The Billionaire's Affair: Billionaire Brothers (Tycoon Billionaires Book 2) (17 page)

Dylan’s luxury New York penthouse apartment was much more homey than the one he’d been hiring in London – especially since Sarah had moved in and given it a woman’s touch. It overlooked Central Park – which had been stunning in the autumn. Sarah had loved gazing at the reds, oranges, and yellows through the huge windows that flooded the spacious apartment with warm light even now it was winter. The furnishings felt new and modern, but the hardwood flooring gave it a classic feel – and Dylan and Sarah had enjoyed strolling around art galleries finding vibrant modern paintings to decorate the magnolia walls with splashes of colour.

Sarah loved the chic state-of-the-art kitchen, where she and Dylan were currently adding the finishing touches to tonight’s feast, dressed in their finest. Sarah had enjoyed selecting this expensive red silk gown from her very own walk-in wardrobe earlier. And Dylan looked hot in his Armani suit.

She’d always relished the bustle of hotel kitchens, and tonight she was enjoying the thrill of cooking for their rather more select guests. She opened the oven and reached in to rescue the sizzling chicken breasts. The entire family had been invited to the Quinlan family home for Thanksgiving next weekend, so Sarah had decided to avoid all turkey until then. Tonight she was following a French recipe which she hoped would be a success.

“Mmm, smells great!” she said, setting the baking tray down. “I hope it tastes as good.”

Dylan stirred the gravy on the stove. “It’ll be perfect, sweetheart. Everything you do is perfect.”

She kissed him, still enjoying making up for the seven years’ worth of kisses they’d missed out on. Dylan had even agreed to stop working so ruthlessly and Sarah was happy to just do the soccer club stuff whenever they needed her. Love was more important than business deals…

His arms fell around her and he pulled her close, letting her know just how much he loved her. The kiss grew in passion and Sarah sank into his toned chest – into this precious moment with him. She melted with contentment. But she was suddenly yanked from her little bubble of bliss as she heard the gravy bubble furiously.

“Shit!” Sarah said, rescuing the sauce from the heat. “We’d better serve the dinner before you distract me again!”

They both laughed and Sarah relished the levity as it glided through her. This was perfect; enjoying her lover and his family in her new home.

Sarah and Dylan carried the dinner through to the dining room, where Amy and Adam were chatting at the sturdy table with Ivan on the laptop. They’d decided to throw this little pre-Thanksgiving dinner tonight so that Ivan could join them on Skype from his cottage in the UK. It had been heart-breaking to leave him behind in Essex, but it was definitely safer for him that way. It was still possible that his loved-ones could be in danger if any other evil maniacs discovered that he was alive. Even though the blueprint had been destroyed, Ivan feared he could be forced to give up the information that he still had in his brain – all the ideas and formulas he’d come up with were still in there somewhere. He needed to lie low until everything to do with his invention had been forgotten – his family’s safety depended on it.

The warmth of the dining room hit Sarah as she served the dinner. They were still waiting for Joseph to arrive, but they couldn’t get him on his phone, so they’d decided they’d better start eating. The furniture in here was modern, but the traditional old roaring fire was very welcome on this freezing November evening. Sarah hadn’t realised how cold it got in NYC – her previous experiences of America had been of sunny Berkeley back in college. But it was okay – Dylan was always very happy to warm her up...

Sarah took her place at the table, listening as Adam, Dylan, and Ivan chatted animatedly. She grinned at Amy, pleased that they’d become such great friends in a short space of time. Sarah couldn’t believe how quickly the last four months had gone. She’d been back and forth to London a few times since moving to New York – to meet the board of directors of her soccer club and also to stand as a witness against Orlov, who was now safely behind bars for what the tabloids were calling the crime of the century.

The tabloids were also becoming obsessed with Joseph – he’d been featured almost daily on the front pages since his band had performed on the David Peterson Show a few months ago – which had rocketed them to international stardom overnight. Joseph seemed to be coping with fame well so far, but Sarah had a feeling he’d fallen in love. She planned to interrogate him this evening – when he eventually showed up.

“I’ve got something to tell you,” Ivan said on the laptop. “I wanted to wait for Joseph to get here, but I may as well tell you all now.”

Adam smirked. “And we promise to look surprised when you tell Joe later.”

“If he ever gets here,” Dylan said, glancing at his Rolex.

“So what did you want to say, Ivan?” Sarah asked.

Adam raised a playful eyebrow. “Lemme guess – you’ve finally decided to have plastic surgery to make yourself as good-looking as me?”

The others chuckled. Ivan remained deadpan. “Why would I pay good money to make myself look like a clown?”

Adam burst into laughter. “I see the solitude of the UK hasn’t blunted your razor-sharp wit!”

Amy popped a forkful of chicken into her mouth. “So, Ivan, are you coming back to New York – is
that
the announcement?”

He nodded on the screen. “I hope to next year, yeah. Now that the last of the blueprint is definitely gone and Orlov’s in prison, I’ve decided it’s time to let Samira and mom and dad know the truth about me.”

Dylan’s expression was severe. “But, Ivan, are you sure it’s safe?”

Ivan shrugged. “Obviously I’ll still need to be careful for a while, but I can’t live like this anymore. I’ll sit it out for the winter, then I’ll come home in the spring. I’ll go find my love and bring her back to my arms – where she belongs.”

Adam raised his glass of vintage sauvignon. “I’ll drink to that, Ivan. We’ll do all we can to protect you and help you get your life back, okay.”

Ivan smiled affectionately. “Thanks, Adam. I appreciate that.”

Dylan seemed less enthusiastic. “Ivan, are you sure this is a good idea? Especially now Joseph’s in the limelight? I don’t wanna spoil the party, but what if his fame brings a whole new slant to this?”

Ivan opened his mouth to reply, but the door buzzer buzzed loudly, making them all jump.

Dylan clambered to his feet and threw his napkin on the table. “That’ll be Joseph. I guess we can ask him for his opinion on this.”

Dylan strode out to answer the door, so the others all relaxed and congratulated Ivan on his decision, enjoying a few mouthfuls of their dinner. Adam assured Ivan that Dylan was just being his usual pessimistic self, and that
he
thought it was a great idea for Ivan to ‘come out’ as alive. But Sarah knew Dylan very well. He wasn’t as overly pessimistic as some thought. He just seemed to have an instinct for smelling trouble.

Dylan led Joseph into the dining room, and Sarah saw that the youngest Quinlan brother looked frantic. He was dressed in his now-trademark leather trousers, but he’d left his rockstar persona at the door. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, and he was wearing sunglasses even though it was night-time and wintertime. Sarah could see that the constant media attention was beginning to take its toll. In short, he looked exhausted.

He flopped down to join them at the table.

“I’ll get your dinner, Joseph,” Sarah said, standing. “You look like you could use a hot meal inside you.”

Dylan waved at her to sit down. “Wait, Sarah, we need to finish this conversation first.” He turned to face his little brother. “Joseph, Ivan’s got something to tell you.”

Joseph rested his elbows on the table. “Oh. Well, I’ve got something to tell you all myself actually. First off, I’m deferring college indefinitely.”

Adam smiled fraternally at his little brother. “Well, I think we all expected that, kid. No one would blame you.”

“The other thing…” he couldn’t help but grin… “I’ve met a woman – she’s amazing.”

Sarah clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s great news, Joseph! I knew there was something going on.”

Joseph’s smile faded. “Thanks. But I’ve really fucked up – Ellie’s not what she seems. The papers are about to reveal the truth about Ivan –
everything
about Ivan. And there’s nothing I can do to stop them…”

Find out what happens in
Joseph story
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