Building Billions - Part 3 Read online

  “I know, I know. We were married young,” Patrice said. “Nineteen to be exact.”

  “I hear you guys have the best cup of coffee in town,” I said.

  “Did Jimmy tell you that? He better have told you that,” Bernie said.

  “He definitely told me that,” I said with a giggle.

  “Good. Two cups of coffee?” Patrice asked.

  “And two of those mozzarella and buffalo chicken sandwiches you guys make,” Jimmy said. “Trust me, Ashley. They’re out of this world.”

  “Ranch for both?” Bernie asked.

  “Please,” I said.

  “So Ashley. How did you hook up with a guy like Jimmy?” Patrice asked.

  I looked over at him warily, and he nodded his head.

  Like it was okay during all this turmoil to tell them how we really met.

  “Um, well, we met at a party,” I said.

  “One of Jimmy’s work shindigs?” Bernie asked.

  “It’s okay,” Jimmy said. “They’re the only two I trust.”

  “Yes, at one of his work parties,” I said.

  “Let me guess. One-night stand and the rest was history?” Patrice asked.

  I choked on my own spit as she handed two cups of coffee to Jimmy.

  “Um.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. That’s actually similar to how Bernie and I met,” she said.

  “How did you two meet?” I asked.

  “At a birthday party, of all places. Her sister was celebrating her twenty-first, and I was invited,” Bernie said.

  “His brother is married to my older sister,” Patrice said.

  “Oh, wow. That’s rare,” I said.

  “That’s one way to put it. We danced the night away, and he kissed me, and the rest was history. We were married less than a year later despite our parents’ protests, and here we are,” she said.

  “Seven kids and four grandkids later,” Bernie said.

  “Seven children?” I asked.

  “We’re leaving this place to the eldest. He loves it here. He’ll take over our beach house when we pass, and he’ll be running this place like it needs to be,” Patrice said.

  “Then hopefully one of our grandkids will take it over. He’s got two little girls that we hope will grow up with a love for this place like he’s got,” Bernie said.

  I took a sip of the coffee Jimmy handed me, and I moaned.

  “Oh my gosh,” I said.

  “I’m telling you. I don’t know what they do to it,” Jimmy said.

  “Two buffalo mozzarella sandwiches with ranch,” Bernie said.

  “That thing is massive,” I said.

  “We’ve got to-go boxes. Don’t worry,” Patrice said.

  I took my plate from Bernie and followed Jimmy to a table in the corner. The sandwich already had my mouth watering, and the coffee was to die for. I would definitely be getting another cup before we left to go back to the world of stress and lies in order to save our asses.

  “Ashley?”

  “Mhm?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I took a sip of my coffee as my eyes connected with his.

  “I know you are,” I said. “And I am too.”

  “I handled the stress of everything happening poorly, and you’re right. I should have listened to you from the very beginning. I had no reason to doubt you, and I called you some ugly things I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to take back.”

  “I wasn’t in the best form either. I accused you of not caring about your company, and I know that’s not true.”

  “I want a second chance at us, Ashley.”

  I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath.

  “I want to try and make this work.”

  “You just told the press we weren’t together, Jimmy. Ever,” I said.

  “When your reputation was on the line, I was willing to say anything. I still am. Because there’s no reason for them to attack you in the media. None whatsoever. And so long as I can protect your reputation, I’ll say whatever it takes, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you. It means we would have to be careful.”

  “I’m scared, Jimmy. If someone finds out—”

  “Then we’ll deal with it together. As a team. I will always provide a wall between you and the press. You will never have to fight that battle alone, nor will you ever have to face it head-on.”

  “I’m not worried about that. I mean, I am. But ...”

  “What is it?” he asked. “What are you worried about?”

  “I’m worried you’ll hurt me again, and it’ll only prove I’m right.”

  I felt a tear slide down my face as Jimmy cupped my cheek.

  “And I don’t want to be right about that,” I said.

  “You won’t be. So long as I’m breathing, I won’t hurt you again, and I will always trust your opinion, especially after something like this. If you want to take it slow, that’s fine. I’ll do it. I just want you, Ashley, no matter what I have to do to get there.”

  “Slow might be a good thing. We took things pretty fast the first time around. Slow might do us some good.”

  “Then slow it is,” he said.

  We finished our sandwiches and grabbed another cup of coffee before heading out. We walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, making our way slowly back to his beach house. Things felt... okay. Not grand. Not splendid. But okay. Simple. Fluid. I felt the stress melting from my body with every step I took toward Jimmy’s place.

  We would be okay.

  Somewhere in the pit of my gut, I knew we would be okay if we took it slow.

  We got back to Jimmy’s place, but we didn’t go inside. Instead, we sat on the porch and finished off our coffees. The sun was quickly setting below the ocean, blanketing our area in a nighttime hue.

  And there was a look in Jimmy’s eyes I couldn’t deny.

  I stood up from my chair and straddled his lap. His hands fell to my hips as my dress fluttered around my thighs. Our foreheads connected, and I closed my eyes, my body coming to life as his thumbs stroked my skin.

  I could taste the coffee on his lips as our tongues connected.

  I could feel him already growing to life, pressing against me as his hands gathered my dress up to my hips. I ran my hand through his hair, clinging to him while he pushed his pants down his legs.

  Then I pulled my panties off to the side before he slid in.

  There was no pretense and no foreplay. No heavy petting and no hickies. There was only the setting of the sun, the freedom of the moment, and my want for him. His hands ran up and down my thighs as I coated his cock, my arousal slowly pooling for him. Our lips moved together, slowly and desperately as our tongues battled for dominance. I could feel him growing, twitching against my walls as his hands explored my body. Rose up my back. Cupped my clothed breasts. Grabbed my ass and rolled me deeper.

  I moaned into his lips as his trimmed curls found my clit. I ground into him as nighttime hung fully in the air. My lower lip trembled, and electricity shot through my body. He felt so good. As good as he did the first time and better than he had last weekend.

  He rolled me faster into him, his hips leaving the chair. He thrust into me, trying to keep our movements as controlled as possible. The waves were washing ashore, and the stars were twinkling above. There wasn’t a sound from the city we could hear. The only thing that graced my eardrums was the panting of Jimmy’s breath as his lips cascaded down my neck.

  “Jimmy,” I said breathlessly. “I’m almost there.”

  My legs began to quiver, and my toes began to curl. My face fell into the crook of his neck as he continued to kiss my skin. His fingertips dug into my ass, and his movements began to stutter. I rocked against him, my pussy sucking him deeper as it began to flutter around his cock.

  “I can feel you. I can feel you. I can feel you.”

  He chanted it like a prayer. Like the greatest relief he had ever experienced. His entire body shook as I clung to him, my arms wrapped
tightly around his neck.

  His long, strong arms gripped me tightly into him, pressing my curves into his strength. Then, with a groan, he pumped me full of his come.

  I sighed into the crook of his neck as tears of happiness lined my eyes. I had missed this man. For all the shit we had been through, I had missed every inch of him.

  We sat there, my body cradled into his. His cock began to soften as our juices ran down onto the seat. He picked me up to take me inside, but his pants fell down around his legs, and he shuffled us into the beach house. I giggled into his neck, feeling him reach out as he slid the glass door closed.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “To bed. I want to hold you while we look out over the ocean.”

  Then he stepped out of his pants, carried me up the stairs, and laid me down in his bed. His body fell against mine as his hand stroked my legs, and his lips kissed my skin. He sent shivers up and down my spine while we gazed out along the water, the stress of work slowly falling to the back of my mind.

  I could get used to something like this. All we had to do was keep our heads above water long enough.

  Chapter 15

  Jimmy

  I woke up with Ashley in my arms, and I was reluctant to let her go. But I knew we had to be getting back. With all the issues surrounding the company, I couldn’t afford to be gone an entire weekend, which I hated because it was what Ashley deserved. I watched her sleep until she stirred in my arms. The ocean sun suited her well. When all of this was over and we could go public with our relationship, I vowed to bring her back here every single weekend. Maybe if her mother was doing well, we could bring her too. I was sure she would love a walk in the sand, no matter her lucidity.

  At least, I hoped that was something I could do for Ashley.

  The two of us stopped in for coffee and a danish before we got on the road. I wanted to make sure the heat was completely off us. My plan was to take us to my place first and hang out for a little bit, and then I would take her back to her apartment. My place was closer than hers, and we could bypass the afternoon rush of people in the street easier that way.

  Ashley seemed okay with the plan, so I stuck to the back roads to get back to my apartment.

  The elevator doors opened, and I ushered her out into the hallway. We turned to get to my front door, but Ashley stopped in her tracks. I ran right into her, almost knocking her to the ground. I caught her in my arms and steadied her on her feet, but her eyes were locked in front of her.

  “Ashley, what’s—?”

  I looked up to see one of the FBI guys standing at my front door. He was leaning against the wall, like he’d been waiting for me. There was shock on his face at seeing the two of us together in such relaxed attire with coffees in our hands. He’d seen me throw my arms around Ashley, and I could tell she was panicking.

  “Mr. Sheldon.”

  “Agent. With all due respect, what are you doing standing at my door?” I asked.

  “I was waiting for you. I didn’t know you would have company.”

  “Could you not have called?” I asked.

  “I did, but you weren’t picking up.”

  “Because I was out of town.”

  “So I came to your front door to wait. You said you were coming back in this afternoon. Figured the information I had was worth it.”

  “What information?” I asked.

  “I thought the two of you weren’t a thing?” he asked.

  I looked down at Ashley who had panic written all over her forehead. So I stepped in front of her to rip the agent’s eyes from her to me.

  “Why are you together if you're not a thing?” the agent asked.

  “Not that it’s any of your business in the first place, but—”

  “He was trying to protect his reputation,” Ashley said.

  She stepped out from behind me and linked her arm with mine.

  “And hers,” I said. “Neither of us are ready to go public, especially with everything that’s happening with the company. And I would appreciate it if you understood and respected our wishes.”

  “Uh-huh,” the agent said. “I had a feeling.”

  “What do you mean?” Ashley asked.

  “The way you two have been actively avoiding one another since her return,” he said. “It screams ‘couple trying to hide it.’ ”

  “No, it doesn’t,” I said.

  “It really does,” the agent said.

  “We would like it if you respected our privacy enough to keep it under wraps,” Ashley said.

  “Don’t worry. The FBI isn’t interested in office romances, but we are interested in Markus.

  “What’s happened?” I asked.

  “Because Markus made bail, the first thing he did was fly back to Canada. Only he’s not there any longer,” the agent said.

  “What the hell does that mean?” I asked.

  “Markus has fled Canada because the fraud goes deeper than we thought. We stumbled on it last night. With a trail of proof we uncovered, we have reason to believe Mr. Bryant was running a scam in his own company.”

  I felt Ashley nudge me as I bit down on my tongue.

  “Tell him,” Ashley said.

  “Tell him what?” the agent asked.

  I looked down at Ashley, and she gazed up at me. I had to draw from her well of strength because I couldn’t do this on my own. I was about to sell the only man I had ever truly respected up the river, and it made me sick. He’d been a man I’d trusted with my own success, my own life, my memories and my past and everything else I had to offer.

  A man I had come to love was nothing more than a Bernie Madoff mimic.

  “You’re going to be upset, so hear me out,” I said.

  “Try me,” the agent said.

  “I had my COO, Ross Fowler, retain one of the private investigators we used to originally dig into Markus.”

  “Great,” the agent said.

  “We found that he was forging my signature on documents to invest in companies he’s also been robbing. Ace-Landic and Harold & Lace, to be exact.”

  “And when were you going to step forward with this?”

  “Now,” I said.

  “Why the hell didn’t you do it sooner?”

  “Because Markus was like a father to Jimmy, and he needed time to emotionally digest what was going on,” Ashley said.

  I looked down at her and saw a protective fire in her eye.

  “You know what this looks like? Collusion,” the agent said.

  “Well, it’s not,” Ashley said. “It’s a man coming to terms with his own conscience before he sells the only man he ever considered a father up the damn river. And if you attempt to stick anything else onto this, I’ve got no issues dragging you through the mud.”

  I was shocked at Ashley’s outburst, but my heart swelled with pride. No woman would come to blows with an FBI agent like that if she didn’t still care like I did.

  “I want that evidence handed over today,” the agent said. “If he’s using your signature and we can prove you had no hand in those investments, we’ve got him nailed. That’s the missing link.”

  Ashley nudged me again, and it caused me to snicker.

  “I’ll have Ross call the PI and have everything delivered within the hour,” I said.

  “Good. And from now on? Leave the investigating to us.”

  “No problem,” I said with a grin.

  I watched the agent walk down the hallway as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I unlocked the door and ushered Ashley in while I called Ross. I told him what was going on and that he needed to get in contact with the PI. That information needed to be handed over to the FBI as well as my lawyer. I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the couch, my anger trying to get the best of me again.

  How the hell had Markus turned out to be such a scumbag? How many other companies had he done this to? How many people was he siphoning money off of because of me?

  How many other companies like mine
had he scammed?

  “Jimmy?”

  I felt Ashley’s hand fall on my shoulder as I sat onto the couch.

  “Jimmy, talk to me.”

  “Is it possible Markus is the next Bernie Madoff?” I asked.

  “Depends if he was running a Ponzi scheme,” she said.

  “How in the world could I have been so blind?”

  “Jimmy, men like Markus literally do this for a living. This is how he’s been living his life, surviving and thriving. Conning is his life’s work.”

  “His own company, Ashley. All those people will be out of jobs, many arrested for things they didn’t even know they were doing. What if he’s set up one of them to take the fall while he runs to a country with no extradition?”

  “Wow, this has been on your mind, hasn’t it?” she asked.

  “I can’t put anything past him now. A man I thought was tried-and-true and faithful to his core is slowly turning out to be a mastermind criminal. He’s got a contingency plan somewhere. What if this is it?” I asked.

  “You can’t concern yourself with that. You have a company that needs you, that needs your strength.”

  “I don’t feel very strong right now. I feel like every time I turn around, another rug I step on is ripped from underneath me. Fleeing Canada? Where the hell did the man go?”

  “I’m sure they’re trying to figure that out,” she said.

  “I’m sorry. I know this is the last thing you wanted to walk into after our night at the beach.”

  “True, but I haven’t left. We still have the afternoon. Why don’t I take you up on that movie?”

  I looked over at her, watching as the sun illuminated her body.

  “Dinner and a movie?” I asked.

  “Dinner and a movie sounds fabulous,” she said.

  Chapter 16

  Ashley

  I walked into work with everyone’s eyes on me. They were openly gawking at me and pointing their fingers. A few women were looking down their noses at me as I walked through the lobby. What in the world was going on? I took the elevator up to the top floor and made my way to my office, but once I got there I saw what was going on.

  I ripped the picture off my door and stared at it.