Power Play Read online

“Nonsense. I'm handing it to the brother who actually enjoys dealing with all that dreadful high-minded stuff.”

  My mother glanced at me as if I were a monster in a horror flick.

  “Then make him CEO,” she said, frantically. “You don't have to make the decisions, you simply control the company.”

  Jesse cast a furtive glance at me. “I don't suppose having even the possibility of me second-guessing your decisions is something you'd go for? I should point out how well that worked out for you last time.”

  He ticked his head at Kerry.

  “Actually,” she said. “We met before the project. In fact, it almost ruined everything.”

  “Oh,” Jesse said, popping his mouth. “In that case, I can see how you would have zero confidence in my override.”

  “It’s nothing personal,” I said.

  He shrugged. “No offense taken. Like I said, decision-makings more your thing.”

  A smile had erupted on my mouth and set root there. There was nothing about this not to like. Kerry’s grip was positively giddy in mine.

  “And there it is,” Jesse said. “I'm a rainmaker, mother. You find me a cloud and I will make it pour wealth. But I can't steer us towards the clouds. That's Deacon. It's always been Deacon.”

  He reached out an arm to the flustered woman who had been so much in charge my whole life. “So if you give me your share, I'll pass it right along to him. I'm no mathematician like these two, but a third of billions sounds quite larger than two thirds of nothing - which is what we’ll soon be worth if I’m in charge.”

  “I don't need two thirds control,” I said. “You pull your weight in ways I can’t. You deserve a solid 49%.”

  “Really?” Jesse's brow wrinkled. “49.9% wouldn't be acceptable to you?”

  I shrugged. “Guess I don't see a problem with that.”

  Jesse clapped his hands and sank into his seat. “See? And he just gave that to me. I excel at making people do that.”

  Kerry laughed. He beamed at her.

  I wanted to slap the smile of his face and crush him with a hug, both. Leave it to Jesse to understand himself just as well as he understood others.

  My mother looked very alone on her end of the table. She cast a look from face to face, eyes tightening.

  “Don't worry,” I said. “Believe it or not, I'll take good care of the Stone family name. People might worry about it here in Texas, but the world is just waking up to its potential.”

  A thousand panels spun toward the sun in my mind, drawing on power that could not be taken away or depleted. Power that was vital to life itself. That was what the Stone name would come to mean.

  “You trample over your father's visions,” she said softly.

  My father's visions? His vision had been a world where he could hold onto the Stone legacy without changing or adapting. He had believed in a right and wrong way to do things based on his own will, rather than reality. In some ways, he was just as warped as Kerry's father had been.

  My mother could reside in the clouds if she wanted. But I could only face the real world. I would continue the work where my grandfather had left off.

  “Well, what can you do?” I said. “You're out of Stones to hold onto. I suppose you could adopt a little son from somewhere like Korea and raise him to do your bidding, but it might not work.”

  “Oh, he would love this restaurant,” Jesse said, glancing around warmly. “I don't think he'd turn on us.”

  “Our hypothetical adopted Korean brother?” I asked. “Don't restaurants this fashionable have planned expiry dates? Two more would rise and fall by the time he grew up.”

  “I suppose it depends on how old he is.”

  He turned to my mother, but she had gathered her purse and was getting up to go.

  “We'll see how this winds up,” she said, and then she scuttled off through the chairs.

  “Can she do anything?” Kerry asked.

  “Even if she did,” Jesse said. “We control a majority between the two of us. It would make no difference.”

  I heaved a long breath. Damn, was I hungry. Being blindsided by utter victory could have that effect.

  “This place does more than just decorate tables, right?” I said.

  “I think so.” Jesse hit a little button at the center of the table. “I didn't actually try any of the food yet.”

  “I don't care. I'm starving?” I glanced at Kerry. “You?”

  “I could eat.”

  “Were you really going to go beat her up?” Jesse asked.

  “Oh god, no,” Kerry smiled wickedly. “But I thought I'd threaten it first before she came over here and whacked me with her purse.”

  “Oh mother would never do that.”

  “No, she'd hire someone else,” I said.

  The three of laughed.

  The waiter came and helped us place orders for food that made no human sense. It actually turned out to be good though. Bulgogi beef and guacamole made a fine mix in a corn tortilla shell.

  The three of us got along quite alright, as well. It was terrifying how suddenly that undercurrent of tension between me and Jesse vanished. Hell, it had been a mirage in the desert of my mind. I was never so grateful to be wrong.

  It was good having Kerry, but I'd had her walking in to this place. Now I could give her the company and better yet, I could give her my family. The good part of it.

  Note: I wasn't going to give her to my family. I’d have to be very careful on that.

  But as the afternoon tinkered on, and we lay full amidst the wreckage of our final board meeting, I felt completely sated. With my woman in my arms, my brother at my right hand, and my company firmly under my control, the future had never looked so bright.

  Epilogue

  The sun was still golden as I stood on the pier, but the light didn't burn. Growing up in Houston hadn't prepared me for that.

  Was Houston still my home? Southern California wasn't, but we'd gotten here as easily as taking a taxi. That's what planes were in my life now, big taxis that smelled better and gave me free drinks.

  Ok, free 'drink' was about all I could handle, but I was certainly offered much much more.

  That kinda applied to so many other things being a billionaire's partner. I could have filled a hundred walk in closets with bouquets of clothes and never gotten Deacon to blink an eye. I could have demanded the most extravagant vacations without even a day's notice and he would have simply rerouted our jet. I could ask to meet all my comedy heroes and find them waiting in the hotel lobby for me when I got back from work.

  It wasn't fair, not in the least. But I was starting to get used to it. I was also starting to get used to how much good I'd have to put back in the world to justify the heaven that I'd fallen into. Thank god Deacon was more than just a pretty face and a giant bank account. We could do that together.

  After all, he was now also my husband. And I was his wife.

  We had said the words just a couple hours ago on a tiny grass field, overlooking rolling hills and this shimmering blue bay. His grey eyes had been shimmering themselves, as my lips moved with the words: “I do.”

  I hadn't even heard him say the words himself. That look said everything.

  I'd been his since he'd kneeled in my old dingy living room and asked me. Today was just another beautiful day in our new life together.

  I watched the waters as I caught a well-needed breather from our reception. The wind swept over from the rolling blue bay just past the railing, ruffling my wedding dress and bathing me in salty air.

  “What are you doing out here?” someone asked.

  Mira came up to me out of the club house, dressed in a red and gold sari. This wasn't the only Indian accessory she'd brought to the wedding. Her plus one was the doctor her parents had set her up with. He was tall and handsome and had deep, kind eyes, but that still didn't change how they'd been forced to meet.

  I hadn’t given her my weekly lecture on that. Now, she was alone. But watching her s
himmer in the reddening light - her slim, gorgeous body captured perfectly by the wrap of silk cloth, only one thing came to my mouth.

  “Wow, you look amazing,” I said.

  “You're seeing that now?” she smiled, and leaned next to me at the railing. “I was standing right next to you a bit earlier today, if you can't recall.”

  “Maybe I was distracted. I was kinda tying myself to a guy for life.”

  She would have every right to roll her eyes at poor me for locking myself to slot number three on Forbes magazine's '40 under 40' list. Instead, she looked out at a seagull diving for the water, and nodded.

  “It's pretty permanent,” she said. “Did he make you sign a pre-nup?”

  “No. He says I deserve half of what he's got anyway.”

  “That's sweet. Ramesh and I aren't either.”

  “So it's official?” I said. “You're marrying him.”

  “Yeah. He proposed the other day. It's strange how it all plays exactly into what my parents want for me.”

  That's right. But the thought vanished at the sight of the sparkling ring on her finger.

  “Were you always wearing that?” I said, stunned.

  “No, I took it off.” She smiled sheepishly. “I didn't want to steal your thunder on your big day.”

  What was I thinking? Mira was the clear-headed one when it came to people. If she thought this guy was right, then he must be. What else mattered?

  “Oh my god,” I said, throwing myself around Mira in a hug. “Congratulations!”

  “Thank you.” She nuzzled her cheek against mine. “That means a lot coming from you.”

  I pulled away and looked her over. Only warmth filled my heart. The words suddenly came easy: “Who am I to judge how people should meet? Deacon didn't exactly win me over with a sonnet.”

  Mira's eyes widened. “Are you finally gonna tell me what happened at that airport?”

  Mira and her guy would have a far easier time telling their love story to their kids than Deacon and I would with ours. We’d just have to bribe them with a car so they forgot the question.

  “What do you think happened?” I said mysteriously.

  Thankfully, more footsteps creaked out onto the planks behind us right then.

  “So this is where the party's happening,” Antoine said. “It's a freaking shareholder's convention inside there.”

  His suit jacket was off and his dress sleeves were up. His arms glowed a deep copper in the sun. They took me in a hug that nearly toppled me over into the water.

  “Enough hugs!” I squealed, even as I squeezed him back. “You already got me three times inside!”

  “What, your body belongs to one man now? No no no. I'm not having that. Marco, come give her a hug.”

  A tall, skinny Latino man emerged meekly from the darkened hall and gave me a limp circling of the arms. “You look beautiful,” he said sensuously in my ear.

  “Easy,” Antoine said. “Now go get me some of that thousand dollar champagne. I'm parched and my throat's getting the quality it deserves for once.”

  His boyfriend's handsome silhouette disappeared into the murk inside.

  “He's pretty,” I said. “You two-”

  “Just fucking,” Antoine said. “That's right.”

  “Don't tell me you don't dream of this,” I said.

  “What, because I'm a gay man, I must be a wedding planner too?”

  “I mean you get to boss people around.”

  “Oh.” He looked thoughtful. “It wouldn't be a huge change from how my days usually go though.”

  “I guess not.”

  He joined me at the railing and we gazed out at the rolling waters of the Pacific, utterly mesmerized. A yacht was moving towards the smaller boats moored nearby. It was churning up water that ran out across the globe, joining with every sea, river and lake. The sun could heat that water up into the air, the winds could turn them into clouds and they could descend back over every inch of the planet.

  Even with all this wealth backing me now, I'd never be that free. But that was ok. I'd rather meander the world with a hand in mine than run completely free.

  Another soft set of footsteps approached from behind, but stopped.

  It was my mother. I turned and saw her clasping her purse, shrouded in a dress dark enough for a funeral. Her face was gaunt and grey, but still somehow rosier than before.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  Mira and Antoine stirred. They moved off further down the pier.

  My mother came up to me, eyes fixed on the horizon. Did she see what I saw now?

  My father was long dead and buried, meeting the maker he had devoted his life to. But my mother still had a chance to be her own woman. Maybe she could take a few steps back on her road, even if she couldn't abandon her ideas completely.

  “You looked like an angel,” she said, gazing over me.

  She meant it quite literally, but it was still sweet. “Thank you,” I said.

  “The white is a symbol of purity, you know.”

  I smiled at her. “I do have a pure love for Deacon.”

  Her mouth remained flat. “I don't know your world,” she said finally. “If all he wants is your love, then that's what you should give him.”

  “Did you love dad?” I asked.

  “He was a faithful husband.”

  “I guess that's something.”

  This was about as far as we'd gotten in our conversations. I wasn't going to shake her, and she wasn't going to chase me away.

  I was ok leaving it there, but she suddenly pressed closer to me..

  “Don't let your husband punish you,” she said, softly.

  “What?”

  “I have been reading alone, now, without your father's guidance and...” She looked back up. “Punishment is for the Lord alone. We all err. Perhaps your father did, too.”

  I was stunned. “I agree.”

  She looked so sad and forlorn in her admission. I wrapped her tight in a hug.

  “Don't worry, mom,” I said. “I'm not married to Deacon. I'm married to the man he is. If he becomes someone horrible, I won't stand for it.”

  Her face was still dry when I pulled away. “Good,” she said, solemnly. “Good.”

  “It's not going to happen though,” I said. “Deacon's not that kind of guy.”

  “Not what kind of guy? Bad things, I hope.”

  My newly betrothed stood watching us from the door. His tux was off. His black tie hung loose and his shirt had lost the top button. He looked beat, but even on his chiseled face, his smile looked warm and tender as it passed from me to my mother. He knew what that hug meant.

  “Oh, just the worst things,” I said. “I shudder to think of all the things that you won't be.”

  He stepped out, and gripped my mom's shoulders. “Don't worry, ma'am. I intend only the best for your daughter.”

  That got her lips to curl up, which was practically exuberant for her.

  “I'm very glad to hear that.” She stepped away. “Enjoy yourself tonight.”

  She shifted back into the shadowy reception. I hoped she found someone nice to talk to in there. She deserved another chance at the right man.

  “Did your mom just tell us to go screw?” Deacon asked, watching her.

  “I'm sure that's what she meant.” Actually, given her idea of weddings, that might actually be true.

  “Hmm, we should get rid of these numbnuts first,” he said. “But I suppose there's no harm in getting the engine running.”

  He lifted my chin with his thumb and sank a kiss into me. The waters lapped the boards just past our heels. The gleaming yacht drifted past, kicking up a strong gust that enveloped us. Deacon’s hard pine scent ran rich in my nose even against the salty ocean wind.

  An eternity could have passed, and I would not have grown tired of the moment.

  “So,” he said, nudging off my mouth. “How does it feel to be a Stone?”

  “Heavy,” I said. “I wonder if I can still swim.�
��

  “Darlin' you can hire people to swim you around if you want.”

  I laughed. “Sounds like something your mother might do.”

  Just the idea sent a spike in my heart. I fought the urge to look around like a crazy person.

  “Relax,” Deacon said, chuckling. “She's definitely not here.”

  I breathed out. “Did she even respond to the invitation?”

  “I believe she said she was going to Russia. Demetri double-checked. She's there. The frigid weather should suit her.”

  “Ah.” I relaxed. “Well, at least the part of your family I like is here. Where'd he go off to by the way?”

  Deacon peeked back into the clubhouse. “I don't know. He said he'd forgotten our present. He asked Trey and his date to go help him with it.”

  Right then, an enormous horn sounded. I jumped. Only Deacon's firm grip kept me from toppling over the railing.

  The ringing in my ears faded, and I traced the sound. The massive yacht had parked in the pier one row over. Curving blue font on it read 'SS Pebble.' It was vastly oversized for the dock, but luckily there were no other boats docked nearby.

  The top story of the two-tier glass cabin opened. Trey and his cinnamon-haired girlfriend stepped out of the command room and waved at us.

  “What in the hell?” Deacon murmured.

  Jesse walked out on the dock from behind the hull of the yacht. He came down the pier and came up to the clubhouse. His combed blond hair waved in the breeze, and his elegant suit showed several damp patches.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  “It's gorgeous,” I said. Was that the right word for yachts? I had no idea.

  “It's slick,” Deacon said.

  “Great.” He flicked a pair of jangling keys at Deacon. “It's yours. There's also a lock on steering by the way. Code is 696969.”

  He grinned.

  “What?” Deacon's mouth lay open.

  “It's my wedding gift. You guys can tour the world on that thing. It's super stable. Just don't steer it into any typhoons or tsunamis.”

  “This is way too much.” I looked to Deacon. “Right?”

  “It's nuts.”

  Jesse waved us off. “Ah, it's nothing. I didn't want there to be any hard feelings about, you know, our childhood or our teenage years or really everything prior to the past two months. Just think of it as me sucking up to the new boss.”