A Merger by Marriage Read online

  So he visited Fontaine Chic night after night and sat in the bar. He craved a relationship with Violet, but had no idea how to go about having one. In casino terms, he was betting the minimum. He’d never win big, but he wasn’t going to lose everything either. Playing without risk was not how he lived. He got a rush from flinging his body into danger, but gambling with his heart was something else entirely.

  “I don’t know what the future holds,” he responded at last. “Will you miss me if I go?”

  The question caught her off guard. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, but no words came out. Usually their exchanges hovered on the verge of personal without either of them crossing that line. Tonight, he’d changed the game by giving her a glimpse into what was bothering him, by trusting her with his plans for the future.

  “I’ll miss your business,” she retorted with a wry smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She uncrossed her legs, signaling their conversation was at an end.

  “Violet.” He caught her hand before she could rise. The casual contact created a complex chain reaction in JT’s gut. He wanted her. That had never been in doubt. But what lay below the lust was dangerous beyond belief. “I’m really sorry about Tiberius.”

  He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and released her. It rattled him how hard it was to relax his fingers and set her free. What he wanted to do was draw her into his arms and let her soak the shoulder of his suit coat with her tears. He knew it was impossible. They didn’t share that level of intimacy. The fact both relieved and frustrated him.

  “Thank you.” Two polite words, but her tone carried a wealth of emotion. She dabbed at the corner of her eye, catching teardrops on her knuckles. “I’m such a mess.”

  “I think you’re beautiful.”

  * * *

  Such a simple statement from such a complicated man. Unvarnished and without subtext, the words shook her. Needing a second to compose herself, Violet made quick apologies and headed for the bar to snag a couple of drink napkins to soak up her tears. Feeling steady once more, she returned to where JT now stood.

  “Are you okay?”

  The hard, unyielding businessman was back. As Violet nodded in response to his question, she breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever glimpse she’d had behind the curtain, however brief, made JT that much more interesting. And that was problematic.

  Long ago she’d accepted that one look from him set her hormones off like Roman candles. Lust she could handle. She was a modern girl with a healthy appetite for sex. Maybe she didn’t indulge often, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested. Just cautious.

  It was the way her heart sped up whenever she spotted JT that concerned her. Getting romantic notions about a man as emotionally unavailable as JT would only lead to heartbreak. And she’d seen the effects of that sort of misery up close. Violet’s mother had been abandoned by her married lover and left with a baby to support. Ross Fontaine had taken everything Lucille Allen had to give and moved on without a backward glance. Yet despite her heart being a shattered mess, Violet’s mother still loved Ross and would to her dying day.

  No. Violet was way too smart to end up like her mother. The instant the uncharitable thought surfaced, Violet regretted it. She loved her mom like crazy. It was just that being Lucille’s daughter had forced Violet to grow up too fast. If not for Tiberius, she’d have had no childhood at all.

  He’d adored Lucille. Taken on the responsibility for her and her daughter. They’d been his family. Not legally, of course, because even though he loved Lucille and wanted to marry her, she refused to give up on the hope that one day Ross Fontaine would return to her.

  When Violet gave her heart, it would be to someone available, emotionally as well as legally. His reputation as a smart, fair businessman impressed the hell out of her, but when it came to personal relationships, he never went all in.

  Not that he’d given her any reason to believe he thought of her as anything other than a competitor who’d stolen his favorite bartender. Tonight that had changed. Tonight he’d asked if she’d miss him if he left Las Vegas and made her believe his next heartbeat hinged on her saying that she would.

  Violet brushed away her fanciful thoughts, but she couldn’t ignore how her pulse had hitched at the gentle strength of his hand on hers. This was just simple desire. Nothing more. The man was six-feet, one-inch of rock solid male. Handsome with his black hair and bold eyebrows. The slight downturn of his chiseled lips. The fathomless ocean blue of his eyes.

  Her instincts said he was a man who could use some help and she was a girl who loved cheering on her teammates. Only he wasn’t on her team or even part of her circle. She would be wise to mind her own business where he was concerned. If she became too invested in offering him help that he did not want, she’d end up getting burned.

  “I’d better get going or I’ll be completely off schedule,” she said, but couldn’t bring her feet to move. Something had changed between them tonight and walking away from JT was proving difficult.

  “I’d better get going as well,” he told her, glancing at his watch. “If you need anything I hope you’ll call.”

  More surprises. “Sure.” She couldn’t imagine what sort of help she’d turn to him for. Most of the time she was pretty self-sufficient. She’d had to be. Her mother was too easily overwhelmed by the least difficulty. Violet had learned to take care of herself from an early age, even when life had grown less challenging after they’d moved in with Tiberius when Violet was six. “That’s nice of you.”

  For a brief moment his eyes softened. Before she could draw an unsteady breath he’d retreated behind his reserve once more.

  “It’s not being nice,” he said, neutral and polite. “We’re family.”

  His declaration was the cherry on top of a triple scoop sundae of surprises. “How do you figure?”

  “It might not be the most traditional connection, but you were my uncle’s daughter.”

  “Not legally.” Violet wasn’t sure how to cope with a connection of this sort with JT. If things became affectionate between them she might just step out of the neutral zone and into treacherous territory.

  “Do you really think that mattered to Tiberius?”

  “No.” Violet cocked her head and regarded him. “But I would have thought it mattered to you.”

  “Why?”

  Violet floundered. Confronting people didn’t come naturally to her. It was a skill she’d worked hard to develop during her years in management positions and when she did speak her mind, it was after careful preparation.

  But JT had flustered her tonight and she’d spoken without thought.

  “The truth is I really don’t know.”

  “But you had a reason to say it,” he persisted, his interest laser-sharp.

  Admitting her flaws wasn’t something she did often, but Violet felt she owed JT an explanation after he’d been so kind to her tonight. “I didn’t like growing up the bastard daughter of Ross Fontaine,” she explained. “Being treated as if I didn’t exist by the entire Fontaine family gave me a huge chip on my shoulder.”

  “That’s changed now. Henry Fontaine not only welcomed you as his granddaughter, he gave you a hotel to run and a shot at becoming CEO of the family business.”

  Violet nodded. “And most days that amazes me. But sometimes I regress to that eleven-year-old girl who was ridiculed by her classmates for bragging that I was Ross Fontaine’s daughter when everyone could tell he wanted nothing to do with me.”

  “I can see where that would be hard.”

  She had a difficult time believing JT could sympathize with her situation. The sole heir to Stone Properties, he’d grown up knowing who he was and where he belonged. Maybe things hadn’t been perfect with his parents and maybe the company was struggling with his father at the helm, but that could be turned around with t
he right moves.

  “So, you think we’re family,” she said, aiming for a warm smile. She could tell by JT’s expression that she missed the mark.

  “I didn’t have a chance to know my uncle,” he explained. “I think I missed a lot. You knew him better than anyone. I feel connected to him through you.”

  It took a second for Violet to register that JT was reaching out to her. All of a sudden she felt a little giddy. “Your uncle was my father in all ways but legally.” She sounded a tad breathless as she finished, “I suppose that makes us cousins.”

  JT cocked his head and regarded her. “I suppose it does. Good night, Violet.”

  He departed Baccarat without touching her again and Violet was dismayed by her disappointment. She could get used to having his hands on her. Was that creepy now that they’d agreed to consider each other cousins?

  Violet continued on her rounds, and contemplated what her sisters would make of her conversation with JT. With her traditional upbringing and ambitious professional goals, Harper would give her sensible and conservative advice. Younger than Violet by a few months, Harper was nonetheless the voice of pragmatism. She would encourage Violet to keep her distance from a complicated man in a tricky family situation. Violet’s relationship with Tiberius had made her by extension an enemy of Preston Rhodes, JT’s father. If she and JT became friendly, it would only complicate what she sensed was a strained relationship with his father.

  While Harper’s rational arguments would appeal to Violet’s head, Scarlett’s opinion would go to work on her heart. A few weeks ago Scarlet had pointed out that there was more to JT’s nightly appearance at Baccarat than simply that he missed Rick’s mixology expertise. Scarlett would encourage Violet to get to know JT better; she was convinced that something would ignite between them. Shock waves pummeled Violet’s midsection as her thoughts ventured down that path.

  Sex with JT would be explosive. Tonight when he’d squeezed her hand, she’d been hard-pressed not to lean over and plant a very uncousinly kiss on his well-shaped lips. Her skin tingled at the thought and she gave her head a vigorous shake. She couldn’t go there. Shouldn’t even think about going there. Trouble was when she was around JT, she had a hard time thinking clearly.

  Angst and passion simmered beneath his expensive suits and professional demeanor. During the six years she’d known him she’d occasionally caught glimpses of deep pain, and her instinct had been to offer comfort or help. But JT was a man who stubbornly resisted admitting to any vulnerability or weakness. From Tiberius, Violet knew JT’s childhood hadn’t been ideal. His father was a ruthless businessman who’d manipulated his father-in-law into disowning his only son. His drive for power had caused him to neglect his wife.

  JT’s mother had not taken the banishment of her brother well. She’d retreated into alcohol and pills. Tiberius had kept tabs on her through friends, but he’d been unable to do more than stand by and watch her fade away. What Violet had never understood is why she’d never divorced Preston. She might have had a chance at happiness if she had.

  Violet finished her rounds and returned to her large executive office. Even though it was three in the morning, she didn’t expect to sleep. Reports awaited her attention.

  The hotel’s management offices occupied a small chunk of the third floor. She spent little time here, preferring to be on the floor, eyes on the action taking place in her hotel.

  It’s what she’d learned from shadowing Tiberius around the Lucky Heart. Her throat closed as she stared down the Las Vegas strip to where the small hotel and casino sat. Built in the sixties, it lacked the amenities of the modern hotels and casinos: five-star restaurants, extravagant décor and luxury suites. The ceilings were low. The carpet needed replacing. And the clientele came in for the cheap bar drinks and stayed for the loose slots. But for Violet it would always be home.

  Which is why she’d been surprised how Tiberius had reacted when Henry Fontaine approached her about coming to work for him. She’d expected Tiberius to discourage her from joining the family business. Quite the opposite. Tiberius knew how hard it had been for her to be Ross Fontaine’s bastard daughter. Unlike Scarlett, Ross’s other illegitimate daughter, Violet had grown up in Las Vegas within the long shadow of the gorgeous hotels and casinos that were owned by the Fontaine dynasty.

  The older she got, the more being an outsider frustrated her. Without Tiberius as her champion, constantly making as if she was the smartest, most capable person he’d ever known, she might never have accepted that she didn’t need approval from the Fontaines to make her happy.

  Maybe that’s why she sympathized with JT. If his grandfather hadn’t died when JT was ten, Preston would never have taken over Stone Properties and ousted his brother-in-law. The company would have stayed in Stone hands. First Tiberius’s, then JT’s.

  Attending his uncle’s memorial service today must have really upset him. She had no other explanation for why he’d shared with her his concerns regarding Stone Properties. They’d known each other for six years and as much as he made her pulse dance, he’d always just treated her like a business acquaintance. Was it any wonder his behavior tonight had thrown her off balance? Did he regret telling her about his worries for his family’s company? It just wasn’t like him to be so...forthcoming.

  She smirked as she imagined him kicking himself the entire way back to Titanium.

  It was a spectacular property. He’d spent his first two years in Vegas rebuilding the hotel and casino. It was larger than both Fontaine Chic and Richesse combined, with a huge convention facility and an eighteen-hole golf course in the back. Admiring the hotel’s style, she’d used the same design company to bring to life her vision for Fontaine Chic.

  What would happen to Stone Properties if JT left? As hurt as Tiberius had been that his father believed Preston’s lies and disinherited him, Tiberius’s biggest concern had always been for the company beneath Preston’s stewardship. He would be worried that JT was quitting.

  “Not my problem,” she muttered, but already the wheels were turning in her mind.

  Tiberius would have wanted her to help JT. Despite all the years they’d been estranged, right before his death, Tiberius had started reaching out to his nephew.

  And Violet was confident she could keep her head screwed on straight and her hormones in check long enough to figure out a way to help JT save Stone Properties. With the decision made, Violet headed to her suite for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.

  Two

  Violet stared at the shelves of law books that covered the walls of the lawyer’s office, her eyes gritty and dry. In contrast, her mother sat beside her, weeping softly. In the weeks since Tiberius’s death, Lucille had gone through a dozen boxes of tissues.

  A part of Violet was ashamed that she’d moved swiftly through the five stages of grief while her mother had gone straight to stage four—depression—and stayed there.

  “That takes us to the Lucky Heart,” John Malcolm, Tiberius’s lawyer continued. “As you probably know, the casino is deep in debt.”

  Violet nodded, absently squeezing her mother’s hand in comfort, relieved that Tiberius had invested his personal fortune wisely and set aside enough for Lucille to never have to worry about money. “I don’t understand why. The entire time I worked there, it always operated in the black. Nor has business fallen off in the last five years. Tiberius was too savvy to let that happen. So where did the debt come from?”

  “He was mortgaging the Lucky Heart in order to buy stock.”

  “Stock?” That didn’t sound like Tiberius at all. “Why would he do that? He didn’t trust Wall Street. Said it was a sucker’s bet.”

  “He was buying private stock.”

  Even more curious. A rhythmic ache had manifested in Violet’s temples. She rubbed to ease the pain. “So can we sell the stock and get the Lucky Hear
t out of debt?”

  “Unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to do that.”

  “Why not?” Making bad business decisions was something Tiberius had never done. “What sort of stock was he buying?”

  “Stone Properties stock.”

  Violet leaned forward. Had she heard the gray-haired lawyer correctly? “Why would he do that?”

  John’s solemn blue eyes were the gatekeepers of a thousand clients’ secrets. “He had his reasons.”

  Her thoughts rushed through a dozen scenarios as to why Tiberius had kept something this huge from her. Then she contemplated her conversation with JT a few days earlier. “How much stock did he have?”

  “In the three months before his death he’d managed to get eighteen percent.”

  Violet’s curiosity spiked. Did his purchase of Stone Properties stock have anything to do with why he’d been reestablishing his relationship with JT? Together they would’ve controlled forty-eight percent of Stone Properties, not enough to take over and force Preston out, but if they could secure another three percent...

  Is that what Tiberius had been up to?

  “Did he leave the stock to JT?”

  John Malcolm looked surprised. “No. He left it to you.”

  Any normal person who’d just inherited eighteen percent of a multi-billion dollar company might be dancing around the lawyer’s office or at the very least grinning. Violet had no desire to celebrate. The price tag for her windfall was too high. She’d lost the man who’d been her father in heart and soul if not by blood or marriage.

  “Why me and not my mom?”

  “Because he trusted you’d know what to do with it.”

  “First Scarlett inherits a warehouse full of secret files and now this,” she muttered, thinking about all the private information Tiberius had gathered over the years on acquaintances and family. “What other surprises does Tiberius plan to unleash on the Fontaine sisters?”