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  Elijah was a shrewd businessman and didn’t take steps like mass expansion of a project lightly, but he knew Patrick was right. He still wanted to see more numbers first.

  “Get me another round of projections for the holidays and we’ll talk. If you think we can at least double our market share, we’ll do it, but anything less than that and we may have to settle for what we have for now.”

  Patrick shook his head. “I’m telling you, this lab was working at max production speed before the fire. The only way to win this game is to expand.”

  “Three percent, Patrick, or we can’t do it.”

  It pained him to say that because he knew if they were going to push Nicholas Sutton out of business, they would need at least a seven percent market share. What he really wanted was to see Nicholas behind bars, but that was a tougher ask since there was no evidence of him breaking any laws. Yes, it was a fact that his actions caused the death of Elijah’s mother and later Patrick’s mother, but there was no evidence to prove the man had anything to do with either death.

  “You still there, buddy?” Patrick’s voice cut through the haze of anger he was feeling.

  “Yes, sorry. I’m just pissed we can’t make this go any faster without being financially irresponsible.”

  Patrick frowned. “I don’t think it’s financially irresponsible at all. Especially if the FTC sides with us. At that point we want to fire on all cylinders. There are other companies with labs out there, but none even come close to our production level at this lab. But if we get the FTC ruling we want, you can bet your ass they’ll start putting a lot more money into real estate and we need to beat them to it.”

  Elijah held up his hand to stop Patrick—he could get carried away sometimes. “I hear you. I just need to see the projections. I have some other irons in the fire that may make it less financially irresponsible but until those pan out, I’m not just going to throw money at the problem and hope it works.”

  Patrick nodded. “I understand. Listen, the foreman is waiting for us. Let’s finish the tour and talk about it later.”

  Elijah fell into step beside his friend and together they finished touring the new building. Patrick was right, it wasn’t possible to increase production at this lab. As they were riding the elevator back to the ground floor, Elijah’s phone rang.

  “It’s your father’s company,” Elijah said, holding the phone up so Patrick could see.

  Patrick scowled. “Calling to complain about our petition?”

  Elijah answered. “Elijah Barrett.”

  “Mr. Barrett, this is Raul Lansing an attorney for Sutton Jewelry. I was wondering if you could come in for a sit down with Mr. Sutton and a few of his staff.”

  “For what possible reason?”

  “We want to discuss a deal concerning your FTC petition on lab produced diamonds.”

  “I don’t know what kind of deal you could possibly make. The FTC is an independent organization and we have no negotiating power with them.”

  The attorney laughed. “Don’t be so sure about that. Just come to the meeting.”

  “What time? I’ll only agree if I can bring my business partner, Patrick Sutton.”

  Patrick scowled and shook his head.

  Elijah waved him off as he listened to the details of the meeting.

  “I’ll need to get back to you as I’ll want to bring my own attorneys. I’ll call you in an hour and set something up.”

  Four hours later, they stood outside a conference room at Sutton Jewelry waiting for Mr. Sutton and his attorneys. Elijah had two attorneys of his own, though Austin was running late. Patrick stood uncomfortably against the wall. Elijah didn’t really need him here, but it felt good. Payback for springing Holly on him. Patrick avoided being in the same room as his father as often as possible. He’d agreed to this meeting under protest.

  The conference room door opened, and Nicholas Sutton and two men stepped out. He recognized one as the man in the pictures with Holly. The other was probably an attorney.

  “Mr. Barrett, I’m Grant Sterling, Mr. Sutton’s head of public relations. Please come in.”

  “We’re waiting on one more attorney if you don’t mind giving us a few more minutes,” Elijah said.

  Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Austin stepped out.

  “It’s about time you got here, Austin,” Patrick snapped.

  “Stuff a sock in it, Patrick. You’re lucky I was even in town.”

  Elijah looked back and forth between them. “Are you two finished?”

  “Sorry, Eli,” Austin said. “Got here as fast as I could.”

  “It’s fine. Did you have time to review the FTC petition we filed?”

  Austin breezed past him with a nod and stuck her hand out to Grant. “Austin Yates, attorney for Mr. Barrett and Mr. Sutton… Patrick Sutton, that is. What would you gentlemen like to discuss today?” Elijah stood back and watched Austin take charge of the meeting with a subtle smirk. It was fun to watch considering he’d seen the girl tied up and subservient just a few months ago at one of Hunter Novak’s famed Vegas kink parties—she had yet to play at Solitaire though she was often at the parties.

  When everyone had peacocked and strutted enough that they felt comfortable getting down to business, the group turned somber as Grant Sterling spoke.

  “We want to see if we can come to a reasonable agreement that would convince you to withdraw your petition to the FTC. What would it take to make that happen?”

  Interesting. Elijah had only just filed the petition forty-eight hours ago. Why would they be trying to deal already? Unless maybe they realized they were going to lose.

  Austin wasted no time rattling off a list of things her clients wanted, including that the Sutton’s drop their current ad campaign.

  When she finished, Grant Sterling laughed. It was a smug laugh that said he thought Austin was cute for trying, and Elijah instantly hated the man. Grant reached his long fingers across the table and snatched the notebook Austin was reading from.

  With a pen, he began making notes on her list and scratching out some items.

  “I think this is more acceptable, Miss Yates,” he said as he slid the pad of paper back to her.

  Elijah grabbed it before she could and took the glare she threw him in stride. She was supposed to be running this meeting, but Elijah couldn’t stop himself. He needed to know what Grant wrote.

  The changes he made were absurd.

  “This is utter horse shit and you know it, Sterling.” He tossed the notebook to Patrick in disgust.

  Patrick’s face turned red with anger of his own. “You seriously think this is supposed to be more acceptable? The FTC isn’t going to rule in your favor. You have to know that, or you wouldn’t have called this little meeting, and this is what you’re offering? You’re out of your God damned minds. We should just leave now, Elijah.”

  Elijah wanted to, but Nicholas Sutton had remained silent and he wanted to hear directly from his nemesis. “Is this really what you think is going to happen old man? You’re sorely mistaken. We’ll take our chances with the FTC. Not to mention the Clean Diamond Association is going to come for you and watch your business go up in smoke. Enjoy being on top while it lasts because you’re in for a mighty long fall.”

  Nicholas Sutton’s lip curled up in a half smile. “That’s a lot of bluster from someone who isn’t holding any cards. Take what we’re offering. I’m sure our friends with the FTC would just love to know about your little group of friends in Colorado.”

  He was referring to Solitaire. The club wasn’t a secret, but it was something Elijah tried not to wave around. Especially with conservatives running most of the government right now. His escapades and involvement with an elite BDSM club getting back into the public eye could be just the fuel a government organization like the FTC needed to rule against him and toss out his petition. That’s exactly what the old man was counting on.

  Patrick stood. “That’s it. If you’re going to make thr
eats, I’m out of here. Let’s go, everyone. This meeting is clearly pointless.”

  “You’ll regret walking out that door, Patrick.”

  Trying a new tactic, was he? Get under his son’s skin? But Patrick didn’t say a word. Simply turned and walked out.

  Elijah, Austin, and Jeremy—the other attorney—stood and followed him.

  “Hire Holly,” Patrick said as soon as they were outside the building.

  Elijah whirled to face him. “Why on earth would I do that?”

  “You take his little girl and he’ll get pissed off and make a mistake.”

  “I would be giving her a job, not kidnapping her.”

  “Yes, but if you make her quit her volunteer work at the Sutton Foundation as part of her employment contract that gets her out from under his thumb. At that point I’ll feel more comfortable taking drastic steps to bring him down. You know, the kinds of things you want to do but I ask you not to? With her there, I worry she’ll meet the same fate as our mother if she finds out the truth about the monster. I don’t want my sister being collateral damage. Hire my sister, Elijah. Do it for me.”

  Elijah groaned. Damn it. This was exactly the kind of decision making he tried to avoid.

  “I’ll think about it. I can at least offer her a second interview since I botched the first one.”

  Patrick gave a terse nod. “I have a plane to catch. I’ll call you when I’m back at the office.”

  When Elijah was alone in the backseat of his SUV, his driver quietly navigating the Los Angeles traffic, he brought up Holly’s number—the one she’d put in his phone three months ago. He’d been rude enough that a personal phone call was the only right way to handle this.

  “Miss Sutton, this is Elijah Barrett. I’m calling to apologize for my behavior during our interview. I let personal feelings get in the way of being objective and professional. I want to offer you another interview if you’re still interested.”

  There was silence on the line.

  “Are you sure, Mr. Barrett? I don’t like being embarrassed that way and I would like some assurances that it won’t happen again.”

  “You have my word.”

  “You also promised to call me three months ago, so I’m not sure how much your word is worth.”

  He winced. That was fair. “I’m sorry, Holly. Please take my offer.”

  Again, there was a long pause before she said, “I have an opening around one tomorrow. Does that work for you?”

  He had no idea, but he would make it work, so he said, “It does. What do you say to a lunch interview? There’s a nice restaurant down the street from my building.” In his head, he knew lunch was a mistake. He needed to keep this professional, but he didn’t care.

  “Lunch would be great, Mr. Barrett. Just send me the address and I’ll be there at one.”

  When the call was over, he sent a map link to Holly’s phone. Was he doing the wrong thing? Hiring someone as a means of revenge wasn’t exactly a smart business move, and it wasn’t his style. Rash decision making only led to failed business ventures and loss of revenue. He had to think clearly. Even if Holly Sutton was the person for the job, he couldn’t pursue her, and he had to be firm about his expectations. There would be no more Sutton Foundation in her world if she came to work for him.

  Chapter Six

  Holly paced outside her father’s home office, afraid to knock. After the call from Elijah Barrett, she knew she had to tell her father the truth. There was a real chance she was going to get this job and after a lot of thought, she’d decided she would take it if they offered it.

  With a deep breath, she raised her fist and tapped on the door.

  “Come in,” her father called.

  Pushing the door open, she gave him a shy smile as she stuck her head in and said, “Hi, Daddy. Are you busy?”

  His head turned from his computer screen to her with a kind smile as he crooked a finger for her to come in. “I’ve always got time for you, princess. What’s going on?”

  “I have a job interview tomorrow,” she said, closing the door behind her.

  No sense beating around the bush, she thought as she watched a range of emotions flit across her father’s face.

  Holly sat on the couch near his desk and waited for him to respond.

  “What kind of job is it?” he finally asked as he stood and came to sit next to her.

  “Elijah Barrett’s personal assistant.”

  For a split second, anger shrouded his eyes and his fists clenched and unclenched. In a quiet voice he said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetheart.”

  “Why not, Daddy? He does some really good work in Africa. And there’s potential for me to move up. You’ve made it abundantly clear that I can’t grow at the foundation, so I feel like I have to move on and do something else.”

  Nicholas closed his eyes. “There is so much you don’t understand, princess. Give me a moment please,” he said as he returned to his desk and picked up the landline. With the press of a single button, the phone began to dial. After putting it on speaker, he settled the phone back into the cradle.

  Soon, a familiar voice filled the room. “Mr. Sutton, what can I do for you?” Grant asked.

  “How problematic would it be to replace Troy Wilson with Holly at the foundation?”

  Holly’s eyebrow quirked upward as Grant cleared his throat.

  “I really think that’s a bad idea, Sir. Especially…”

  Nicholas cut him off. “Holly is sitting here with me, Grant.”

  Grant gave a subtle cough. “Hello, Holly.”

  “Hi, Grant,” Holly said hesitantly. What weren’t they telling her?

  “Elijah Barrett wants to interview Holly to be his assistant.”

  There was a long pause and Holly heard papers shuffling.

  Finally, Grant said, “I actually don’t think that’s a bad idea.”

  Nicholas seemed shocked. “You don’t? The man is trying to insert himself as my competition.”

  “Exactly why it’s not a bad idea. I don’t want to get into all the details, but let’s just say with your daughter working for him we could get a favorable ruling with the FTC.”

  Holly huffed. She did not want to be a pawn in some pissing match. The fact that Grant was getting involved irked her even more.

  “I’m taking the interview,” she said, unable to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “I just wanted to let you know that if I get the job, I’ll have to take a step back from my role at the foundation.”

  Not waiting for a response, she turned and walked out. When the door was closed, she heard her father pick up the phone and say, “tell me what you have in mind.” She tried to make out more of the conversation, but he was speaking in a hushed tone that was muffled gibberish.

  In her room, she dug through her closet looking for the perfect suit or dress to wear to lunch tomorrow. She remembered red being a prominent color in Elijah’s office. Nothing bold or splashy, but there were enough subtle hints of red throughout the decor that she knew the color was important to him. Red was a power color anyway, so it worked in her favor.

  With a smile she pulled down a dark red, almost burgundy dress. It wasn’t too formal or too revealing. Perfect for a lunch interview with a well-dressed, and sexy as sin billionaire. Holly crushed the last thought as soon as it surfaced. If she were going to take this job, she had to put their encounter at the night club far behind her.

  As she was sorting through her jewelry collection, there was a familiar knock at the door.

  “Come in, Daddy,” she said.

  When Nicholas Sutton stepped into the room, he looked tired. Holly noticed that his salt and pepper hair seemed to be more salt than pepper these days.

  “Hey, princess, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I know you felt like we were talking over you. I just wanted to let you know that you have my blessing to take the job. I only ask that if you see or hear anything that could hurt me, you tell me.”

&n
bsp; Holly smiled. “Of course, Daddy. I love you. I’ll always watch out for you, but I certainly don’t see what Elijah Barrett could do or say that would hurt you.”

  Nicholas pulled her into a hug. “Such a sweet girl. I’m glad you’re here, Holly.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, Daddy. Just thinking about getting a new job.”

  His hand rested on her shoulder as he studied her with sad eyes. “It just seems like a big change.”

  Holly felt sorry for the man. He’d lost his wife—her mother—when Holly wasn’t even a teenager. After Patrick stormed out of the house for reasons unknown, Holly felt obliged to stay close to her father. She was all he had left. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I love you, Daddy. I’ll always be here for you.

  When her father left, Holly sat at her desk and opened a browser on her computer. Before her first interview she’d done a ton of research on the Barrett Corporation. Now she wanted to do research on the man whose name was on the header.

  Elijah Barrett was one of Los Angeles’ most well-known bachelors, but he was rarely without a date at city functions. He’d been spotted with models and movie stars alike. But what she found most intriguing were the articles about his involvement with a recently opened sex club in Colorado. Who goes to Colorado for kinky sex? Holly felt herself blush as she read about the legal trouble the club had getting open. One name caught her eye, Raul Lansing. If it was the same Raul Lansing, it was an attorney who now worked for her father and for the foundation.

  She made a mental note to look that up later. Right now, there were hundreds of pictures of Elijah Barrett in a tuxedo to drool over. One picture of him on the red carpet at the Emmy’s captivated her. It was a rare photo of him by himself. The tux he wore was traditional black, but red diamond cufflinks sparkled from his sleeves, and his bowtie had hints of red running through it. Her outfit choice for tomorrow seemed even more appropriate now.

  Tomorrow… It seemed so far away but would be here before she knew it. It was late, time to get some sleep. She still had early morning Sutton Foundation meetings.

  The next morning, Holly dressed in her interview clothes before going to her office. Troy Wilson nodded approvingly at her choice of colors and even complimented her on her dress.