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The Billionaire’s Bargain
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Brandon Martinez has vowed never to get married. He enjoys a life devoid of commitment and filled with blonde models and contracts worth billions of dollars. Brandon is ready to go on living this way until his mother makes an announcement that rocks his world. Natalie Hayes is a simple girl from a small island in Louisiana. She has just lost her father, the only family she's ever had. She moves to Seattle, Washington in search of a new life and resumes work at the infamous Giancarlo restaurant owned by the wealthy Martinez family. A timely occurrence causes Rebecca Martinez, Brandon's mother to notice her and insist that she marry her son. Brandon has no intention of getting married, but even if he were to consider it, how could he stoop to the level of an impoverished waitress? Natalie just wants a simple life. Can she handle the responsibility and glamour that comes with being a Martinez? Can she stand Brandon's snobbery? Brandon and Natalie are two worlds apart. They are two broken people with hidden secrets. They'd never work. Or would they?
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The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Natalie's POVThat smell of garlic-laden roast chicken filled the air of the dimly lit dining room and was reassuring. I sat just across the table; Brandon was deep into food. All his attention was on the plate as he put labor into cutting the steak. Weak candlelight fell luxuriously on his face, and shadows leaped at his face, making him sadder than usual.I spun my fork around absentmindedly. I wasn't all that hungry for the really good dinner we were having. It had turned into one of those very long days with all the ordinary stress of operating a restaurant, and now, sitting here with Brandon, I can't help but reflect upon how everything had shifted so dramatically in what has to count as hardly any time at all. We had been getting into some kind of rhythm, but so much was still unsaid between us—especially with everything that happened with Arlys.Brandon's cell phone. He looked at the screen to see who it was calling from before answering. "Anthony," he said into his phone, lea
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
But while the city came toward me, he did begin to dawn what he really did. Done straight at me, definitely no question. Every time my mind wandered to that, chills ran down my back. Whoever was in that place, he wasn't after me alone. Not by a long shot. He was going after everything I care about, everything I've built. And that included Natalie.The fact that she of all people could be dragged here scared my soul, and I wasn't going to let that become real. I was going to confront whoever it was—to put a stop to them before they could get anywhere near her.I turned away from the window. I decided that this wasn't about me. It was about the people around whom I wanted to live this life for and protect. And it was for them that I was willing to fight to my last droplet of blood.I came and picked up the phone, dialing Tony's number again. He answered on the first ring this time."I want you to place some additional security on Natalie, discreet for the moment, but extensive. I don't
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
BRANDON’S POVI paced across the floor of my office, pacing in a thousand different directions within my head. He, the super-investigator I had hired, would be walking in any minute from gathering information on my tail. That man? I'd decided it was Arlys. That was the norm for what probably was her tactics. Something in the back of my mind kept telling me it was something more elaborate, though."Come right in," I muttered across the room, trying to act composed, though my heart was racing at an awful rate and my mind was full of a hundred thoughts.And there was Chad, walking through that door. The expression on his face is so serious that it will never waste a word. He's one of those men who speak so little, but when he does, it always counts. I respect him, but now more than ever I wanted some direct answers."Chad," I nodded toward the chair, "what have you got for me?"He sat, crossing his leg over the other as he always did whenever he was keyed up about something. "I found you
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Brandon's POVEverything wore an orange tint as I rode through the busy city streets under the bright New York sun. The fight with Robin last evening was foremost on my mind, even more so the image of him standing there, smirking and slick, like he had some prior claim over Natalie. The way she hemmed, didn't tell him in clear words to bug off—it niggled at me. I mean, couldn't afford to think about it. I had a meeting to get to. Deals to finalize. An empire to protect.As I pulled onto the highway, I looked in the rearview—of course, out of pure habit more than anything. There was a black sedan, riding an inch too close for my taste. I sneered, then rinsed it away to nothing. I lit it and hit the gas to get around a truck going slower. The damn car did it too—in perfect tandem.I tensed, hands tightening around that HUMMER steering wheel. I wasn't some kind of rookie with this game—at least not when I was being followed. The adrenaline rush to my heart increased, and I laid my foot
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
He slipped into the circle of my arms and pulled me against his chest. He really didn't seem to experience that huge surge of adrenaline whatsoever. This was rather incredible, how the gale-blowing wind in me seemed to stand in contrast to the calm beat of his heart. It was warm and safe—all that one is supposed to connect with that feeling. Yet, with me, it only seemed to build that suffocated feeling."Don't worry about him, Natalie," he said, his voice whispering into my hair like such a sweet melody. "Robin doesn't understand what we have."I nodded mutely against his chest, not trusting myself to open my mouth; so many thoughts pirouetted in so many directions, each of them a tug in itself. The words replayed over and over in my head, something like this: "I hope you don't regret this." Not the first time that Robin said these to me, something unusually heavy in the sentence today suggested the likelihood of tightness in my chest."Something wrong?" Brandon's voice cut into my t
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
NATALIE'S POVThe noontime rush started to populate the restaurants around me. The bustle in the air above my desk made all the clattering dishes and humming voices busy, even as I continued to stare down at paperwork. My mind refused to quit wandering—even as Brandon's warning about Arlys wouldn't quit echoing—and my chest held this overwhelming knot that tightened into something constricting.At the knock on my office door, I drew breath, trying to push the anxiety right back down. My heart jumped, and a reflex wave of dread washed over me. I hadn't expected anyone, and surprises weren't exactly welcome after everything that had gone down."Come in," I called, my voice steady, and deliberately chose not to look up."Robin," I answered, forcing my tone into nonchalance. "What brings you here?"He only shrugged casually, leaning against the frame. "I wanted to check up on you. You have been… distant lately."I swallowed. The air between us was so highly strained. "I've just been busy.
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Natalie POVI had just pushed the door shut, and shaken hands with Hailey when the knock came. No time to call it, the door opened as the hinges gave a small hideous groan, followed by the entrance of three men in black suits–big, imposing, the lot of them. Not unlike the sentinels of Alice Rutherford. Their faces were stern. Features are all business."Mrs. Martinez?" came the one in front, a low, fearsome voice.Stunned for a moment, I blew air inside my mouth. Hailey beside me seemed to be shocked, at least that was what her mouth-open but mute reaction meant. "Yes that's me, can I help you.""We are here to escort you home," he said in such a matter-of-fact intonation as if it was the most natural thing in the world."You're walking me home?" I said again, feeling disbelieving. "But — why? Who told you to?""Mr. Martinez," he answered. "He was very insistent that we see you home safe and sound."My stomach twisted; thank God no one could see my face. The little voice in my head we
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
My mind was chock-full of her whispers, and the knot in my head just wouldn't subside. My head just couldn't be put to rest. My brain was like a hornet's nest, full of schemes and mixed emotions. She was trying to come between me and Natalie, to ruin whatever chance we might have to be happy. And the worst part of this all: I know she could do it.I sat in my chair, head in my hands, fingers clawing through my hair in frustration. My mind raged in a whirl of a series of angry thoughts mixed with fear. I could never let Arlys anywhere near Natalie. I could not let her destroy what little progress we had actually made.But how could I lead Natalie away from such a vindictive and manipulative character as Arlys without entirely turning her off?I almost remembered what she was like the night before, seeing me, really hearing me talk for the first time. Just for an instant there, it almost felt as if we were finally in tune with one another, finally getting each other. Everything is at st
The Billionaire’s Bargain CHAPTER THIRTY
Brandon's POVThe sun had barely heated the rims of the horizon when I pulled up to headquarters. By most standards, it's early, but today I need to get an edge. If what happened with Natalie last night has anything to say on the matter, I'm more driven than ever to square things—not just those between her and me but all around.I got out of the car and started up to the entrance, but was hardly aware of the confusion or whatever it was up near the security desk. I squinted, trying to figure out what was going on, and there was my stomach, which twisted right away at the sight: a familiar figure, Arlys, whose voice rose in frustration with an altercation against security guards."Let me in! I have every right to be here!" she was saying, her strident voice slicing through the room. The guards, to their credit, stood firm, not letting her past the threshold.I gathered my pace together, now heading directly towards the scene. A cold anger started bubbling up within me. What in God's na
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