Chapter 15

Cohen

I was grateful that Abby managed to keep Bella and Gregory from Paul for the rest of the day. She kept insisting that he wasn’t well, though the look she gave me assured me that he was fine. She wanted to keep them apart as much as I did, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect when they were in the same room together. Paul could either deny it all together or I’d be hit with a bombshell when he confirmed that he had indeed had and abandoned a son. I wanted to put the possibility of that off as long as possible, so I happily followed Abby’s distractions, keeping my eyes on her all the while.

We sat down for dinner late, with Gregory and Bella accompanying us. Bella sat next to me, as usual, but I had no inclination to flirt with her as I’d had the day before. My mind was all wrapped up in Abby, who was seated across from me. Her hair was still slightly mussed from where I’d tugged on it, ran my fingers through it roughly to pull her head back for my kiss. She looked even sexier somehow than she had before, mostly because she kept casting shy looks in my direction. I wondered if her ass stung where I had spanked it until it had glowed red, and wished that we hadn’t been interrupted before I’d gotten to fuck her.

“So, Cohen, we’ve spent so much time talking about Paul that I feel I’ve gotten to know very little about you,” Bella said. “I’ve heard about you in the news.”

“Probably not my best side,” I said to her.

“Oh, I like it,” Bella said. “Gives you a little more depth than just some handsome billionaire. It’s interesting when there’s a little more meat to a man.”

“How did you make your money, Mr. Ashton?” Gregory asked. “I know that my father is rich—”

“I have taken none of Paul’s money,” I said abruptly. “I made my own. After I graduated from college, I started a company.”

“I didn’t know anything about that,” Gregory said in an innocent voice. I snorted and they all looked at me.

“How did you not know?” I asked him. “Mr. Ashton is one of the biggest names in his field.”

Gregory straightened up in his seat. “I’ve had a hard life. My head isn’t exactly in the papers.”

“Cohen is a very successful man, Gregory,” Bella said. “Very good at what he does.”

I cleared my throat. I hated talking about myself, and I hated the fact that Gregory was lying about knowing who I was.

“Where are the two of you from, exactly?” I asked them. I didn’t know if they would give me answers, but I was going to keep them around as long as I could until I figured out what they were up to. It was the only reason I was allowing them to stay in the house at all—tomorrow, I’d talk to a guy about getting more information about them. Tonight, though, I was going to do my best to get my own information. Questioning them kept my eyes off of Abby, who was gazing at my face in earnest during the meal.

“Near here,” Gregory said vaguely. “After Paul put us on the streets, my mother and I moved a few hours away. Near Hartford.”

I had to try not to snap at him when he said the words. I knew my uncle—he would never put anyone out on the streets. But still, I held my tongue, decided to play along.

“And you?” I asked Bella.

“I come from the city,” she said, taking a sip of her wine, her eyes on mine. “New York. Grew up there.”

“And how did the two of you become acquainted?” I asked. I noticed that they exchanged a glance with each other.

“We met through mutual friends,” Gregory said. “We’ve been close ever since.”

“You’re not—”

“No, no, darling, we’re not together,” Bella said, waving it off. “Just friends. I’m wide open.”

I swallowed, glancing away from her.

“Are you sure we can’t go talk to Paul tonight?” Gregory asked. I nodded.

“Tomorrow would be better,” I said, standing up. “I have something to attend to before I go to bed. Is there anything else you need from me before I go?”

Bella opened her mouth to speak but Abby cut her off. “Should I come talk to you about Paul later?”

I met her eye, wondering what that meant, if she really wanted to speak to Paul or if she had something else to talk to me about.

“Yes,” I said. “That would be good. You can meet me in my office in an hour.”

“OK,” she said. “I’m going to go give him his medicine. I’m sorry the two of you can’t come up right now—I’m just not sure he could handle seeing you after—after so long.”

I nearly smiled at the sound in her voice, so disingenuous and sarcastic. She was not hiding the fact that she didn’t like or trust these people, and it showed me a fierce side of her, not only when protecting herself but to protect my uncle as well. She left then without further word from the others, and my eyes lingered on the sway of her hips as she walked away.

“Someone isn’t too fond of us,” Bella said with a chuckle. I said nothing, but stood up as well.

“Feel free to make yourselves at home. I have an important phone call to make.”

“Thank you, Cohen,” Bella said, looking up at me with a slight pout on her lips. I nearly rolled my eyes at her as I left to go to my office upstairs. I was glad to be away from them and to get some work done. I picked up my phone and dialed the number of my private investigator, a man I’d been working with since somebody leaked my criminal history to the press.

“Grayson,” the man said. “What can I do for you?”

“Gray, this is Cohen Ashton,” I said. “I need you to look into somebody for me.”

“I’m sorry, Ashton. My caseload is full right now. I’m up to my neck in—”

“Grayson. I need this. Somebody is trying—there’s a man here claiming that he’s Paul’s son. He knows what Paul’s worth—what I’m worth. I know he’s a fake and I need you to find out what he’s up to. Please.”

“I’m sorry—”

“I’ll pay you double—triple your hourly rate,” I said. “You’re the guy I have any confidence in. I need you to do this job.”

“Triple?” he asked. “That’s almost a thousand bucks an hour. You sure?”

“Yes,” I said. “Find out everything you can about them. One of them is named Bella Murray. The other is Gregory Bell. He says it’s his mother’s maiden name.”

“Got the mom’s name?”

“No,” I said.

“Where are they staying?” the detective asked.

“My place,” I said. “I was wondering if you’d come over tomorrow, scope them out.”

“I’ll have to move some things around,” Grayson said. “But at nine hundred dollars an hour—”

“I’m glad you find it suitable. Can you come tomorrow around lunch time?”

“Sure. Who should I be?”

“A business partner. Just over for a friendly dinner. They both seem interested to know more about what I’ve done. You can just steer the conversation as needed.”

“Gotcha,” the man said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” I said, hanging up the phone. I sat there with my hands folded on my desk, nervous and jittery. It wasn’t much later that my office door opened and Abby walked in. As usual, some beast within me stirred at just the sight of her, my cock growing hard as she crossed the room with a coy look in her eye.

“You wanted to talk to me about Paul,” I said.

“Paul’s fine. He’s just tired,” she said softly.

“I see,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Then what are you here for?”

“I’m confused,” she said. “As to what we’re doing here. I can’t keep up with you. One moment we’re—touching, and the next moment you’re snapping at me. It’s annoying, Cohen. I want to know which side you’re on.”

I gritted my teeth, growing even more nervous.

“Do you feel something for me?” Abby asked. I said nothing, but stared into her eyes.

“Tell me,” she said. “Tell me what you want from me.”

“Everything,” I said to her, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Everything you have to give.”

“Oh,” she said as I went to her.

“I don’t know what it is about you,” I said. “But I can’t stop wanting you in every way.”

She smiled, leaning into me, taking my mouth in a kiss.

“I like how much you hate that,” she said. I wrapped my arms around her hips, pulling her close, nuzzling her cheek.

“I want to bend you over this desk and punish you again,” I said quietly into her ear. “Just for rubbing it in.”

“I’d better go to bed,” she said, touching my cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Abby,” I said to her. I wanted to tell her to come to my room, to stay the night with me, but I didn’t. I was already crossing the line.

“Good night, Mr. Ashton,” she said, and left the office. I rubbed my hand over my mouth, my whole body reacting, and went to bed a few moments later. I pulled out my computer, opening it to see an email from Abby that made my heart sink. She was angry at me for ghosting her, as I knew she would be—and she deserved to be. I sighed and opened up an email, needing to talk to her, unable to tell Abby to her face.

Gabriella,

I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner. The truth is, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. You are on my mind constantly and it’s overwhelming. I hope it’s not too late to tell you this. Just know that it’s true—I can’t stop wanting you. It’s driving me crazy.

Please forgive me. It’s hard to do this when I’m so overwhelmed. I’m not used to this. I don’t really open up in real life.

Good night, Gabriella.

James

I went to bed as soon as I was finished sending the email, not wanting to wait for a reply. It was easy to fall asleep after the long day, and by the time I woke up in the morning I felt less tense than I had before. I got out of bed and went into the kitchen to find Bella there in a short nightgown, barely covering her ass. She looked over her shoulder at me with a flirty smile.

“Didn’t expect you to be up so early,” she said. “I guess I should have gotten dressed.”

“Probably,” I said, not going toward her. Her eyelids were narrowed at me, filled with desire as she poised herself against the counter.

“You know, Cohen,” she said. “If you wanted, we could go back to bed. Mine’s big enough for both of us.”

“No,” I said firmly. “No, I’m not—no, thank you.”

“Is it that other girl? Abby? You have feelings for her.”

“No, I don’t,” I said dully.

“You certainly sounded like you did,” she said with a slight pout. “Those moans—”

“It’s just sex,” I said to her dryly. “Nothing but sex with Abby. I’m not interested in her or you.”

Bella crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well,” she said, a haughty tone in her voice. “I—Oh, hello.”

I looked over my shoulder to see Abby standing there, a slightly stricken look on her face. She turned around and left then, the door slamming behind her.