Free Wicked While He Watches -The Billionaire's Secret (Claire and the Billionaire) by Mercedes Eva Nordstrom

Wicked
While He Watches: The Billionaire’s Secret
    by
    Mercedes
Eva Nordstrom
     
    Chapter
1
    Claire Silk was terrified. She felt like her hands
were tied. Daniel’s probably were, she realized. Tears welled in her eyes. The ransom
note came five days after they had lost contact with her husband Daniel in the
jungles of Columbia. He had gone there to survey for valuable deposits of gold
and oil, and now he was a captive. She was relieved to know that he was alive,
but so afraid for him. She gripped the steering wheel tight and kept her eyes
on the road.
    She knew it was common for people to be kidnapped in
Columbia. The good thing was that if they got the ransom money, hostages were
usually released. But they were demanding $800,000. More than the company
thought he was worth, or at least more that they were willing to pay, and much
more than she could possibly raise . Even if she tried
to borrow against, or sell the house, it wouldn’t be enough. Daniel was a great
at what he did and he made a lot of money for the company, too much it seemed
now, since the kidnappers chose him as their hostage.
    Claire drove into the parking lot of Fawcett Global.
Expensive was the only adjective to describe everything about the building. The
fountain in front of it probably cost more than $800,000. Full of indignation
and desperation, she tried to bottle her fury and her tears.  A curl fell
loose from the tight bun she had secured her dark brown hair in. She wanted to
look together, not like the mess she felt inside. All she could think of was
Daniel. He was everything. She thought of his warm body holding her close. When
his arms were around her he made her feel so safe, like nothing else
mattered.  And without him, nothing did.
    She tucked the stray lock behind her ear, and
straightened her clothes when she got out of the car. It was too warm out for
her tailored gray pantsuit, but she wore it any way. It was her power suit, and
if she ever needed a confidence boost it was now.  Her figure was curvier
since she wore it last. The pants were tighter and the jacket fuller with her
rounder cleavage.  Her heels clacked over the pavement as she walked to
the entrance. Once she got to the front door, security stopped her in her
tracks.
    “Can I see your badge?” one of the goons dressed in
a blue uniform asked.
    “I don’t have one. My husband works here. Let me go
in,” she said through gritted teeth with an attempt at a friendly smile.
“Please,” she added. She nearly burst into tears out of sheer frustration. She’d
psyched herself up to talk to this billionaire. Now she couldn’t even get in
the building.
    “Sorry, Ma’am. That’s not how it works. What’s your name? We’ll see if you’re on the list,”
the bulk of a man shot back.
    She nodded. “Fine. I am
Claire Silk,” she stated calmly. Lifting her gaze to his eyes, she bit back
saying what she really wanted to.  One man stood at the door while the
other went inside. Soon he returned.
    “She’s cleared. Go in, Ma’am and check in at the
front desk.” Claire gave them an insincere flash of a smile and strode through
the door. At the desk they took her picture and made her a badge to wear.
Questions followed. Who do you want to see? Why? We’ll check to see if you can.
She waited and waited. Then suddenly a well-dressed young man came to escort
her to Nick Fawcett, the billionaire owner and CEO of Fawcett Global. 
They sashayed through the sleek corridors then took the elevator to the top
floor. After more security hassles at more levels, she was finally admitted
into his office.
    He wasn’t there.
    It looked like a billionaire’s office. The desk was
probably worth $800,000, never mind the art collection. And what was $800,000
to a billionaire anyway? Next to nothing.   She
was standing there growing even angrier, when he came in. About fifty five
years old, he was trim, not bad looking, with dark brown cold eyes. His hair
was probably fifty shades of