The Billionaire's Bodyguard: Complete Collection by Jade Catalina

Author:Jade, Catalina [Jade, Catalina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-07-30T22:00:00+00:00

Conquered by the Billionaire

It was easy, from within the confines of Waters Industries’ headquarters, to forget that Waters wasn’t the only game in town. Alastair Waters was the emperor of his domain—nobody knew that as well as Mike—and almost everyone who visited him was less influential, less wealthy, less powerful, less intelligent… frankly, just less.

So it was easy to forget that, even though nobody else could challenge him, still Alastair Waters had a rival, someone who could quite possibly match him stratagem for stratagem.

***

Mike watched from the window of Alastair’s top-floor apartment as Flavian Draco’s limousine pulled up to the Waters building. He couldn’t make out anything about the figures that emerged from it, except that all were suited.

“Come here,” Alastair said. He spun in his leather chair. “I want you standing behind me when they come in.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike said.

Even though Flavian Draco’s entourage had six men in it, Mike knew at once which one was Flavian, scion of Draco Incorporated. Only one of them stood perfectly tall and confident, as though he owned every room he was in. Only one of them had the air of perfect command that Mike had come to associate with his own employer.

In looks, Flavian Draco and Alastair Waters could not have been more different. Flavian was tall, broad-shouldered, with olive skin and thick black hair and eyes so dark they burned. Alastair was as lean and sharp as a whip, fair-skinned and fair-haired, and his eyes were like chips of iceberg.

And yet in bearing the two men could have been twins.

When they shook hands over Alastair’s wide mahogany desk, Mike half-expected to see flashes of lightning at their touch, the air was so tense between them.

Mike barely paid attention to the conversation that ensued, except to note the undercurrent of poisonous politeness below it. Both men wanted desperately to destroy the other. Both knew, too, that they might not be strong enough to do so. Every word was a feint, a parry, a testing jab, or a careful attack. But Mike’s job wasn’t to pay attention to that; Mike’s job was to watch for threats.

Same as the four men arrayed behind Flavian and his legal adviser, who were watching with the same kind of alertness.

When the meeting was over, Flavian rose again and shook Alastair’s hand. And then, to Mike’s surprise, he offered his hand to Mike. “And a pleasure to meet you,” he said. His voice was different from Alastair’s as well: where Alastair had an icy smoothness to his tone, Flavian’s had the subdued power of a banked fire. “I have heard a great deal about you and how much Alastair relies on you.”

Mike didn’t know what to say, beyond, “Thank you.” He barely kept himself from saying sir, and bit his tongue for the near-lapse. He knew Alastair loathed it when he bestowed that title on anyone else.

Alastair steepled his long fingers beneath his chin. “Michael is one of my many valuable assets,” he said.

“I can imagine,” Flavian said and—Mike couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw Flavian glance briefly down over his body.

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