Page 10 of Off Limits Billionaire

Paul stormed off and Marcus stood there with that smirk on his face. The minute Paul was out of the shop, I turned to him. “Don’t do that! Don’t use me to get under his skin. Now, are you being honest with me about this gig?”

“Of course, I am,” he said. I wasn’t sure if I should trust Marcus.

“I’ll skip dinner,” I told him as I scribbled my phone number on the back of a business card for the shop. “Just call me when the itinerary is set and I can meet you at the airport.”

“I’ll have a car come pick you up. The airstrip we’ll be taking off from is private and it will be easier to get you on the flight if you ride in my car with me. Once you sign the contract and get that back to me, I’ll wire your deposit to your account. After we get to the auction house, you’ll be able to authenticate it and also give me a quote on its restoration fees.”

“And you said it needs to be ready within five months?”

He nodded.

I tried desperately to keep thoughts of the night before from creeping into my mind. Sonia’s words rang loud and clear. I was definitely taking this job, but sleeping with him again seemed like a disastrous idea. Especially with Paul’s reaction a few minutes ago.

“Fuck it,” I huffed and pulled out a pen to sign the contracts. Priceless Pierce needed this influx of cash. I’d get my brother on my side. I slid the contract to Marcus, where he signed it as well and extended his hand.

I shook it but as I went to pull away, he pulled me close and whispered, “Now, that business is done, let’s talk about that getting into bed with each other part your brother mentioned.”

“What happened to not mentioning Paul in the same sentence as you and I having sex?”

He raised an eyebrow before moving swiftly to kiss me. It took me by surprise, sending shocks of pleasure ricocheting across my nerves. When Marcus backed away, he licked his lips as if he were savoring the flavor of me left behind.

Words hung in the air between us before Marcus released my hand, though I didn’t want him to.

He gave me that alluring smile and said, “I’m overlooking that for the mere fact that you mentioned having sex with me again. You have this odd hold over me. My body craves you in ways that are dangerous.”

“I think your body only craves me because it feels dangerous. You’re even turned on about my brother coming in here and going nuts over the job offer. Adrenaline junkie in the weirdest way. Provoking my brother while flirting with me isn’t the greatest way to secure that second or third time.”

“There you go offering me a future that I can’t wait to see unfold. I’ll shoot you the details for our schedule later tonight. Please be on time. Delays with the flight crew cost me money.”

I gestured around the shop. “I literally fix clocks, there’s no way I’ll be late.”

He laughed heartily and flashed a smile before he told me, “You fixbrokenclocks, which means they’re rarely showing the right time.”

“Don’t get uptight with me, Adler.”

“I want you tight around me, Pierce.”

“Dangerous man,” I quipped, tapping my pen on the counter.

“You leave me intoxicated, Anabella. I’m going to go and let you get things in order.” Marcus stole another kiss and took off out the door.

What the hell did I just get myself into?

After a few deep breaths, I decided to flip the OPEN sign to CLOSED and head upstairs to the second floor where my grandparents, August and Cecile Pierce were in a lively discussion with Paul.

I saw the expressions on their faces when I poked my head inside. Grandpa Augie was wiry thin with white hair sitting in a horseshoe pattern.

“You won’t work with that crook!” He shook his frail finger at me. I glared at Paul for telling on me. Still, a good portion of their retirement years had been spent taking care of me, Paul, and Hunter, after our parents passed. I didn’t want to upset them.

“Marcus is not a crook, Grandpa. Paul is upset that they have their own game and he loses to Marcus often. You see the bills.” I walked over to a table where stacks of paper, sorted and unpaid, sat in a pile. I flicked through them and shook my head.

“He’s no good, just like his grandfather!” Paul added.

I turned to Gran-gran, an older version of me with light brown and grey wispy hair. She shrugged like she didn’t want to get in the middle of it. I wouldn’t let it go. I pulled the first few sheets off the pile and dropped them on the table. “Insurance premiums, $1,500 dollars!”

I grabbed the next stack, “Mortgage payments! Three months past due! And counting! Nearly $12,000 dollars. Are you two kidding me? Can either of you go to the bank and get us another extension, or even a loan to get us caught up?”

Paul and my grandfather shook their heads. Paul attempted to make some sense of their choice. “They’ve been taking advantage of our family for generations. If I could fix all of our financial worries, I would … but the Adler’s aren’t the answer. Every time we try to bury the hatchet to work together, it comes back to bite us in the ass.”

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