Acquiring Trouble

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    And now enjoy three excerpts from Romance authors: Ruth Cardello , Sandra Marton , and Anne tte Blair !

 

     
    Excerpt from Maid for the Billionaire
    by NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Ruth Cardello
     
    Sexy, alpha billionaires and the strong women who tame them.
     
    Chapter One
     
      By dying now, his father had won again. That old bastard.
    Dominic Corisi slammed the door of his black Bugatti Veyron and stepped onto the sun baked Boston sidewalk without giving the million dollar vehicle a backwards glance. The joy of owning it was dead along with his desire to answer the incessant ring of the cell phone he’d ignored since yesterday.   Rather than turning it off, he’d muffled the noise by burying the device deep within a coat pocket; maintaining the connection to his life like a distant beacon.      
    Despite the oppressive heat, he paused at the bottom stair of his old brownstone.   There was nothing spectacular about it, outside of its location near the upbeat Newbury Street.   If he remembered correctly, its rooms were small and the main staircase had a creak that he never did get around to fixing.   It was nothing like the sprawling mansions he now owned in various countries around the world.
    But it was the closest thing he had to a home.
    His phone rang with a tone he couldn’t ignore.   Jake.   His second in command would simply call again, killing whatever chance Dominic had of finding a moment of peace inside those brick walls. “ Corisi ,” he barked into the phone.
    “Dominic, glad I caught you,” Jake Walton said smoothly, as if he hadn't unsuccessfully rung twenty times in the last two days.   That was Jake, calm and professional, even in the storm of hostile takeovers.   Nothing fazed the man.
    Normally, Dominic appreciated his even temper, but today it grated.   Maybe the forty or so hours without sleep were beginning to catch up with him.   He fought an impulse to toss his phone over the metal railing.   The world wasn't the orderly, rational place Jake liked to organize it into.   It was messy.   It was ugly.   And, most recently, it lacked justice.
    “How is Boston?”  
    The inane question almost sent Dominic over the edge. “How do you think?”
    It was probably too much to hope that Jake’s uncharacteristic silence signaled an end to a conversation Dominic wished he had avoided.
    “We need to discuss the China contract.   The Minister of Commerce is expecting to meet with you tomorrow to cement the details.   This is your dream, Dominic.   By next week, Corisi Enterprises will be a major global player.   What do you want me to tell the Minister?”
    “I don't know,” Dominic said wearily.
    Jake made a sound somewhere between a choke and a cough, then was speechless – a revealing response for a man who handled irate international diplomats without missing a step.   He was the fixer and navigated the unexpected with ease. Until now.
    Poor Jake. Nothing in their shared history had prepared either of them for Dominic's sudden desire to withdraw from the world.   The creators of financial empires didn't take sudden vacations and they most certainly didn't hide, especially not after having laid the groundwork for the single greatest business venture of the century.   Bill Gates himself had called last week to discuss the ramifications of the negotiations.  
    “Jake, I need to drop off the radar for about a week.   Why don't you take over the China contract?”    
    “O-o-o-k.” Jake said awkwardly. In another situation, Jake's loss of composure would have been amusing.  
    “Can you handle it or not?”   Dominic challenged.   He could barely think past the throbbing of his headache.  
    Maybe coming to Boston was a mistake.   It had been here, at seventeen, that he’d walked away from his inheritance and waited tables to fund the search for his mother.   Here, in this very brownstone, that he’d cultivated a hatred for a father who had denied both involvement and interest in the disappearance of his wife.
    Jake’s voice slammed Dominic back into the present.   “No problem.   I've followed the progress you've made with the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency.   They’re eager.   I'll clear my schedule and cover yours.   Duhamel will forward all of your calls to me until further notice.”
    “Good.”  
    “Dom-” Jake hesitated.