Stepbrother: Instant Spark (Stepbrother Billionaire Romance) (Stepbrother Romantic Suspense) (11 page)

A Billionaire’s Invitation

by Colette T. Smith

Craig Fallow didn’t come by his money the usual way and he didn’t much care who knew it. There wasn’t anything he was afraid of. For him, working his way up in life meant eliminating obstacles and morality had nothing to do with it. He got the job done and he got paid. It was that simple. His motivations were simple, his tastes were simple and his discipline was unquestionable. What he needed he got, what he wanted he took and no one dared to challenge him.

              The only weakness Craig had, if he did have one, was women. His sex drive was what some may call insatiable. Still, he never let that detract from his work. He had a reputation and he kept it stellar. Women came easy enough, maybe too easy. He had always been noticed. His unusual looks attracted attention whether he liked it or not. This was not always good for business, but it was helpful when he wanted to get laid.

Craig always dressed impeccably. He wore custom tailored suits, and silk ties. He only bought the best for himself and he had the money to do it. His suit jacket outlined his broad shoulders and fit body. His expensive wardrobe combined with his unusually vivid green eyes and jet-black hair, made for quite a sight. He had a long scar along his left cheek, but it only served to make him that much more interesting. Women went crazy for his high price tag appeal and rough history. They sought him out when they needed someone who knew what they really wanted. He was a man who wasn’t afraid to be in control.

Adonia Chevez knew trouble when she saw it, so when she sat down at the end of the bar to order a white wine, she avoided eye contact with the stranger with the facial scar. She knew that some women went for that type, but she had seen plenty of violence where she had come from and could smell it a mile away. Growing up in Juarez, Mexico was a nightmare. You could barely leave the house for fear that you may not come back. So many children and women disappeared each year and nothing was done about it. No, Adonia had seen more than enough of her share of pain and it wasn’t something she was after.

She liked who she was now. She had crossed the border at just twelve years old, lucky to survive the hazardous trip. Her aunt Lucia had done the same over two decades before and although she had never had the opportunity to meet her niece before, she took her in as her own. It was something she would never forget her mother had done for her. She had sacrificed her heart for her daughter’s safety. Now, fifteen years later, Adonia’s mother had passed away and she never had the opportunity to see her daughter’s success.

Adonia sipped her white wine. It was crisp and cool on the tongue. She rarely even drank, but tonight she felt like it. It had been a long day full of meetings and problems to solve and Adonia had a lot on her plate. That combined with the recent loss of her mother and she was ready for a change. She decided to take a table and get herself some dinner. Drinking, even a glass of wine, on an empty stomach wasn’t what she was in here for. After all, it was not as if she had taken a seat at the local pub.
The Gate
was a very posh establishment, not a place for getting your drink on.

Adonia had never been drunk in her life. She came to America to work and make her mother proud of her. The years they had spent apart had made her determined to make something of herself and she had. Adonia was the President of her own company. She had studied hard, almost obsessively, and never looked back. Her education had been difficult at first, but she persisted until she won a full scholarship to one of the most sought out business colleges on the west coast. She had always known what she wanted and now she had it, only the person she had done all of it for was gone. Maybe she would get drunk after all she thought, half smiling to herself. Who was watching anyway? Over the years that Adonia had been studying and working toward her goals, she had had very little time for emotional engagements. In fact, she had had very few encounters at all and certainly no love affairs.

The waiter stood patiently beside her table as Adonia gave him very specific instructions on how to prepare her food. She was very specific as to how she ate and what she put into her body, with the exception of a glass of white wine here or there. Suddenly, Adonia slapped the menu shut.

“Just bring me whatever the chef recommends tonight,” she said. “In fact, I’d like everything from soup to nuts, don’t spare me anything!”

              Surprised but eager to see this particular patron finally willing to enjoy herself, he almost ran to get the order to the kitchen.

              “Marcus”, Adonia called after him,” don’t forget the second glass of wine please, in fact, bring a bottle of something nice, will you?”

              It wasn’t long before several trays were delivered to her table. First there were three types of soup to taste, a mushroom consume, a thick chowder with whole clams and roughly cut potato and last, a strawberry bisque. Followed by a fresh lime sorbet before her next course. By the time her entrees came out to the table, people were watching her. She wondered what all the fuss was about. It wasn’t as if she was eating everything on the plate, more of a tasting of it all. She would be bringing home leftovers for days. Adonia pushed back her chestnut hair and composed herself before turning around and returning a stare or two. She was an attractive woman with an hourglass shape and striking eyes. No one ever believed she was truly Mexican because of her lighter hair and unusually colored eyes. Right now they were a dark blue, but they often changed with her mood. Grey when she was sad, blue when she was feeling disconnected or stormy and blue-brown when she was feeling her warm and welcoming self.

              Adonia had never known her father and her mother had refused to speak of him. She suspected she was not one hundred percent Mexican, but she didn’t know the details and she didn’t want to. Instead, she wished that her mother had had a secret love affair that she could never bring herself to talk about because of the pain of having loved and lost.

              Just as Adonia was remembering her mother, the stranger from the bar approached her. Startled from her inner memories, Adonia jumped in her seat when the man began to speak.

              “I saw you sitting here and thought you might want some company for dinner.”

Adonia stared for a moment, regaining her composure and then responded rather coolly.

              “Thank you, but I am all the company I need right now. Perhaps another time.”

              “Of course,” Craig said politely. “I’m sorry to have interrupted.”

              Adonia couldn’t help but watch as Craig turned and walked away, head held high, unbuttoning his suit jacket before returning to his seat at the bar. His strides did not take long to cross the room, but Adonia watched him the entire way. His legs were long and his shoulders broad. Was she a fool? Perhaps she was, after all, wasn’t she trying everything new tonight?

              When Marcus returned to see if she needed anything she said yes.

              “Would you be kind enough to invite that gentleman back to my table and bring him everything I have had if he chooses to join me.”

              “Yes, of course, Ma’am,” Marcus replied, even though Adonia must have been ten years younger than he.

              Adonia watched as Marcus approached the man with the long scar and felt her heart drop as he finished his drink and then left the restaurant. Marcus came back to the table promptly.

              “Mr. Fallow regrets that he has made other plans this evening, but would like to invite you to accept his apology and has left you this note.”

              Adonia had not even seen him stop to write the note, but she took it never the less. When she opened it the note said: “Tomorrow 8pm. Yours, Craig,” nothing else.

              “Did Mr. Fallow say anything else?” She asked Marcus.

              “No, Ma’am. May I bring the dessert cart now?”

              “Absolutely!” Adonia said a little too enthusiastically and took a sip of her wine.

“Bring a good dessert wine also, please, Marcus.”

              “Of course.” Marcus said and left to have the dessert waiter prepare something special for Ms. Chevez. She was obviously not herself tonight.

*****

              By the time Adonia finished the bottle of dessert wine, she knew she was in no shape for driving and asked Marcus to call her a cab.

              “Please bring the bill also, Marcus.” She said while fumbling in her purse for her wallet.

              “Oh, the bill has been taken care of Ma’am,” Marcus said. “By Mr. Fallow, did you not know?”

              “Mr. Who?” Adonia asked.

              “Not to worry, you are taken care of. I will get the taxi for you.”

              Adonia sat at her table stunned. That bill must have been astronomical. She had planned on using a credit card. It was her treat to herself. Her new motto was to live her life to the fullest. She thought that this decision would have made her mother proud. Who was this Mr. Fallow anyway? He had nerve paying her bills and commanding her to be available at 8 pm. She was to be available for what exactly? Well, she supposed she would never know, because she certainly wasn’t going to show up here and wait for him eagerly at eight the following night.

              Marcus returned to escort her out to the front of the restaurant where a black car was waiting to take her home. He had called a VIP service for her.

              “Thank you, Marcus, that is very kind of you,” she said wobbling toward the driver who also held out his arm for her to lean on.

              “This is so embarrassing,” she mumbled to herself, but allowed the driver to help her into the rear of the vehicle just the same.

              The driver eased out from the curb and began driving before Adonia could say a word.

              “Driver, don’t you need the address?” She asked confused that he had not asked.

              “No, I have the address. I will get you there in one piece, I promise,” he replied laughing softly.

              Adonia couldn’t remember giving Marcus the address, but then again, she probably wouldn’t even remember getting home by tomorrow morning. She was definitely taking tomorrow off; she would have to call her assistant as soon as she got in.

              When they arrived at her apartment building, the driver escorted her directly inside the lobby and asked if she wanted him to escort her upstairs.

              “No, of course not, that won’t be necessary,” she said. “How much do I owe you?”

              “There is no charge Ma’am.”

              “What do you mean, there is no charge?” Adonia asked becoming irritated at not knowing what was going

              “Mr. Fallow sends his compliments.”

              “Well, you tell Mr. Fallow, that in the future, I can pay for my own things, “ she said indignantly and turned toward the elevators.

              “Of course,” the driver replied and stood waiting for her to get onto the elevator safely.

              Adonia couldn’t wait to get into her apartment. She was furious. Just who did this man think he was and how did he know her address? She was certain now that she never told it to Marcus. She had a good mind to report him to the police, but she knew how ridiculous it would sound. “So, a man bought you dinner and made sure you got home safely after you had been drinking too much. Uh, huh.”

              She would call the Superintendent tomorrow and have him change her locks. Once she heard the bell chime at the tenth floor, she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she was home. Of course, right in front of her apartment door were two-dozen red roses waiting for her arrival. She fumbled with her keys, her hand shaking slightly and finally got the key into the lock, leaving the roses in the hall. She didn’t have to read the card to know whom they were from. She knew this guy was trouble. Why hadn’t she just left it alone?

              Adonia began undressing as she went down the hall and into the living area. She had left her heels at the door and now removed her pencil skirt and loose fitting blouse. She was left with just her white satin bra, matching panties and hosiery. The white satin looked stunning against her mocha colored skin. Her legs were long and shapely. Her breasts and buttocks full and round. She padded into the kitchen and pulled the water pitcher from the refrigerator, knowing that she had better begin chasing the hangover now. She sat at on the couch, a wine glass full of water and dialed her assistant.

              “Hi, Sam. I’m sorry to be calling so late, but I won’t be coming in tomorrow. Whatever I have scheduled needs to be taken care of by someone else or rescheduled, “ she spoke into the phone.

Sam reminded Andonia that she had a meeting with Ross Weinburg the following morning, but keeping true to herself and her new motto, Adonia confirmed that it needed rescheduling.
              “It took five months to get the first appointment,” Sam balked.

“I guess it will take five more to get the next. Make magic Sam and after tomorrow I am working from home for a few days,” she said and hung up the phone.

Ross Weinburg was a needed investor, but maybe it was time that Adonia stopped working so hard at everything and took stock of her life. She needed a few days to think clearly. Tomorrow would be spent at the spa, detoxing. Let Ross Weinburg sweat.

By the time Adonia had reached her bedroom and removed the rest of her clothing she had forgotten all about Craig Fallow. Taking her last sips of water for the night, she got into bed. Adonia felt relief as she slipped in between the cool sheets and put on her sleep mask. She always slept naked and tonight was no different, except for the man that sat just outside her balcony doors. Adonia drifted off to sleep unaware that she was being watched.