Enraptured Read online

  Drew smiled easily. “I’m not running yet,” he reminded. “And should I ever decide to, someone else would have to take over here as CEO anyway. As you appear to be gunning to do that very thing, I am certain you would never allow TruNews to become a source of ‘propaganda,’ thus nullifying any advantage it may offer.”

  There was a challenge on both sides of the desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jonathan size up the elder Fullertons, to see how far the tenuous peace between them could be stretched.

  “I welcome the challenge,” Alex said with that knowing smirk.

  “As do I,” Drew replied easily.

  Both Jonathan and I breathed a sigh of relief as the meeting drew to a close without coming to blows. The tension was thick in the air, so much so I needed to step outside just to ease the queasiness. I headed to the first floor of our building, to get some juice and animal cookies that I could eat in the atrium. I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Alex saunter over to the bench where I sat, but it only made the butterflies in my stomach worse. He and I being seen alone together was a complication I didn’t need, even if I did want to see him, to talk to him… to break through that gruff veneer one more time.

  “You okay?” he asked as he sat.

  I nodded. “I just needed a little pick-me-up,” I said as I gestured to my bottle of juice.

  “A growing baby needs its vitamins,” he murmured, his eyes lighting briefly on my stomach before traveling up to meet mine. “You definitely glow, Rachel.”

  I nodded and looked away. “Thank you.”

  He caught sight of the new ring on my right hand. It was an amethyst, both my birthstone and Jonathan’s, a gift from Drew while we were in Las Vegas. “New ring?” he asked unnecessarily. He would know that I would likely not possess a ring like that if it weren’t for Drew.

  I fought the impulse to hide it with my other hand. “It was a gift,” I answered just as unnecessarily.

  He leaned back and stretched out his legs. “You certainly are fitting in well as a Fullerton,” he commented. “It is the good life, isn’t it? You get the best of everything. The best home, the best gifts. The best husband.”

  I closed my eyes. “Alex, please.”

  “No judgments,” he drawled easily. “I wouldn’t have picked me either.” I could feel his gaze as it traveled over my new clothes. “So it’s selfish of me to expect you to pine for me, especially since what is easily trumps what could have been.”

  I glared at him. “What difference does it make to you what might have been? You bolted for the door every single time things got a little uncomfortable.”

  He sat up. “Fair enough. But what, really, did you expect from the weaker brother?”

  “You’re not weak, Alex,” I told him. “That was their label for you, but that isn’t how you need to identify yourself. If you’d just show up, you’d amaze everyone. Including yourself.”

  He chuckled softly. “You may be the teacher, Rachel… but you still have a lot to learn.”

  He rose to his feet and sauntered away. I stared after him with a sigh.

  I spent the entire ride home preparing myself for yet another confrontation with Elise. Now that Alex was no longer her buffer, she actually had to show up herself to pick Jonathan up every Friday. If she thought she was going to use that opportunity to shame me, insult me or condescend to me, she had another thing coming. This was my house now, and my family, and she would just have to learn to deal with that.

  She swept in, reeking of expensive cologne and dripping with diamonds. She didn’t bother to speak to me, but I could tell by the way her eyes narrowed that she didn’t miss one detail of my new appearance. Since I spent the last two days at the office, I wore the finer clothes that Drew had purchased for me in Vegas. I traded jeans and plain, button-down shirts for a skirt and jacket, and had styled my hair rather than just tie it back out of the way.

  Her eyes glittered as they landed on my new jewelry, and she sneered with contempt. I knew from the look on her face that she believed I had no real place there in the estate she used to call home, no matter how fine my clothes were. I tipped my chin as I returned her glare. As her smile shrank, mine grew. Ultimately she slammed out of the house with one arm draped possessively around her son.

  True to his word, Drew whisked me away to New York City for the weekend. He wanted to meet with Jasper Carrington in person. There was no question that Carrington Media could benefit from Drew’s money and influence, but Jasper had built his brand from the ground up. It seemed unlikely that he would give his baby over to Drew no matter how much money he wagged under his nose, but Drew was determined to try.

  And this time, I got a front row seat.

  Drew and I stayed at a grand five-star hotel adjacent to Central Park, in a two-story suite with its very own terrace with a panoramic city view. Before I could fully take in the opulence in front of me, Drew ushered me back downstairs to take a bite out of the Big Apple. It started with a shopping spree along Fifth Avenue, with Drew dressing me for a change. I felt ridiculous as I paraded through the carpeted dressing rooms, to stand before my husband as he sat in the chair, one elegant leg crossed over another, his eyes engulfing me from top to toe, inspecting each new look my personal stylist created for me. Unlike Las Vegas, my stylist in New York was a poised and beautiful man named Ethan. In one of the capital cities in fashion, his focus was cut and fabric as he threw together more ensembles fitting to any occasion. Since we were in the northeast, I required a jacket to keep warm, so I settled for a fitted suede jacket in rustic camel.

  I still felt ridiculous, even with a stop at a salon to style my hair and complete the look with makeup designed to look like I wasn’t wearing anything at all.

  By the time we arrived for the Broadway show, I felt transformed. Drew wore a proud smile as he offered me his arm. I returned his smile, though I still felt completely out of place. Had it really been only two years since a microwavable frozen meal and reruns on a 32-inch TV was my idea of a big Saturday night?

  Now I was right in the middle of one of the most exciting cities of the world, rubbing elbows with the rich and the famous. The only way it could have been any more of a dream was if it were actually in black and white with Sinatra crooning in the background.

  We met Jasper and his wife, Lourdes, for a late dinner in a neighborhood in lower Manhattan known as Tribeca. We were ushered to our table in the cozy restaurant with brick walls covered in funky art. Equally funky light fixtures cast a warm glow over the hipster diners who talked animatedly over their Americana cuisine.

  The elegant Jasper Carrington rose to greet us, though his ornamental South American wife only offered a demure hand and a bored smile. We all settled into our seats and a waiter was quick to offer us menus. Jasper asked how we were enjoying his fine city and Drew draped an arm on the back of my chair. “Rachel hasn’t had any real time to explore,” he explained. “We’re packing as much of it in as we can.”

  Jasper nodded. “Perhaps there will be more occasions for you to visit,” he offered. “I am truly sorry things didn’t work out with Elise. Once she met Aazim, she was rather unimpressed with the meager position we offered her.”

  My ears perked up. I knew Aazim Jaffer Hosein was one of the main investors for the TruNews channel. He had ties with Saudi Arabian royalty, with a bank account that made Drew look like a pauper in comparison. Aazim was known to drive a solid gold car on the streets of Dubai, and maintained that level of rock star royalty with swagger afforded to him by his movie star good looks.

  So naturally he would appeal to someone like Elise.

  Drew chuckled as he connected the dots as well. “I suppose she wouldn’t,” he murmured with a knowing smirk. “Regardless, I hope this doesn’t shade your decisions in the future.”

  Jasper shrugged as he sipped from his glass of blood red wine. “That’s entirely up to you, isn’t it? You’re the one with something to offer.”

  “You know what
I have to offer, so I won’t waste our time rehashing all the boring stats and figures. You and I are men of action, who understand perfectly that the fundamental basis of business is all about relationship. And that is I came to offer.” Drew held up his own glass.

  Jasper clinked his glass in agreement.

  I watched my husband schmooze Jasper easily. His charm knew no bounds, and I suspected he could make just about anyone fall in love with him if he truly put his mind to it. I watched the shields drop around Jasper as the night wore on, as Drew presented himself as a like-minded individual with the same kinds of goals and focus.

  Eventually my eyes slid over to his bombshell of a wife, who watched Drew from hooded dark eyes that barely hid the interest that sparked there. It was as though she looked right through me, as if I didn’t really matter in the whole scheme of things.

  And I supposed I didn’t. This was their world, I was merely a spectator. Instead I absorbed everything quietly over my plate of crusted swordfish.

  Jasper offered that we head to a club to hear one of his new acts, but Drew pulled me close under his arm with a devastating smile. “I’ve shared my Rachel with New York enough for one day,” he grinned. “It is still our honeymoon after all.”

  Jasper looked down at his curvaceous wife. “I understand that.” He shook Drew’s hand. “You’ve given me much to think about, Drew. But I think I can safely say you’ll hear a response from me by the end of next week.” Jasper spared me a grin. “Perhaps you can return once again to our city. New York cannot be fully experienced in a weekend.”

  I offered a polite smile and indulged his kiss on my cheek.

  Drew looked mighty pleased with himself in the car on the way back to our hotel. “I take it from that smile that everything went according to plan?”

  “It always does,” he assured with that trademark Fullerton smirk. He leaned forward. “I always get what I want. Eventually.” His mouth landed on mine and he urged my lips apart with his tongue. His breathing was ragged as he dragged his lips away. “You made me proud tonight, Rachel. The picture of a perfect wife and partner.”

  I snickered. “Because I said nothing?”

  “You would never speak about those things you do not know. That is the heart of integrity. Your silence demonstrated strength and wisdom. Both are valuable assets for any man who dares to take over the world.”

  My eyebrow arched. “You mean you haven’t already?”

  “Not yet,” he admitted as he pulled me close. “But you will be there beside me when I do.”

  His next kiss was even more forceful. I was breathless as we escaped our rented car and headed upstairs to our luxurious suite. A fire had been lit in the sitting room, chasing the chill of the February evening away with its warm glow. He spun me into his arms to dance without music around the room. As he dipped me, he slipped my scarf from my neck and let it fall to the floor.

  He spun me around and then back to his hard body. I gasped as I saw the hungry look in those blue eyes. He slid my jacket from my shoulders before another turn around the room. He pulled me so close I could hear his heartbeat. I moaned a little as his hand went up my blouse to carefully release every button. The next time I spun away, my shirt fell open. His hands were warm on my skin as he pulled me back. He grazed my ear with his mouth, whispering softly, “The only thing better than watching you dress is watching you undress.”

  I shuddered against his hands as they released the bra expertly. The fish in my stomach began to tumble thanks to all the spinning, so I pulled him back to the crushed velvet sofa facing the fireplace. He was all too happy to comply. But even his deep, probing kiss made me gag a little. He pulled away slightly. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Just a little queasy. Maybe the fish was a bad idea.”

  “We’ll take it slow,” he promised as he kissed his way toward the peak of one taunt breast. The minute his mouth made contact, I winced in pain. He tried to be delicate but I shrank away from him. He propped himself over me. “It’s very hard to feel like the conqueror of the universe when my beautiful wife denies me.”

  “Our child has other ideas,” I offered with a shrug.

  He nodded as he studied my face. “Is it my child? Or someone else?”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “A little tip: anything you do at the office I will hear about eventually. If you want a private tete-a-tete with your ex, you may want to do it away from the building.”

  I pulled away to cover myself with my arms. “It wasn’t like that, Drew.”

  He leaned back against the sofa. “So what was it like?”

  “Another opportunity to tug the rope, much like this,” I muttered as I scrambled off the sofa to grab my shirt. “He told me how much I glowed and wanted to rub it in my face that I had fully fit in as a Fullerton thanks to the new clothes and jewelry.”

  “He’s right,” Drew said as he swung his legs on the sofa and rested his head on his hand. “You’re turning into quite the lady.”

  I swung around to glare at him. “Turning into?”

  “No need to be offended,” he dismissed. “No one is ever fully prepared for this world. It could have gone either way. You could have turned into a materialistic, manipulative whore like Elise, or you could have run screaming back to the farm. But you’re stronger than most. This is your world now and you own it. It makes sense someone like Alex, who could never master that skill, might be bothered by it.”

  I was beyond irritated as I plopped down in one of the chairs. “Would you stop? This constant picking at Alex helps no one.”

  Drew shrugged. “Truth hurts.”

  “You don’t know the truth because you don’t know your brother. You should be bringing him along on these trips.”

  Drew laughed out loud. “Yeah, right. Do you have any idea how he would light into Jasper Carrington for having anything to do with TruNews? Have you really forgotten how he used to go after Troy?”

  “He thought he was doing the right thing,” I offered.

  “So he is right and I am wrong. As usual.” Drew studied me for a long moment. “And what do you think, Rachel?”

  “I think you both are very strong, opinionated men who simply haven’t figured out how to communicate with one another. You told Jasper that relationships are the basis of business. You’re willing to wine and dine titans of industry to woo and court them, just to establish that connection. But you will never truly master your universe until you try to build that connection with your brother.”

  “That’s very enlightened,” he murmured. “But I can’t help but wonder what exactly is in it for you?”

  “None of us have had a true family, Drew. Not really, not in the truest sense of the word. Wouldn’t you like to finally establish one for your children, so that they can have it better than you did?”

  He got up and poured himself a drink from the bar. “My children have the best opportunities the world has to offer. Many would argue that is enough to qualify as ‘better’.”

  “Money doesn’t buy happiness,” I countered.

  He chuckled after he drained his glass. He poured another one. “Hand a wad of cash to any homeless person on any street in this city, and I think they might disagree.”

  I sighed. My stomach still grumbled and a headache began to take root. I rose from the chair. “I’m going to bed,” I announced before I headed toward the stairs. I heard Drew pour yet another drink as I disappeared upstairs, where he didn’t come to bed until hours after I finally drifted to sleep.

  He woke up before I did, and tried to rouse me with his hands and his mouth. Unfortunately my pistachio-crusted swordfish from the night before finally made its encore performance and I barely made it to the bathroom in time. Drew was getting off the phone with room service when I finally staggered back into the bedroom. He opened the doors to the terrace for a little fresh air. It was chilly for a February morning, so I ended up crawling back into bed to collapse miserably against the
pillows.

  “Food is coming,” he promised as he climbed into bed beside me.

  I grimaced and turned onto my side with a groan. “I don’t want anything.”

  “I can tell,” he murmured as he stared down at me. “I really thought your morning sickness would be over by now, especially since you’re a week away from your second trimester.”

  “You heard Dr. Rombach. It varies from woman to woman.”

  He nodded but continued to watch me silently. Breakfast arrived, steak and eggs for him with an egg-white omelet and fruit for me. I didn’t even butter my toast as I nibbled a dry corner. I watched as Drew lifted a Bloody Mary to his lips. I couldn’t help but notice how he soothed his disappointments with alcohol. I wondered if that was yet another trait he learned from his father. With his dour mood, I knew better than to ask.

  I felt better in time for the flight home, so I cuddled with him on the bench seat and placed a kiss on his lips. He set aside his glass to make love to me in our private plane as it soared over the country. By the time we returned to the house, his mood had completely turned around.

  Elise still wouldn’t come into the house with Drew there, which I thought was wise. Drew had been livid to learn that Jonathan had been taken on a lavish Las Vegas vacation by none other than Aazim Jaffer Hosein. The prince-adjacent had dropped enough coin on the weekend that Elise had agreed to accompany him to Dubai, which bothered Jonathan. “She doesn’t even know him,” Jonathan confided in me as I walked him upstairs to his room.

  “Do you?” I countered.

  “No,” he answered. “But I will.”

  I sighed as he disappeared behind his door. I went to my room, but Drew wasn’t there. I found him instead in the study, nursing a tumbler as he did some research of his own on his computer. “You coming to bed?” I asked softly from the door.

  “In a while,” he dismissed without looking my direction.

  He still hadn’t come to bed by midnight. I ended up reaching for my phone. I glanced at Alex’s number a long time before I ended up texting, “What do you know Aazim Jaffer Hosein?”