Falling for the Billionaire

12

Although, Lil had arrived mid-day, she and Abby hadn't said more than a few sentences to each other. Lil had claimed fatigue from the short flight and had retreated with Colby to the suite Dominic's staff had prepared for them.

A set of five rooms, two bedrooms, dressing room, lounging room and bathroom were all perfectly stocked with everything Lil could imagine she or her baby could possibly need. Abby showed her an intercom on the wall and instructed her to use it if she needed anything. A cleaning woman, a nanny, and a stylist were all on location and on call for Lil if she wanted to use any of them that weekend.

"I'll be fine," Lil had said.

Abby had searched her face, noted the strain around her eyes and asked, "Are you sure everything is ok, Lil? You know you can tell me anything."

"I'm just tired."

Abby had hesitated. "If you're still worried about the interview, don't be. No one blamed you for that and you handled it perfectly. Dominic said he was impressed."

The interview? Wow, that felt like a lifetime ago. If only that were still my greatest concern.

"I said I was tired." She hadn't meant to sound as harsh as she had.

Abby looked a bit sad suddenly, which did nothing to improve Lil's mood. "Of course. Get some rest. Dinner is at six. The Andrades are joining us. I hope you're feeling better by then."

Lil turned away from her sister and said angrily, "I won't embarrass you, if that's what you're worried about."

Abby sighed, a clear sign that she wanted to say more but wouldn't. "I'm glad you're here, Lil." She closed the door softly behind her as she left.

I don't know how you could be.

I'm ruining everything–just like I always do.

Colby looked sadly up at her mother.

"Don't say it, Colby," Lil said.

With her daughter down for a perfectly timed nap, Lil was able to shower and slip into an oversized white terrycloth robe. She'd scheduled the nanny for six o'clock, but for now Lil felt better having Colby with her.

A clothing rack had arrived after Abby had left; each hanger on it held a more beautiful dress than the last. Gift boxes full of designer shoes, hair accessories and jewelry had accompanied the delivery. Under different circumstances, Lil might have actually enjoyed trying the dresses on, but guilt hung heavy on her mind. There had to be a way she could fix this.

A loud knock on the suite's outer door made her jump.

Was it Jake?

I'm not ready to see him yet.

She braced herself and opened the door.

Impressively dressed in what Lil guessed was an Armani suit–Abby said it was his favorite designer, Dominic Corisi filled her doorway. He was Jake's height, and perfectly groomed, but reminded Lil a bit of a restless tiger at a zoo. If it weren't for his blatant devotion to her sister, Lil would have closed the door instead of pretending to be happy to see him. He had a reputation for being ruthless and the entire world had recently witnessed how he considered himself a bit above the law's reproach when it came to what he wanted.

He was definitely a man that even Lil wanted to stay on the good side of. This was no high school bully; this man wielded more power than many dynasties could boast.

Why did I think we could ever get away with hacking into the emails of men like this?

"May I come in?" Dominic asked.