Mr. Grayson: Billionaires’ Club Book 4 (Billionaires’ Club Series)

Bree and I sat quietly while Spencer and Jim made these bottom-feeding thieves confess their wrongdoings through tears or out of fear of the police being called.

It was quite enjoyable to watch Spence and Jim play good cop, bad cop, but I could see that this shit was taking its toll on Breanne. I tried to empathize with her, but since I was the guy who caught the assholes and not the victim of their maliciousness, I struggled to give a damn about how these sneaky fuckers felt.

Breanne was face-to-face with the people who’d all but bankrupted her, believing that she was to blame for her company not paying its bills. That’s the main reason I was enjoying watching Jim and Spencer ream these pathetic losers. The woman who sat stiffly by my side couldn’t pay her bills because she thought she needed to protect these sons of bitches, so these people deserved every ounce of karma that was about to crash down on them.

Any other day, I would have happily jumped in alongside Jim and Spence to make these dicks suffer more guilt and fear for what they’d done, but oddly, my gut told me to sit this one out. It was more useful in this situation for me to be a bystander with Breanne and offer her smiles of reassurance that Jim, Spencer, and the lawyers were going to fix the problem.

After the last jerk-off walked out in tears, offering Breanne one final pathetically guilty nod, I rose and thanked the lawyers for their time. Breanne was behind me, and I could sense the woman was utterly drained after listening to this shit for four hours.

“You okay?” I quietly asked after the lawyers left me, Jim, and Spencer with her.

She lifted her chin. “I’m good,” she said, fake-Rolex smile plastered on her face.

I glanced at her hands. “Your hands are trembling.” I instinctively covered where she folded them together to prevent Jim and Spencer from seeing her at a breaking point. “Tell me this is from nerves of excitement and not guilt.”

I sucked in a breath when her eyes lifted to mine. Of all the emotions I’d seen in her, I’d never seen this expression. It was as if she were holding back tears, but her eyes seemed to plead with me to hold her as if the woman were mine to protect. The act of covering her hands with mine brought about a revelation that damn-near struck me upside the head: I loved the idea of her being mine to protect from any shady bastard who would dare to hurt this woman in any way. The sentiment was a total shock to me, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

“Nerves of excitement.” She pulled her hands away from mine after we shared some weirdly intimate eye-locking moment. “That’s all.”

“Liar,” I teased, resorting to humor, knowing that if Spence and Jim had seen this thoughtful and un-business-like situation I’d lost myself in, I’d never hear the fucking end of it.

Jim was the first to walk over while I turned to see Spence on his phone, finalizing the details of the pricks we’d spent the last of the workday dealing with. “Jesus Christ,” he said with a half-smile. “I can’t believe that shit was going on at Stone.” He looked at Breanne. “You had no idea this was happening?”

“No idea,” she answered firmly, holding her own against Jim’s usual no-bullshit expression. “And if I’m honest, it was difficult to keep my mouth shut while they made their excuses.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Jim answered with a smile. “Sometimes, disgruntled and lying employees have a way of turning their former boss’s words on them.”

I grinned. “You’re not alone, though,” I said, gripping my best friend’s shoulder. “Jim has had his fair share of sitting with lawyers while I was the one doing the interrogations of the shady employees.”

Jim softly laughed. “From the sound of it, it seems like you had difficulty sitting through it and keeping your mouth shut too.”

“Nah,” I half-lied. “It was quite enjoyable to watch your dick-side surface when those thieves started to use Breanne as their excuse for not understanding why their fuckery got them fired, and some of them facing jail time.” I glanced at Breanne, the woman still holding a stiff business posture. “The best of it all was watching Monroe blast their asses with facts and making them all feel like the pieces of shit they are.”

Jim glanced back at our friend from college. “I don’t even want to think about the years I wasted with you doing that man’s job instead of him.”

I laughed. “Nice try, fucker…” I paused my bantering with Jim when Breanne’s demeanor proved she wasn’t in the mood for it.

Strangely, I gave more of a damn about her current state of mind than I did catching up and throwing jabs back and forth with Jim at the moment. Nailing these bastards to the wall for the last four or more hours should’ve made her relieved it was over so she could move forward. It should’ve cued that dimpled smile that was sure to be the death of me.

Instead, the woman was expressionless and unwavering in this death stare that seemed to be looking at something other than Jim, and I loosened up and in conversation. Who knows, Jim was Mr. Mitchell to her, and she was standing in the largest conference room at the headquarters of the man’s global empire.

“All good?” I asked her.

She blinked, the fake-Rolex smile reappeared, then she turned back and grabbed her purse. “If that’s all you need from Alex and me, I have some other pressing issues to finalize for a project,” she said to Jim, lying through her teeth.

“We’re all good here,” Jim answered with a smile. “I will say that it’s good to see things cleaned up and moving forward. May I inquire as to how you’re faring with the idea of closing Stone Company’s building?”

“It’ll take some getting used to, but after what went down today, we certainly needed to make that change.” She forced that smile again. “It’s a good change,” she said with no emotion.

Jim eyed me as if I’d fucked the woman and sent her packing directly after. Being businessmen who dealt with dirtbags daily, both of us were trained to read people. It was vital to make sound business transactions, and Jim knew what I was currently picking up on. The woman didn’t want to be in this room another second.

“Breanne Stone,” Spencer walked up right before Breanne could squeeze in another exit attempt. “It’s nice to meet you finally.” He reached his hand to shake hers.

Breanne’s eyes carried a hint of a sparkle in them, and thank God for that too. She and I were both given a little insight into Spencer, who had the ladies worshipping at his feet with just a friendly wink. One of his admirers being Breanne’s very forward friend, Natalia. How on earth he managed to answer the phone while fucking her, I’d never know. I thought I was a dickbag when I had a fling, but I’d never pull that number on someone, even if they were terrible in bed. One thing was for sure: Spicy Spence was never going to hear the end of it after the guys and I went out for dinner.

“What the hell is that look, Alex?” Spencer asked after Breanne blew his ass off in her business frame of mind.

I eyed Breanne, and her eyes flashed a warning that she would hand me my balls later if I dared to bring up her friend—which I would—but not now. It would be best if Breanne knew the men as I did, and that wouldn’t have been the best icebreaker. So, using my best effort to shut the hell up about her friend fucking my friend, I remained tightlipped about Natalia Hoover.

“You kicked ass, man,” I diverted Spencer’s probing eyes. “It’s good to watch you in action again.”

“That was a shitty situation.” He looked at Breanne. “I trust you’re feeling somewhat better now that your company, along with Brooks, will remain profitable. The bottom-feeders are no longer in a position to hurt you or your father’s incredible legacy. I have to say, you’ve done an effective job of running that company, even if there was financial trouble due to the issues we uncovered.”

“I’m glad it’s over, and they’re gone.” She smiled at him stiffly. “All of you were great today. I’m grateful we have you on our side.”

“The feeling is mutual, Ms. Stone,” Jim reverted to a more solemn demeanor. “If you’ll all excuse me, I have to attend to a few business matters with Mr. Monroe.” He nodded to Breanne and then to Spencer. “We have a few things to go over before we can get out of here.”

With a glance of concern from Jim to me, the men made their exit. Jim knew Breanne was not fucking around at the moment, and he knew it was up to me as her partner to ensure the woman didn’t have ill feelings about the fallout that’d taken place. My expression answered him with a look of knowing that I could handle Breanne; at least, I thought I could. If the woman would bust out the truth on me, she’d quickly learn that she was in the presence of three powerful and wealthy men who would do anything to help her, especially after listening to all the hell these idiots put her through. All she needed to do was say was the word, and she’d be taken care of.

I remained quiet as I trailed Breanne to a red BMW. I would have ordinarily walked to my car and allowed her time to cry on her friend’s shoulders, but no. One damn sniff, watching her fighting with her key fob, bubbled up some unfamiliar emotions inside me.

“The unlock button should be easy to find on a vehicle I assume you own,” I said.

I was in uncharted waters of actually giving a damn about someone being emotionally affected by business matters, so I didn’t know how to be of support, but here I was trying.

“I know,” she sniffed again. “Thanks.”

“What the hell is going on with you?”

That was probably too harsh, but she was a businesswoman. She could handle the harsh shit.

“What the hell is going on with me?”

I was now asking myself if I could handle the harsh shit, standing on the other side of a woman’s expression who was simultaneously pissed off and hurt.

“That is what I asked. You should be walking with a smile on your face and a spring in your step, but instead, the tears are back.” I was a dick, but I couldn’t help but react to her cold, bitch behavior.

“I’m not going to lose my shit.”

She glanced toward the expensive cars in executive parking at Mitchell and Associates. “Certainly not in this parking garage, and certainly not in front of you again.” She eyed me, and her mysterious glare was sexy as fuck. “I’m not a weak person, Mr. Grayson, but I’ve spent the better part of the morning here, listening to those fuckers finally admit that they stole from me. After all the goddamn, mother fucking hard work I’ve done to take my father’s seat and all the personal fucking sacrifices I’ve made for their families, their betrayal cuts deeper than ever.”

She was officially breaking, and I would be a liar to myself and the rest of the world if I said I wasn’t breaking with her. She was a strong woman with a huge heart, and that heart had cost her fucking everything. This shit was real, and it sucked to see a good person go down like this. So, if she was going to lose her shit either through profanity or tears, I wasn’t leaving until she understood that I was a man who gave a damn about her well-being.

“Breanne,” I said, reaching for her elbow, her lips tight and eyes fierce, “I was in that room too. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling, but I need you to know more than anything that I’m here for you if you need to let it all fucking go.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Alex. I do.” She smiled while a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. “But I swear to Christ, I’ve also reached my limit with you seeing me like this.”

“Like what?” I answered. “Get your ass over here.”

That’s when I did the last thing I should’ve ever done. I pulled her stiff body against mine as if she were my girl, and I would never let so much as a fly hurt the woman.

Breanne was smart in resisting the gesture at first. I was not programmed to act this way. I was the man who was programmed to bring out her tears and exacerbate her feelings of brokenness, as I had with every other woman I’d been with. And God knew I could easily do that. I had nothing to offer but disappointment and a tortured past. I had no business trying to be happy or make anyone else happy.

My toxic thoughts were washed away once her rigid body relaxed into mine, and her fresh scent filled my senses. Maybe I was possessed? Who knew what the fuck I was, but this felt good. It felt right. She rested her head against my chest, and her hands held onto my back while she broke down in tears, and my anger toward those snakes who’d caused her pain flared up even more. I ran my hand over the top of her head and managed to resist kissing the woman as if she were mine to protect.

Hell, if this was the answer to finally gaining her trust, I was doing it like a fucking champion. I loved holding her, smelling her, and feeling her trust me enough to cling to my back while she let out the last of her shitty week.

“We’re going to get through this. I promise you that. I could kill a mother fucker for hurting you like this,” I said without thinking, lost in this trance that’d come over me.

I felt her laugh. “It looks like we’re both going to jail for murder, then.” She briskly rubbed my back and pulled away.

Fuck. As if I hadn’t already fallen into the sap-trap, she finished me off with the dimpled-smile.

“That smile will be the death of me, you know?” I grinned.

“Great. Then add another dead body to my list of casualties.”

I chuckled. “I’m serious, though. It’s over. They’re gone. It’s you and me now, and we’re going to kick ass together as partners.”

Her eyes were glassy as she smiled up at me. “You’re damn right we are,” she said. “Sorry I ruined your expensive suit.”

“I’ll charge it to Jim. He’s the one who made sure I had an emotional business partner,” I teased.

“I swear that I’m not usually an emotional person. You have met a side of me I don’t think I’ve ever let any man see except for Theo or Stanton.”

And you’ve just met a side of me that I didn’t think I would ever see.

“Well,” I answered, moving past the supportive man I’d suddenly transformed into, “I believe you owe me dinner now.” I knew she was broke as fuck, and I wasn’t going to let up on that until she gave it up and I could find a way to help. “Tobias is my restaurant of choice as well.”

“Bummer for you.” She smirked. “I’m in no shape to pay for a dinner that expensive.”

“I’ll take care of the mechanic’s charges for the car. You’ll take care of my appetite.”

“Nice try.” She flashed a new smile, one that sealed the deal on the fact that I wanted this woman on a personal level and now.

“You at least owe me a kiss,” I pressed. “Or ten, now that you’ve destroyed my suit.”

She pressed her lips together. “Oh, God. We’d be in trouble.” She then gave me a flirty smile and opened her car door. “Because I don’t think I could stop at one kiss with you and that gorgeous Johnny-Depp look you have.”

My face fell. I hated that everyone always insisted that I could be the man’s doppelganger. It wasn’t a bad thing to be compared to the finer-looking Johnny Depp, but Jesus Christ, were there any women out there who could see past it? Maybe it’d just gotten old to me by now. Perhaps it was because my stupid friends always suggested I dress up like Jack Sparrow or Edward Scissorhands for Halloween. All I knew was that I despised it.

Breanne’s laugh was the most beautiful noise to enter my sudden thoughts of frustration. “Oh, damn. That does piss you off, doesn’t it?” She laughed again. Then her hands ran up the side of my cheek. “Don’t worry, Harrison Ford is my Hollywood crush.”

“Who told you I despise being compared to him?” I asked.

“A little birdie.” She gave me a silly look, slipped into the car, and winked at me. Then, the woman I slowly desired now more than ever drove off, leaving me to wonder which one of my idiot friends managed to put that shit in her head.

Women talked, and after meeting her friend Natalia, I would guess that if I said something while I was drunk to an ex, then the rumor of me hating being compared to an actor was probably still out there and she knew about it. That and the goddamn Billionaires’ Club rumor. That ridiculous tag would never die no matter how many of my best friends got married, had kids, and went to hell and back to prove we didn’t screw women who were wealthy because we were guarding our money.