The Billionaire's Longshot: Betting on You Series: Book Three Read online

  His mother’s voice had changed from high-pitched to a deep angry growl. “Roosevelt, I told you if you associate with these kinds of people you become them. Look at you.” Her piercing eyes had been filled with disgust and judgment.

  The rest of the night was a blur, but the morning after had been too clear. His father was not one who got involved in anything outside of the business, but this time he had.

  He had calmly informed Ross of the travel plans he’d made for his friends to return to the East Coast. “I strongly suggest not having them back. Your mother is not the most forgiving person.”

  He had known that first-hand. He had sworn then never to mix friends with family again. He’d been able to keep to his word. Until this damn event.

  “She’s probably forgotten all about it. Just don’t show up with a keg, and you should be all set.” Ross laughed.

  “No beer? Are you sure I can’t send a donation instead?” Drew grinned.

  I wish I could do that myself. “Not this time. This event means a lot to Jill, Elaine, and Lizette. If you don’t show up, you’ll never hear the end of it.” And neither will I. Besides, why shouldn’t my best friends suffer through this with me? If he remembered clearly, they practically volunteered him for co-hosting the event in the first place.

  “Like the good ol’ days,” Drew said sarcastically.

  God, I hope not. The waitress delivered their breakfast and quickly scooted away. The downside of being alone on a sailboat for a week was the meal plan that came with it: fruit and cold cereal. Cooking was one thing he never mastered nor cared enough to try.

  “So what brings you to the East Coast?”

  Ross wasn’t about to tell him he couldn’t stop thinking of Jill and had every intention of fulfilling his fantasy with her tonight. That type of behavior was what was expected from Trent. At least before he met Elaine. Ross was the level headed one, always in control, very predictable . . . so they thought. “Business.”

  Drew leaned back in his chair, stared at him, then shook his head. “Ross, I was hoping a week at sea would have made a difference. You need to loosen up, start living a bit. I know a girl who—”

  “Not interested.” The last thing he needed was Drew giving him advice on women. Their taste in women was as different as their choice in hair styles. He was clean cut and always had been. Drew’s hair was still as long and unruly as it had been in college. Ross had just turned thirty-four and had experienced more than a few casual encounters with the fairer sex over the years. They were all exactly as he expected them to be: polite. Damn boring.

  That was until he met Jill at Jon and Lizette’s engagement party. There was something about her that screamed wild and hot. Nothing about her was predictable. Tonight they would finalize whatever she thought needed his approval. There was no way the entire night would be spent talking about the upcoming event. I’m not even interested in the details. Knowing me, and knowing her, I won’t be able to say no to anything that comes out of her mouth. He had gone out with similar women to her. Women who were business-oriented. But unlike Jill, they others hadn’t been fun or easy going. They had been uptight and high-strung, just like him.

  Drew raised his hands. “I know. Don’t rip my head off.” Taking another bite of his food he asked, “Have you seen Jill lately?”

  “Been on a boat, what do you think?” Ross had known Drew long enough to know when he was digging for information. I haven’t been able to see anything but her since the engagement party. He wasn’t ready to share that with his friends. Some things were best kept private. At least until he knew where he stood with Jill.

  Their college days were filled with side bets. He had lost a lot of money to his friend in those days. No doubt, Drew and Trent probably had a bet on whether or not he and Jill would hook up. Who bet for, and who bet against? He could tell by the look on Drew’s face. Some things never change.

  Drew laughed. “Wasn’t sure you were alone.”

  The thought of taking her with him had crossed his mind more than once. Maybe next time. “If you are done prying into my life, why don’t we talk about something else?” Anything else.

  “Okay, Takes One. I spoke to Jon yesterday. He finally filled Lizette in.”

  That was a relief; he didn’t want to slip up in front of her during a social occasion. It had been close when they were all having dinner at their home a few months ago. “Good to know. Anyone else?” Specifically Jill.

  “No, not that I’m aware of.”

  When they started Takes One they never imagined it would grow from local to global. This was the five-year anniversary since that fatal car accident took Brad’s life. Five years already. What started as the four friends trying to keep his memory alive by fulfilling his dream, now had become six. Each new member added a level that the original four had lacked and strengthened the mission. Not even Brad’s parents knew of this organization.

  Is it time to bring Brad’s vision out in the open? Or is it better this way?

  Brad chose to keep his generosity a secret until his death for a reason. They may never know that reason, but Takes One would remain anonymous.

  “I’m sure Elaine and Lizette will make as strong a team as they did at their previous jobs.” He had no clue how they expected to keep it from Jill. He was amazed Elaine hadn’t slipped and shared with Lizette before Jon brought her into the loop.

  “Yeah, Trent and Jon got lucky finding those two. Not surprised with Jon, but come on, Trent? I thought for sure he would be a bachelor for life.”

  Ross had to admit he thought the exact same thing. “Look at him now, about to be a father. I hope you didn’t lose too much on that bet.” Ross could tell by Drew’s expression, he had. Shaking his head, he rose from the chair and said, “Goes to show you, we don’t know each other as well as we think we do.” Ross was referring to himself.

  “Never double or nothing against Jon.” Drew sighed. “Lesson probably not learned.” Drew pulled some money from his wallet and laid it on the table. “Great catching up, breakfast was great. If I don’t see you before, I better see you at the fundraiser.” His tone was meant to make one thing clear, avoiding the event wasn’t an option for either of them.

  Chapter Three

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  Why was she nervous? This was only business. The last hour had been spent trying on outfits like it was their first date. I wish. Frustrated she selected of a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved white blouse. Slipping on the blouse, she buttoned it, but then hesitated giving more thought to the quickly approaching evening. This screams boring. That wasn’t something she’d even come close to looking like before. Jill was tempted to start from scratch but everything fit just right, there was only one thing missing. Smiling to herself, she unbuttoned a few top buttons again and reevaluated her appearance. Neat, casual with a tinge of sexy.

  While applying her lip gloss she reminded herself, Easy on the makeup, Jill. Glancing at the picture on the bureau, she couldn’t help but notice her sister’s expression. It was one she had become used to. Tolerant. Since her parents passed, she wasn’t sure she had ever seen a different expression on Donna’s face. Not true. She recalled the day she told Donna that she wasn’t going to college. That moment would stick with her forever. Disappointment.

  Taking the photo in her hands, she traced her picture—of what had been her only six months ago. Carefree, stress free. This new look was taking some getting used to. Would there be a day when she felt comfortable in it? Why had she gone through all this anyway? It’s not like he’d even noticed. Not one word or hint that he’d liked it. That was what she got for being attracted to a man like him.

  When Jill had first seen him at the engagement party, she’d thought he was one of Lizette’s friends. Never had she expected him to be from one of the oldest wine-producing families in the U.S. What did she know about wine? Absolutely nothing. To a person like him, she was invisible, no matter what she looked like.

  Putting the photo down, sh
e looked in the mirror one last time. Could anyone see what she saw? A heavy sigh escaped her lips. If not, she was going to have to show them, prove she could do it. In a determined tone she said, “Starting with you, Mr. Ross Whitman.”

  She was so absorbed in her own thoughts, she had not heard the doorbell, until it was an inpatient continuous buzz. Really? And I was worried about proper etiquette? She laughed softly and made her way to the door.

  Jill didn’t even bother to look through the peephole. Not a wise decision in the city, but she knew exactly who it was.

  Pulling open the door as he rang again, she was in the middle of saying, “Give it a rest, will you?” when she was greeted by Ross holding a huge bouquet of flowers. It was one of the most beautiful bouquets she’d ever seen: pink orchids nestled between purple morning glories and merlot calla lilies, with a few sprigs of lilac throughout.

  Flooded with embarrassment, she softened her voice, “Hi, won’t you come in?” He brought me flowers? Why? Maybe he felt bad for not returning her calls, for leaving her to finish all the work on her own. She had been a bit snappy in her last voice mail. Yes, that’s it. The flowers are an apology. That’s all. Ross followed behind her as she led the way to the living room. “Are those for me?”

  “A peace offering,” he answered, holding them out to her.

  She hoped to have been wrong, that maybe there had been something special behind the gesture. Sometimes I hate being right.

  Reaching out to take the flowers, her hand brushed his. Static electricity zapped her, and she pulled her hand back, causing the flowers to fall to the floor. They both bent to grab them, clunking foreheads.

  “Ouch!” Jill exclaimed.

  The both stood upright. Ross raised a hand to stop her from bending to pick up the flowers again, and said, “Please, let me.” He retrieved them from the floor and handed them to her.

  One hand on her forehead, she took the flowers with the other. “Thank you,” she said, forcing a smile. Wow, he has a hard head. Jill let her hand fall to her side, and she saw Ross’s face change to one of concern.

  He grabbed the flowers from her. “You better sit down.” Ross took her hand and led her to the couch. “Sit, and I’ll get some ice.” He immediately left her alone and made his way to the kitchen.

  Ice. Why? It was only a little knock on the head. She lifted her hand again and felt the bump over her left temple. What the hell? Quickly she stood and made her way to the mirror on the wall. My God, it’s like a golf ball.

  By the annoyed tone in his voice, she guessed Ross wasn’t too happy she hadn’t stayed put. “You should be sitting.”

  “It’s only a bump.”

  Arching his eyebrow, he looked it over carefully. “That looks horrible, like a horn coming out of your head,” he said as he placed ice on it.

  Horrible? He sure knew how to build a woman’s confidence. Snatching the ice from his hand she said firmly, “I can manage myself, thank you.”

  “You should really sit, it looks—”

  Raising her hand to stop him, she said, “I know, horrible. You told me already.” He was right about one thing, she should sit. Making her way back to the couch, she leaned back, the ice resting on the growing lump. So not the way I envisioned tonight going.

  He sat next to her, took the ice from her hand, and said, “Let me.”

  Jill wanted to argue, but there was something soothing about him taking care of her. She closed her eyes and let him hold the ice.

  “I didn’t mean what I said earlier.”

  With her head still resting against the back of the couch, she opened her eyes to see him mere inches from her. God, he’s so handsome.

  “You could never look horrible.”

  Was it a bigger blow to the head than she thought? Am I hearing things?

  Ross removed the ice. He let his hand brush her cheek, and she held her breath. His hand stopped, and he stroked her bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers. Why is he looking at me like that? All doubt about his intentions vanished as his lips touched hers ever so quickly before he pulled away.

  It had been so brief she never even closed her eyes. She could barely consider it a kiss at all. Her mind was spinning, and not from the hit on the head. Ross was sending mixed signals, and she had no idea why. He had ignored all her calls and requests for contact. On the other hand he stroked her cheek as if she were precious. His kiss had been so tender. I’m so confused.

  “Another peace offering?” she asked, only half-joking.

  The only response was a devilish grin and a wink before he sat upright on the couch next to her. “Are you feeling up to discussing the fundraiser?”

  Oh yes, the fundraiser. How could she have forgotten the reason they were meeting? Maybe because he threw me off with flowers and a kiss? She didn’t have much experience with men, had absolutely none with men like him, but even she knew this was odd. “Let me get my laptop from the bedroom, and we can get started.”

  When she tried to get up he said, “I’ll get it. You sit.”

  Without giving her a chance to argue, he left her on the couch. It was a small apartment so finding her bedroom wasn’t difficult. However, locating the laptop was another issue. Her bed had clothes tossed all over it. Maybe she’s still unpacking. Since the laptop was nowhere to be seen, he figured it must be under the heap of clothes. I know I wanted to see what was under her clothes, but I really hoped they’d be the ones she was wearing. Shaking his head in disbelief, he began to sift through until he found the laptop lying below a satin leopard-print bra.

  He could imagine cupping and sucking on her perfect breasts. It took every ounce of self-control not to lay her back on that couch and taste every inch of her. There was something about her that was new and fresh, and he had every intention of finding out what that was.

  “Did you find it?” Jill asked from the other room.

  Putting the bra on top of the other clothes, he reluctantly picked up the laptop and returned to the living room. Why are we discussing business again? Even if she had a valid reason, he didn’t care. Whatever she had to update him on could have been handled in a five minute phone conversation. No he wasn’t here for business.

  She took the laptop from him and instantly started pulling up a bunch of files and rattling off all kinds of information. It didn’t matter what she wanted for this event—it was hers to decide—but he would humor her and sit through the presentation. That didn’t mean he was planning on listening to it.

  Even though he sat close beside her, he was only hearing every other word. He was close enough to inhale her scent, and it was more than enough to distract him. She wasn’t wearing the overpowering perfume he was accustomed to women wearing. This must be new on the market. Such a sweet, fresh scent couldn’t possibly come from a person naturally. What is it?

  At that moment she turned to him and asked, “Am I losing you? I don’t want to go too fast. Let me know if you have any questions.”

  He had a lot of questions, not one damn thing, though, about this event. The look on her face was so serious he almost burst out laughing. He fully supported the cause, but there was a fire within her that seemed to stem from something deeper. Did she personally know a wounded soldier she was doing all this for? Maybe he had been her lover, or maybe he still was. Tension filled the pit of his stomach.

  The thought of her with anyone else didn’t sit well. He should have considered beforehand she was seeing someone. Why wouldn’t she be? She is absolutely gorgeous. She was young but carried herself with a confidence that many twice her age didn’t have. There wasn’t a man alive who wouldn’t notice her when she entered a room. He was no exception. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since the engagement party. Even her multi-colored hair a few months ago had been captivating.

  “Hello? Ross? Are you listening to me? This isn’t supposed to be a one-way conversation, you know,” Jill said insistently.

  Damn, she’s cute. “Sorry, I think you ha
ve it all under control. I like it all so far. Great job.”

  “So, you don’t mind the dogs? I was worried about that.”

  The dogs? Damn, maybe he should have listened a little more. He had no objection to dogs, he actually loved animals. His mother never allowed him to have a dog growing up, or any pet, for that matter. He was tempted to ask Jill to review that part one more time then decided against it. His mother insisted the event be held on the family homestead if they were donating the wine. So she would have to accept the event as Jill planned, dogs and all. “I loved the idea.”

  Jill’s face filled with joy. At that moment he knew he would agree to anything. Whatever you want, you got it.

  “You didn’t say anything about the guest list.” Her eyes filled with hope.

  “My mother said she would be handling the setup and the catering. She’ll also be inviting a few of her closest friends, so I think it’s all covered.” Two weeks? This should be as interesting as hell. He had to warn her about his mother. Letting her enter the lion’s den unprepared wouldn’t be very kind. “Jill, about my mother . . .”

  Excitement beamed from her. “I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds lovely. It was so kind of her to let us hold this event at her home.”

  Lovely? Kind? Those words were never used when describing his mother. “Yes. Well, she likes to take control, and can be, well . . . overbearing at times.” That was the nicest way he could put it. Outright mean would have been a better fit.

  Jill took the information in stride. “I have an older sister like that. No problem.”

  Ross didn’t think her sister was anything like his mother, otherwise Jill couldn’t have turned out to be such a breath of fresh air. No, she was in for a rude awakening. At least she wouldn’t be alone. He would be by her side as well as his friends: Trent, Jon, and Drew. He made a mental note to remind Trent and Jon to prepare Elaine and Lizette for what they were walking into—hell. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. No . . . probably worse.