She elbowed me in the gut, sharp enough to feel through muscle.
“Deacon, seriously. I just want to relax with you.”
“Fine.” I uncovered her vision. “Dinner for two seem relaxing enough?”
A glass table sat in the middle of the small room. On top, there was already freshly roast chicken and a side of savory browned vegetables just as mouth-watering.
“It’s perfect,” she gasped.
I smiled. This was just the east dining room. The grand one was fit to serve royalty, and it had hosted a Saudi King that I could remember. This one was small and delicate, clean and modern. My mother hated it. That automatically made it one of my favorite rooms in the house.
I helped Kerry into a chair and sat at the corner seat next to her. Rupert would have out and served us, but I’d demanded he let us be. Didn’t want Kerry to feel the least out of place tonight.
We served ourselves and tucked in pleasantly.
“God, this is just what I needed after that flight,” she said. “How does roast chicken taste this good?”
“Marinated in garlic and herbs for a day or two,” I said. “I think they’ve got a special roasting oven, too. You’re eating flakes from wood chips dating back a century.”
“Those guys knew how to cook a chicken.”
We ate in happy silence. The food wasn’t exactly home cooked, but sitting there holding Kerry’s hand and eating was a perfect end to the day. If only there was nothing left to do.
Hell, I actually didn’t feel that hungry, thinking about it.
Kerry sank back eventually, patting her stomach. She looked tired or dreamy. I could carry her off to bed, tuck us both in. But there was this thing to get through first.
I found the words to capture the mood.
“Let’s keep doing this,” I said.
“Definitely.”
I fought the urge to seal it with a joke. She had to know my meaning clear. “It’s nice, leaning back after a successful project.”
“It’s amazing. Especially after what you said about Jesse’s reaction.”
“That was a sight to see, for sure.” The tips of my fingers tingled. I rapped the table.
Why the hell was this so hard? I was Deacon goddamn Stone.
“So let’s keep doing it, then,” I said. “Let’s keep working together.”
She looked over. “Hmm?”
“You go back to your company, they’ll send you somewhere else. Maybe far away. Maybe just here. Either way, most companies aren’t as visionary as we are here. Do you really want to run off to any old project?”
“Wait.” She sat up. “Are you trying to hire me?”
“I sure am.”
Her eyes slowly narrowed, not quite cross, but too intense for my liking.
“The stuff you found out for Jesse,” I went on, “our team had never even considered. You’ve got a knack for this industry beyond just your numbers. I talked to Trey. He’d love to have you.”
“Of course he’d say that. I’m dating his boss’s boss’s boss.”
“You are. And I’m not going to demote myself to make that not the case. People will look at you and they’ll see me before they speak – at first. But they’ll warm up. You win people over by helping them, by easing their burdens. It won’t be long before your name is bigger than mine.”
“Deacon.” She placed a hand on mine. “I have a career path. I’m not going to change all that just for you. We can make this work as we are.”
“I’m not asking you to change it for me,” I said. “Change it for yourself. You can do real good in this company. You know what we’re about. You know what
I’m
about.”
“I’m doing good just as I am.” She yanked her hand away. “I was the fastest riser in my division, even before you came along. I almost get my pick of cases now. Soon, I’ll be leading teams, finding my own clients.”
“So you’re free to do what you want.” I shrugged. “Fine, but don’t kid yourself. You’re still chained, just to a company instead of a project. Even if you make it up to CEO at your firm or at some other... honey, you’ll find a hundred hooks around your neck. The higher you rise, the bigger the things you’ll fight for, and the rarer your victories. Trust me on that.”
“I'm not trying to be in charge. I just want to have my pick of cases and be free to work on what I want.”
“There's always a tradeoff. You might get one project you want to two the company wants. Maybe, even flip that if you're lucky. But they'll still have their hooks in you. ”
She wore a glum look, and had her arms crossed, but said nothing. I pressed in.
“The surest way to get what you want is to go for it directly. Accept no substitutes.”
She gave me an amused look. “That's definitely Deacon Stone philosophy 101.”
I shrugged. “Fair, but it ain't wrong. You come here, you’ll work on one big project I know you care about. You liked what we did in Abu Dhabi. Doesn't seeing it through sound more exhilarating? I don't think you just want to run from this world. Otherwise you'd be a beach bum. Or maybe a monk.”
I clasped her hand again, held it tight. “Decide what you believe in and go for it hard. The only freedom we have in this world is picking the things we chain ourselves to.”
She shook her head, but her face had cleared.
“I don’t know,” she said.
She was close. Time to take her.
“Oh, you’ll also jump up a bunch in title and get a huge bump in salary,” I said. “So your resume will look amazing no matter what ends up happening.”
She took a deep breath. “Well, I’m not going to answer on the spot.”
“Of course not. Run your numbers and get back to me. You know I’ll be waiting.”
“Alright.”
I didn’t let the quiet settle. I grabbed her hand and yanked her over to my lap.
“What?!” she screamed.
“Nothing. Just thought I’d move on to the non-business portion of the evening. Or do you need to think about that too?”
I nibbled into her soft, creamy neck.
“Oh.” She sighed. “All this whiplash is making me dizzy. And I’m full. Let’s take a break or we’re going to be going through a lot more kinks tonight than I’m ready to handle.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, nudging the shirt down her shoulder. “I know how to go slow, too. What my girlfriend wants, she gets.”
“So this is the reason for my miseries.”
That wasn’t Kerry's voice. No that was quite the opposite.
Oh, shit.
I looked over at the door and saw my mother. She stood with her arms crossed, wearing a frilly white pant suit, and fur draped over her shoulders.
“Mother,” I said, summoning all the calm I could. “You’re early.”
“Thank god,” she said. “Who knows what I would have seen if I had arrived moments later.”
She traipsed in the room and Kerry scrambled off to her seat. “Hello, Mrs. Stone.”
“Why hello, Ms. Nobody-from-the-country-club. What a genuine surprise to find you atop my eldest son.”
“It was-”
“It was a date,” I said. “And yes, we were just about to head off to my quarters.”
My mother stood on the other side of the table, peering down at us, but making no move to sit. I had the urge to just gather my girl and walk out. We had nothing to discuss.
“Jesse mentioned the remarkable work you did on that Abu Dhabi project,” my mother said to Kerry.
“Thank…you.”
“Yes, he’s quite taken with you as well. Apparently, he’s voting to approve the purchase.”
“We can discuss that when the three of us are having a sit down tomorrow,” I said. “What are you doing home today anyway? My assistant heard from yours that you have that gala in Dallas.”
“What am I doing? Why I’m in town raising funds for your father’s old friend. You remember, the man who’s running for governor.”
“There’s no fundraiser scheduled in Houston today.”
“Well, I thought I should go the extra mile once I heard my sons were working to undermine me.”
I rubbed my face. This was derailing everything with Kerry. What could she imagine, seeing what passed for bureaucracy in Stone Holdings?
“We’re not doing anything devious. This is for the good of the company.”
“Is it?” she said, glowering at Kerry for some reason. “I thought you were intent on the business. But now I see that this was all just a tag team effort to pull the hood over your brother.”
“He liked what he saw in the report. I am not capable of tricking Jesse.”
“You were also not capable of going on a date when it was with the daughter of the man who will now become governor. Not even once, even after I begged you. And now, I find you with
her,
destroying not only our name, but our company too.
”
“Watch yourself,” I said.
“I see that I have no choice, but to watch for myself.” She sniffed the air. “I had no choice but to watch as you trample the legacy your father left behind - dirtying yourself in the pointless chores of business. Now, I have no choice but to watch you sully the family name, associating with commoners, promising her who knows what?”
Her eyes narrowed to viper pits. “But I still have some power. Your father was wise enough to see the wisdom in that before leaving you in charge. And for once, I will use it to keep at least some of the Stone legacy safe.”
My arms went cold. “What are you saying?”
“Jesse can vote as he wants, but you won’t get your solar company without unanimous approval. And I am voting against this deal that you’ve concocted with your low-grade hussy.”
She turned and headed out the door.
“Enjoy your evening.”
I glanced solemnly at Kerry. She stared straight at the wall ahead, mouth softly open.
“I think I might have been responsible for that,” she said.
“It’s my fault,” I said grimly. “Not yours.”
“Can you fix it?” she said. “Can you change her mind?”
I looked at her, her dark, rich hair. Her big brown eyes, bigger now. She wasn’t worried, she wasn’t angry or even insulted. She was still thinking, still trying to figure this out for me.
But she couldn't. This deal, the one that stood a chance of growing us even bigger and making the company truly mine. It didn't hinge on her mind.
To my mother, it somehow hinged on Kerry herself.
“Yeah,” I said. “I might be able to convince my mother. If I was willing to let you go.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kerry
The words didn't shatter me. Maybe I had seen them coming the moment his mom's pruny face showed up in the hallway. Maybe I had known she saw me as some demon to exorcise since that day at the country club.
Maybe I'd just always expected that the last few weeks were to be too good to be true.
For god's sake, I had fallen for a billionaire. He might have fallen for me too, but it was as he said: there were a thousand little hooks in him. I might be a big one, but if the rest were all pulling him the other way, then I stood no chance.
Deacon's brow lay furrowed, his lips pursed. He was running the numbers on me in his head.
My heart felt heavy as stone. One moment, we were pulling close too fast, the next we were blowing apart like a grenade.
“I should go, right?” I said.
“What?” His eyes sparked like twin flints.
“I can leave and you can go tell her that I'm not the reason for the solar deal.”
“Why in the hell would I say that?” He blinked. “Shit, you think that was a serious option I just spouted? I was just thinking out loud.”
A heat was in his eyes now, but none of it reached me. I saw my reflection in there, but just as another piece for him to put in place.
“Yeah,” I said, reaching for my purse. “I think I should leave. At least I can give you space to think.”
I rose, turning to hide the pooling water in my eyes.
“Hold it there, darlin'.” His hand was around my wrist.
“Just let me go.” I tugged, but I might as well have been trying to wriggle out from under a boulder.
“Now, you see, that's the one thing I can't do.”
He spun me around. His hard, powerful face still lay solemn, but his eyes were soft now, like a receding storm.
That gentle look nearly crumbled me. I blinked to keep from shattering.
“You're right,” I said. “She's hated me since the second she saw me. I don't really understand why, but it's not even about the business. It's about me.”
“No, it's about
me
. It's always been about me. She sees you and she's looking at the girl that matches the son who's always defied what she wants. You're right - it has nothing to do with the business. It's all about me spitting in the face of legacy.”
“You could break up with me and marry someone from your world. Someone she respected.”
“Shit, are you in cahoots with her? I know what she wants, I just haven't been doing it. Don't think I'm gonna start just cause you're the one suggesting it now.”