Rulers of Deception (8 page)

Feeling moody and irritable, he squeezed the bright blue stress ball tightly in his hand and leaned back in his office chair. His eyes wandered over the walls, plastered with charts and graphs and a hoard of ideas and dreams he had for the company. Ideas that were at last being carried out.

He let out a long, drawn-out breath, needing to release the stress that bunched in his shoulders. It tightened the muscles there like a vice, tense and mean. What he wouldn’t give for a massage. Maybe a good run or a racquetball game, or a swim in the pool upstairs. Some laps might take his mind off Downer-Daniel.

He looked up at the swift knock on his door, seeing his assistant Walter standing in the doorway.

“What?”

Walter had a strange smile on his face, like he’d seen a huge stack of cash and been told it was his for keeps. “Your appointment is here.”

“What?” Linc repeated, brows furrowed. Then he remembered. “Oh, Veronica. Right. Send her back.”

Walter hovered a moment longer, waiting.

“You forget how to walk?” Linc asked, shaking his head. “I swear, kid, you gotta lay off the drugs.”

“I don’t do drugs,” Walter defended, coming to his senses. “Why do you always say that?”

“Because you offered to get me pot once so I just assumed.” Linc tossed aside the stress ball and reached for a can of Pepsi instead.

“Well, just because I have access doesn’t mean…whatever. Look, this chick is hot. I think I’m going to slip her my number.”

Linc nearly spit out his soda. “You’re gonna do
what
?”

“Hey, I got game. I think she digs me.”

“You’re like, twelve.” Linc took another swig of soda and grinned. “Go do your damn job and leave the poor woman alone. I pay you now, don’t I? Show me and our visitors some respect.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Walter rolled his eyes and left the room.

Moments later, a woman swept in, all neatly packaged curves and smoldering Spanish eyes. Her very presence hit Linc like a punch to the face, a rushing wave of unapologetic sex and dangerous feminine confidence.

“Linc Vasser,” she greeted, her smile brilliant and bold. The beauty mark just over the left corner of her mouth lifted with the movement. “Pleasure to meet you at last.”

Linc blinked at the sight of her, not sure what he’d expected. It certainly hadn’t been this. She may have been wearing a classy and professional black dress, but it highlighted certain areas in a way he knew was no accident. He rose to his feet and shook her hand. “Likewise, Veronica. Have a seat.”

She sat down across from him and looked at all the papers covering his walls, her eyes drinking in every detail. “This is very exciting. Thank you for agreeing to take part in this piece I’m writing.”

Linc settled into his chair and leaned back casually, resting his right ankle on his left knee. Out of habit, he reached for his stress ball once again. “Sure thing. Don’t you have more important things to report on, though? I mean, we’re awesome and all, but we’re doing the best we can to stay
out
of the media these days.”

“I completely understand,” Veronica began, clasping her hands in her lap and leaning forward slightly. Her length of dark hair fell over her shoulder. “What happened last year with your cousin Duke Vasser and the kidnapping, and then the incidents with Jorja Hale and Jack Morgan…it’s all so terrible. Your family was hit all at once with so many scandals, from so many different directions. It’s a wonder you came out of it as unscathed as you did, although I’m sure most of that can be attributed to your sister, Madison.”

“She’s a hero, that’s for sure.” He lifted his soda for another sip. “But what’s the plan for this article you’re writing?”

Her teeth flashed in a warm smile. “Look, I know it seems odd that I’m taking the time to do this, but my motive is pure and simple. I want the public to see the Vasser Hotel Family the way
I
see you. As a great American empire, a cornerstone of American ingenuity and perseverance. It’s all there, under the surface of what most people see and know. I want to expose it all, the truth of who you really are, to those who haven’t had the chance to see it.”

Linc’s brows lifted in surprise. “I take it this won’t be just one article, then?”

“Oh no. I’ve planned for a three-part series that will be featured in
Vesta
for everyone to read. I want it to be the past, the present, and the future of the Vasser Hotel dynasty. It’ll be great publicity for you, and a chance to tell your side of the story.”

“You mean more than Madison already did last year?”

Veronica tilted her head to the side, like a patient teacher about to correct a wrong answer. “What your sister did was a brilliant move and I enjoyed every minute of it. But there’s more to be done. It’s been a year and so much has happened…it’s time the public got to know the family as you are now. Expanding your business, bringing your esteemed luxury to the masses in the form of lower-priced hotels in even more locations. I want to show the public not just Madison, but all of you.” She uncrossed her legs and leaned even closer, excitement flashing in her dark eyes. Her enthusiasm was contagious, leading him to understand why she was so good at her job. “Who knows, if this goes well it could even lead to a book deal. Imagine, a true telling of your family story, straight from your mouths and not by some anti-business snob with a buddy in publishing. Think of all the business this could generate for you. You could build more hotels, expand internationally. Your kids could inherit an even greater legacy than the one you’ve already fought so hard for.”

Linc’s eyes shot to his walls, to the explosion of dreams for the future he’d laid out there. He did want to leave his future kids something extraordinary. Not just a company held together by threads, but a growing business with a solid reputation. Maybe stepping back into the limelight, in a positive way, was the way to go about getting that.

After all, he who sets the narrative wins the game.

“All right. You got me.” He laughed and reached over the desk to shake her hand. “We’ll do it.”

Veronica beamed as she stood. “Fantastic. Hey, can I meet the others? Are they here?”

Linc nodded, reaching for the phone on his desk. “I’ll have them come down. Give me a second.”

While he called his sister, Veronica wandered around his office, admiring the charts he’d had made showing the projected growth with the McAllister merger. Linc watched her run her fingertips along a poster he’d hung that read:
the harder you work, the luckier you get
.

“That’s my favorite saying,” he told her after hanging up the phone. He dug his hands into his pockets and went to stand beside her, his eyes on the poster.

“It’s a good one.” She looked at him, seemingly absorbing every little detail of his face. “You’re a very outgoing guy—friendly, personable. I bet you don’t have an enemy in the world.”

Linc thought of Daniel and laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I guess I don’t have too many.”

Her body shifted to face his, suddenly closer than he realized. He could smell the spiced fruit scent of her perfume, could see the subtle dimple in her left cheek that deepened with her smile. He would have called the whole move flirtatious, and yet…

“My boyfriend is a lot like you. A genuinely nice guy.” She winked, then turned at the sound of footsteps outside.

Madison and Grant entered the room, neither looking pleased at the interruption.

Veronica immediately reached for Madison’s hand. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.” She turned to Grant, accepting his hand as well. “Both of you.”

Grant attempted a small smile. “I would say the same except we’re still wary of the press.”

“Understandable.” Veronica’s gaze shot to Madison. “This is on a whole different level than that, I promise you. We’re going to do a three-part piece highlighting the true, positive story of your family. I’ll just be gathering information from you, digging a bit here and there to be sure I get all I need, and then I’ll present everything I have to you before we go to print. Sound fair?”

Madison’s eyes narrowed. “Digging here and there?”

Veronica let out a light laugh. “Well, we want the whole story, don’t we? As a reporter it’s my duty to get the whole truth on everything, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. I want to get the scoop on who you all are, what makes you so incredible that you can run this company as a family unit, together till the end. People will eat it up.”

Linc patted Grant on the shoulder. “I think I’ll take Veronica over to one of the new hotels, show her around, get a feel for the affordable luxury angle we’re going for.”

“And I’d love to see your homes, take candid shots of you guys with your spouses. After all that wedding coverage, people are dying to see more of you. Especially Wyatt.” She winked at Madison, then reached out to touch Grant’s arm. “Oh, and Quinn. New York City’s Cinderella.”

Grant nearly rolled his eyes at the stupid nickname. He’d hated to see her called that in the tabloids. It made it seem like she would’ve never become something on her own, like she needed him. He knew that wasn’t true. “We’re not using that name.”

Veronica simply smiled. “We’ll see. I thought it was very fitting.”

“You don’t know her.” Grant stood firm, pulling away from her hand. “I have to get back to work. It was nice meeting you.”

As he left the room, Madison turned to Veronica to shake her hand once more. “He gets touchy about the Cinderella thing. I, however, am willing to give this a try. I only have two requests.”

“Name it.”

Madison tightened her hand ever so slightly on Veronica’s, her gaze direct and unwavering. “There will be no mention of my father’s suicide, and everything written about Cyrus will be subject to my approval. I will not have him slandered in death.”

Understanding softened Veronica’s features. “Of course.”

“Good. Let me know what you need from me.”

“I’ll be in touch,” Veronica called out as Madison left.

Linc led her out, catching Walter’s eye at the front desk. He bit back a laugh and directed Veronica away from his assistant. “Like Mads said, let me know what you need. Shamelessly self-serving biography, signed portrait, etcetera.”

Veronica laughed and shook his hand, the smolder in her eyes as flirtatious as her smile. “I’m looking forward to finding out what makes you tick, Linc.”

His mouth twisted in a hard grin. “So why are you
really
doing this? I gotta know.”

One of her brows lifted. “I think the question here is why hasn’t anyone done it already?”

With that, she left him standing alone in the lobby of his hotel, wondering what the hell that meant.

As a force
of habit, Madison wasted no time finding out all she could on Veronica Diaz. She spent exactly one hour scoping around and making calls, only to find much less than she’d expected.

She knew the woman’s name, had read stories by her about the Royal Family, the Hiltons, and the Kardashians. She’d made a name for herself exploring the illustrious lives of the rich and famous, and making them seem real and down to earth when more than likely very few of them actually were. Then there was the scattering of pieces featuring past presidents, movie stars, renowned chefs and TV-show hosts. Though she and her career were young, Veronica had charged through the ranks and become a favorite columnist at
Vesta
magazine. It was a magazine with the same social pulse of
People
and the classy sophistication of
Vanity Fair
. To be featured within its exclusive pages meant a great deal to those who lived and breathed within the public eye.

It hadn’t taken long to find out Veronica’s address—a somewhat humble location over in Greenwich Village. Her work schedule—long, exhausting days at the office in Midtown. Her current standing with
Vesta
and her likeability by those she’d interviewed—all good and wonderful.

There wasn’t a damn rock Madison hadn’t turned over that revealed anything negative about Veronica. So she’d tucked the information she learned away and decided she was being paranoid.