Page 36 of The Sheik's Vow

Kaia! Ethan’s body tightened as he pictured Kaia bent over his desk, her pretty ass bared for his viewing pleasure.

Kaia was close! She must have returned from Bidar at the same time he had flown back to the country. Finally, his luck was turning!

“You interested?” the guy asked.

Ethan licked his lips. “Absolutely,” he replied, picking up his pen. “Give me what you got.”

Two minutes later, he hung up on Jerry, whoever the hell he was, and dialed a new number. When the person picked up, Ethan didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Tell Dorothy that I need to speak with her in,” he glanced at his watch, “twenty minutes.”

He had a plan. An excellent plan!

After the past seventy-two hours, a time period in which he’d been out of control, out of money, and disrespected, Ethan was now smiling again.

Chapter 24

“It’s so peaceful out here!” Tara sighed, leaning her shoulder against Kaia’s as they watched the glory of the rising sun.

Kaia nodded, smiling at the physical contact with her little sister. “I agree.” She glanced over her shoulder at the club house. “I don’t like the fact that we’re putting our trust in a place called ‘The Billionaires Club’. It sounds so…pretentious.”

Tara giggled. “It actually stands for ‘The Bastards Club’. Or TBC for short. The owners, Sean, Levi, and Matteo, don’t bother to correct anyone when they call it The Billionaires Club because they think it’s funny.”

Kaia’s eyebrows lifted. “The three of them seem really nice and I love Sean and Matteo’s accents.” She glanced at the building again. “But I wouldn’t have thought that they would openly acknowledge that their business dealings were so horrible.”

Tara’s confusion was evident. “What do you mean? I spoke with Zayed and he assured me that Sean, Levi, and Matteo are extremely ethical with their business dealings.”

Kaia snorted. “So, why do they shout to the world that they are bastards?”

A new voice interrupted. “Because they are,” Ann explained, leaning forward to hand Tara and Kaia steaming cups of coffee,before sitting down to join them. “Levi’s father gave the house and land to him after the old prick passed away. Levi’s father, I can’t remember his name now, had an affair with Levi’s mother, and treated Levi like crap all his life. When the old man died, he left the sporting goods business to his legitimate sons, both of which are bankrupt now because they’re inept at busines. All he left Levi was this place.”

Kaia glanced over her shoulder at the beautiful house. “Why would the father gift a house and lands to a son if he didn’t like him?”

Ann shook her head, the sunshine glinting off of her soft, brown hair. “It was an insult.”

Kaia and Tara looked around. “This…?” Tara gasped, not believing it for a moment. “This house as a gift was an insult?”

Ann nodded, her features serious. “It’s only looked this nice for a few years. Before, when Levi’s father owned the club, it was…bad,” she said, the last word only a whisper. “The house was falling apart. The roof leaked, the electrical outlets sparked if you plugged anything in.” She shook her head. “The whole building looked like it was one thunderstorm away from falling down. But the worst part was the way that the old man allowed, even encouraged, the club members to treat us.” She shuddered at the memories. “The entire staff was ready to quit. We had to wear these skimpy outfits that looked like playboy bunny uniforms. And we had to prance around in spike heels. The club members constantly groped us and,” she paused, inhaling, then said, “and worse. It wasbad.”

“Why did you continue working here if everything was…” she stopped and shook her head. “Never mind. I know how hard it is to find good jobs. Sometimes, you have to put up with a lot of crap because employers know workers don’t have many options.”

Ann nodded, her pretty face shadowed by the memory. “That’s exactly why I stayed. Why we all stayed. We were so poor and…well, sometimes, a person has obligations. Sometimes, women have to put up with a lot in order to…pay the bills.” She blinked, obviously thinking of another time, or maybe she was thinkingabout the bills she needed to pay? She shook her head and came back to the present, adding a smile. “The members were cheap bastards back then, and I use that term as the derogatory word it is. But, as far as I know, Levi, Sean and Matteo are only bastards by birth, not behavior. They are great men! So generous with salaries. Levi inherited the house, and Matteo and Sean bought into the business. They put a lot of money into restoring the house. In the process, they also updated our uniforms, added a benefits package, and doubled our salaries.” She smiled as she gazed off in the distance. “It’s a really nice place to work now.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Plus, as you know from last night’s poker game, we hear things.”

Kaia and Tara leaned in eagerly. “I thought last night was about Zayed and Riaz eliminating Ethan’s money supply. What kinds of things do you hear?”

Ann chuckled. “Oh, this place is like a giant sieve for corporate secrets. Last night was just the icing on the cake. There is so much more that we hear. The club members always ignore us, but the wait staff listen.”

“To what?” Tara asked, fascinated.

Ann smiled. “They constantly pass along stock secrets and other information to help each other get rich. Also, they talk about the fun stuff, like when one of the CEOs is doing something naughty.” She huffed with disgust. “They tend to brag about all the stupid stuff they do while playing poker.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t tell you how many anonymous tips Emily and I have sent along to the Securities and Exchange Commission.” She frowned. “They don’t always follow up on those tips though. There’s a lot of politics in the criminal justice system. More than I’d realized.”

Kaia and Tara nodded, the mugs of coffee warming their hands against the chilly, morning air.

“We’ve seen our share of illegal activities,” Tara whispered. “Men get away with too much.”

Ann eyed the sisters for a moment. “You’ve both gone throughhell, haven’t you?”

Kaia and Tara looked at each other, then they shrugged. “I think that the past few weeks with Riaz and Zayed,” Tara replied, “have made up for the previous twelve and fourteen years of misery.” She looked at Kaia who hesitated, then a slow, fascinated smile formed on her lips.

“Good to hear,” a masculine voice announced.

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