Chapter Ten
Later in the week, Cassie waited at her mother’s favorite restaurant in Manhattan. In between going to her own office, writing some catch-up articles, and shadowing Derek when he had different things on his agenda for her to see—meetings with developers and investors he didn’t mind her sitting in on as long as she signed a confidentiality agreement on the details—she called her mother and asked her to meet for lunch.
No doubt about it, Daniella Storms was a stunning woman. Heads turned when she walked into a room, a combination of the confidence with which she carried herself and her outer beauty. She wore a fur jacket, real not fake because she didn’t care about being politically or morally correct, a pair of navy wool slacks, and a turtleneck, with a patterned scarf around her neck.
The hostess escorted her mother to the table, and Cassie waved as her mother rushed over to meet her. “Cassandra, I’ve missed you,” her mom said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.
“I haven’t been gone that long, but I miss you too.” For all her mother’s faults, which stemmed from having too much money and not enough self-awareness, Cassie had always felt her love.
“I’m glad you asked to have lunch but I’m surprised. You usually don’t have time during the workweek.” Her mother put her jacket next to her in the booth, loath to have it checked and possibly lost.
“I know. I wanted to talk, but let’s catch up and order first, okay?” Cassie didn’t want to start their meal with a conversation that might cast a pall over their time together.
Cassie was starving and decided to splurge on her food, ordering fettuccini Alfredo and a Diet Coke. Her mom ordered a Niçoise salad and a glass of Chablis.
Her mother talked about her charities and the work she’d been overseeing. Cassie mentioned her in-depth interview but deliberately avoided revealing with whom, saving that information for their talk later.
Since her mother didn’t bring up Derek’s name, Cassie assumed Spencer hadn’t ratted her out to her parents. He might not like her being with Derek, but he wasn’t doing anything to prevent it either. At least not yet.
“So what did you want to talk about?” her mother finally asked over coffee.
Cassie wrapped her hands around the warm cup. “You know the interview I mentioned earlier? What I didn’t say was that the subject is Derek West.” Cassie dropped his name and studied her mother’s face.
Her mother wrinkled her forehead in thought, as best she could with all the Botox she’d had. “Derek West,” she repeated. “Is that the son of Marie and Thomas West? They worked for us when you were younger,” she said, no hint of bitterness or anger in her tone.
“Yes, Mom. That’s him. He’s a brilliant tech developer, and frankly he’s worth billions now.”
Her mother’s eyes opened wide. “Well. That’s really something. Good for him,” she said over a sip of her coffee.
“Mom, why did his parents leave?”
Her mother paused in thought. “As I recall, they left to work for a family who had a home on the water, in the Hamptons. Why?”
That was the story Cassie knew from her father. “Did Marie or Thomas tell you that themselves?” she asked.
“No. I was away at a spa week with your aunt Mary and a friend. It was an annual trip we took. When I got home, your father told me they had quit. We went through quite the trial trying to replace them, as I recall.” She narrowed her gaze. “Why all the questions?”
Cassie swallowed hard, then leaned forward on the table. “Well, Derek said they were fired. In fact, he told me that they were let go with no warning. They lost their health insurance and were given no references. Soon after, Thomas got very sick. By the time he saw a doctor, it was too late.”
“No. That’s not possible. We always gave our help a nice severance and letter of recommendation. And I know I would have done that for Marie. She worked for us for years. She took such good care of you.”
“Derek said Dad accused her of stealing family jewelry.”
“What? No. Marie wouldn’t steal,” her mother said emphatically.
“That’s how I feel.”
Her mother rubbed at her temple with one hand. “But that would mean your father lied to me.”
“And to me as well,” Cassie said. “He told me the same thing when I came home on a break and the Wests were gone.”
Marie studied her nails, deep in thought. “That’s a terrible accusation to make about your father.”
Except her mother never really viewed her father in a realistic light. She saw what she wanted to see, what made it easier for her to live with him.
Cassie decided to take this from another angle. “Let’s look at it this way. Why would Derek make up such a tale? I saw his pain. He lost his father and feels responsible because he didn’t have the money to help him then. He gives to a charity that pays for working people to take time off to be with their loved ones while they’re sick.” Cassie drew a deep breath. “I believe him. Which means I can’t … don’t believe Dad.”
She had no choice but to put the final piece of the puzzle in place. “Spencer saw Derek drop me off at the house one day. He was furious. He said Derek was beneath me and that his mother was a thief.”
Her mother met her gaze, eyes shimmering, taking Cassie off guard with the unexpected show of emotion. “I know your father doesn’t always play by the rules. He’s self-absorbed. He makes excuses for your brother. But what you’re saying would mean he deliberately destroyed people’s lives.”
Cassie reached across the table and grasped her mother’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
She looked at Cassie, sorrow in her eyes and expression. “In a marriage or relationship, you overlook a lot.”
Cassie refused to believe that. In her mother’s marriage, she chose to disregard many signs that would paint her father in a negative light.
Her choice.
Her life.
Not the way Cassie would opt to live her own.
She gathered her thoughts and her courage. “No, Mom. I think it’s the way you decided to live. So you could go on being married to Dad. I’m not judging you, but people were hurt. Very badly hurt.” She shook her head. “I don’t know that I can forgive that.”
Her mother dabbed at her eyes. “I hope you never have to make difficult choices,” she murmured. “I need to go.”
Cassie rose to her feet. She rushed over and pulled her mother into a hug. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of such difficult news.”
“Maybe there’s an explanation,” her mother predictably said.
“Maybe,” Cassie said.
But she highly doubted it.
* * *
Derek worked late thanks to a server crash that had them in a panic for most of the day. Kendall had met Oscar, they’d hit it off, and she’d started walking him the next day. He called her to give him an extra walk today, which she’d done with no problem. He was glad his pup was in good hands, which took the pressure off of him on what time he had to be home.
He was ready to shut down his computer and head home for the day when his cell rang. A glance at the screen told him it was Evan Mann, the private investigator he’d hired a few days ago.
“Hello?” Derek said.
“Mr. West, Evan Mann. Is this a good time to talk?
“It is.”
“I did some digging, although to be honest with you, it didn’t take much. Spencer Storms doesn’t bother to cover his tracks.”
Derek narrowed his gaze. “What did you find?”
“Your boy likes to scam women. Left a trail of broken hearts and empty wallets wherever he went. And the women were all too happy to talk about him and what he stole from them.”
“Interesting.”
“Now, back home, that’s another story. And since I can’t believe he only behaves that way abroad, I’m guessing he covers his tracks better in the United States. That’s what I’ve got for you so far. In a nutshell. Details to follow in a report. Want me to keep digging?” he asked, speaking in his gravelly voice.
Derek picked up a pen and tapped it against the desk. “Keep looking. And thanks.”
Derek leaned back in thought. Something was bothering him about Cassie’s brother, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. So he pushed it aside, knowing it would come to him when the time was right.
He shut down his desktop just as Lucas walked into the room.
“Hey,” Derek said, bracing his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. “Long fucking day.”
“No kidding.” Lucas dropped into the chair across from Derek’s desk. “When technology works, it’s brilliant. When it fails…”
“Epic pain in the ass.” Derek grinned. “Well, it’s all sorted out now. So. Are you ready to get married?”
It was Lucas’s turn to push back and brace his hands behind his head in a relaxed, happy state. “I can’t wait.”
“Good. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.” Lucas grinned.
“So I just heard from the PI.”
“Really. What’d he find?”
Derek filled Lucas in on Spencer’s history of fleecing women. “I feel like there should be warning bells going off, but I can’t figure out what I’m missing.”
Lucas grunted. “You’ll figure it out. Do you know what you’re hoping to find?”
“Damned if I know. Right now I’m just following my gut. But if I can find anything that becomes an issue with him running the company, even better.”
“So you can take over?” Lucas leaned forward in his chair.
“Maybe.” Or so Cassie could.
Derek knew how much that opportunity meant to her. How badly she wanted to save her grandfather’s company and make him proud. The better he got to know her, the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted that for her too.
Lucas studied him. “You’re softening. Because of Cassie.”
“Maybe I am.”
“She’s good for you, then. I like seeing you happy,” his friend said.
“Can’t say I mind it myself.” Derek’s phone buzzed with a text message.
Miss me? It was Cassie.
Always, he wrote back. Which, he was surprised to realize, was true.
Your place so Oscar isn’t alone?
Leave it to her to worry about his pet, he thought, feeling a grin on his face.
“I take it that’s her?” Lucas asked.
Derek had all but forgotten he was in the room.
“Yeah.” He typed back, suddenly eager to see her.
You. Me. Naked. Make my long day a distant memory.
Be there soon, she wrote back immediately.
On my way. “Gotta go,” he said to Lucas.
Lucas pushed himself to standing. “Far be it from me to keep you from getting laid.”
“Fuck off,” Derek muttered with a grin.
“Bye.” Lucas strode off, laughing.
Derek rose and grabbed his jacket from behind the door, in a rush to get home. Because he needed her, he realized. Needed her to help him unwind after a shitty day, needed her for peace of mind and for the best sex he’d ever had.
Because it wasn’t just sex. That was something he’d realized the last time they were together. It wasn’t sex anymore. It was making love. Something he’d never experienced before, which made it both easy to recognize as different and scary as fuck.
Although they hadn’t been together long, he felt like he’d always known her. That they shared a connection that went back in time and transcended misunderstandings in the past … but not socio-economic differences.
How could he be in love with the girl in the mansion across the way? Never mind that now he was the one with the money to buy as many mansions as he wanted, in whatever country or on whichever island he chose. There was still that class difference.
Her family didn’t approve of him. At least her brother didn’t, and he knew damn well her father would hit the roof. He didn’t know about her mother, but he had his doubts she’d take her own stand in her daughter’s favor.
When it came down to actually choosing, if it came down to that, could Cassie walk away from her family? Would they make her opt between them?
Could Derek put her in that position?
Fuck. Well, no decisions had to be made now. He was going home to have more fantastic sex with the girl he couldn’t get out of his head or his heart. He’d worry about the other issues as they arose.
Because he wasn’t giving her up without a fight.
He didn’t hit traffic on the highway and arrived home in near record time. Oscar greeted him, and he beat Cassie here because, though his doorman had instructions to let her in to his apartment, the rest of the place was dark.
He flicked on the light just as the knock sounded on his door. He let her in and allowed for Oscar’s crazy-boy greeting, knowing he’d never get the dog to settle if he didn’t have his licks, pets, and hellos.
She knelt, her big down parka dragging on the floor as Oscar did this thing. Cassie giggled and crooned to him before Derek called him off. “Oscar, come on, boy. Come here. Bed.” He walked to the kitchen and returned with a high-value treat that would keep him occupied for a good long time.
Then he turned to Cassie. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
He took three steps forward and pulled her into his arms, sealing his lips over hers. The kiss immediately turned hot, this despite the fact that she wore a puffy jacket and there were barriers of clothing between them. He bit her lower lip and she moaned into his mouth, his tongue sweeping through, tasting her, devouring as best he could.
Needing to feel her skin, he pulled back, unzipping her jacket and tossing it to the floor in the hallway. She kicked off her shoes.
“Do I need to feed you dinner first?” he asked, trying to be a gentleman.
“No. Just hungry for you.”
Apparently they were on the same page. “Bedroom. Now.”
Her eyes darkened with agreement and desire. Not long after, they were naked and in his bed. He pulled her against him. Her hands were cold from the outdoors. But her body was warm, her skin flush against his, her scent permeating his nostrils, the familiar, arousing aroma of her shampoo filling his senses in all the best possible ways.
Maybe it was because he’d let himself admit, at least to himself, that he was falling in love with her. He wasn’t ready to speak the words aloud, but the way they came together, their bodies meshing, their minds in sync, he didn’t have to right now. He just needed to feel. Just wanted her to experience the same emotions rushing through him right now.
He kissed her lips, all the while trailing his hand down from her throat to her chest, cupping her full breasts in his hands. She arched her back, pressing the mounds into his hands, all but begging him to grip her harder.
His cock throbbed hot and hard against her thigh, but he pushed back his desires, wanting to taste her, to savor her body before getting to the main event. He held one soft mound in his hand, bent his head, and pulled her taut nipple into his mouth, suckling on the bud until she was writhing beneath him, gripping his hair in her hands.
He swallowed a groan and slipped one hand between her thighs, cupping her sex. She was damp and ready for him as he slid one finger inside her, gliding in and out, her slick muscles gripping him tight. He trailed his mouth down over her breast, lower to her belly, pausing to lick at her belly button before following a trail down to her sweet pussy.
He dipped his head and pressed a kiss against the top of her mound, sliding his mouth along her outer lips before licking her clit.
“Oh God.” She raised her hips, and he sucked at the tiny nub, pulling it between his teeth, nipping, then soothing with longer laps of his tongue. “Derek,” she groaned.
The sound went straight to his dick, and he pulsed harder, wetness trickling against her leg. One orgasm, he promised himself. He’d give her one climax and he’d bury himself balls deep inside her.
He pumped his finger inside her, curling it against her fleshy inner walls, and she started to shake. He continued to lick at her clit, around, over, back and forth, alternating sensation and pressure, all the while continuing to massage that sponge-like spot inside her.
She arched and gripped his head once more, holding him in pace as she moaned through her release, his name on her lips. He continued to lap at her gently, bringing her down, until she released his hair and collapsed back against the bed.
He moved over her then, grasping her hands and drawing them up over her head. At the same time, he aligned his cock at her entrance and slid home.
“Derek.” Her eyes opened wide as he settled between her thighs, thick and hard inside her.
“Hey, princess.” He grinned at the glazed look on her face. He pulled out and glided back in once more, pressing hard enough for her to feel him deep.
“Again?” she asked, dazed and surprised.
He wasn’t. Together they were electric.
“Feel me?” he asked her.
She whimpered. “Everywhere.”
“Good.” He picked up his pace, aware of every nuance in her expression, telling him which shift of his hips gave her pleasure, which didn’t provide enough pressure, how to move to please her even more.
And as he thrust in and out, it was all about pleasing her, holding himself back, ignoring the ache in his balls, the need to come hard. When she started to shudder beneath him, he let go, pumping his hips and taking them both over the edge. He detonated inside her, his entire body caught up in the explosion. His ears rang, white bursts of light flashed behind his eyes, and he came harder than he ever had before.
When he came back to himself, he felt Cassie’s fingers sifting through his hair, a delicious ending to a perfect moment.
“I’m crushing you.” He pushed himself up and rolled off her.
“Don’t go far,” she murmured, sounding as wiped out as he felt.
“I won’t.” He pushed himself back against the pillow, pulling her into him. “You okay?” he asked.
“Perfect.” She placed a hand on his chest and yawned. “But I have to say you can feed me now.”
He laughed. “I think I can manage that. What are you in the mood for?”
“Chinese? Pizza? Sushi? I’m easy.”
“Sushi works.” He walked to his pants and pulled out his cell phone from the pocket, then came back to bed. They opened the delivery app and ordered.
“What did you do today?” he asked her.
“Umm … I had lunch with my mother,” she said, her tone sounding off.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“With her? Yes. It’s just that…” She pulled away from him and pushed herself to a sitting position, comfortable with her nudity around him. “I asked her why your parents left their jobs, and she knew the same story I did. She had no idea that my dad accused your mother of stealing. I swear, Derek, she didn’t know, not any more than I did.”
He blew out a long breath. “It’s in the past,” he said, because it had to be. For both their sakes.
“Well, she knows now that my father lied. That he did something awful to your parents,” she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “She admitted that my father doesn’t always play by the rules, and she said you overlook a lot in a marriage or a relationship, but I don’t believe that.” She met his gaze, searching for answers.
“I don’t believe it either.” He’d been debating on whether or not to tell her he’d had her brother investigated, and she’d just answered his question for him.
If he wanted her to trust him, he couldn’t lie, not even by omission. “I had a private investigator look into your brother’s actions for the last year.”
She blinked. “What? Why?”
He rolled his shoulders. “I can honestly tell you I’m not sure. Something is bothering me. I can’t put my finger on it but I don’t like him. I don’t like how he treats you, I don’t trust him with the company you love. I wish to hell I could tell you what I’m looking for, but I can’t.”
“Wait. You did it for me?” she asked, eyes wide. Disbelieving.
Tell her the rest of it, a voice in his head said. He drew a deep breath. “I also did it for me. You see, a few months ago, before we reconnected, I made an offer to buy Storms Consolidated.”
“What?” She grabbed the pillow behind her and pressed it against her chest, covering herself. Comforting herself. “I thought the offer came from a large company.”
“A shell corp. Your father never would have sold to me. Turns out he wouldn’t have sold at all.”
She curled her hands into the soft fabric of the pillow. “You tried to buy my company. And now you’re having Spencer investigated so what? You can find dirt on him so you can grab the business another way?”
He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “When you first showed up in my office, that was exactly my intention.”
“You’re not sitting here naked, telling me you used me.”
“No, I’m spilling my guts because, as you said, you don’t believe you should have to overlook a lot in a relationship. I don’t want to give you any reason to walk away.”
She tipped her head. “So…”
“So I wanted the company and not for the best reasons … until … you. Now I just want you happy, and if that means looking into your brother’s past and his inability to run the company instead of you, so be it.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “Derek.”
He placed a finger over her lips. “Shh. Let it go. If there’s anything I think you need to know, I’ll share it. Fair enough?”
She nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, tossed the pillow, and tackled him to the mattress, pressing kisses over his face, his neck, and moved lower.
They almost missed dinner being delivered.