Club Nova Vol. 4 (Brad Grayson) (10 page)

“Honestly, Brad, do you think she’s just going to accept the fact you lied to her?”

Brad clenched his hands into fists. After everything he’d done for Adrian, he couldn’t do this one thing for Brad. “Once the contract is signed and the deal is made, it won’t matter. She’ll no longer have anything to hold over me. And I’m not just going to fuck her. I won’t ruin what I’ve got with Victoria.”

“Listen to you. Is that my brother I’m talking to?”

“Just do it, okay?” Brad snarled through gritted teeth.

“Even if it’s the difference between making this deal and butt loads of money or allowing Club Nova to become stagnant?”

“Don’t be so damn dramatic. Now, are you going to help me or not? If you don’t, the deal dies right now.”

“Then I guess I don’t have a choice, do I? Hilary will call in an hour.” The line went dead.

Brad muttered several curses. It was so damn easy for Adrian to dictate what to do and how to do it when he was relaxing on a private island with the woman he loved. Shit would be different if Adrian were in this position and it was his relationship with Hilary on the line. Brad dragged his hand through his hair and blew out a breath before returning to Peyton.

He stopped at the table and held out his hand. “Let’s make a deal.” He grinned. “Eric’s on his way to my office now.”

“I’m impressed. I really didn’t think you’d be able to convince him to work this late at night.” Peyton took his hand and stood.

“Money talks,” Brad said as he escorted Peyton outside. He only hoped the money this deal would yield was worth everything he had to sacrifice to get to this point.

Victoria paced the foyer, waiting for Brad to get home. It was past midnight and there was no reason for him to still be gone. He knew they’d caught her kidnapper. She’d been in the room when Philip had spoken to Brad on the phone and told him. So where the hell was he?

Her stomach was in knots as only one possibility traveled through her mind on repeat: Peyton managed to get her wish. She hated herself for being so jealous and of always thinking the worst. Images of him touching her, kissing her popped into her mind.

Stop it!
Victoria stopped pacing and bent over, drawing air deep into her lungs and blowing it out forcefully in an attempt to collect her nerves. It helped, but only momentarily.

It was absolutely crazy and childish for her to allow her thoughts to drift to such dark, unholy places. He’d convinced her she was his one and only but she couldn’t convince herself. It was still too good to be true.

Why her?
Peyton was nothing to him, he kept reminding her, but Victoria knew he was still looking for a way to save this deal. What if that was the only way for him to save it? He would do anything to increase his net worth. That was something she could believe in. She grabbed her cell phone from her pocket to call him when the front door opened. She stopped and looked up.

“Hey,” he said, smiling.

Victoria hurled herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him. He dropped his briefcase and hugged her tight. “Wow, what kind of welcome would I get if I was gone a few days” he teased, still holding her.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“It was only a few hours. Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened. It just felt like an eternity.” Her voice was muffled but she refused to let him go. “Where were you? I thought something happened. Nothing did, did it?”

He chuckled. “No, everything went better than expected.”

She pulled away and ran her hands down his face, raking him over. “You’re okay.”

He laughed. “I’m better than okay. What’s gotten into you?” He held her out at arm’s length and studied her face. “Talk to me, Victoria. Is everything all right?”

“I told you, I thought something happened to you.”

“Like what?” He kissed her forehead. “I’m Brad Grayson. Nothing can bring me down.”

She smiled. “I know, but I thought the plan was for you to come home as soon as you got word from Philip, but then you didn’t and—” She lowered her head and sighed, feeling ashamed for being a jealous girlfriend.

“That
was
the plan, but then I got Peyton to sign. The deal’s done!” He smiled, his eyes alight with excitement.

She looked up. “It’s over?”

“It’s over. There’s nothing she can do now.”

Victoria took a step back. “You two signed the deal tonight?”

He nodded, clearly ecstatic. “I made Eric an offer he couldn’t refuse and he worked late.”

“That’s great. Oh, I’m so relieved.”

“Adrian is thrilled.”

“He should be.” Victoria tugged on his jacket. “So . . . Peyton is fine with everything? She’s going to stop being a psycho bitch?”

“Well, I still have a few promises I need to break but. I think she’ll slowly move on now that we can both clearly see what the future holds.”

“What? I thought you said this was finished?” Victoria glared at him and then turned her back.

“It is.”

“It doesn’t sound like it,” she said, walking away up the stairs.

“Victoria!” Brad called after her. “Hey!”

She heard his footsteps behind her but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t face him. She was an emotional wreck right now.

Making it into his room, she grabbed her bag and began to shove her stuff inside. She felt ashamed, foolish and exhausted. This didn’t seem over and she knew she couldn’t take any more of it. She’d had enough. She was done. That man was incapable of trusting another human being, and she’d gotten too close to him. This was his way of pushing her away. She should have known he would never give up fortunes for her.

“Victoria.” Brad entered the room. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m leaving.” She shoved more clothes into her bag. “Going back to my apartment.”

“Why? Everything is finally over.”

“Exactly. My kidnapper has been caught. Seth. That’s his name, by the way. And he’s not really Peyton’s son. He’s just some kid she hired to play a practical joke. At least that’s what she convinced him he was doing. The second Philip mentioned the police, the kid started talking. So,” Victoria looked around the room to see if she was missing anything, “he’s no longer a threat to me.” She zipped her bag and turned to face Brad. “You got your deal signed.” She shrugged. “There’s no reason for me to stay here any longer. The danger is over.”

“No reason?” He raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. His tone inching toward anger.

“We both know the only reason I was staying here in the first place was because you wanted to protect me, but now that the threat is gone—” She lifted her bag from the bed. “I’m sure you’re tired after your night. I’ll just call a cab.”

“Over my dead fucking body.” He moved to block her way out of the room.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what? Try to talk some sense into you? You’re exhausted. We’ve been through a lot, I know. It’s my fault. All of it. I should have never—”

“You should have never what, Brad?” She spun around, demanding he finish his sentence.

“You’re right.”

She planted her hands firmly on her hips.

“At first, yes, you were here because I wanted to protect you, but don’t you dare stand there and tell me things haven’t changed between us.”

“And what should you have never done? Huh?”

“I should never have put you in the middle of my own decisions.”

She blinked a couple of times, not sure how best to respond. He was right. He should never have done that. But if he hadn’t, they would have never found themselves standing here, wondering where their relationship would go next.

“It was a mistake and I’ll be the first to admit that. However,” he took a firm step forward, closing the gap between them, “I wouldn’t change any of it. You being here now . . .” He narrowed his eyes, his gaze intense and heated.

Victoria caught her breath and swallowed down the frog in her throat. The look on his face said everything. She licked her lips, finding the strength to finally whisper, “Me, neither. I would never change any of it.”

“You’re here because I want you here and because you want to be here.” He took a step toward her, gripping her upper arms firmly. “You’re here because I love you, and I don’t want to be without you.”

She swallowed hard, steeling herself against the reaction she knew she’d get from him with her next question. “I want to believe that. I really, really do.”

“Then believe it, because it’s true.”

“But why didn’t you break your promise to Peyton tonight?

Brad scowled. “That’s what this is about? You’re pissed because I didn’t kill all my demons with Peyton in one night?” When Victoria remained silent, Brad nodded. “All right. Fine. It’s not how I generally do business, but if it makes you happy.” He pulled his phone from his suit coat and called Peyton, placing the call on speaker.

“Brad.” Peyton laughed. “I thought I might be hearing from you again tonight.”

Victoria glared at him. So he’d done something to lead her to believe she was more than just a business partner?

Brad gave her a look that clearly said, “I can explain.”

She rolled her eyes and sat on the bed. Here they were, once again, in the same place trying to figure out what they were, and if what they had could be something more than just this.

“Yeah, about that, Peyton, I’ve been thinking.”

“I’m sure you have been playboy.” She laughed.

“I’m not interested,” Brad said firmly, his gaze trained on Victoria.

“We had a deal, Brad. You gave me your word.” Peyton’s voice rose with each word she spoke. “You can’t go back on your word now.”

“I’m afraid my decision is final.”

“You bastard!” she screamed.

Victoria cringed at how loud Peyton’s scream was. She was pissed. And Victoria couldn’t help but smile. Served the bitch right for all the trouble she’d caused everyone.

“So, from this point forward, I would appreciate it if you’d—”

“This is Victoria’s doing, isn’t it? That fucking bitch!”

Brad sighed. “And now I can see you for what you truly are.”

“I really underestimated that little whore.” Peyton laughed sadistically. “That’ll teach me.”

“There have been some good lessons for us both, hasn’t there?”

“I suppose I can’t have everything.”

“Me, neither. Good night, Peyton” Brad ended the call, cutting off whatever else Peyton was about to say.

Victoria raised her brows and a faint smile pulled at her mouth. She was so proud of how Brad handled himself.

“Happy now?” he asked, tossing his phone on the bedside table.

“Yes.” She smiled and stood. “Thank you for doing that. It means a lot to me.” She put her arms around his neck and gave his lips a soft kiss. “Do you think she’ll leave us alone now?”

“Like I said before, it’s over.” Brad put his arms around her waist and pulled her tight to him. “But the bigger question is, are you going to stay now? Or am I going to have to follow you to your apartment and threaten to sleep outside your front door?”

Victoria laughed. “I guess I’ll stay.”

“Yeah?” Brad grinned. “Then I guess we better call a moving company to move the rest of your stuff here, because I don’t ever want you to leave.”

She pulled back slightly. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” Her heart raced at the possibility. He couldn’t be serious. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that kind of commitment.

“You’re right, I am moving too fast.” They both laughed nervously.

“But I will stay with you tonight,” she said, cuddling up to him.

He tilted her head up, staring into her eyes, before leaning down and giving her the softest, most delicate kiss, he’d ever given. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

Six weeks later.

Finally closing the deal with Peyton had been the best move of Brad’s entire professional career. Business was booming. His profits had shot through the roof, just as expected, and his client list had become so large he was now struggling to meet demand. It was a dream come true for him.

Peyton had even backed off. She stopped making passes at him and was fulfilling her end of the deal, never once faltering or making unrealistic demands.

And things with Victoria were amazing. He never realized having the love of one woman could make him feel so alive and content. The way he was feeling, well, he hadn’t felt this good in a very long time. Hell, he never realized loving a woman would make him feel so complete and balanced. Life couldn’t get better than this.

He leaned back in his office chair and propped his feet on the edge of the desk, content with everything good in his life. With Club Nova’s explosion of growth, he’d have to start thinking of new locations. Of all problems to have, this was one he could live with.