Page 1 of Billion-Dollar Dating Game

CHAPTER ONE

ZANEDEMARCOINHALEDDEEP, stretched out long, and let the sauna’s dry heat sharpen every sense. Their squash score was still a three-way tie after nine rounds and while they could go all day, it would make little difference.

‘Are you going to reveal why you summoned us here at the crack of dawn on a holiday?’ he asked the brooding man sitting along from him. ‘Because if it was to break the tie and take the lead, that plan sure as hell backfired.’

Adam Courtney shot him a withering glance. Zane just grinned back. His old rowing rival from his brief university stint in the UK was as laser focused and hyper-competitive as ever. The fact that wild card Cade Landry had also shown his face so early in the day underscored the significance of their meeting. While he sometimes came to their eternally equal squash sessions, the lone wolf didn’t stick round for any bro banter. But Zane knew why he’d lingered today. Theyallknew the reason. But he prompted Adam into the conversation anyway.

Adam pushed a button on the infrared sauna and sent the temperature soaring before answering. ‘Helberg Holdings.’

Bingo.

Helberg Holdings was an old money conglomerate—media, jewellery, retail property, hotels, everything imaginable, and—frankly because of that overreach—down on its luck. Reed Helberg, the last of the Helberg dynasty, had died seven months ago, and without its formidable, all-controlling head, the entity was now vulnerable. If changes weren’t made soon, the entire operation could implode and leave little to salvage. The best option was to break it apart and sell off the bits that still worked. Corporate raiders often got a bad rap, but Zane had overseen many successful rebuilds from the parts of previous companies he’d bought and broken up. And yes, he’d made plenty of money doing it. But this time was different. This time was personal.

‘What about it?’ Zane stretched lazily.

‘You and Cade have both been buying up shares,’ Adam gritted out.

‘Him too?’ Zane nodded towards Cade, who was taking his time to join them.

‘Yes.’

Ah well, the game was afoot. But because of Reed Helberg, Zane had spent years literally broken. So Zane would be the one to break Reed’s most treasured thing. That was fair, right?

But now he merely shrugged as Cade settled into the corner seat of the sauna. ‘Well, it’s highly leveraged, vulnerable and has lots of assets... What’s not to like?’

Adam’s gaze narrowed. ‘An overinflated purchase price.’

‘Scared it’s gonna get too much for you?’ Zane countered dryly.

Actually, thatwasa potential problem. Too many interested buyers meant trouble. Cade remained silent, but Zane noticed the loner’s gaze briefly drop to the scars zigzagging up Zane’s thigh. Zane stayed sprawled back and refused to cover the unsightly purple streaks. People saw damage and assumed weakness. They were wrong. Where there were scars, there was strength.

‘I need you both to back off,’ Adam said.

A frigid edge sliced into the sweltering atmosphere.

Zane didn’t do deals with guys like Adam or Cade. They were too alike, too alone, frankly too obstinate. So they fished in their own ponds and kept their battles to the squash court. It was safest for everyone that way.

‘Helberg?’ A muscle in Cade’s jaw flicked. ‘Not happening...’

Zane slowly shook his head and shot Adam a mock sad expression. ‘No can do.’

Helberg’s destruction was his alone to enjoy and he would do whatever it took to eliminate the competition. But these two were sharp and he’d have to think creatively through this one.

‘It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, y’all,’ Cade said.

No shit. Any other company and Zane might consider walking away, but Reed Helberg was the whole reason why Zane had scars on his skin and metal pinning his bones beneath it. Zane was going to enjoy ripping apart the thing Reed had been so vainglorious about. The thing he’d never thought Zane was good enough for. Carve and cull was the only way through.

Adam inhaled deeply. ‘Then we have a problem.’

‘Actually, we haveproblems. Plural.’ Cade glowered from his corner.

‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Adam’s frown mushroomed.

Cade stiffened. ‘Clearly you don’t readBlush.’

‘The women’s glamour magazine?’ Adam asked incredulously. ‘You read that?’

‘No, I don’t read it, but my PR consultant does. He just texted me,’ Cade growled. ‘Did y’all know we are the star players in their latest dumb article: “The Billionaire Bachelors Least Likely to Marry”? Apparently, we three have been tagged as the One-Date Wonders...the guys with the longest odds, and they’ve already started a tally on how many dates we’ll have racked up by Labour Day.’

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