him, so she nodded and hoped he didn’t take it the wrong way.

  “So, I guess I’ll leave you to your thoughts for a while,” Quin muttered.

  “Oh, you’re going to leave already?” Charlotte asked, mostly to be polite. She wanted to hear the messages Braydon had left on her cell.

  Quin shoved his hands deep into his pockets and nodded. “Yes, I probably should. But call me, please, Charlotte, if you want to do something this week. Maybe we could meet for dinner and talk some more?”

  “That would be fine with me,” she said and watched him leave her bedroom—although not quickly enough. The second he closed the door behind him, she pressed
her ear against it and listened to his retreating footsteps. Satisfied that he really had left, she reached for her cell and listened to the message.

  With each word, her smile grew wider. He wanted to see her again. His words said for another unattached evening of whatever might happen, but there was something in his tone that Charlotte knew meant he wanted more than that. Otherwise, why call her? She was pretty certain he could have his pick of any woman if it was just for a booty call. There was no need to pick the woman who was ill-experienced and possibly going to marry his stepbrother.

  She held her cell tightly for a few minutes, pacing her room as she tried to decide what to do. The proper thing would be to ignore him. That one night of sex had been just that—one night of meaningless sex. Some fun before, apparently, she threw her life away. Her steps stopped as she stared at a picture of her and her friends. Had they known?

  Instead of calling Braydon, she dialed Helen and waited. It only took a couple of rings before she answered. “Charlotte, dear, happy Monday to—”

  “Did you know?” Charlotte snapped.

  “Know what?”

  “Don’t play with me, Helen. Did you and Prudence know that Quin was going to ask me to marry him yesterday?” Silence met her question, and Charlotte felt anger at her friends for the first time. “Why didn’t either of you tell me?”

  “Because when we received the invitation for the engagement party, Prudence had a talk with your mother,” Helen sighed. “We didn’t want this to happen to you, but your mother said it was what was expected of you and you knew that.”

  “The last time any of us talked about marriage to Quin, Dad was alive,” Charlotte whispered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe this.”

  “I’m sorry, Charlotte, really I am. That’s why we did what we did. Sort of a bachelorette party.”

  “Where I met one of the most wonderful men ever who took me back to his place where we had amazing sex. Then I found out the next day that he’s Quin’s stepbrother,” she hissed into the phone. “Yes, what a wonderful bachelorette party.”

  “Wait,” Helen said, her voice going up a few octaves. “That’s who your one-night stand was with?”