Page 19 of Always Mine (The Barrington Billionaires 1)
Asher leaned back against the couch and stared at the wall behind his desk. He could have chosen a safer country to partner with, but the profit margin would have been considerably less. The Prime Minister of Trundaie was gambling that working with an American company would solve their impending economic crisis. As a small country that had aggressively gone through their natural resources, they needed a partnership with a sustainable export. Once B&H had the facility up and running, Asher’s people would be slowly phased out and the facility would belong to and be run by Trundaie. The proposed payout would be in the billions and surrounding countries were already lining up to sign with B&H if Asher could pull this off.
He called his business partner on the encrypted wireless line Bennett had installed. “Brice, we need to talk.” Normally, Asher let Brice live in the bubble of his laboratory, but Asher’s next decision would affect both of them, as well as the future of their company. He updated Brice on the situation in Trundaie and the choices they were faced with.
Brice was uncharacteristically quiet for several moments after Asher finished speaking. “Neither outcome is acceptable.”
“No shit,” Asher said and rubbed his temple. He hadn’t slept in forty-eight hours and his head was throbbing.
“I’m running scenarios in my head. Your present reactants will not result in a product that aligns with our vision for the company. Despite the variable of unpredictability you’ve described, the answer is simple.”
“Now in English, Brice.”
“Reconsider your process and each component of it. Remove the unacceptable and reconfigure with a substitution. Your brother Ian has a background in negotiating with countries. He has a skillset that could be the third option you haven’t considered. Perhaps a more diplomatic approach could convince the Trundaie government to step up in this situation. The rebels are their issue, not ours.”
“My brother. He’s never shown any interest in working for B&H.”
“Have you ever asked him?”
“No.”
“Make that call your next.”
The more Asher thought about it, the less trapped he felt. “You’re a fucking genius, Brice.”
“I know,” Brice said in a deadpan voice. “Now, do you have another question or can I get back to my work?”
Asher called his brother next. “Ian, how do you feel about coming to Trundaie and risking your life for a good cause?”
“Are you serious?”
Asher spent the next hour outlining the situation to Ian. He didn’t hold back any part of it. Regardless of how they frequently differed in opinion, he trusted Ian with his life. He hoped Ian felt that trust because he was asking him to do the same. “I won’t lie; it’s dangerous here, Ian, but if you think you can do this, I need you.” Those final words hadn’t come easily to Asher and a long silence followed them.
“I’ll be there tomorrow morning,” Ian said.
“You understand how this needs to remain confidential, even within our family,” Asher stressed.
“I understand.” Before he hung up, he added, “Asher, you’ve got a reputation for being ruthless. I’m glad the reality of it has been exaggerated. Men don’t always come back from what you were considering.”
“I know. That’s why I called you,” Asher said quietly.
After hanging up with Ian, Asher went across the hall and outlined a different plan for Bennett. His brother’s safety and that of the people working in the facility were top priority. Bennett’s role would be defensive only. Bennett didn’t argue, which meant the plan had a potential for success.
A short time later, Asher kicked off his shoes and pulled a blanket out of the closet to throw over him while he catnapped on the couch. He lay back, closed his eyes, and tried to relax so he could sleep when an image of Emily popped into his mind.
I should call her. He didn’t reach for his phone, though. He couldn’t imagine what he’d say, and he was too tired to field questions. He let memories of their two weeks together replace the ugliness he was facing in Trundaie.
Paris with Emily had a dreamlike quality to it. He’d stepped outside of his life, away from those who knew him, and had simply been a man spending time with a woman he enjoyed. None of his previous relationships had approached the pleasure he felt simply by being with her. The sex was phenomenal, their conversations were always lively, and when he looked at the world through her eyes he liked what he saw.
She was strong in ways he could admire and soft in ways that brought out a protective side of him. She didn’t hide what she thought or try to manipulate him. She was bravely, relentlessly herself, and she inspired him to be more honest with himself about what he wanted both for himself and his company.
If he’d never met her, he might have agreed with Bennett’s methods. He’d like to think he wouldn’t have, but his father hadn’t called him the hammer because he’d spent a lot of time seeking peaceful resolutions to conflicts. He’d never killed anyone, nor ordered anyone killed, though, and thankfully that wasn’t about to change.
Asher laid an arm across his eyes and took a deep breath. He could vividly remember every moment he’d spent with Emily. Every touch. Her sweet scent. The contented smile she shyly gave him when she snuggled to his side after sex.
It wasn’t easy for him to admit the truth to himself: he missed her.
She wouldn’t be happy with him for not calling, but he’d make it up to her as soon as he had the situation in Trundaie stabilized. She was in Paris, and he’d left instructions with Ryan to make sure she had everything she needed. He took another deep breath and fell asleep thinking about Emily and where he would sweep her away to as soon as he returned to her.
Chapter Ten
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Nine days later, Emily stood in the middle of the climate-controlled storage room in Sophie’s ten-bedroom home where over half of the Harris Tactile Museum was now stored in an endless number of crates. The movers had offered to store the crates in a secure location until the event, but Emily couldn’t imagine sending her mother’s work away, especially since she’d brought so much of it. She’d planned on bringing only a few pieces to Boston for the exhibit, but Sophie had talked her into showcasing the best of what she had. The idea of trusting anyone with the irreplaceable items was terrifying.
Sophie was a soft-spoken woman, probably one of the sweetest people Emily had ever met, but she knew what she wanted and was gifted at working around the word no. Much like her son. On the flight over, Emily had planned how she would explain to Sophie that she’d be more comfortable staying with Celeste. Emily remembered starting that conversation, but it hadn’t gone anywhere. Sophie had met her in a limo at the private plane she’d hired. She’d taken her home for dinner with her husband, Dale, settled her into a bedroom she’d made up for her, and voila, Emily was staying at the Barrington family home.
When she’d called Celeste to tell her of the change in her plans, her friend had been concerned. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Emily had sat on the edge of the bed, shaking her head. “No, I’m positive it’s a bad one, but what was I supposed to do? Wait in Paris until Asher came back?”
“Has he
called you?”
“No.”
“Em, I know I encouraged you to go on this adventure, but it might be time for it to end. You said you had a good time in Paris. Sometimes that’s all it is, a good time that only gets ugly if you try to hang on to it after it’s done.”
“You don’t think he was coming back for me?” That idea had occurred to Emily a hundred times already, but she’d pushed it away. He had been too good to her during their time together for her to believe he didn’t care about her at all.
“Men are a different than women, Em. Many of them are not really good at expressing their feelings so you have to interpret their actions instead.”
“You think it’s over?”
“If he hasn’t called you, I’m afraid it probably is. Which is another reason why you shouldn’t stay at his mother’s house. If it’s over, Em, you need to go home or come stay with me.”
Emily had sighed. “I tried to tell Sophie I couldn’t stay here. She’s impossible to say no to. And she’s helping me find sponsors for my museum. How can I walk away from that?”
“I have a bad feeling about this, Em. Why is she being so nice to you?”
“Because she likes me?”
“I hope that’s what it is. You’re a good person, so you look for good in everyone. We don’t know these people. Be careful.”
“If I was careful I wouldn’t have flown off to another country with a man I hardly know.” As she’d said the words, her voice had cracked with emotion.
“I shouldn’t have told you to go. I don’t know what the right answers are in these situations. I don’t think it’s healthy to build your entire life around one goal. I thought if you went to Paris you’d remember what it was like to have fun.”
I did. “Celeste, I don’t regret going. Yes, it sucks that he hasn’t called. Yes, it hurts. But you know what hurt more? Losing my grandfather and then my mother. That’s real loss. They loved me. You were right to encourage me to go away with Asher. I needed to step away from Welchton and laugh for a while. Seeing how others have made a difference makes me even more determined to do the same. Sophie said she wants to help me because I’m doing something important. I believe her.”
