Resisting the Billionaire (7 page)

We talked about inconsequential things and I relaxed. I was glad
I came out to lunch after all.

When we returned to the office, Troy insisted on walking me
back to my desk. As if he were listening for our return, Jake appeared in his
doorway, his face thunderous. I was surprised a visit with his girlfriend hadn’t
cheered him up.

When Troy witnessed Jake’s dark mood, his good humor seemed to
grow. His eyes glinted with amusement as he turned to me. “Thanks for your
lovely companionship, darling. We must do this again soon.”

I watched Jake’s face twist in fury and a knot formed at the
pit of my stomach.

Troy shocked me with a peck on my cheek before he spun on
his heel jauntily and walked out of the room, humming an upbeat tune under his
breath.

“Did you have a nice lunch?” There was a distinct growl in
Jake’s voice. He looked like a volcano ready to erupt with the slightest
provocation.

“Um… yes?” As soon as my squeaky voice came out, I chided
myself. He had no right to tell me to not go out with Troy. I raised my chin
and said defiantly, “Your brother is very charming. Speaking of charming,
where’s your girlfriend?”

It came out sarcastic and scornful. I mentally slapped a hand
over my mouth.

His eyes narrowed at my tone, but then inexplicably his lips
curved in amusement. “She gave me exactly what I needed.” With that suggestive
remark hanging between us, he walked back into his office.

I collapsed into my chair. The stress I had before my lunch
with Troy had now returned tenfold.

Something squeezed in my chest and I brought my hand up to
massage the achy spot. I made a note to buy some antacids on my break. It
looked like heartburn was becoming a regular part of my life with this job.

I stretched my neck and shoulders and returned to the two
memos I had to draft for Jake.

My mind kept getting distracted by the angry
scene that played out with Marcus this morning
. He’d begged me to let
him stay home again. When I tried to probe on why he didn’t want to go to
school, he had clammed up and left the house, his eyes full of dread. I called
the school counselor, but he said Marcus had not come to see him about any
issues.

At moments like these, I felt so damn unfit to be his
guardian.

Forcing my mind to the task at hand, I trudged through the
first memo. My cell phone rang just as I opened the second file.

Shit! It could only
have something to do with Marcus.
It was a sad statement on my life, but I
didn’t have a lot of friends who would call me.

Fumbling in my purse, I found my phone and answered.

“Is this Cora
Branton
?” The female
voice sounded official and my stomach sank.

“Um…yes, this is she.”

“Ms.
Branton
, this is Laura
Woodsen
, the principal at
Westmore
High School. I’m calling in regards to your brother, Marcus
Branton
.”

“Is he okay? Is he hurt?” I gripped my phone hard.

“Ms.
Branton
, your brother is
fine, but there’s been an incident at the school and I need you to come in
immediately.”

“What kind of incident? Can I talk to Marcus?” I got to my
feet in alarm, my heart thumping with fear.

“There’s been a physical altercation between your brother
and another student and he’s with the nurse right now.”

“Oh God! I thought you said he was fine. Shouldn’t you take
him to the hospital?” I braced my hand on the desk and took short breaths. The
whole situation was unbelievable. My brother was a nerd. He had never hit
anybody in his life.
Did someone beat him
up? Was he being bullied?

“Ms.
Branton
, please calm down.
Your brother was not seriously injured, I assure you. But I do need to discuss
the situation with you in person. When will you be able to get to the school?” The
principal’s voice was stern.

I looked at my watch. “I’ll catch a cab. I should be there
within half an hour.”

“I’ll see you then, Ms.
Branton
.”

“Okay.” But she had already hung up.

I started to walk to Jake’s office and realized my whole
body was shaking. Taking a few breaths to steady myself, I knocked on his door.
My eyes closed in defeat. First I pissed him off by having lunch with his
brother yesterday and now I had to leave early. I was asking to be fired.

“Come in.”

I stuck my head through the door. “Um…Jake, I’m sorry, but I
have to leave for the day for a family emergency.”

His eyes scanned my face and he strode to the door. “Jesus.
You’re as white as a ghost.” He sandwiched my cold hands between his and rubbed.
Tugging me gently into the room, he closed the door. “What’s wrong, Cora?”

“It’s Marcus…he got into a fight or something. I don’t know
exactly and the principal won’t tell me details. She wants me to go to the
school. I’m not sure if he’s okay. Oh God! She said he was, but…” My brain
couldn’t seem to focus. I looked at him helplessly.

“
Shh
…why don’t you sit down for a
minute?”

He started to lead me toward the sofa, but I dug in my heels
and shook my head violently. “No, I have to go… I need to get a cab. I’m sorry
about missing work. I’ll come in early tomorrow.”

His face twisted in anger and he barked, “Forget about work.”
He took a deep breath to rein in his temper. “Give me a second. I’ll drive
you.”

My eyes rounded in horror. “No! It’s fine. I can catch a
cab.” I didn’t know why Jake would offer to take time out of his busy day to
help me with my personal problems. I started to back away.

He brought me to a halt by gripping my upper arms and
bringing his face close. His tone did not brook any dissent. “I will take you.
Just stand here for a sec.”

Without waiting to see if I obeyed, he strode over to his desk
and picked up the phone.

I shuffled toward the door, but one look from him stopped me
in my tracks.

“Troy, Cora has a family emergency. I’m going to be out of
the office for the rest of the day.” A pause. “That’s not funny, you ass. I’ll
have Alana forward you the agenda for the meeting in an hour.”

I couldn’t hear what Troy said, but Jake nodded a few times.
Then Troy must have pissed him off because his cheeks darkened and he spit out,
“Fuck off,” before hanging up.

“Let’s go!” He put his hand at the small of my back and
started to guide me out of the office.

“Jake, please. There’s no need.” I tried to dig in my heels,
but he was relentless. “Really, I can grab a cab right outside!”

My protests fell on deaf ears as he hustled me toward the
elevator.

“Alana, email Troy the agenda for the meeting today and hold
all my calls. I’ll be out for the day.” Jake didn’t even slow down his stride
as he rapidly laid out his instructions.

The look on Alana’s face was priceless. Eyes glued on Jake’s
hand at my back, she looked both shocked and disgusted, like she sucked on a
particularly sour lemon.

At any other time, I might have been unkind enough to enjoy
her dismay, but I was filled with anxiety. Not only did I have to worry about
what happened with my brother,
but
now my boss was
acting erratic and out of character.

When he said he would drive me, I thought he meant his
driver would take us, but Jake took us down to the parking garage. He opened
the door to a slate gray Bentley Continental and I climbed in, my mind dazed. I
fumbled with the seatbelt and Jake took over for me, buckling me in. His
fingers grazed my cheek, bringing my gaze to him.

“It’s going to be okay, Cora.”

He spoke so confidently that it eased some of my dread.

I nodded gratefully.

Once we pulled out of the garage, Jake made me recount my
conversation with the principal.

He reached over and squeezed my knee in encouragement when I
stumbled over my words. The touch of his big hand sent a bolt of heat racing up
my thigh to my core and I flushed. Luckily, he was looking at the traffic and I
sighed in relief when he put his hand back on the steering wheel.

I looked at his strong profile in bafflement. Why was he so hell
bent on helping me?

Over the last few weeks, we had gotten along well, but I wouldn’t
call Jake a friend. Before I had time to mull over the situation, he was
pulling into the small parking lot of the school. It was a madhouse because
school had just ended and students streamed out of the building. The luxury
call drew many covetous glances from the male students.

“You don’t need to park! I’ll just hop out,” I hurried to
say and unlatched my seatbelt.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m going in with you.” He pulled into
an empty parking slot.

I blinked at him owlishly. “What?”

He engaged the parking brake and turned to face me. His
fingers tucked a strand of my brown hair behind my ear. His blue eyes were
filled with concern. “I know you value your privacy and I respect that, but in
case you need anything, I want to be there. And I’ll be on hand to take you
both home.”

As I sat there stupefied by his statement, he rounded the
car to open the door for me. My mind awhirl, I put my hand in his and he helped
me out of the vehicle. His palm felt hot and comforting, but I released his
hand immediately. This whole thing felt too intimate already.

I had been to the school for their open house, but I felt
lost as soon as I entered the building. A few students were still hanging out
in the hallways, but for the most part, it was empty.

“Excuse me. Could you direct us to the principal’s office?”
Jake asked a teen with pierced lips and Goth makeup.

“Sure. Down the hall and make a left.” The girl didn’t even
look up from her phone.

With a
muttered thanks, I walked as
fast as I could without breaking into a run. Jake’s long legs had no problem
keeping up with me.

The door to the office was open and when I walked into the
reception area, I saw my brother immediately. He sat with his shoulders slumped,
holding an ice pack against his left cheek.

“Marcus,” I gasped and lunged at him, yanking him into my
arms. His arms hung at his sides, not returning my hug. I stifled my hurt and
pushed away to look at his face.

The area around his eye socket was red and swollen and I’d
bet by tomorrow it would be a nice mélange of blue and purple. There was a
small bandage right on the apple of his cheek. He refused to meet my gaze and
his lips were set in a stubborn line.

“Jesus!” I raised my hand to touch the shiner but he
flinched away before I could make contact. “Are you okay? What happened?”

He shrugged, remaining silent and I wanted to shake him.

“Ms.
Branton
?” A slender
African-American woman walked out of the inner office. “I’m Laura
Woodsen
, the principal. We spoke on the phone.”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Ms.
Woodsen
.”
I winced at my inane comment and shook her hand.

She looked at me with a sympathetic smile. “Why don’t we go
into my office?” Her eyes cut to Jake. “Oh, is this your husband?”

I almost choked on my own spit. “NO! No…” I looked at Jake
who raised an amused brow. It didn’t feel right to call him something as
impersonal as “boss” after he had been so considerate. “Um…this is Jake Weston.
He’s a friend.”

His expression didn’t visibly change, but I sensed my
statement pleased him. He shook hands with Ms.
Woodsen
.

Marcus’s eyes lit with
interest
as he
looked Jake over.

The principal nodded in greeting. “Marcus, please come into
my office as well.”

My brother slinked into the office, his head bowed.

Jake touched my elbow. “Go ahead. I’ll wait out here.” He
folded his long frame into a chair that was clearly meant for someone much
smaller. He should have looked ridiculous, but even cheap, tiny chairs could
not diminish his innate elegance.

I walked into Ms.
Woodsen’s
office
and took the seat next to Marcus. There was the familiar smell of dust and
paper I remembered from my days in my school counselor’s office. The scent was apparently
universal to all school administrators.

The principal sat in her chair, her bearing regal. Her dark
brown eyes were somber as she folded her hands on her desk. “Marcus, would you
like to tell your sister what happened?”

He shook his head, still refusing to look up.

Ms.
Woodsen
sighed and turned her
attention to me. “After sixth period, one of the teachers found Marcus and another
eighth grader, Evan Jones, wrestling on the ground. They were punching and
kicking at each other.”

I gasped and looked at Marcus, but he was still hiding his
face.

“The teacher broke up the fight. Evan claimed that Marcus
threw the first punch, but Marcus has not said anything about the incident.”
She leaned forward. “I have to tell you, Ms.
Branton
,
that unless we know what happened, I’ll have to suspend Marcus.”

“What? No! Marcus is not a violent person. He’d never hit
anyone. There must be some sort of misunderstanding.”

“Ms.
Branton
, Marcus knocked one
of Evan’s teeth loose!”

Aghast, I turned to Marcus and he peeked at me out of the
corner of his eye. There was defiance, but also fear in his face.

“Marcus, can you tell Ms.
Woodsen
and me what happened?” I coaxed. “I know you must have had a reason to fight
with that boy. Did he say something to provoke you?”

He stubbornly shook his head.

“Marcus, please! I won’t be angry, I promise.” I was
outright begging, but my brother only tightened his lips.

“Then I’m afraid I have no choice, but to suspend Marcus for
three days. It’s a shame because he’s one of the brightest students at the
school.” Ms.
Woodsen’s
tone was regretful, but firm.

“Marcus, tell us what happened!” My voice switched to
demanding, but to no avail. My brother sat in silence.

Reading the situation, the principal stood up with a sigh.

“I’m sorry for the trouble, Ms.
Woodsen
.”
I got to my feet and shook her hand, my emotions all over the place. I felt
like such an utter failure as a sister and a guardian.

I tried to put my hand on my brother’s shoulder, but he
hurried ahead of me. Wanting nothing more than to curl up into a pathetic ball,
I drew my shoulders back.

Jake stood as soon as Marcus barged out and his eyes went
immediately to my face. The look of sympathy almost unraveled my control.

He must have sensed how close I was to losing it because he
didn’t ask any questions.

Putting his hand on my shoulder in silent support, Jake
turned to my brother. “Hello, Marcus. I’m Jake Weston.” He put out his hand and
Marcus shook it, a note of awe on his face.

“Are you the guy who owns
Robotrex
?”

Jake glanced at me in surprise. “Technically, Weston
Enterprises owns the firm. Are you interested in artificial intelligence?”

For the first time, Marcus looked animated. “Yeah! It’s awesome.”

Forestalling a long conversation about computers and robots,
I said wearily, “I think we need to get home.”

Shepherding Marcus ahead of us, we headed out to the car.
Marcus gawked as he climbed into the sleek Bentley and exclaimed, “Cool car!”

“Thanks.” Jake shot me an amused look and asked, “Where’s
home?”

I gave him the directions and he pulled out of the lot.