Protecting The Billionaire Read online

  Protecting The Billionaire

  Christina Tetreault

  The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 7

  Protecting The Billionaire, Copyright 2016 by Christina Tetreault

  Published by Christina Tetreault

  Cover Model: Jon Eric Doliana II

  Model Photos: Green Owl Photography

  Cover design by: Leah Kaye Suttle

  Editing: Hot Tree Editing

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author at [email protected]. This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. For more information on the author and her works, please see www.christinatetreault.com

  DIGITAL ISBN: 978-0-9906511-8-5

  PRINT ISBN: 978-0-9971118-1-1

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Other Books By Christina Tetreault

  Dedication

  About Christina Tetreault

  Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  “What are you still doing here?”

  Allison turned her chair toward where her cousin and boss Jake Sherbrooke stood. She’d thought he’d already left for the night like everyone else in the office.

  “I wanted to finish this up before the weekend. I’m almost done.”

  “Do you want me to wait for you?”

  “Nope. I promise I’ll leave as soon as I’m done with this paragraph.” She’d been working on the grant proposal since the previous week. Once she finished this section, she’d have a preliminary draft to present to her cousin.

  For a moment, Jake remained silent, his fingertips drumming on the top of another chair. “That’s what you said Wednesday night and you ended up here until nine.”

  He had her there. However, that hadn’t been her intention. When she’d told him she planned on leaving soon, she’d meant it. Somehow she’d lost track of time, and before she realized it, her stomach was rumbling and her watch read nine. Tonight she wouldn’t let that happen.

  “Cross my heart, I’ll only stay another twenty minutes.”

  “Okay, but if you’re late, it’ll be your fault two pregnant women have to wait for their dinners,” Jake said as he pulled on his suit jacket. “You don’t want to see Charlie when she’s hungry these days.”

  She’d gone out with her cousin’s wife three weeks ago, and it did seem as if Charlie’s appetite had grown exponentially since she’d reached the end of her pregnancy. “Trent would never let me hear the end of it either if I showed up late.” Allison turned back toward her computer screen. “So the sooner you leave, the sooner I’ll be done.”

  “It’s always nice talking to you too, cuz.” Jake started toward the door. “See you soon.”

  Allison waited until her cousin left before she went back to typing, the sound of her fingertips hitting the keyboard the only noise in the office. Both a Friday and St. Patrick’s day, the office had cleared out the moment five o’clock rolled around. Not that she blamed anyone. Who wanted to be stuck behind a desk on a Friday night, especially now that it remained light out longer and the weather had turned milder. Last year at this time, she would’ve locked her office door and left with everyone else. Not now.

  Ever since she started at her cousin’s foundation in February, she’d worked hard to prove to everyone that she deserved her position, that Jake hadn’t simply hired her because they were related. While no one had come out and said anything to her, she’d gotten that impression from a few of the employees in the office. And maybe Jake had offered her the job first because he was her cousin and he knew she’d been itching for a change. But he never would’ve offered if he didn’t believe she was qualified. The Falmouth Foundation meant too much to him, and from what she could tell, he only hired highly qualified individuals.

  “And done.” With enthusiasm, she stabbed the period key before she saved the document and closed the program. First thing Monday morning, she’d do a last read-though before she met with Jake to discuss the proposal. Assuming he had no changes, she’d get the final documents sent out next week.

  Gathering up her things, she pushed in her chair and headed out. She had more than enough time to stop home and change before she met everyone for dinner.

  A crisp, refreshing breeze washed over her as she walked to her car. If she’d been in Rhode Island right now, she’d probably still be wearing a winter jacket. However, mid-March in Virginia was proving to be much milder than March in New England, not that she’d ever complain about that. She might have been born and raised in New England, but she’d never loved the cold winters. While she wouldn’t call Virginia a tropical paradise, it was milder than what she was used to. In her opinion, the warmer climate was just another perk of moving away from Providence, and there were several. The first being she no longer bumped into her ex-boyfriend Charles every time she turned around.

  Yep, that was a definite perk.

  To bad there were also several downsides to moving. Since she’d relocated to Alexandria, she hadn’t seen her dad and stepmom much. Before the move, she visited with them on a regular basis. She also hadn’t seen her brothers. She complained about the four of them, but she was close to all of them, especially Derek, her twin. He kept promising to come and visit, but so far he hadn’t made it down. The next time they spoke, she’d have to give him a hard time about that.

  Snap.

  Allison stopped, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Glancing around the parking lot, she looked for the source of the sound. A few cars remained parked down the far end of the lot, but otherwise she appeared to be alone.

  “It was probably something in the street,” she muttered as she pulled open her car door. She really needed to stop overreacting to ever little sound she heard. Otherwise she was going to drive herself crazy.

  “Hi, Allison, I thought that was you,” a male voice called out from behind her.

  Even though she recognized the voice, her heart beat a mile a minute as she turned. “Josh. Hey. I thought everyone had cleared out of the building already.” She’d spoken with Josh, a young lawyer who worked at the law firm on the second floor, and his boyfriend on numerous occasions. Both came across as friendly, easygoing men.

  “Got half way to my car and realized I left my phone in my desk. If you’re interested, Robbie and I are heading over to Flannigan’s Pub for their Saint Patrick’s Day party. Join us.”

  She didn’t doubt a night out with the two men would be a blast, and if she didn’t already have plans, she’d consider Josh’s offer. “Thanks for the invite, but I’m meeting my brother and his wife for dinner tonight. I’d love to get together some other time.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. Have a great w
eekend. See you next week,” Josh said before he turned and walked toward the far end of the lot and the few cars still parked there.

  Once again alone, she wasted no time getting into her car and pulling out.

  Thanks to the unusually light traffic for a Friday evening, Allison made it home in less than fifteen minutes, a rare feat. Before she even turned the car engine off, she used the tiny remote on her keychain and switched on the table lamp in the main foyer. She’d found the handy device on the Internet. Although it was advertised as the perfect way to turn on and off outside holiday lights, she found it perfect for switching on interior lights as well. She didn’t know how the technology worked, but she appreciated it. Over the past few months, she’d come to hate walking into a dark house alone.

  Unlocking the front door, she heard her phone chirp, an indication she had a text message. After punching in her alarm code, she glanced at her phone.

  Just checking to make sure you left work.

  Allison rolled her eyes and typed back a response. Home now.

  Good. Trent called. Addie’s brother is joining us tonight too.

  Her sister-in-law had four older brothers, although she’d only met one of them, so Jake’s text message didn’t tell her much, other than their party would now number six instead of five.

  As she walked toward the stairs, she kicked off her shoes, something she’d dreamed about doing since lunchtime. Today had been the first time she’d worn the new pumps and her feet ached so much, even the idea of putting shoes back on made her cringe.

  Which one? She typed back, not that it mattered. She liked meeting and getting to know new people.

  Rock. He was at the wedding.

  An image of the Marine she’d danced with at Trent’s wedding popped up. She hadn’t thought of him since. Her move and work kept her from thinking about anyone, but at the wedding, she’d had trouble keeping her eyes off the man. Something about a man in a uniform captured her full attention. It also helped that Rock was handsome. Perhaps not movie star handsome like her brothers, but in that rugged ‘I’ll take care of the woman I love’ sort of way. No woman who met Rock Raimono would soon forget him.

  I remember. See you soon.

  Dropping the phone on her nightstand, Allison went straight for her closet. Dinner tonight was at Siena, an upscale Italian restaurant. She’d visited the establishment twice since she’d moved to the area, and while the restaurant remained classy and customers never dared show up in jeans, her office attire would stick out, as would the cozy slippers she wished she could slip on.

  She’d decided on an outfit before she even left for the office, so it took her little time to change and retouch her makeup. The house line rang just as she recapped her mascara. No one she cared about ever called her landline. The only reason she’d even had it installed was to make her dad happy. He’d insisted it made sense to have a second method of communication just in case something ever happened to her cell phone. Rather than argue with him, she had the line installed and more or less forgot about it. Since then, she’d received only a hand full of calls on the phone. A few people had called looking for someone named Misty. Allison assumed either Misty had had the number prior to her or the woman’s number was similar. And three or four times she’d gotten calls for Nick’s Pizza, whose number was only different by one digit.

  Then there had been the one call she kept telling herself was a wrong number. About two weeks earlier, she’d gotten a call late at night. It had actually woken her up. When she’d answered though, no one said anything. Usually when people realized they had a wrong number, they said something. That caller had just hung up.

  Tonight she ignored the phone all together and started on her hair. Eventually, the line went silent. A few seconds later though, it started up again. “I need to switch off the ringer.”

  Once again ignoring the phone, she brushed out her hair and then pinned some back. Satisfied with the image in the mirror, she switched off the lights and made her way downstairs. She reached the kitchen when the phone started up again.

  Slipping her purse over her shoulder, she picked up the receiver. If the caller wanted Nick’s Pizza, she’d give them the right number. She’d called them enough herself that she had the number memorized. Besides, who was she to stand between a person and their dinner?

  “Hello,” she said, expecting to hear the caller say they’d like to place a delivery order. Instead, silence greeted her. Well, maybe not complete silence. She thought she heard breathing. “Hello,” she repeated. Had the caller heard her voice and realized they had the wrong number?

  No response came, but she did hear what sounded like traffic in the background.

  Goose bumps formed on her arms, and she put the receiver down. If the caller didn’t intend to say anything, she wasn’t going to keep saying hello. Turning the phone around, she switched off the ringer. When she got home, she’d do the same on the phone in her bedroom.

  Leaving the lights in the kitchen on, she picked up her keys and headed out.

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into a parking spot next to Jake’s new SUV. While he still used his favorite toy, a brand new Lamborghini, when he was alone, he always used the SUV he’d purchased a few months ago when he and Charlie went out together. She’d assumed it was because Charlie now found it difficult to get in and out of the low sports car, but Jake told her it was more a safety issue. He figured if they ever got into an accident, Charlie would be much better protected in the large SUV. She’d always adored her cousin Jake, but when he’d told her that, it had endeared him to her even more.

  “I’m meeting friends tonight. I believe they’ve already been seated,” Allison told the hostess once she walked inside. “Jake and Charlie––”

  “Yes, I seated them a few minutes ago. Please follow me, Miss Sherbrooke,” the hostess said before Allison could even finish her sentence. The fact the woman knew whom she meant didn’t surprise her. There was no mistaking the family resemblance; the eyes tended to be a dead giveaway, not to mention, while Allison did her best to avoid the media, she still ended up on magazine covers from time to time. Thankfully, however, she didn’t find herself there as often as her former playboy brother Trent and cousin Jake.

  Following the hostess, she ignored the casual glances she received from the men seated at the cocktail bar as they passed by it.

  She saw Jake stand before she reached the table, a good indication he saw her coming.

  “Right on time,” he said as he pulled out her chair and then waited for her to sit.

  Allison accepted the menu from the hostess but looked at her cousin. “I promised I’d be here on time.” She turned her attention to her cousin’s wife. “Hi, Charlie. How are you feeling?”

  Charlie patted her stomach and smiled. “Tired but good.”

  “She doesn’t rest enough,” Jake said with a frown.

  “This one would have me in bed all day watching television and napping,” Charlie said, titling her head toward Jake. “He’s driving me crazy.”

  Pressing her lips together, she glanced at Jake who’d turned his attention to his wife. “You’re thirty-six weeks pregnant, you shouldn’t be doing rounds.”

  “And how many babies have you had?” Charlie asked.

  Allison imagined her brother and his wife had been having similar conversations lately. At least the last time she’d spoken with Addie, Trent’s wife, she’d complained that Trent kept telling her to rest more.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. Yesterday was my last day at the hospital,” Charlie said before Jake could offer a counterargument.

  “Wow, this conversation sounds familiar,” a female voice said from behind her.

  Standing, Allison turned and hugged her new sister-in-law and smiled at her oldest brother.

  “That’s because Jake and I are right,” Trent said as he pulled out a chair for his wife.

  “I don’t know what the world would do without the two of you wise men.” Allison
moved closer to Trent and hugged him too.

  “Please don’t encourage him. His head barely fits in the car now,” Addie teased before she leaned toward Trent and kissed his check. “Rock texted me and he’s on his way. He had to take care of something before he left the base.”

  He’d passed by Siena numerous times since he’d been transferred to Quantico, but he’d never stopped in. It wasn’t his type of place. He’d preferred more casual joints where he could get a decent burger or a good steak with a cold beer to wash it down. Restaurants with fancy dipping oil for your bread and wine lists longer than his arm didn’t interest him. Even so, when Addie invited him to join her and her husband’s family for dinner, he couldn’t say no. He hadn’t seen his sister since her wedding in January. While he was used to going long stretches between visits with his family, it didn’t mean he liked it, so he took every opportunity he got to see them. She’d offered to meet him some other day while she was in the area if that worked better for him, but he’d declined. Not only did he want to visit with his sister, but he also wanted to spend some time with her husband. Addie could take care of herself, and she’d never take any crap from a guy. Still, the big brother in him needed to know Trent better. The guy was his baby sister’s husband and the father of his future niece or nephew. Regardless of the fact that Trent was a billionaire, if he ever treated Addie poorly, he’d be getting a not-so-friendly visit from him.

  Rock entered the restaurant and headed for the hostess station.

  “Name and party size,” the hostess said after greeting him.

  “I’m meeting the Sherbrooke party. They should’ve already arrived.”

  Several of the conversations around him stopped. Addie had admitted she was still getting used to being a Sherbrooke. He suspected it was because of moments like these.

  The hostess smiled at him and reached for a menu. “Yes, Mr. Sherbrooke said they were expecting one more tonight. Please follow me.”