Page 22 of Recruited By the Billionaire

“And in the event of your untimely deaths,” Robert said, “these two boys will inherit the trust and receive the five thousand dollars each until their deaths. That is when the trust fund will end.”

Although the boys didn’t understand everything, they saw the tears of joy in their grandparents eyes. That was enough for them.

“But why are you doing this?” the grandmother asked. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I consider Bevis my responsibility because I was likely going to draft him. This is the least I can do,” Robert said.

The grandmother, in tears, stood up and reached out her arms to Robert. Robert stood up and they hugged with a big bear hug. Frankie could see Robert squeeze his eyes shut, as if what he was doing for them was nothing compared to what happened to them.

When they stopped embracing, Robert put on a smile. “But don’t tell the media any of this,” he said to the family. “It’ll ruin my image!”

They all laughed, not really knowing what his image was, but Frankie understood exactly what he meant. And although the assistants looked as if they were more bored than touched, Frankie and Jerry had tears in their eyes too. What owner would do what Robert just did?

Frankie was especially touched. She was beyond pleased by Robert’s kind gesture to that very poor family. He had just earned her respect. He had just showed her why he tugged at her heartstrings so. Despite his less-than-honorable image the public saw and the press exploited, there was something deep within him that screamed decency and honor to her. That screamedthis is a good manto her. And in that tiny little house in Grapeville, Oregon, and in that very moment, she heard those screams loud and clear.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

When they got back into the limousine and began their journey back to the airport, the mood seemed to change. There was dead silence the entire trip. And although Frankie was trying to look out of the window, to avoid any eye contact with Robert, every time she glanced his way, she caught him staring at her. And he didn’t try to look away either.

But she looked away. She didn’t want him to ever pick up that she was beginning to have feelings for him now. Feelings that made no sense at all given how little she knew about him, but that made perfect sense too. He was either one of the nicest guys she was ever likely to meet, or he was a master manipulator who knew those families would go to the press and tell how wonderful he was to them and the media would finally give him good copy to help undo all the bad press he had been receiving.

But who would spend that kind of money for a few days of good press?

But then again, she thought Devin was a good guy too. And Peter before him. And Malcolm before him. And all those other “good guys” in between who seemed great to everybody else, but had no problem whatsoever breaking Frankie’s heart.

But what made her attraction to Robert Marris so crazy was that she knew there was no way in hell he could ever return her affection. To say she wasn’t in his league would be the understatement of the century. She wasn’t on the same field he played on. She wasn’t in the same ballpark he played in. She wasn’t of his world. At all.

That was why she refused to play that staring game with him. She had to guard her heart. She had to make certain she didn’t fall for the okey-doke ever again. She could get away with making bad decisions at twenty-eight. But not at thirty-eight. Because when all was said and done she knew she would be the one, not only devastated and heartbroken, but jobless and potentially homeless too.

But knowing the stakes as she knew very well, why would she allow Robert to walk over to her and reach for her hand? And why did she give him her hand? And when he placed his hand on the small of her back and escort her down the aisle, not to a conference room, not to another sitting area near the back of the plane, but to his large, luxurious,very privatebedroom, why did she allow it and was inwardly excited about it? When she knew the stakes.

CHAPTER TWELVE

As soon as he closed and locked the door behind them, he leaned his back against the door, placed his hands on her face, and began kissing her so passionately that her entire body suddenly felt consumed by fire.

Robert’s eyes were closed as he kissed her. He knew she would taste wonderful and he wasn’t disappointed. She tasted fantastic! That was why he couldn’t stop when he knew he should not have even started down that road. But he saw something in her the moment he first laid eyes on her, and being near her only confirmed his first instincts. He knew then that he had to have her. He had to taste her and feel her and make love to her.

And he almost did.

After kissing her far too long and far too passionately, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed. His plan was to throw her on the bed and do a quickie with her, and then dismiss her to go back up front with the others so that he would get himself some much-needed sleep. That was the usual way he did his women.

But when he got to the bed and she wrapped her arms around him so protectively and laid her head on his shoulder so affectionately, as if she was depending on this fox to guard her hen house, he realized he couldn’t do that to her. She wasn’t that kind of lady. How could he forget that? He knew it the moment he first saw her on his home monitors. And the way she asked if he was okay. And the way she had tears in her eyes just from that simple gesture he gave to the Dent family. She was nothing like those ambitious, self-centered bitches he liked to fuck because they only wanted what they could get out of him and he only wanted what he could take from them. This woman, this Francesca, would want more from him. Not money. Not power. Not position either. She would want his heart.

And nobody was getting that.

Instead of tossing her on the bed, he removed her heels, removed her skirt suit jacket, pulled back the silk bedding, and then laid her in his bed. Then he removed his suit coat, his tie, and his shoes, too, and got in bed with her, covering them both.

Frankie was afraid he was going to try to treat her like some booty call, and she would have to turn him down. Which meant her job might be in jeopardy. Which made her upset that she even allowed herself to get in this position. What did she think he was going to do when he escorted her to his bedroom like she was a damn escort?

But when he didn’t toss her on the bed like she was some cheap whore, but actually put herinhis bed and got in bed with her, she felt somewhat better. But she knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet.

But when she turned toward Robert, who was lying o his back staring up at the ceiling, and then he looked those gorgeous emerald eyes at her, she wondered if she actually wanted to get out of those woods at all.

When Robert turned his face toward her face, and he looked into her beautiful, magnetic honey-brown eyes, he felt his heartbeat quicken. What was it about this girl, he couldn’t stop wondering. Why was she so different?

He didn’t know. He just knew his heart was telling him she was. And he didn’t question it because his heart was never wrong. But what was kicking his butt was herbrandof differentness. He knew a vulture when he saw one. Those were the kind of women he attracted to his bed, and the kind of people he attracted in his work. But Francesca was no vulture. She was no taker. But because he wasn’t accustomed to dealing with a lady like her, and he knew everybody ultimately had an angle, he couldn’t figure out what brand of different she was.

And in that moment, he stopped trying to figure her out. He reached over and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he rubbed her back in a caress that made her feel safe for the first time in a long time.

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