Steele 05 - Irresistible Forces

her his wife and to make something out of his life—even without the Saxon wealth behind him. After college Marcello had started from the bottom and with keen intelligence, his father built his own Saxon empire, which consisted of hotels, cruise liners, restaurants, publishing companies and various auto dealerships across the country.
    His mother hadn’t done badly, either, he thought with a proud smile. Megan Saxon’s name was known throughout the world and graced the garments of several international celebrities. She had a remarkable reputation for outstanding design and had established her own empire in the world of fashion.
    The one thing his parents had taught him, Dominic concluded, was to increase his own wealth and not depend on what he might or might not inherit. And so he had. With their blessings he had carved out his personal legacy and thanks to a sharp wealth asset manager like Taylor, he was doing quite well for himself.
    Taylor.
    He glanced at his watch. They would be sharing dinner in less than four hours.
    “Regardless of what you say or how you feel, Nick, he is still your grandfather.”
    Dominic decided not to justify his father’s statement with a response.
    “Will you at least think about going to see him, sweetheart?”
    That question came from his mother. He glanced down at her. She was five feet, eight inches tall and in a room with her son and husband she looked small and delicate. But he knew the latter was far from the truth. She had to be one of the most headstrong women that he knew, definitely no pushover.
    It was on the tip of his tongue to say there was nothing to think about and that under no circumstances did he intend to go see the man, but the last thing he wanted was to upset his mother any further. It bothered her that he disliked his grandfather so much because of the old man’s treatment of her.
    “I’ll think about it,” he said, although he knew deep down that he wouldn’t.
    “And that’s all we ask you to do, Nick,” his mother said softly. “We’re staying in the suite across the hall tonight and flying to France in the morning.”
    He nodded. If they expected him to drop everything and fly to France with them because the old man had taken ill then they were wrong. He leaned over and swept another kiss across his mother’s cheek. “And I hope the two of you have a safe flight.”
    He saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes and chose to ignore it. “Now if the two of you will excuse me I have a few things I need to take care of before my date tonight here in my suite.”
    His mother’s brow lifted in surprise. “You have a date?”
    He smiled. His mother was well aware that he rarely entertained anyone in a place he considered his private domain. “Yes. But don’t waste the excitement. I’m merely meeting with my financial advisor.”
    “Oh.”
    He chuckled. “The two of you can join us if you like,” he invited, knowing they wouldn’t.
    “Your mother and I have other plans,” his father said, smiling and gently pulling Megan out of Dominic’s arms into his and kissing her lips. “We’re having dinner with friends.”
    “Okay then. Enjoy yourselves.” And then Dominic’s thoughts immediately went back to Taylor and her outlandish proposition. He glanced at his watch again. He couldn’t wait to see her later.

Chapter 2
    “D o you really think he’s going to go along with it, Taylor?”
    Taylor heard the uncertainty in her sister’s voice through the phone. Vanessa was the one with doubts; however, Cheyenne was the sister who was convinced Dominic would accept her offer. And it wasn’t that Vanessa was a naysayer. She was just being realistic that most people thought logically. And what Taylor was posing to Dominic was highly illogical.
    The three of them, she, Vanessa and Cheyenne, always had a close relationship growing up and over the years that hadn’t changed. Vanessa, the oldest at twenty-seven, was the one who, after getting a grad degree at Tennessee State, had returned to Charlotte to work at the family’s manufacturing business, The Steele Corporation, along with their four older male cousins—Chance, Sebastian, Morgan and Donovan. After college, Taylor and Cheyenne had chosen to seek opportunities far away from North Carolina. Cheyenne, who was twenty-three, was a professional model and that meant a lot of traveling as well as living in some of the most exotic places in the world.
    Vanessa was in the midst of