Nail In The Coffin

Book:The Billionaire's Indecent Proposal Published:2024-5-31

He turned to look at me. “Why are you laughing?”
“No reason.” I walked over and hugged him. “I just love you.”
He squeezed me in return, leaning down to kiss me. It felt good, but I had to take care of more important things. I pulled away and tugged on his arm. “Come on. Have some ice cream with me.”
He laughed and joined me in the kitchen, taking a stool while I grabbed two pints from the freezer. “Guess what?” he asked after I handed him a spoon.
“What?”
His eyes were dancing as he bounced around. What in the world was he so giddy about? “You’re never going to believe it.”
“What? Tell me.”
He started laughing again, and I scooped ice cream into my mouth, waiting for him to get the words out. He twirled his spoon through his fingers. “There are two pieces of good news actually. One, Hector held up his end of the bargain. He made the tape and signed the documents, just like I said he would.” He wagged his eyebrows and grinned. “And two…” He broke off, laughing again. “I finalized things with Benson.”
My eyes widened, waiting for him to expound on that point. I had known already Hector had taken Nicholas’ bait. Nicholas had called in a favor from one of his buddies, the CEO of And Entertainment-otherwise known as the boss of Hector’s boss-and his friend had been all too willing to help out.
Apparently, Hector had not been as impressive as advertised when he was hired. In fact, he was already on the verge of being fired before Nicholas’ request. A certain number of his connections had been flagged, and he was being internally investigated for fraud.
So, Nicholas’ friend was happy to play along and let Hector believe his cooperation with us would net him a promotion and money. In actuality, as soon as Hector delivered on his end, his time with AE would come to an end.
I was glad the drama with Hector was coming to an end. I hoped he moved back to San Rafael and I never had to see his creepy ass again.
Benson was a different story. Nicholas had gotten almost every detail out of him by threatening disbarment for breaking attorney-client privilege. Even though both of them knew it would be difficult for Nicholas to prove it happened-since Rosemary would never admit he’d told her anything-Benson still didn’t want to risk his license.
“You mean you got something more from Benson? I thought you knew everything already?”
“Yeah, he spilled his guts. But during every conversation, I kept getting the feeling he was holding something back. That he wasn’t telling me everything.” He reached over and gave me a scoop of his icecream. “I was right .”
My stomach fell as I swallowed. “He told Rosemary more than we already thought?”
He shook his head. “No, no. But he was holding back a trump card. Today, I pulled out the big guns and told him I would make sure he would never get another client in this city again. I told him he would be ruined, even if he still retained his license. He squirmed and perspired before offering up the nail in Rosemary’s coffin.”
“What did he give you?”
He pulled out a flash drive from his pocket, dangling it between his fingers with a huge grin on his face. “It seems Benson is not only slimy, but he’s also quite the creepy pervert. He said he set it up because he didn’t t trust Rosemary, but he probably just recorded their meetings so he could get off on them later.”
Recorded their meetings?
“But we already knew they met and he talked. I don’t understand why you’re so happy.”
“Because, my dear, Simon and his slutty daughter would likely give anything to keep the tabloids from seeing her going to town on Benson’s tiny dick.”
I clapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what he was saying. “Oh, my God! He taped her and him… together?”
He nodded. “Yep.” I shivered.
It was one thing to think about those two having sex, it was another thing to know there was video of it. That was horrifying. I felt bad for her, too. No matter how much I disliked her… This was a horrible thing to happen to anyone.
“So, the time has come. I already had enough before this to force Simon to leave us alone, but this is the cherry on top.” He took my hand and rubbed his thumb over my skin. “I set up a meeting with him on Monday.”
I nodded slowly, trying not to be nervous. It seemed like Nicholas had everything he needed to come out on top, but it still made me anxious. “You’re not going to use the tape, right?” I asked slowly.
He shook his head vehemently. “Of course not! But her father loves his reputation and money more than her. So, just the mention of it is enough. I am not that much of a scumbag.”
After Clara’s harsh words to Rosemary at the charity function, Simon had laid into Jefferson. He screamed, threatened, and asked what in the hell was going on. Jefferson had taken it-at Nicholas’ request-not letting on to the fact anything had changed. Simon was livid but backed off when Jefferson lied and said Clara was dealing with some medical issues and hadn’t been feeling well that day.
I moved around the counter to stand between his legs and put my arms around his neck. “Your dad’s going with you, right?”
“Yes.” He kissed me and rubbed my belly. “This is all going to be over in a few days.”
I couldn’t wait.
We were up early the next morning for another doctor’s visit. Nicholas was like a kid on Christmas morning, hurrying me up and pulling me out to the car.
After getting through the routine tests, Dr. Whitney came in to do the ultrasound.
“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Rowe. So, today’s the big day!” She sounded almost as excited as Nicholas.