THIRTEEN

Food. That is what Sadie should have been thinking about when she woke up. Breakfast. Specifically, bacon. Her stomach was protesting from beneath the sheets, the grumble of hunger audible in the quiet room. Brushing her hair from her face, Sadie wondered why she was starving. Until, turning to her side, she saw Jack. Images from the night before flooded Sadie’s mind, the reason for her raging appetite suddenly obvious.

Jack was still asleep. Peaceful. The morning sun softened his features, the gentle light rounding out some of his sharper angles. Sadie scooted closer to him in the bed, careful not to disturb him. She wanted to run the tip of her finger down his nose, trace the masculine curve of his lips. She wanted to brush his cheeks just below where his lashes rested in sleep. As Jack’s chest rose in a deep breath, Sadie let her gaze wander down the long, lean body that she had loved just hours before. Seeing Jack in her bed, his arms, chest, and abdomen on delicious display, Sadie’s sex tingled with remembered pleasure. And anticipation. A smile spread across Sadie’s face as she realized: she had Jack Avery all to herself. On an island. For three more blissful days.

“If you keep smiling at me like that I’m going to have to find a way to distract you. Give your mouth something to keep it busy.” Jack’s voice, roughened by sleep, only heightened the thrill Sadie felt at his words.

Dragging her eyes away from the provocative shape of his crotch barely covered by the sheet, Sadie raised her face to his. Jack’s eyes, not yet fully open, held a fire that was barely banked. One that immediately replaced Sadie’s hunger pangs with an entirely different appetite.

“You say it like it’s a threat.” Sadie lightly dragged her finger across his stomach, stopping just below Jack’s navel. “But I think you’ll find you’ve misread your audience. It just sounds like encouragement to me.” Her lower lip caught in her teeth, Sadie started to push her hand further down his torso, nudging the sheet aside, when Jack caught her off guard and pushed her onto her back. Sadie let out a squeal. Jack was hovering above her, his sleep-tousled hair brushing her forehead, his own somnolent smile spreading across his face.

“I see that you won’t be deterred, Ms. Carter.” Jack nipped at the tender skin below her ear. Sadie felt arousal flood her core. “I think,” he whispered between flicks of his tongue, “that I forgot to mention something. The other night.”

Only half listening, Sadie arched her neck to give him better access. Perhaps she had woken up half-aroused. And perhaps Jack was capable of priming her body with nothing more than a heated look and the press of his lips. Either way, Sadie was beyond elated to feel the weight of him above her.

“Sa-die,” Jack said her name against her skin, his voice a sing-song lilt. “Are you paying attention?” Before Sadie could answer he bit down on her nipple, eliciting a little yelp from her. Trying to appear annoyed, Sadie met Jack’s gaze where he looked up from between her breasts. His lips quirking, Jack continued, “This is important. You need to pay attention.” Without breaking eye contact, Jack brushed his fingers over one budded peak, the warm friction making it even harder.

“Do I have your attention now?” Jack’s tone was tranquil, almost tempting Sadie to relax and release his gaze. But she saw something almost predatory in his face and it forced her to keep her eyes locked on him.

“Yes.” Sadie’s voice wavered as Jack wickedly pinched her nipple.

“Yes?” Jack repeated.

“Yes, yes,” Sadie let out a gasp as Jack’s tongue replaced his fingers. “Yes, I’m paying attention.” Still watching him, Sadie saw his lips part into a smile where they were pressed to her breast.

“Excellent. So I can continue.” Sadie watched as his mouth moved to play with her other breast, the sight of his dark head against her skin incredibly arousing. She expected him to speak again. But, instead, she felt his hands drift down, pushing her legs wide to make space for him.

Even as he settled himself lower, Jack looked at Sadie to make sure she was still watching. “As I was saying. That night. In the cabana.” Sadie forced her eyes to stay on his as Jack dipped his tongue into her belly button, her legs clenching around him instinctively.

“I neglected one of your most appealing attributes.” Sadie shivered as Jack’s fingers swept across her inner thighs. “That one of the things I’ve learned about you, Sadie,” Jack murmured her name into the delicate skin just above her dark patch of curls, “is that you are persistent.”

Jack lifted his hazel eyes to her, a mischievous gleam sparking as his tongue darted out to leave a damp trail on Sadie’s flush skin. Sadie tangled her fingers in the bed sheets but didn’t dare look away.

“Persistent,” Jack continued, “in your job.” He dropped his head for another kiss. “Persistently brilliant.” Jack brushed his nose lightly against her curls. “Persistently beautiful.” Jack wrapped his hands around the tops of her thighs, spreading Sadie even wider beneath him. “And,” his breath tickled across Sadie’s slick, aching flesh, “absolutely persistent in keeping me desperate for you. All the time.”

Jack’s mouth was so close to where she wanted it, longed for it, that Sadie almost dropped her head back in relief. But Jack’s eyes didn’t leave hers. And Sadie forced hers to stay open as he ran one strong finger through her folds, the solid feel of him between her legs so much more intense for all his teasing. “And, Sadie?” Jack held her there, beneath his hand, desperate for more, until she nodded. “I firmly believe that persistence should be rewarded.”

Sadie felt the vibration of Jack’s words against her hypersensitive flesh, his voice dying as he dragged his tongue up her seam before sinking into her.

Sadie’s hips jerked in response, her body begging Jack for more. But he used his strength to hold her down. With her legs trapped beneath his hands and broad shoulders Sadie had no choice but to endure the skillful strokes of his tongue. He licked her without reservation, wrapping his arms around her legs and sliding his hands under her ass so that he could hold her still, open and vulnerable to him.

Sadie felt waves of heat collect low in her abdomen, her breasts swelling under the pleasure Jack was lavishing on her.

As Jack wrapped his lips around her swollen clit, his teeth nipping gently, Sadie let out a thready cry of pleasure. She could feel his answering moan rumble through his chest where his skin pressed to hers.

“Jesus, Jack…yes, there. Don’t stop….”

Jack’s mouth became more persistent, as he felt the need coiling within her. Sadie wanted to wrap her legs around him, hold him to her as tightly as she could. But she was captured beneath his body. So she speared her fingers through his hair and held his head down, her pulse rattling as the room filled with her ragged pants and the explicit sounds of his mouth on her.

Driven by her response, Jack unwound one hand from her legs and reached up to Sadie’s breasts. Sadie pushed her heavy flesh into his palm, a whimper on her lips as his fingers found and pinched one rosy tip.

“Jack, oh, god,” Sadie let the pleas fall from her lips. His mouth above her clit, his tongue was working the swollen bud feverishly. Sadie could feel her orgasm building, her legs beginning to shake as Jack drove her towards it with his lips and licks and hands.

Sadie pushed her head back into her pillow as Jack worked one strong finger inside of her, then another. The pressure of his mouth on her clit, the feel of his hot hand on her breast, and the sensation of him filling her – it all coalesced into a blinding explosion.

Sadie thought she heard herself scream but the sound came from far away, drowned by the sound of blood rushing from her head. Her fingers flexed in Jack’s hair, holding him mercilessly as her legs tightened around his thick torso and her sheath clamped down on his fingers.

Desperate for breath, Sadie tried to force her body to relax. Tried to coax her lungs into working. Amidst the haze she thought she heard Jack mutter something, his face brushing the inside of her thigh. But Sadie stopped trying to figure it out when Jack prowled up the bed, covering her body with his.

When his head was above hers, his eyes level with her satiated ones, Sadie saw a self-satisfied smirk spread across Jack’s lips. But it didn’t last long. His own breath was coming out in heavy gasps. And Sadie realized that if Jack had been aroused when he woke up, he was painfully hard now. She could feel his erection where it pressed against her inner thigh, the tip of it so close to her saturated entrance.

Sadie smiled. She slipped her hand between them and reached down to wrap her fingers around his steely length. In her post-orgasmic haze Jack had found and put on another condom, but Sadie could still feel the ridges of the thick veins where they pulsed against her palm.

Slowly, her eyes never leaving his, Sadie relaxed her legs, opening herself wide for Jack. She guided his cock to her entrance, sweeping it once through the eager slickness before notching it just inside. Jack watched her face under heavy lids, a subtle tick of his jaw the only movement as he allowed her to position him. Pulling her arm from between them, Sadie dragged her fingers up his broad back, feeling the tension that spanned his muscles, before wrapping her arms across his shoulders and resting her lips beneath his ear.

“Jack,” Sadie murmured his name, her voice thick with renewed arousal. “Persistence. It should be rewarded.” With that she rocked her hips slightly, her heat enveloping the head of his cock.

That was all it took. Jack’s self-restraint vanished under the single tilt of her hips. He began to pound into Sadie, his body crashing into hers with mesmerizing force. If the night before had been about Sadie assuring Jack that she wanted him, of inviting his body into hers, this morning was about Jack claiming her invitation. His need for her was overwhelming, coursing through his body and pouring into hers where they were joined.

Sadie felt another orgasm build under Jack’s punishing thrusts. She was still shivering from the one he’d just given her. Yet, under the relentless pressure of his body against hers, within hers, Sadie could feel herself hurtling towards another blinding peak.

“Oh, yes…so fucking good, Jack.” Hooking her ankles across his lower back, Sadie pulled him closer. She could feel the flutters of pleasure increase inside of her, the ripples drawing Jack deeper. With each powerful surge, Jack rubbed that illicit spot within her over and over and over until Sadie’s vision began to blur.

“Jesus,” Jack pressed his mouth to her temple. “Come, Sadie. Please, I need…” his words were swallowed by a hoarse moan, the thrust of his hips even more urgent. “I can’t….” Sadie could feel Jack’s body quake under his attempt to hold back his release until she found her own. But even as he spoke Sadie felt his rhythm stutter, his hips jerk forward forcefully as his large body broke apart. “Oh, god, Sadie….”

Sadie held her breath as she watched Jack come undone. He arched his neck, his eyes closed in furious bliss, a feral groan pushing itself free from deep within his throat. Sadie thought it was one of the most erotic things she had ever seen, this beautiful man overwhelmed by the pleasure he found in her body. And it was the sight of Jack trembling above her combined with his final ragged thrusts that tipped her over the plummeting edge.

***

“You are stunning.” Jack claimed one half of Sadie’s pillow as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve always thought you were. But you, like this,” he motioned to her general state of disarray – her hair, her bed, her limbs tangled in his – “you take my breath away.”

Sadie rolled her eyes and pushed him gently in the shoulder. “And you, Jack Avery, are a flirt. A wicked one.”

“Maybe.”

Sadie snorted at Jack’s grin but she couldn’t help but smile back. “Definitely.”

“Okay, I concede that I’ve been known to flirt. On occasion. But, Sadie,” Jack smoothed his fingers down one side of her face, “this isn’t one of those times.” Jacks lips were still turned up but his eyes were serious, a sober certainty burning in the hazel depths. Sadie suddenly felt restless under the weight of his arm and the tangled sheets.

She had broken her own rule. To not sleep with, not get involved with, or in any way compromise herself with Jack Avery. The lectures Lizzie had given her. The lectures she’d given herself. All thrown away into the crystal blue Caribbean after one provocative letter, one stolen look, one almost kiss on the beach. Sadie had muted her own warnings about Jack under his seductive words and skillful fingers that night in the cabana. And she’d full on silenced them after only a few moments’ consideration the night before.

Sadie was an adult. A successful one, she usually thought. Fully capable of weighing her own decisions against the possible outcomes, positive or negative. As Sadie had stood on the beach staring out at the fire pits surrounded by his employees, the attraction she felt for Jack had been palpable in the air between them. And Sadie had been certain that she didn’t want to leave the island without knowing what it would feel like to touch Jack Avery. And with the languorous effects of that decision still pulsing through her body, Sadie didn’t regret it. She didn’t regret one delicious moment with Jack. Not for one minute while they were on the island together.

But something about Jack’s thoughtful expression made her nerves flicker. And not in the take-me-now kind of way. But in the Sadie-you-don’t-want-to-know-what-he’s-thinking kind of way.

Sadie tried not to squirm as Jack’s fingers dropped to the nape of her neck. His touch was gentle. Calming, not seductive. And that made Sadie even more nervous. She definitely wanted to indulge with Jack on the island as much as she could, but anything even hinting beyond that was a bad idea. Of that, Sadie was absolutely positive.

Slipping out from under his hand, Sadie climbed off the bed and padded over to the bathroom in search of a robe. When she returned Jack was still in bed, his arms crossed behind his head, his body sprawled in the ultimate picture of male satisfaction. Sadie tried not to look. If she did she knew she’d risk losing a battle with herself against climbing right back into bed with him. Because at just the sight of Jack there, perfectly formed and perfectly displayed, Sadie wanted nothing more than to forget all of her responsibilities and hide away with him under the sheets. But her mind, finally breaking free of the pleasure-induced fog that had settled the night before, wanted her to keep her feet firmly on the ground. At least while Jack was looking at her with that intoxicating gaze.

Jack was on the verge of speaking when his phone rang, the sound muffled by the pocket it was buried in. Jack leaned over the bed to root around in his pants; Sadie gave herself a moment to watch the play of the muscles in his back before collecting her own clothing from the floor.

Sadie only returned her attention to the bed when she heard Jack mutter under his breath.

“Everything ok?” Sadie watched Jack’s face darken as he listened to the voicemail then furiously swipe through several messages on his phone. He was still muttering as he jumped from the bed and started getting dressed.

“Jack?” It was a minute before Jack noticed that Sadie was speaking to him. And even then his mouth was twisted into a frown when he turned to face her. Catching Sadie’s questioning look, Jake gave his head a quick shake and let some of the tension in his shoulders fall away. He crossed over to where she was still standing in just a bathrobe, his bare feet shuffling quietly against the tile.

“Just some work.” He traced a finger along Sadie’s bottom lip before dropping a quick kiss on her mouth. “I hate to run out like this, but I have to take care of a few things this morning.”

Sadie just nodded. She found herself oddly relieved that Jack was leaving on his own and that she didn’t need to find a way to send him away. Dismissing her client from her bedroom after a night – and morning – of toe curling passion? That brought a whole new level of innuendo to an already murky situation, and wasn’t something that Sadie felt at all capable of dealing with at that moment.

Though Jack lifted his head, his fingers still lingered on her skin, the rough pads making lazy circles near the base of her skull. Sadie had to use all of her will power to repress the shiver that wanted to cascade down from where he touched her.

“No worries.” Sadie weakly raised one hand, showing Jack the once neat dress that was now crumpled between her fingers. “I’ve got to get going as well. Busy day ahead.”

Jack moved as if he was going to kiss her again, but Sadie shifted, glancing down as his phone dinged again. “Seriously, Jack. Go.” The smile she gave him was small but genuine.

“See you later?” Sadie couldn’t help the joy she felt at the hope in his voice. Popping up on her toes she placed a light kiss on his cheek. It felt good. No, great. And so exactly right that she stepped back quickly and tried to keep her reaction to Jack’s delighted smile under control.

“Jack, we are on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. At a resort that, despite its many allures, is really quite small. Unless I accidentally lock myself in my closet or get lost at the bottom of the pool, there is no doubt that you’ll see me later.”

“Fair enough.” Jack’s voice was light, but he wrapped his fingers around her palm, squeezing tightly before eventually stepping back. Slipping on his shirt, Jack picked up his shoes as he headed towards the door.

Sadie followed at a safe distance and tried not to worry about who he might run into on his way back to his villa. She was imagining a very awkward encounter with a confused Grace – who knew exactly where Jack’s room was, which was nowhere close to hers – when she caught a flash of blue shirt in front of her. Before Sadie could guess what was happening, Jack had one hand speared through her hair and the other cupping her jaw, his mouth hot and demanding on hers. Sadie gasped in surprise and Jack slipped his tongue between her lips with bold strokes. It was only a matter of seconds, that kiss. But the desire, the demand that Jack wrapped around her was enough to cause Sadie’s brain to short circuit. She clamped her hands on his body wherever they happened to land. Her head was spinning and her abdomen was scorched with a violent wave of longing. Sadie had just relaxed under Jack’s onslaught, the heat of her skin seeking contact with his, when he abruptly broke away.

Sadie had to keep her grip on him so that she didn’t crumble to the ground in a limp puddle of limbs. She only let go when Jack cocked a self-satisfied brow at her.

“Something to tide us over. Until later.”

The temptation of Jack’s voice lingered long after he had disappeared from Sadie’s hotel room.

***

Jack stopped in a secluded section of path outside and slipped his shoes on, glancing around to see if anyone had seen him duck out of Sadie’s room. He didn’t particularly care. Not for himself, at least. But the last thing he wanted was to stumble across one of Sadie’s colleagues from the hotel and have them run to her with questions before they’d had a chance to talk properly. Jack knew exactly what he wanted from Sadie. But he wasn’t anywhere close to certain about what Sadie wanted from him.

Jack’s phone dinged again and he reflexively gripped it tighter. He quickened his pace, anxious to meet Mark. But even as he rushed to get back to his own villa to grab a quick shower, images from his time with Sadie ran on repeat in his head. The hypnotic curve of her hips, the smile that lingered on her lips well after she’d fallen asleep. The verdant glow of her eyes as he entered her, just before her lids squeezed shut in ardent concentration. It didn’t matter how much time passed; Jack didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget the abject peace that filled him each time he’d given himself over to Sadie. And when she’d given herself in return.

Dragging his fingers through his hair, Jack tried to push the thoughts away long enough to focus on Mark’s message. As they’d expected, the Board was determined to cause trouble. All because Maxwell Hurst was determined to cause trouble.

When Mark and Jack had set out to found D&A International fifteen years ago, they’d been blessed with a great idea, and the brainpower and skills to implement it. Just not the funds. But Mark’s uncle, Maxwell, had the money and the inclination to help them get established. And after finally agreeing to accept his help, D&A International had been up and running. Once Max and his money were officially on board, it had been surprisingly easy, they’d thought. Too easy, they now realized.

“Took you long enough,” Mark gave Jack a dark look as he opened the door to his villa. He took in Jack’s wet hair and untucked shirt but didn’t say anything else as he ushered him into the expansive living area. Jack let his eyes pass over the sprawling ocean view in front of them before heading to where a coffee pot and cups were set by one of the cream sofas.

“I came as soon as I could.”

Mark cast an unimpressed glance at his own watch before looking back to Jack, watching him brush some lingering drops of water from his hair before sitting on the sofa and pouring himself coffee. Mark shook his head when Jack gestured to a second cup.

“Thanks. No. That’s the second pot. Already gone through the first.”

Jack took a gulp of coffee before looking back at Mark. “He didn’t waste any time, did he?”

“No. Not that I expected him to. He’s never been one to drag things out.” Mark sank onto the sofa across from Jack and brushed his palms up and down his thighs.

Jack watched his friend. They’d known each other for years. Almost two decades. They’d met in college, two cocky kids with a lot of big ideas and not an ounce of humility between them. They’d liked each other instantly and had spent four years tearing through advanced-level curriculum and co-eds. They loved a good party. Not to mention the enticing company they always found there.

Jack was pleasantly surprised and pleased to discover that his friend was just as dedicated to his degree as he was to pursuing the fairer sex. Because Jack lived the same way, partying hard on the weekend but working just as furiously during the week. Most of the guys in their class didn’t exhibit the same commitment, at least not to both interests, not equally. Which was one of the reasons why Jack and Mark got on so well.

But it wasn’t until after college that they realized that all of their experience – whether academic or intimate – would be no help in launching their own company. It was in the years after graduation that Jack and Mark learned their real lessons. That high GPAs did not translate into industry experience. That their ability to get lots of dates did not translate into an ability to raise starting capital. And that they could not build a company on an idea and hubris alone. After a year of wearing out their welcome on various friends’ couches, they’d decided to change tactics.

So they’d started working from the ground up. Grinding through long days of entry-level work and staying up late writing business proposals and operating budgets. It had taken them years to get to a place where they could feasibly kick off D&A International. And then a few more before they realized that an angel investor wasn’t waiting in the wings to drop a fortune in their lap. That was when Mark told Jack about his uncle.

Mark hadn’t wanted to mention him in the beginning. It had seemed too easy, he’d said. Jack had always known that Mark’s family had money. Most of which was concentrated with his uncle, Maxwell Hurst. Maxwell – Max – had taken the business that he and his siblings had inherited from their parents and expanded it into a multi-million dollar corporation. Mark’s mother, Max’s sister, had partial ownership, along with their other siblings. But Max had been the most committed, the most involved. And, now, the most wealthy.

As Jack and Mark had struggled to get D&A International off the ground, Max had occasionally made the casual offer to assist them. The guys – as they had been then, still too young, too inexperienced to consider themselves men – had seen Max in San Francisco and New York every six months or so. A dinner here. Drinks there. The three were friendly. Mark and Jack respected Max and all that he’d accomplished. And Max seemed to enjoy answering their questions and giving advice as they navigated the pitfalls of launching a company. But any time Max had offered, however casually, to help provide crucial funding, they’d always declined. Or, rather, Mark had. And Jack had gone along with it. Because he’d never understood how serious Max was. Nor how viable his offer was.

That was until, ten years ago, they’d been on the verge of giving up. They’d planned and pitched, developed and negotiated without being able to secure the final funds to launch the company. The amount they’d still needed to raise was substantial. And several funders had made their investments contingent upon Mark and Jack being able to secure the final amount. So, without the rest of the money in place, D&A International would be dead before they’d even been able to bring it to life.

In Mark’s tiny hole of an apartment, he and Jack had sat much in the same way as they did in the villa. Mark tallying a list of options, pros and cons in his head while running his palms up and down his legs. And Jack watching Mark’s closed-off expression, ticking through possible solutions to the problems he knew they faced. Jack hadn’t heard what he’d said, at first. Mark had mumbled it straight into his legs. When Jack hadn’t replied, Mark had looked up and said it again, the defeat clear on his face. We can ask my uncle. Max. For the money.

Given the years it had taken Mark and Jack to decide to accept Max’s offer of help, they’d expected it to be a hard pitch. That Max would retract his offer, or at least make it difficult to access the funds. But he hadn’t. He’d agreed to meet them for dinner, had selected one of the nicest restaurants in the city, had picked up the tab, and had promised a transfer of funds by the end of the night. There had been a moment towards the end of the meal when Mark and Jack had looked at each other from across the table, their eyes communicating all that they didn’t say aloud. What if we had accepted his offer earlier? Where would D&A International be now? Where would we be now? Why did we take so long to do this?

Their bewildered euphoria dimmed the next day, however, when Max’s lawyers sent them the terms of the agreement. Most of it was standard language about fiduciary responsibilities and company by-laws, but there were three points that stood out.

One: that the Donovan name would always take precedence over Avery in the company’s name.

Two: that Max would be granted the position of Chairman of the Board.

And, three: that Max would receive the same number of ownership shares as Mark and Jack. 24.95 shares each, almost three quarters of the shares split evenly between the three of them. Which left none of them with controlling ownership on their own. If a major change needed to be made the easiest way to achieve it was for all three to vote together, their combined weight carrying the decision over the rest of the board.

The rest of the investors would receive various shares, their portion combined totaling the remaining 25.15 ownership shares of the company.

Mark and Jack had been hesitant. D&A International was their brainchild, by far their largest achievement in their relatively young lives. And they wanted it – at least the majority of it – to belong to them outright. But as they had stood there that morning, the possibility of finally, finally launching the company crackling between them like electricity, they’d reviewed Max’s stipulations with reservations only strong enough to delay them signing the paperwork by several minutes, rather than not at all.

 In a matter of moments they’d gone from two friends willing to do almost anything to fund their dream, to the young co-founders of a company that would grow to unexpected levels of success over the next several years.

Which was why, sitting across from Mark in the villa, his own coffee cooling in his hand, Jack couldn’t hold back the sharp pang of failure. And the betrayal that accompanied it.

“They’re all voting with him, Jack.” Mark practically spit the words at him, his chest heaving in anger.

“Even Williams?”

“Yup. Even him. Got the message this morning.” Mark jumped up from the sofa and started pacing the tight space between it and the coffee table. “Connor received word at the office first thing. Hence…,” Mark waved his arms in Jack’s general direction. Jack felt a small sting of embarrassment, thinking of how his head had been between Sadie’s thighs when his best friend was learning that their company was in jeopardy. He took another sip of strong coffee, hoping to douse it.

“Son of a bitch.” Jack didn’t try to hide his animosity. “Do we know how Max got to him?”

“Williams? His company is springing leaks left, right, and center. Uncle Max has always wanted in, and this was the perfect way. The exact leverage he needed.”

“So Williams traded a vote against us…”

“For an emergency influx of cash from Uncle Max. Instead of an outright take over. Williams gets to stay in the driver’s seat.”

“And Max gets everything he wants. D&A International…”

“And controlling interest in Williams’s company.”

“Fuck.” Jack slammed his coffee cup down on the table, dark drops flying up before crashing against the white surface.

“Yup,” Mark fell back down onto the sofa across from him, scrubbing his hands violently across his face. “Pretty much sums it up.”

“What did the lawyers say?”

“They’ve been through the agreement with a fine tooth comb, Jack. There isn’t a single loophole. Max knew exactly what he was doing back then. Setting the stage for this from the very beginning.”

“Shit.” Jack sprung up from the sofa, clenching and un-clenching his fists in an attempt to hold back some of his anger. They needed to focus. Raging against Maxwell Hurst would get them nowhere. If they’d learned nothing else over the past several years, it was that. “Do we know when the vote is happening?”

“Tomorrow.” Mark’s voice was flat.

“You have to be fucking kidding me. They can’t even wait for us to get back to New York?”

“Max called it last night, once Williams agreed. He doesn’t need us there. He already has quorum.”

“And he has the rest of the board committing to voting with him.”

“So he has all of the controlling shares he needs.” Mark heaved a sigh as he collapsed against the back of the sofa.

Jack scowled at his now cold cup of coffee. “Don’t suppose you have anything stronger stashed away in this place.” Mark glanced up at him but didn’t say anything before disappearing down the stairs to the lower level. He was back a few minutes later with a bottle of scotch and two tumblers.

“I hadn’t really planned on drinking this now. Or for this reason. But,” he handed the glasses to Jack while he twisted the bottle open, “would hate to let it go to waste.” A finger’s worth of brown liquid in each glass, Mark and Jack touched them together without a word before draining them in one swallow.

When Mark tilted the bottle in his direction, Jack just lifted his glass in acceptance. They stood next to each other like that for several minutes, neither one saying a word, their minds working through the shit storm that Max had created. The one they hadn’t been quick enough to catch.

The doors to the villa’s upper terrace were open and the breeze carried the sound of voices up from below. The echoes of a cheerful exchange broke Jack from his reverie. Suddenly in desperate need for fresh air, he stepped out onto the terrace, closing his eyes in brief relief as the salty breeze stung his nostrils. From out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Mark join him. Their elbows propped on the railing, they both stared out at the ocean, the inevitable truth heavy between them.

From somewhere below them, a boisterous voice broke into bellowing laughter. Jack shook his head in recognition.

“Dan.”

“Fucking Dan.” Mark looked at his watch. “Bet that he’s drunk already?”

“Nope, not taking that one. Not in the mood to lose any more today.”

Mark tried to laugh but it came out as a choking sound. “Not funny, man.”

“Wasn’t trying to be.” Jack bowed his head, staring at the now-empty glass clutched in his hands. “Remind me, why don’t we fire him?”

“Because despite the fact that he is an obnoxious ass, he’s brilliant at his job. And he hasn’t stumbled into the office drunk once.” That time Mark was able to break into a small smile, albeit a crooked one.

“Shit, Mark. This week was supposed to be a celebration. And they know it.” Jack nodded his head to where he imagined Dan and the other D&A employees relaxing down at the beach. “Bring them out here, reward them for an epic year, get in a little down time, then launch the new initiative. Bring everyone back focused and ready to up their game. But now….” Jack’s voice faded off.

Mark stayed silent, the implications of Jack’s comment lingering. Jack turned to look at his friend hoping he would see a spark of defiance in his profile. A hint that the fight wasn’t over yet. But the only thing he saw was Mark’s pinched brow and hunched shoulders.

Mark’s defeated posture spurred something in Jack. They had fought for too long to build their company up just to see it come crashing down in a matter of weeks. It was possible that the nervous energy infusing Jack was caused by the combination of coffee and scotch in his otherwise empty stomach. But whatever the reason, he was going to use it to help find a way to salvage what they could of D&A International.

“Ok, enough. This is bullshit. We aren’t just going to stand by and watch Max rip our company to shreds. I don’t care how many board members he has in his pocket,” Jack jabbed Mark in the side, pulling him from his reverie. “Finish that,” he pointed his finger at Mark’s glass. “We have work to do.”

Mark cast Jack a questioning look but finished his scotch in one gulp. “You were the one who started this pity party,” Mark wiggled his empty glass in front of Jack’s face.

“Yes. And I’m the one ending it.”

“A bit easier said than done, isn’t it?”

Jack gripped Mark by the shoulders, locking eyes with his friend. “We’re the little shits who started this company, Mark. Us. Not him. So if it is going to end, it will be on our terms. Not his.”

Mark’s mouth twitched and this time the grin stuck. “Speak for yourself, man. Nothing about me is little.”

“Asshole,” but even as he said it Jack’s mouth split into an answering grin. His mind a whirlwind of possible responses to Max’s betrayal, Jack retreated into Mark’s villa, anxious to get back to his own villa.

“Where are you headed?” Mark’s voice followed him in from the terrace.

“To my room. To work.” Jack pulled his phone from his pocket and started pounding out an email to Janine. “We might not be able to stop the vote. And we might not be able to stop Max completely. But we can certainly fuck with him along the way.” Jack could see the defeated fog fade from Mark’s eyes as they sparked with renewed defiance. “We have what, thirty-six hours before they meet?”

“Yeah. A little longer. The meeting is scheduled for seven tomorrow night. Eight o’clock island time.”

“That gives Janine enough time to do some digging.”

“Conner too.”

“We need to know how Max got the others to agree.”

“Williams, we know,” Mark ticked off his fingers. “Jackson was always on his side. Same with Roberts. But that leaves McKenzie, Jacobs and Hannity.”

“Janine has a line to Hannity’s office. McKenzie’s too.”

“I’ll see what Conner can find out from Jacobs’ assistant.”

“That leaves us with finding some additional leverage.”

Mark nodded his head, his own fingers moving rapidly across his phone. Jack made his way towards the door before Mark’s voice stopped him. “Hey, Jack.” When he turned back to Mark, Jack saw the flicker of shame that passed across his friend’s face. “If we hadn’t gone to him, if we hadn’t taken his money….”

“Don’t.” Jack cut him off with a wave of his hand. “We needed it. It wasn’t coming from anywhere else. And we agreed. We knew – we both knew – that his stipulations were unusual. But there was no way we could have gotten started without Max’s money. And there was no way we could have known that he would do this.”

Mark nodded his head in response but was otherwise silent.

“You’ll be here later? We need to assess where we stand in a few hours.”

“My uncle is in the process of screwing me and my best friend out of the company that we’ve spent the past fifteen years building. Where else do you think I’d be?”

“Kicking it on the beach with a piña colada in one hand and a scantily clad woman in the other?”

Mark released a sharp laugh. “We are in a tropical paradise, after all.”

“Exactly. So I’ll see you back here around noon. Try to clear the ladies out by then. And I’ll let Sadie know that we won’t be joining the team for lunch.”

“Sadie?” Mark titled his head at his friend as if he didn’t recognize the name.

Jack felt his stomach tighten. “Sadie. Ms. Carter.” Jack ignored the way Mark’s eyes sharpened and carried on as if his friend was clueless. “The woman who has been working on this event for us for months. You’ve seen her every day since we’ve arrived. Please don’t tell me that you’re so self-absorbed that you aren’t aware of the woman who has been busting her ass for us for as long as we’ve been hosting things like this.”

“Given the situation we currently find ourselves in, Jack, I don’t think we should question just how self-absorbed I can be. That said, I do know who Ms. Carter is. I can picture her very clearly. I just wasn’t aware that you were on a first-name basis with her.”

Jack shoved both hands into his pockets, keeping the fingers of one wrapped tightly around his phone. “She came to my rescue in Colorado. I changed my travel plans and was stupid enough not to tell Janine. So Sadie, Ms. Carter made sure I didn’t have to sleep in the lobby when I arrived at the hotel a day earlier than expected.”

“Hmmm. Yes. She’s quite good at that.”

Jack shot Mark a sharp look, unsettled by his lack of clarity. “Good at what?” He was surprised to hear the hard note in his voice.

“Her job.” Mark was looking at him with an expression Jack couldn’t quite decipher. And, given what the day held for them, he had no interest in figuring it out.

“Yes. She is. Quite.” Jack gave a quick nod before pivoting on his heel and striding towards the door. “Anyway, I’ll shoot her an email. Let her know the group can carry on without us. See you in a few hours.”

“Okay. See you in a few.”

Jack didn’t turn back to look at Mark, but from the flat tone of his voice he assumed that his friend had replaced any thoughts of Sadie with bigger concerns.