Paper Marriage Proposition

Eleven

He'd gone through the headache thing with his first wife. Frederic knew a willing woman when he saw one, and unfortunately, Lalisa wasn't it.
Grim-faced behind his massive office desk, he waved the black book he was showing to his brothers. "The key to my success."
He handed it over, every single word he'd read in it seared into his mind.
Leaning back in his chair, he watched them sift through the pages, first Alex with a thoughtful frown, then Julian John with raised eyebrows.
"One would think your disposition would change after last night," Alex mulled out loud.
"I spent my wedding night reading that little gem there, not with my wife."
There was a bleak silence as Alex digested this.
"Now why on earth would you do something so stupid?"
"She doesn't want me, Alex."
"You're joking, right?"
"This is not something to joke about."
"She doesn't...desire you?" The words hung in the air, and they were so painful to hear, Frederic found himself gritting his teeth. "I don't believe it."
"Believe it."
Julian glanced up from the book, raising both eyebrows. "Every woman wants you. You had girlfriends before you even had your first bike."
"Why wouldn't Lisa want you?" Alex demanded.
That was the worst question of them all. Frederic remembered last night. How her nipples had pricked under his fingers. How her body had molded against his. He'd planned to give her no choice, make her beg for it.
He couldn't.
He didn't want her like this.
He wanted Lisa willing—he wanted her to give him everything.
"Two names." He stuck out two fingers, pushing Lisa from his thoughts. "Macy Jennings and Joseph Kennar. They're bought."
"No way."
"Yes way." He glared. "Apparently, Jungkook sends them ten thousand dollar deposits every couple of months to ensure good press coverage on his 'miracle' treatments. We need to find a way to monitor their calls and hopefully get some solid evidence of their involvement. Plus it will help us determine what Jungkook is up to."
Alex rolled up his shirt and made a note on the inside of his arm. "All right. Done. Can't wait to can those suckers when we're done with them."
"Right. And there's another interesting name near the last pages. You see it?" Frederic pointed to the book Julian kept sifting through.
Julian's brown brow raised. "Miguel Gomez?"
Frederic nodded affirmatively. "That same one. Miguel Gomez a.k.a. el Milagro. He's known for smuggling pharmaceuticals out of Mexico and to the States."
"Ahh, so the plot thickens..." Alex said juicily, steepling his fingers. "The black book hath spoken."
"It has, indeed."
Frederic pulled out a sheaf of papers from the top folder of his stack and passed them to Alex. "The insurance company's already halted some of Jungkook's payments. There have been allegations of him duplicating claims, and they're thinking of suing."
Alex skimmed. "Health care fraud. How fun. That shouldn't be too hard to prove."
"It shouldn't be." Frederic's gaze shifted from one brother to the other while they both surveyed the info. "Now, if one of you gentlemen could arrange an interview with one of his assistants? The head nurse, maybe? We need her to talk, and we need her to talk dirty."
"I'm sure Jules will have them crying mercy in a minute."
With a cocksure smile, Julian dropped the book back on the desktop and folded his arms. "Of course."
Frederic nodded. "Tomorrow would be good. Hell, today would be even better." He remembered his wife's frustration over not seeing her son, and fresh determination surged through him. "I'm meeting with our lawyer at two, I need to fill him in on this development. Jungkook's been keeping the child away from her, and Lisa's anxious to see him. We need to move fast. I want to prove the good doctor isn't fit company for an ape, much less a little boy. It would be easy to accomplish if we get the nurse to testify against him—as a character witness."
"Consider it done," Julian said with the assurance all Arnaults were known for.
"Jungkook wants Lisa back, Frederic, you know he does."
The quiet words struck a chord, and for a moment, Frederic felt them reverberate in his body.
Frowning at the thought of her ever even considering to so much as talk to Jungkook, he gazed at today's headlines scattered over his desk.
Surprise Wedding!
Millionaire Magnate Back at the Altar.
Love in the Era of Money.
He was pleased there wasn't hostility in any of the articles—crucial for her to get Leo back. But then there was that other article that irked Frederic beyond normal. It contained the picture of one sick man ominously holding up his forefinger.
Jungkook: "It's not over 'til it's over!"
"Did Alex tell you Mom invited your wife to the range today?"
Surprised, he glanced up at his youngest brother. Julian rarely kidded around. "To the shooting range? Mom?"
"Yep. And Lisa."
Frederic couldn't help it. He threw his head back and laughed. The image of Lisa, bloodthirsty and hungover, holding a rifle in those sweet little hands. Damn, it was funny. "Right. Well, then." He shook his head in disbelief and then flicked on his monitor, determined to get to work.
"Figured out how to romance your wife yet?" Alex asked.
Frederic busily scribbled a thought on a legal pad before him. Help her find something to do from home. Buy her cranberries. "Focusing on Jungkook now."
A snort from his brother. "Nothing stirs a woman's libido like talking about an ex."
Frederic ignored the bait and waved them off. "Whatever. Just get out of here."
He had things to do.
A business to run, a man to destroy, a child to recover and a woman to woo....