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Maddox Vested 66
Two years laterMaddoxMY PHONE CHIMED with a reminder of my three o’clock meeting. Not that I needed reminding. Every Friday, same time, no matter what else was happening.It was the most important meeting I had every week.I shed my suit jacket and unbuttoned my vest, hanging them over the back of my chair. I kept on my shirt but removed the cuff links and loosened the sleeves.I headed down the hall, my smile already wide, knowing what was waiting for me behind the closed door at the end of the corridor.I passed the office that now belonged to Emmy, waving at her as I went by. She chuckled and returned my salute, a smile playing on her lips. Across the hall was where Dee worked, though she wasn’t in the office today. We had convinced her to join the company. She worked with Bill, our lawyer, as his paralegal; she was excellent at research and a real asset to our company.I opened the door and stepped inside. What had once been two large offices was now a nursery/playroom, filled w
Maddox Vested 67
Watching him be born was one of the greatest moments in my life.We named him after the two people who meant more to me than I would ever be able to express. My best friends, my brothers.Bentley Ridge and Aiden. Brayden.A small foot kicking my chest startled me and brought me back to the present. I carried Brayden over and sat down beside Bentley. Immediately, Addi started babbling away, patting Brayden’s cheek. She loved him, and he watched her with big green eyes and a toothless grin. I settled him on my knee, holding my wrist close. He started pulling at my shirtsleeves—one of his favorite games.The door opened, and Aiden came in, cradling his infant daughter. She was a tiny baby, and looked even more so in his massive embrace.“Sorry, the dumpling needed a change.” He waved his hand in front of his face. “For something this little and cute, she can make me gag.”“Takes after her father.” I chuckled.Aiden sat down, gently settling Ava into his lap. Addi clapped her hands, and w
Maddox Vested 68
“That’s it!” Harry yells.“What is?”“The bags—they are the wrong colors compared to what’s in the instructions. That’s why nothing is adding up. It’s all labeled wrong.”“What?” Fletcher frowns.“The red parts are orange, and the orange parts are red. The black parts are white, and the white parts are gray. That’s why we can’t find all the pieces. The colors are all wrong.”Tristan punches his fist. “Why you . . . tick tock . . . old man.”“Yeah,” Harrison growls. “Tick tock.”“Hmm.” The stylist’s eyes roam up and down my body as she circles me. “We have a lot to work with here.” She fiddles with my hair and tucks it behind my ears. She messes it up with her fingers as she inspects me in great detail.My eyes flick to Marley, and she gives me two thumbs-up, the universal symbol of “You can do this.”It’s Wednesday, and I’m at the dreaded appointment with the personal stylist. “You’re gorgeous, Claire; there is no doubt about it. Your bone structure is flawless, and you have a beautif
Maddox Vested 69
PrologueELLIOTI stare at the numbers above the door as they go down with each floor I drop; my phone vibrates in my pocket, I take it out, it’s from Christopher.Warning!Witch is looking for you.Fuck.I stuff my phone back in my pocket and exhale heavily, not in the mood for her shit today. The elevator doors open and I stride out, glance up, and catch her in my peripheral vision. I pretend not to see her and turn toward Courtney, my PA.“Mr. Miles,” I hear her call from behind.I keep walking.“Ahem.” She clears her throat. “Mr. Miles. Don’t ignore me.”I feel my temperature rise.My nostrils flare and I turn toward the voice, and there she stands. The most infuriating staff member to have ever walked the earth.Intelligent, bossy, arrogant, and fucking annoying.Kathryn Landon, my arch nemesis.The official wicked witch of the west.A title well deserved.I fake a smile. “Good morning, Kathryn.”“A word?”“It’s nine a.m. on a Monday morning,” I snap. “Now is not the time for”—I
Maddox Vested prologue
MaddoxI RAN INTO the house, skidded to a stop in the kitchen, and stared in horror at the boxes.My father turned, glaring at me. “Pack your stuff. We’re leaving.”“No!” The word was out before I could stop it.Pain exploded in my cheek from his backhand. He knew how to hit to cause the most agony. After all these years, he was an expert at it.“You have half an hour. Anything that isn’t packed, we’re leaving behind.”My eyes smarted from holding in the tears. I grabbed two boxes, trying not to flinch at the sight of them. Stained, partially torn boxes that, no doubt, my father had grabbed from a dumpster or behind a store.In my room, I glanced around, knowing he was serious. Anything I didn’t have ready I had to leave behind. Every time we moved, it was the same. Once again, he would pull me from the routine I had fought to establish. The thing I needed to cope. Now I would have to face a new place, new school, new people.None of which I would stay at long enough to become attache
Maddox Vested 2
MaddoxWITH THE LIGHTS of the city spread out below me, I stared out the window, sipping my whiskey, enjoying the way the rich flavor rolled around my tongue. The low lights reflected my condo in the large pane windows. Tidy, organized, everything in its place. Exactly the way I liked it. Needed it.Behind me, I heard a light tap. I hit the button on the remote, unlocking the door, knowing who was waiting. Soft footfalls headed in my direction, and Dee’s reflection appeared in the glass. Turning, I offered her a smile and a tumbler of whiskey. I knew she’d like this one.“Hey, neighbor.”She shook her head, taking the glass from my hand and settling into the club chair. “You are such a dork. I live ten floors below you. I’m not your neighbor.”I shrugged. “Close enough.” I sat across from her on the sofa. “Seriously, are you settling in?”She held up her whiskey, studied its dark golden color, then took a sip. Her eyes drifted shut as she swallowed. Her hand swept through her hair, th
Maddox Vested 3
MaddoxI WAS ALONE once again. Dee never stayed. It was one of our rules. There were many, but that one had never changed or been broken.Pouring another shot of whiskey, I sat on the sofa, thinking of when we met.Deirdre Anne Wilson slid into my life as easily as she slid into the back seat of the limo on the night out for Emmy’s birthday that Bentley arranged. She sat beside me with her long, sexy legs crossed demurely and a smile playing on her full lips.“You must be Maddox.”“Dee, I presume?”“Right in one.”She looked around the interior of the car. “Nice limo.”I grinned and pulled a bottle of champagne from the bucket. “Thanks to Bentley.”She arched an eyebrow my way knowingly. “I think my sister insisted. She has no boundaries.” She glanced over at Cami. “I’m afraid Aiden has his hands full.”I poured her a glass of the bubbly with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t worry about Aiden. He can handle himself.”I thumped the roof of the car and yelled at Bentley to move things along. I wa
Maddox Vested 4
Her breathing hitched. “I’m older than you are.”“Three years,” I scoffed. “It’s nothing.”“I’m serious. I don’t do relationships.”“Nor do I.” I bent forward, lowering my voice. “May I be blunt with you?”“I prefer blunt.”“I find you incredibly attractive, Deirdre. Very sexy in your buttoned-up clothes and calm exterior. I’d like to see what happens when you’re naked and aroused.” I tilted my head, studying her. “Like now—are you aware in the past few minutes, your breathing picked up and your eyes darkened? You have the loveliest color across your cheeks. Even the tips of your ears are pink. I wonder how far down I could make you flush that way.”Her color deepened, but she didn’t flinch. She shifted closer, our knees pressed together under the table. Her normally husky voice was even lower, turning me on. “You want honest?”I nodded.“I think you’re one of the sexiest men I’ve ever met, Maddox. I see how your toned body moves when you walk, and I imagine you moving in me. You use
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