Stepbrother: Instant Spark (Stepbrother Billionaire Romance) (Stepbrother Romantic Suspense) (12 page)

*****

Craig Fallow was used to getting what he wanted, so when Adonia refused his invitation to join him for dinner, he was surprised. Although he had completely kept his composure, she had unknowingly set a challenge that Craig could not resist. A challenge he had every intention of winning and winning well. He wasn’t giving her a second chance to say no and he had no problem letting her know it. She would come around. In the meantime, since he had his eye set on her, he considered her his responsibility. He took care of what was his and as far as he was concerned the game was already finished.

He checked his watch. It was 11:43 am. His man should have checked in with him a good hour ago. He had a mind to go over there and throw him off her balcony.

“Joey, find Tim and tell him he’s one step closer to death than he was an hour ago. Then bring him back here!” Craig commanded.

Joseph Ramon, Craig’s closest friend and personal assistant knew when his boss was pissed. Five years younger than Craig, he had been taken under his wing and protected after his brother died in an “accident”. Joey was forever loyal not because of his own protection but because he knew what had happened to the people who had been responsible for his brother’s death. He would do anything Craig asked. Right now all he could think about was whether or not Tim would run instead of coming back to the penthouse. He thought Tim should take it like a man, after all they all knew the consequences of fucking up with Craig Fallow.

*****

              Adonia woke late in the morning, fuzzy headed and feeling as if she hadn’t slept at all. When she removed her sleep mask, she squinted against the bright sun that was higher in the sky than she expected. She looked at the digital clock on her bedside table and discovered it was 11:30 am. Thank goodness she had cancelled her day. She hadn’t even stirred until now. She started to bounce out of bed the way she usually did every morning only to find that she should take things a bit slower. She sat up on the edge of her bed holding her head in her hands for a brief moment.

              Well, this is what it feels like to be hung over she guessed and gave herself no excuses. She was just dehydrated from the alcohol and planned on remedying that beginning immediately. She softly padded into the living area and then to the adjoining kitchen where she refilled the water pitcher and got some vitamin C and Echinacea from the cabinet.

“Ay dios mio!” She said out loud after she swallowed the vitamins. Just tipping her head back to swallow was enough to make it ache.

She wasn’t going to let this get the best of her. She walked back to the bedroom and picked up her cell phone off the bedside table. She made two calls, one to her favorite spa to see if they could take her on short notice and then the second to her car service once she had booked her appointment. She was in the middle of the second call when she heard a crash behind her. She jumped and then asked the service to hold a moment. Aware that she was still naked, she peeked outside the curtain off the balcony to see what the noise had been. Her favorite planter had knocked over, breaking into many pieces.

“Damn it!” She cursed forgetting she was still on the phone. “Oh, I’m so sorry, my apologies really, it looks like it is going to be one of those days.”

She finished her conversation and hung up the phone. She was going to have to clean up this mess before going anywhere. She slipped on her robe that she had draped over the chair, it was very light, almost see through, but she hated night clothes and this was all she could wear comfortably. She pulled back the curtain and started to unlock the balcony doors when suddenly the doorbell began ringing in earnest.
What the hell?
She asked herself.

Adonia turned away from the balcony to find out what all the fuss was about. She looked through the peep hole to see a maintenance man standing outside the door. She opened the door a crack.

“May I help you?” She asked irritated.

“Um, Ma’am just coming to change the locks as you requested.” The man answered, his jaw popping as he chewed gum.

“Change the what?” Adonia began and then remembered her vow to have the locks changed this morning because of the flower delivery, but when she looked into the hall there were no roses by her door. She wondered if one of the neighbors took them, then realized she was annoyed at that as well. She was never drinking again! When had she called to get the door locks changed? Had she imagined the roses? Her head was pounding now.

“You know, today is not such a good day, after all,” she said trying to sound polite.

“Whatever you say.” The maintenance man simply turned and walked away.

Adonia closed the door and stood thinking about the interaction for a moment. Usually the building staff were so polite. He must be new she thought to herself. She returned to the bedroom, her robe trailing open behind her, her heeled slippers clicking on the tiles in the hall. She exchanged her slippers for a sturdier pair of tennis shoes in the closet and wrapped her robe closed around her. She finally got the balcony doors open when the doorbell began to ring again.

“You have got to be kidding me!” She hissed from between her teeth.

Adonia was no longer in the mood to be polite. This was ridiculous! Her mood was only making her headache worse, but she didn’t seem to notice it anymore. She returned to the door and looked through the peep hole once more. It was Mrs. Carmichael from down the hall. She must have noticed the maintenance man and wanted to get the scoop on what was going on. Adonia didn’t have the patience or time to deal with her. That was when she noticed that she was carrying a basket full of red roses.

Adonia opened the door a crack, holding her robe closed again, and greeted Mrs. Carmichael.

“I see you have found yourself some roses, Linda,” Adonia said trying to smile.

“Why yes! I have them all trimmed of thorns for you. I saw them just left in the hall this morning and I thought I’d better take them in for you since no one had paid them any attention. They are just perfectly sweet, if you have the time I will come in and arrange them for you.”

“I’m afraid I’m not fit for company right now, Linda, but thank you. If you would please leave them by the door, I must get dressed.”

“It’s the middle of the day! That’s not like you Adonia, are you feeling well?” Mrs. Carmichael asked inquisitively.

“I’m quite fine, but I have to get dressed, you understand.”

“Of course.” Mrs. Carmichael replied, her lips pursed. She had been hoping to get a juicy story out of the situation, but would have to leave the flowers without it she guessed. She placed the basket in front of the door reluctantly and walked back to her apartment.

Adonia waited until she saw Mrs. Carmichael’s door shut and grabbed the basket and pulled it into the apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief and then saw the card was tucked into the basket, the envelope already opened. She placed the basket on the kitchen counter and decided to go ahead and shower. She would take care of the planter later, since it was ruined anyway. She got into the bath and ran the water until it was steaming, it had never felt as good to stand under the hot spray as it did today. As the water trickled down her face, Adonia kept thinking about the card in the basket, wondering what it said. It was just curiosity, she told herself. She couldn’t possibly be interested in a man like that!

Toweling off, Adonia couldn’t wait another minute. She wrapped herself in her towel and headed toward the counter where she left the roses. She opened the envelope and took the card out with shaking hands. She told herself it was the hangover, but she was excited.

The card inside read: “The car will arrive at 8pm sharp. Please dress in formal attire. Yours, Craig.” Adonia bit her lip and wondered what she had to wear.

*****

              Tim should have been off of Adonia Chevez’s balcony long ago. He had expected to walk right out the front door when she left for the day, but she had slept to nearly noon. Luckily, Joey had contacted him and he explained the situation while she was out of the room. He had only had seconds to talk, but before he had to jump off the balcony, Joey had created a distraction long enough for him to slip into the house. He waited through the tedious conversation with the nosey old woman and finally got out of there when Adonia went into the shower. That had been close. He met Joey outside, but not before he made eye contact with the older woman down the hall.
Man, was she nosey! he thought as he walked out of the building unnoticed by anyone else.

              Joey clapped him on the back and laughed when he finally joined him outside.

              “Oh, you came so close to getting your ass kicked today,” he began. “Next time phone a friend, huh?”

              “Shit, I was trying to be quiet, not strike up a conversation two feet away from her pillow.”

              “So, anything interesting happen last night?”

              “Yeah, she walked around naked a lot. Other than that, she slept. She must of really tied one on.”

              “Naked, huh? Nice! How’s the goods?”

              “Let’s just say, I don’t want to die today, thanks anyway.”

              Joey laughed and clapped Tim on the back again. Tim was new, but he was learning quickly. Loyalty was everything. If he had talked about Adonia’s body at all, he would never had seen the next day.

              Once the two were back at the penthouse, Craig brought Tim into his office to find out what had happened overnight and especially this morning when he didn’t return as expected. After hearing Tim’s story, he decided to cut him some slack this once.

              “This isn’t an easy job, I realize that, but there are no excuses. Next time, jump off the building.”

              “Yes, of course,” Tim replied shakily and stood to leave.

              “Oh, and Tim,” Craig added. “How’s the goods?”

              Tim stared wide-eyed at Craig. When Craig saw the fear on Tim’s face he started to laugh.

              “Get out of here,” he said and returned to sit at his desk.

              Tim practically ran to the office door to let himself out, fumbling with the door knob. From the fear on Tim’s face he was going to estimate that Adonia was something to look at. He was looking forward to unwrapping that package himself. She was feisty and he liked it. It was more of a challenge this way and he enjoyed the game even if he already knew the outcome.

              Joey knocked on the door before entering. He may be Craig’s best friend, but even he never stepped outside the boundaries. Craig was a very unusual man. He was controlled in so many ways, but if you defied him, he set out to make you an example for anyone else who may get the same idea. This made for very few men with the balls to defy Craig Fallow, especially when you knew you may not be keeping those balls by doing so.

              “How’d it go? Anything I need to follow up with,” Joey asked.

              “Nah, he almost pissed himself, that’s enough for now.”

              “Good to know,” Joey said with a slight laugh.

              “Nothing about a man pissing himself is funny,” Craig said looking up from his desk, his eyes glaring. “It’s a sign of his weakness. Find out how to break him of it.”

              “Yes, you are right, Craig. I will find out what he needs and makes sure he receives it.”

              “Thanks,“ he returned in a softer tone.

              “Everything is all set for tonight. I called in a couple of extra guys for details and such, make sure it all runs smoothly for you.”

              “Alright, Joey. I’ll talk with you later.”

              Joey knew as soon as he heard his name used by Craig that everything was fine again. Craig was Craig, you just needed to be respectful and everything worked out. Either way, he knew they were good and that in itself was all he needed to know. He left Craig’s office and shut the door behind him. Just then he heard a loud pop.
What the hell? he thought and then realized it had been a gunshot.

              Joey ran down the hall following the sound and pulled his gun before swinging open the door to the library.

              “Oh, fuck!” Joey swore when he saw Tim on the floor his gun in his hand.

              Two men had followed Joey into the room. “Clean this fucking mess up!” He barked at them.
Well, we found Tim’s weakness, Joey thought, Colonel Mustard in the library with a pistol. Fucking-A!

             
Before he could even knock on Craig’s office door, Craig called out through the door to him.

              “Just clean it up, Joey, I’m not deaf.”

              He had been about to call his day over, but apparently there were other forces at work behind the scenes. Maybe sleep deprivation wasn’t good for the employees after all. He called his wife and informed her he would once again be late. As always, she understood. He didn’t tell her anything about his work, to keep her safe, but she was smart and knew enough not to ask. He would get there when he got there. In the meantime, the boss had a date and there was work to do.

*****

              Adonia had decided to splurge and give herself the works at the spa. After all, Craig had picked up her enormous dinner bill last night, so why not? She was enjoying a facial and some refreshing cucumber water when she found herself thinking of a shopping spree next. Well, things had certainly changed over night, hadn’t they. Frankly, she was tired of all the hard work and no play, and if Craig wanted to take her somewhere where a formal dress was required, maybe she should just go and enjoy it. She decided right then that she was going tonight and buying herself whatever she wanted today.

She was going to celebrate life and not squander it. Her day had not started out as well as she had hoped, but her night would be fabulous! Once she had hair, makeup, mani-pedi, and every spa treatment imaginable that she had time for, she called the car service to take her shopping. She was having a great time treating herself and never realized how fun taking a day and evening for yourself could be. She had kept her phone off all day. She didn’t care. It was time to live or time to start dying, which was it going to be? That’s when Adonia saw the perfect dress. It was strapless, floor length, and black with a simple white ribbon that cinched the waist. She hadn’t even looked at any other dresses yet, but knew this was the one. She got the attendant to help her with it and once she had it on, she looked breathtaking.

“I’ll take it,” Adonia said.

“Certainly, shall I have it wrapped and sent to your address?”

“No, I will be taking it now, but thank you.”

Adonia nearly choked when she swiped her card to pay for the dress and realized that it had a $5,000.00 price tag. She knew this was inexpensive by some standards, but she had never spent this much on one item before.
No reason to stop now, she thought and smiled at the girl behind the counter. Next stop, new shoes and accessories!

By the time Adonia arrived home from her expensive shopping expedition, it was far later than she had expected. She had been having too much fun shopping. Perhaps a little too much fun. She had an entire new wardrobe being delivered the following week.
Oh, well you only live once!
she thought as she struggled into the apartment with her many purchases.
She quickly organized her parcels in her bedroom and then unzipped the garment bag and arranged the evening gown on the bed. She had found the perfect shoes, black sling backs with silver heels, and a silver beaded handbag to match. She went and checked her hair and makeup in the mirror. She needed a bit of touch up, but nothing too much. She checked the clock. It was 6:15 pm. She knew if she was going to be ready she should hustle.

              She began pinning up her hair and smoothing it into a sexy and feminine up-do, leaving soft wisps of hair down by her ears, creating a not too perfect yet elegant look. Adonia wondered why she was taking so much time and effort preparing for this “date”. Just as quickly as doubt sprang into her mind, she dismissed it. She had promised herself to have a good time regardless of how the invitation came about and she would.

By the time Adonia was finished dressing, it was 7:45 pm. She didn’t dare sit for fear that she would wrinkle her dress. She wore a muted silver shrug and simple diamond earrings as her only jewelry. She looked radiant. Her heart was beating ever faster as the minutes ticked toward 8 pm. She had no idea what to expect. She had eaten just a snack earlier to hold her over and now her stomach rumbled from one part hunger and one part nervous energy. This was no time for her stomach to be complaining!

At 7:58 pm the doorbell rang. Adonia gathered herself and took a deep breath. She walked slowly to the door and looked through the peep hole. It was the same driver from last night. She opened the door to him and stood waiting for something to happen.

              “Are you ready to go?” The driver asked wondering why she was standing in the doorway.

              “Yes, just a moment,” Adonia replied and went back into the living area grabbing her keys and clutch bag.

              She closed and locked the door behind them and followed the driver to the elevator. They were silent on the way down to the lobby. Adonia felt awkward and once again questioned her sanity for entertaining this entire idea. She had no idea where she was going or who she was going with.

              “Where are we headed?” She asked the driver as he held the car door for her.

              “Don’t worry, I will get you there safely,” he replied smiling.

              Adonia slid into the back seat of the dove grey limo as best she could trying not to crush her gown. She was adjusting her dress when she finally looked up and caught her breath in surprise. On the opposite bench were two other women, both dressed to the nines. Adonia was shell shocked to see them there and stared at them for a moment.

“Hello,” said a shapely and bubbly blonde.

“Hello,” Adonia replied back confused and feeling misled.

“I’m Fiona and this is Brenda, we are here to escort you until Mr. Fallow arrives. We both work for him.” Fiona flashed her brilliant smile at Adonia, but it didn’t seem to help.

“Please, we know this seems unusual and well, it is,” Brenda began. “Mr. Fallow is an unusual man, but trust me when I say he is invested in your happiness this evening, and that is why we are here.”

Brenda held out a long thin box to Adonia. It was a jeweler’s box. Adonia looked at it and then at both Brenda and Fiona. They were impeccably dressed and both gorgeous. A blonde and a redhead. She took a deep breath and accepted the box, but didn’t open it. She sat assessing the situation and whether or not she was ready to call it quits when Fiona smiled at her again and asked if she was going to open the gift.

“I’m not sure,” Adonia answered honestly. “I’m afraid of what is inside.”

“Oh, c’mon, live a little,” Fiona encouraged.

“We are dying to find out what’s in there,” Brenda admitted.

The box was not wrapped, but had a latch on the outside. Adonia twisted the latch and the box gave a slight spring to its top. She opened the lid the rest of the way to reveal a diamond choker that would match her earrings perfectly. The earrings she wore were the most expensive items she possessed. They had been a gift to her from a previous lover, one she had never had time for. She was grateful that the choker was beautiful, but did not completely outshine the earrings. She turned the box around so that Fiona and Brenda could get a look.

“Wow!” Fiona exclaimed, looking at the necklace appreciatively. “Mr. Fallow has a crush!”

“It certainly looks that way,” Brenda agreed looking over at Adonia who was still trying to catch her breath and mentally absorb the situation.

“Fiona, get us some champagne and I will help Adonia put her necklace on,” Brenda said moving over to Adonia’s side of the limo.

She didn’t ask permission, she just took the box from Adonia’s hands and placed the necklace around her neck making sure to secure it correctly and then held out a small mirror that she had in her bag for Adonia to admire herself in.

Adonia looked in the mirror and allowed herself to smile for the first time. The necklace was beautiful and made her feel very sexy. She breathed out a sigh of pent up energy and accepted the glass of champagne from Fiona. She took a small sip and enjoyed the bubbles on her tongue. She was going to have a few sips and that would be all for tonight. She had certainly learned her lesson this morning. The girls breathed a sigh of relief as Adonia begin to relax.

“So, where are we headed?” Adonia asked.

“We are glad you asked! We are headed to a masked ball! It’s lots of fun!” Fiona said getting excited and pulling out a beautiful bead and feather mask for Adonia.

She handed it to Adonia who again took a moment to absorb the situation, but when Brenda and Fiona put on their masks, she did so as well.

“Don’t worry,” Brenda soothed, we are going to have a great time!”

Adonia sipped her champagne slowly as the limo traveled on. She had no idea how to feel about the eccentric display, but she had made a promise to herself to be open to the experience. She took a deep breath and hoped that she had made the right decision.

*****

              After close to an hour, Adonia was getting more comfortable with Fiona and Brenda. Against her better judgment she had accepted a second glass of champagne, but had barely sipped it when the limo pulled up to a gate. Within a minute the gate swung open and the limo proceeded up a long driveway. When the driver opened the door, he helped Adonia out first and then the other girls. Brenda and Fiona fussed over Adonia’s gown straightening and smoothing it for her. Brenda took her champagne glass and handed it to the driver and then stood in front of Adonia and looked her directly in the eyes.

              “I am going to be with you for the next hour. Fiona will be working, but she will check in with us just before the hour is up. You have the hour to decide if you are having enough fun that you would like to join Mr. Fallow. I know this seems mysterious, but it is my job to make you comfortable as much as possible. If at any time you are ready to leave, I will escort you back to your apartment. The necklace is a gift.”

              Adonia looked at Brenda quizzically and said, “Mr. Fallow has a flair for the dramatic.”

              Brenda smiled and the three linked arms and climbed the short set of stairs to the main entrance. The three made quite a sight to see, a blonde, a redhead and a brunette, each of them beautifully dressed and wearing elaborate ball masks. The doors were opened for them to enter the foyer and then they were shown down a long, wide hall to the ballroom. As soon as Adonia stepped into the ballroom, she understood what Brenda’s speech had been about. There were many people here. Some were wearing elaborate costumes, some were hardly wearing anything at all, but all had masks on their faces. Young women walked around carrying trays of champagne, all of them topless, some of them fully naked. Adonia looked at Brenda and found that Brenda had been watching for her reaction. She didn’t move further into the ballroom yet, she just observed. She wasn’t afraid of naked bodies, but wondered why they were there to begin with. She suspected this ball was not about dancing so much as about something a bit more carnal.

              “What kind of ball is this?” She asked Brenda directly, not willing to accept vague answers anymore. Her eyes must have said so through her mask because Brenda did not try to evade answering.

              “It’s a ball for meeting others to express your sexuality with or to just enjoy watching others do so. Mr. Fallow is a great fan of watching for pleasure.”

              “I see. Well, in that case I may need another glass of champagne after all.”

              “Of course,” Brenda said smiling, happy to see that Adonia had not run from the room yet.

She waved to a girl carrying a tray and immediately the girl came over to them. She was beautiful. Her body was lean and toned, her breasts were enormous with large nipples and she wore nothing but a g-string. Adonia couldn’t help staring at her body and almost forgot the champagne. The girl smiled at Adonia and took her hand placing it on one of her breasts. Adonia caught her breath when she felt a familiar tingle between her legs. She couldn’t help but be aroused by such a sexually charged greeting.

“You’re beautiful,” was all that Adonia could manage to say before the girl handed her a glass of champagne and walked away.

“They are not allowed to speak to you,” Brenda told Adonia. “They can flirt or smile, but they are not allowed to talk to you unless you ask them to.”

“Oh! Why is that?” Adonia asked innocently.

“It’s all part of the game,” Brenda answered and took Adonia’s free hand leading her further into the room. Wherever they went, people seemed to part and allow them passage. Some even bowed to them as they passed, but Brenda barely took notice even as Adonia craned her neck to look back at some of the people.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” Brenda suggested leading Adonia over to a long banquet table full of anything you could imagine. A chef was carving roasted meats, while another one was offering an array of bread and cheeses from around the world. Fresh pan seared scallops, passion fruit, and decadent dark chocolate were a few of the items that Adonia sampled. She finished her glass of champagne and turned back to see Fiona had reappeared and was talking with Brenda. Fiona like so many other girls at the ball, was now naked. She was covered in luminous body glitter and seemed to shine like a star. Adonia smiled over at her, but they did not come to join her. Adonia walked to where the women stood, but Fiona did not look at her. Brenda stopped their conversation to talk with Adonia.

“She is working now, so she cannot speak to you unless you request her to. She also will not look at you, not out of rudeness, but out of respect.”

Adonia did not know what to think of this or what to say, so she kept silent.

Brenda dismissed Fiona and turned her attention to Adonia.

“How are you doing with all of this so far?” Brenda asked.

“So far so good,” Adonia replied.

“Okay, we are going into the next room. You will see people enjoying the party in there. Some of them will be enjoying it sexually. Are you okay with that?”

“I’ve come this far,” Adonia replied.