Their Seductress [The Hot Millionaires #1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2

  “Long story.”

  “Yeah well, save it for later. All I care about is surviving tonight. Whatever we think of each other, we all loved Ellie, and she obviously returned that sentiment. Otherwise, what are we doing here?”

  Isaac bowed his head. “Right,” he agreed.

  Nick moved into the kitchen and started crashing pans about. “She’s not as strong as she looks, in case you didn’t know. Cut her some slack.”

  Isaac’s phone rang, saving him from saying what he thought about that assertion. He took a long call from the LA office. Everyone was understandably jittery now that their leading light had been so brutally taken from them. It took him a while to reassure the manager, mainly because he didn’t have a clue what would happen to the company now. What he did know was that the sharks were already circling, before Ellie had even been laid to rest, ready to snap up any of their clients who broke ranks. It was bad enough that there was so much infighting. They needed to put their differences behind them and pull together to keep Ellie’s legacy intact.

  He knew Paige had entered the room before he even turned round. It was like someone had turned a switch and lightened the gloomy atmosphere. The difference was subtle. Nothing as obvious as her perfume, the rustle of her clothing, or the tap of her heels on the tiled floor. It was more fundamental than that. He hated himself for even thinking it, but it was as though a missing element—something he and Nick and had been subconsciously waiting for—had slotted into place.

  Isaac finished his call, pocketed his phone, and slowly turned to look at her. Shit, he was in trouble! Big trouble. She’d made absolutely no effort to impress, but then she didn’t need to. At five eight, she couldn’t weigh more than a hundred and thirty pounds—all of them in exactly the right places. She wore a denim skirt that finished well above her knees, showcasing her endless legs in a manner that made his prick twitch. Her tank top was sculpted to her body, clinging tightly to her pert breasts. It gave him a pretty good idea about the conditions of the nipples that stood to attention beneath it, thanks to the air-conditioned room.

  Her dark hair was still damp from the shower and fell below her shoulder blades, drying in a riot of natural curls. She wore no makeup, and it was obvious that she’d done more than her fair share of crying recently. Perhaps she really did care about Ellie. The catlike green eyes that dominated a heart-shaped face were dulled with pain—or perhaps jet leg, he thought cynically. He complexion was flawless, her retroussé nose and sculpted cheekbones giving her the appearance of an exotic model. Paige Fairfax was the complete package, all right. A traffic-stopping bitch who had eaten up his naïve twin, spitting him out again when she had gotten what she wanted from him, which was his job.

  “Drink?” he asked when he realized he was staring at her.

  “White wine,” she said with equal verbal economy.

  Nick came to the rescue when the silence was in danger of becoming embarrassing.

  “Food’s almost done,” he said. “Wanna grab a seat?”

  Paige moved toward the large marble table that directly overlooked the swimming pool. She took the middle place setting, and Isaac sat on her left.

  “Can I help?” she asked belatedly.

  Yeah right, like you’d know one end of a kitchen from another.

  “Nope, I’ve got it,” Nick said, plonking a large serving dish containing what looked like shrimp curry in the middle of the table.

  Nick kept the conversation going while all three of them pushed the food round their plates. It was pretty good, but not surprisingly, none of them had much appetite. They all had questions that needed answers, but Isaac reckoned they wouldn’t get aired until after the meal.

  That proved to be the case. With the dishwasher loaded and humming away, Nick joined Isaac and Paige on the terrace beside the pool, brandishing a bottle of fifty-year-old Armagnac.

  “Ellie’s private stash,” he said somberly. “I think the situation is appropriate.”

  “Yeah,” Isaac said. “I guess.”

  Nick poured three snifters and handed them round. “A toast,” he said. “To Ellie.” He raised his glass. “We miss you, babe.”

  “To Ellie.”

  All three of them drank, and Isaac savoured the fiery liquid that slipped down his throat like a salving balm.

  “What have the police told you?” Paige asked them both.

  “Not much,” Nick said, sighing. “There had been a board meeting that morning at the downtown Tampa office.”

  Isaac nodded. “Yeah, I was there. It was crunch time for Carter Promotions, and we all knew it was going to be contentious. Ellie wanted to branch out into C-list celebrity representation. Some of the others didn’t want to lower our standards by stooping so low.”

  “It’s funny,” Paige said. “Ellie was in her fifties and yet was more in touch with public appetites than her younger board members.”

  “I was with Ellie,” Isaac said. “The rest of the board sided with Mike.”

  “Her stepson-in-law.”

  “Yeah, it was common knowledge that he wanted to dislodge Ellie from her position as CEO of the company.”

  “I thought she got on with Greg’s children,” Paige said.

  “Mike was only a connection through marriage.”

  “Even so, I can’t imagine him…” She paused, gulped, and carried on. “I can’t imagine him clouting her over the head just because he didn’t agree with the direction she was taking the company in.”

  “What I don’t get,” Nick said, stretching his legs out in front of him and crossing his bare feet at the ankles, “is how it was done without anyone else catching on.”

  “It was lunchtime,” Isaac said. “Ellie’s PA and her two assistants were all out at the same time because someone was leaving, and Ellie had told them they could all go to the farewell lunch.”

  “Typical of her,” Paige said sadly. “Always wanting people to have fun.”

  “How did a stranger—and I presume this was a stranger—get into the building undetected? How did they get past security, and how did they know that Ellie would be on her own?”

  “We don’t know that,” Isaac said, suddenly bone weary.

  “Presumably the police know about her other interests,” Paige said.

  “What, that she was a dominatrix?” Nick asked. “Yeah, I told them.”

  “It could have been someone from that life who had it in for her,” Paige speculated.

  “Unlikely. She was selective, as you well know.” Nick fixed Paige with a significant look that caused Isaac to wonder precisely what she and Ellie had gotten up to whenever Paige came to stay in this house. “She was respected and loved by everyone who fell beneath her whip.”

  “Besides, if it was an outsider, they would have still had to get past security.” That was the part that had Isaac stumped.

  “Damn!” Paige, feet curled up beneath her cute little ass, glowered at the swimming pool as though she bore it a grudge. “I hate that this is happening.”

  “Not as much as Ellie does,” Isaac snapped.

  “Perhaps Lawson will shed some light in the morning,” Nick said.

  “I’d dearly love to know why he wishes to see the three of us,” Paige said.

  “We were the mainstay of her life,” Nick reminded her.

  “Not me,” Paige insisted. “We’d only become close recently.”

  “Yeah, but she liked you,” Nick said. “I ran her home and her boat and was the guardian of some of her most intimate secrets, Isaac was her heir apparent in the company, and you, sweetheart, were her pet protégée.”

  Paige stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Her tank top rode up and gave Isaac a flash of toned, tanned abdomen. He suppressed a groan, hating that she could entice him, tempt him, when he actively disliked and mistrusted her. Didn’t he?

  “I’m beat,” she said. “The jet lag’s catching up with me. It’s three o’clock in the morning as far as my body’s concerned.”
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br />   “Get some rest, darling,” Nick said, standing as well and kissing her on the lips. “Shout if you need me.”

  “Night,” she said, waving a hand in the general direction of them both but not even sparing Isaac a second glance.

  He watched her go, furious when his gut churned with jealousy at the thought of her taking Nick up on his very obvious offer to share her bed. He made a few calls, had another drink, and then turned in himself. Except he couldn’t pass the door to Paige’s room. Without thinking about the consequences, he turned the handle and barged in without knocking. She was just emerging from her bathroom, wearing an oversized T-shirt that only just covered her ass. She glanced up and did a double take. Presumably she was expecting Nick.

  “Oh, it’s you. What do you want?”

  “Just to say you won’t get away with it.”

  “With what? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You might have fooled Nick and Ellie, but I can see through all that pretty packaging to the conniving female beneath it,” he said scathingly. “You wormed your way into Ellie’s affections, but I’ve got your number.”

  “Fine.” She moved toward him and stood mere inches away, her face blazing with anger. “You’ve said what you came to say. Now get out of my room.”

  “I’m not done yet.”

  “Oh yes you are! I might have to stay in the same house as you for one night, but I don’t have to listen to this crap.” She pushed his chest. “Get out of my room!”

  “Aren’t you going to invite me to stay?” he asked sarcastically. “Isn’t that what you do with all the men in your life? You reel them into your little net, bleed them dry, and chuck them out when you’re done. Just like you did with Doug.”

  “You bastard!”

  Isaac’s laugh was cruel, even to his own ears, as he moved toward the door. “I ain’t a pushover, not like my brother was.”

  “I hate you! You think you know it all, but you don’t have a fucking clue.”

  Paige picked up a perfume bottle from the dresser and hurled it at him. He ducked at the last minute, and it shattered against the wall behind him. Ah, so his words had struck a chord. Good!

  “Hate me, do you?”

  Isaac quirked a brow. Never one to resist a challenge, he crossed the room in two strides and pulled her roughly into his arms. She lost her balance and toppled toward him, her body slamming against his as he bent his head and kissed her liked she’d probably never been kissed before. Hard, demanding, possessive, his tongue forced its way between her lips and took greedy possession of her mouth. She fought him for all of ten seconds and then collapsed against him, moaning softly as she rubbed her hips against his erection and twined her fingers round his neck.

  The moment she started to kiss him back, he released her, leaving her panting with desire as he headed for the door. He flashed her a knowing smile as he opened it.

  “Hate me, do you?” he said.

  Chapter Three

  “Bastard!” Paige yelled at the door as it closed behind Isaac.

  She burned with humiliation, furious with herself for falling for his cheap trick. She hated him for his prejudice, for being such a smart arse, for goading her… Hell, she resented him like crazy simply for being there. An explosive amalgamation of anger, grief, and jet lag churned within her, making sleep next to impossible. Every time she closed her eyes, images of Isaac’s blistering resentment burned through her like acid. He so closely resembled Doug that she died a little inside each time she looked at him. The sensible thing would be not to look, but she simply couldn’t help herself. Her eyes were constantly drawn to his face, looking for similarities that would be obvious to a blind man. She wondered if they shared the same character defects, the same strengths, the same wicked sense of humor that had caused her to forgive Doug’s transgressions time and again.

  She also wondered what he’d be like in bed.

  Well, she knew one thing now. He could kiss like he meant it—even when he didn’t. He’d only kissed her to prove some sort of infantile point. She thumped her pillows, disgusted with herself for being shallow enough to care. She was here to mourn the death of her mentor and friend and do anything she could to bring her killer to justice. Only then would she find some sort of closure, whatever the hell that was. What she emphatically should not be doing was wasting energy even thinking about a man who clearly held her in contempt and, worse, seemed to think she was responsible for his brother’s death.

  Sleeping in this house was next to impossible. She could sense Ellie’s presence as keenly as though she was in the room with her, giving her orders, giving her the courage to be herself, to forget the inhibitions a strict childhood left deeply ingrained on her psyche, and dare to live out her fantasies. She rubbed her thighs together, dampness seeping between her legs. Just thinking about the games she’d played in this house did that to her. She kicked aside the thin cover and touched her cunt, her fingers sinking deep between the moist folds as she paid homage to her dead friend in the manner she would most approve of.

  “Tell me who did this to you, Ellie,” she said aloud as her hips bucked against her fingers. “Tell me who took you away from me, and I’ll kill the bastard with my bare hands.”

  She added another finger to the two already inside her as her thumb rubbed back and forth against her clit. Her breath came in shorter and shorter gasps as she increased the pace of her thrusts. God help her, but she needed this! She needed to release the pressure that had been building inside her ever since she’d learned of the murder.

  She was close. Here it came. The familiar tingle, the dribble of moisture between her breasts, the sensitivity in her nipples.

  Let rip, Paige!

  She bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming as an explosive climax ripped through her, panting as she rode the wave that she’d created for herself until it crested and abruptly faded,

  Paige felt calmer but still not completely satisfied. She fell into a restless sleep, wondering if Nick had the recorder running, capturing her in the act of masturbation. Suspecting that he very likely had, she squeezed her tits together and bowed in the direction of the cupboard where it was likely housed. She had half expected him to join her. It was a measure of his sensitivity that he’d left her alone, but she doubted whether that situation would continue for long. She hoped it wouldn’t.

  Still on European time, Paige rose early, showered, pulled on a pair of denim shorts and a strappy top, and ventured barefoot into the yard, appreciating the stillness of the early morning, feeling the calming influence of Ellie’s vibrant personality all around her. She had expected to be alone but turned at the sound of noise from the swimming pool. Isaac was swimming lengths, doing a strong crawl, head down, not seeing her.

  “Why him?” she muttered beneath her breath.

  Paige took the opportunity to study his body, which was no hardship. Nick was a hunk, but Isaac had him beat in most departments. A strong, muscular chest tapered to a narrow waist and, if he was even half as well built as Doug, a cock that could make a girl’s heart sing. She watched the muscles in his arms at work as he swam, easily able to imagine them bearing her weight as he held her against a wall, sucked her tits, and fucked her senseless.

  Paige shook her head.

  “Get a grip, girl,” she muttered. “He doesn’t even like you.”

  “Morning.”

  Paige had turned away and didn’t realize he’d climbed out of the pool. He stood where he was, observing her through dark, critical eyes, his expression telling her nothing about his thoughts. Not that she needed much help in that respect. If he expected her to show any reaction to that stupid kiss then he was in for a disappointment. She regretted throwing things and shouting at him in such an infantile manner. In future she would avoid him. When that wasn’t possible she’d treat him with icy politeness and never let him get beneath her defenses ever again.

  “Morning,” she responded curtly.

  He picked up
a towel, draped it round his neck, and disappeared into the house without another word. Damn him, how was she supposed to treat him with disdain when he walked out on her?

  Nick appeared soon after that. By then Paige had coffee on the go but refused eggs and whatever else it was the two men sat down to devour. Before Lawson arrived she changed into a formal dress, nervous and jittery, anxious to get the confrontation over with so that pain-in-the-ass Isaac Drake could go back to work, holding Carter Promotions together until a new CEO was appointed.

  Lawson arrived on time. Paige pegged him to be in his forties. Slicked-back hair, a slight paunch, a well-cut suit sans tie, and an appropriately somber demeanor. It gave a little when he looked at Paige. She shook his hand but didn’t like him much, wondering at Ellie’s lack of judgement in employing such a man. Admittedly she was still jet-lagged and had only just met her lawyer, so what did she know about his abilities? Perhaps he’d been one of Ellie’s subs. The idea amused Paige. She could just imagine him cringing beneath Ellie’s whip whilst simultaneously begging her to whip him harder whilst he jerked off.

  “I know how shocked you all must be,” he said when they were seated round the table in the formal sitting room. “I still can’t believe it myself.”

  “Perhaps you could tell us why we’re all here?” Isaac said brusquely.

  “Of course.” The lawyer extracted a sheaf of papers from his document case and laid them on the table in front of him. “Ellie was very specific in her instructions. She knew precisely where she wanted everyone that mattered to her to be in the event of her death. She updated those instructions just a few months ago.”

  The three of them shared a loaded glance. Like Paige, her temporary housemates were probably wondering if she’d anticipated being bumped off.

  “She asked me to ensure that you three of you spent the night under this roof together before the reading of her will.”