Nicholas (Members From Money Book 10) Read online

  *****

  “She left the restaurant to you, my dear,” the kindly old lawyer told her as she took a seat. It had been five years since she had started working there and had put her heart and back into it. She had gotten on well with the old woman because she had worked hard and not given her any sass. Edna Bugle had been a crotchety old woman who hid her heart of gold beneath a grumpy exterior and sharp words, but Kelsey had gotten to her and she had shown her affection grudgingly. It was last year before she finally convinced Edna to let her try her special herb in frying the chicken and it had gone so well with the customers that they had requested that kind of chicken every time they came there.

  “She did?” Kelsey felt her heart hammering inside her chest. She had been saving and putting away every penny she made, not even spending it to buy any sort of clothing for herself but putting it away with the hope of purchasing the restaurant and starting her venture to success. “I had no idea-”

  “She thought very highly of you and she had no one else. She also left a sum of two thousand dollars in her account for you and the apartment on top of the restaurant for you to have as well.”

  Kelsey felt the tears coming to her eyes as she stared at the man. She had done nothing but been respectful and hardworking and it had paid off! “Thank you,” she said huskily.

  “If you want to sell-”

  “No!” she said a little sharply, causing the man to look at her in surprise. “I am sorry, but I have plans for the place.”

  He nodded. “I have tasted your fried chicken and I suspect you will do well. You can make additions to the place.”

  “I have plans,” she repeated softly, seeing the restaurant in her mind’s eye. “I owe her a lot.”

  “She saw something in you, my dear.”

  Kelsey left the small office and went outside to sit on bench, her whole body trembling and the tears coursing down her cheeks. It was starting and she could not believe it. Today, the first day of September, was the beginning of something wonderful and there was no turning back for her!

  *****

  “Mother, calm down!” Nicholas reached for a towel and scrubbed the water off his muscled chest. “I am coming home in a few weeks, so what’s the big deal?”

  “Your father wants you to start making your contribution, darling, and this time I agree with him.” Her voice sounded too loud over the line and he suspected that it was because of the transatlantic space between them. He had set up a space in an apartment in Paris, a charming place by the name of Piana, and had been seeing this delightfully eager French woman with coal black hair and eyes and a lush body who fully expected to be named Mrs. Nicholas Peterson, but he knew better! “I will be home soon.”

  Chapter 2

  Eleven years later….

  Kelsey touched the monitor on the computerized treadmill to up the speed and felt her heartbeat accelerating as she pumped her legs to match it. She could feel the sweat dribbling between her cleavage and soaking through her sports bra. She had looked at herself critically as she played back the segment on the morning show when Linda Blakely had been interviewing her. She was aware that the camera adds ten pounds, but she had looked a little fat and that could not happen. She had decided to hit the treadmill before making her way out.

  She slowed it down somewhat and then turned it off completely, her mind going back to that day last week when she was being interviewed.

  “Kelsey, you are being called the youngest female billionaire by the financial magazines. How does that make you feel?”

  “Surreal!” She had laughed huskily. “I keep looking around to find out if they were referring to someone else.”

  “You have a very touching and endearing story.” Linda glanced down at her notes swiftly even though she knew the story by heart. “Your mother died in child birth along with your baby brother. Your father abused you physically for most of your life because he became an alcoholic and that drove you to want to become better. It forced you to start cooking and start experimenting and as a result you are now the owner of the finest fast food restaurants ever created, and I have to tell you, darling, that I am addicted to your chicken and potato salad! I am hooked as are many Americans and I can see why! Tell us how you accomplished all that?”

  “Desperation!” she said with a quick laugh, her hands linking together automatically. She had debated long and hard as to whether or not she should come on a show like ‘Today Live!’ and bare her soul for everyone to look inside her, but her publicist had told her that she had to. It was good for her image and of course the company. It was the latter that had done the trick as she did not give a damn about the former. “I grew up knowing only abuse by the man who was supposed to love and take care of me and I had to do something to get my mind off my situation. When my mother was alive…” She had paused and blinked as the emotions went through her at that. “I used to watch her in the kitchen and wanted to be able to cook just like her. When she was gone and everything started feeling desperate and dark, I wanted something to just lose myself in, so I decided that I wanted to improve on the chicken and potato salad she used to make.”

  “You made your own herbs?”

  Kelsey nodded her elegantly coiffed head. She had never had it processed but had a stylist who worked wonders with creams and other things for natural hair that gave it a high sheen and curls that were now tamed and twisted into an elegant chignon at the nape of her long neck. “I tried a combination until I got the right taste that I wanted.”

  “You have suffered a lot of setbacks since you started at twenty-one. How did you overcome those?”

  Kelsey was silent for a spell as she looked back. The woman sitting opposite her would never know how much the question made her cringe! “Which one?”

  “The one where your own dad torched the restaurant you opened in a town near to the one you lived in. It was your third one, right?”

  Kelsey took a deep breath as she visualized the moment when she had gotten the news that her restaurant was on fire. She had lost most of the equipment and the furniture and had stood there looking at the water spraying from the firemen’s hoses on the building she had put so much work into. She had been poleaxed when it had been discovered that her own father had been responsible all because she had refused to give him more money when he had come to her. In spite of their bad history, she had made sure she provided for him, but after that she had made sure he had gone to rehab. He was now staying in a home. She had not been to see him in months. When she went, they would sit and look at anything else but each other as she had no idea what to say to him. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I was devastated and crushed, but believe it or not it made me stronger as an individual.”

  “Have you forgiven him?” Linda asked her gently.

  “Not quite,” Kelsey said with an honest laugh. “I am still working on it.”

  “What about Duncan?” The question slipped in smoothly and their eyes had met.

  “Duncan is not flesh and blood, so it is a lot harder to do so, and besides, the bastard ran away with my money,” Kelsey said, schooling her expression to one of indifference. “He is dead to me.”

  Linda looked at the slim beautiful woman next to her and felt the coldness and detachment coming off her waves. “Were you in love with him?”

  Kelsey opened her mouth to tell her that it was none of her business but said instead, “A little bit.” She smiled coolly, her white teeth gleaming. “I thought he was man enough for me, but it turns out that he was far from being that.”

  “Ouch!” Linda said with a laugh. “Any significant other right now?”

  “Not now, and before you ask me, I am not bitter by the experience. When the time comes I am going to open my heart and let the right person in.”

  But that was far from the truth! She had met him when he had come to work at one of her restaurants when her usual chef had taken ill and they had hit it off from the first time. She had been too busy dashing after her dreams that she
had not taken the time to stop and date until he had come into her life. He was tall and darkly handsome with a quick smile and a quick wit and had taken the time out to listen to her and he had persuaded her to go out with him. “Let’s go somewhere you do not own,” he had told her teasingly. He had wined and dined her and by two months had talked her out of her panties. It had been the first time for her and he had been amazed and had been gentle with her. It had not rocked her world, but it had been pleasant and they had settled into something comfortable. It had been going on for a year when she had decided that it was time she should settle down and why not him? But before she could suggest it to him, he had taken off with the money and left a note saying that it was good while it lasted but he had met someone else. She had decided that it would never happen to her again!

  She padded barefoot in the direction of her wide and elegant kitchen to make herself something to eat for breakfast. She was not very comfortable having people pick up after her but had hired a middle aged African American woman who came in three times a week to clean and tidy up. She cooked for herself whenever she was home which was not a lot because she was always on the move. With restaurants all over the country and some parts of the world, she was rarely there.

  ******

  Nicholas swam several laps around the pool lazily before coming to the edge of it and climbing up, shaking the water from his wheat blonde hair. He had just turned thirty-four last week and had missed being married two years ago by the skin of his teeth. Eleanor Forsythe had come to him tearfully saying that she was pregnant and that had scared him enough to propose to her. But it had been a false alarm and he had stopped seeing her immediately. Both his brothers were married with kids and he was content to be an uncle for now. His parents were hinting at him hooking up with an appropriate socialite and actually settling down at the company. He had refused to. It was not like he was lazy or anything! He had a degree from Wharton and had graduated with honors, but he did not like to settle behind a desk in an enclosed building, it made him short of breath just to even think about it. He had considerable wealth which he had come into when he turned twenty-five and had a passion for fast cars and bikes and did not do very well with rules. His niece had just turned sixteen today and he had promised her that he would show up at her party. Alexandra was probably the only woman aside from his mother who could make him commit to something like that and she knew it. She was the daughter of the eldest Peterson boys and held the privilege of being the only granddaughter and niece which made her extra special. Graham, the eldest and vice president of the company, had two children: Alexandra and Maurice, who was fourteen. David had married his childhood sweetheart and they had two boys: Liam who was ten and Luke who was eight. Nicholas had told his mother that there were more than enough grandchildren to go around so she should stop looking at him to produce more.

  He shook the hair out of his eyes and squinted up at the sky. It was late afternoon but the summer sun was still shining brightly through the scudding clouds. The party should start at eight so he supposed he had better go and get ready.

  *****

  He handed the keys to his Porsche to the waiting valet and headed inside with a large gift bag swinging in his left hand. Alex spotted him as soon as he came into the restaurant. She had told her doting parents and grandparents that she would like her party to be kept at the newest fast food giant: ‘Sweet and Crispy Fried Chicken’ and they had rented out the entire thing for the night.

  “Uncle Nicholas!” she screamed as she left her friends and came racing towards him. She was the closest to him in looks with only a darker shade of blonde hair and the same emerald green eyes. She was stunning with a tall willowy figure and porcelain skin. In another year, she would be going off to Harvard because she wanted to be a lawyer.

  “Hey beautiful!” He picked her up and twirled her around before putting his arm around her shoulder. She was tall, almost five foot six, but he topped her by almost a foot so that she barely came to his shoulder. “I wondered to myself what on earth do I give a girl who already has everything and could not think of anything so I bought you the latest Derek Mitchell CD.”

  “Perfect choice!” she said, hugging him tightly. “Don’t pay any attention to my friends, they are all in love with you.”

  “Way too young for me, darling,” he told her with a careless grin as he went to join the rest of his family and his niece’s friends.

  Kelsey looked at the scene for a moment and felt her heart twisting in envy. She knew them and when they had called and asked to rent the entire restaurant for the evening she had not hesitated, only advising the manager to make sure to tell the usual patrons what was happening and apologizing for the inconvenience. She had sworn never to take the people who came into her restaurants for granted because they were the ones who had made her so successful. She also treated all her employees fairly and had given away a lot to charity.

  She planted a smile on her face and went to meet the family. The restaurant had been decorated with the theme of the party and the girl’s favorite colors which were bold purple and dark green very much like her eyes and the food had already been served. She had just flown in from Hawaii when the manager for the location had called her in excitement about the Peterson’s party. “Ms. Jordan, thanks, this is exactly what I wanted!” Alexandra said sincerely as soon as she came over to them.

  “My manager and her crew did most of the work,” she said with a pleasant smile as she looked around, quickly making sure that the food had not gone down.

  “But you are here and that counts for something,” Graham Peterson told her quietly. Kelsey gave him a swift look and nodded. She had seen them in the papers regularly and had come not to be intimidated by wealth over the years. She had discovered that it was just money and underneath they were still just people. “We prepared a special cake for you, Alexandra, to commemorate this important time of your life.” She stood aside to draw attention to the chef who pushed the tray with wheels forward. There was a towering chocolate chip and vanilla frosting cake with the words ‘Happy Sixteenth Birthday Alexandra’ in purple and green writing.

  “I love it! Thank you,” she said sincerely.

  “You are most welcome.” She was about to turn away when their eyes met and held. She knew who he was. She had seen his pictures often in the papers and she had seen him at functions when she happened to attend. She knew what he represented and despised the fact that he did not work for a living but spent his time lazing around and often getting into fights. He had been called the playboy billionaire with a temper and was always featured in some controversial issue. His eyes travelled over her face boldly, lingering on her full lips before going down to her bosom. The look was smoldering, and to her consternation, she felt her nipples tightening perceptively. She straightened her shoulders and gave him a coldly dismissive look before turning away.

  Nicholas had the idea of following her and hauling her into his arms to taste those full and sensuous lips before going down to taste the nipples and knock the haughty look off her exquisite face. He had seen the interview with her on the show and had watched the entire thing and he had also glimpsed her at parties. But it was the first time he had been so close to her. She was beautiful in a coldly detached sort of way. Totally not his type! So why did he spend the evening looking for her?

  *******

  Nicholas looked at his friend in amusement. Peter Gayle had gone to college and had excelled in everything he had done. He was a top criminal lawyer with a wife and two kids and was in the big leagues. “You are having an affair? Come on, man, stop yanking my chains.”

  “She is great, Nicky,” he whispered. He was the only one allowed to shorten Nicholas’ name like that and it spoke of the strength of their friendship. “She is one of my client’s daughters.”

  “Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Nicholas asked lazily as he scanned the full room. Elite Club was crawling with billionaires and millionaires who wanted to become bi
llionaires. He caught a glimpse of the owner Jeremy and several others including Andre Wainwright and Bradley Wellington. There was an end of summer tournament going on outside on the courts, but he had been bored so he decided to come in and have dinner with his friend.

  “I am not seeing the guy, just his daughter.”

  “And if Hazel finds out, your balls are going to be hanging from a wall,” Nicholas reminded him dryly. He was finding it hard to believe that his straightlaced friend had two women! “Why are you seeing her?”

  “She is the kind of woman I had always dreamed about,” Peter said moodily, picking at his pricey Caesar salad. “She is not hung up on appearances and being at the right place at the right time and wondering if what she is wearing is the right style for the moment. She is interested in me as a man and listens when I talk.”

  “They all start out that way,” Nicholas said cynically as he tilted the bottle of beer to his lips. “Wait until later on in the relationship.”

  “You are way too harsh, my friend.” Peter looked at the handsome man in front of him and envied his looks and the way he approached life without caring what anyone thought of him. He had been bogged down by rules his entire life and had ended up marrying a woman who had been picked out by his parents because of her ‘blue blood’. Hazel had turned out to be a shallow, selfish woman who was always worried about what society thought of her. “We spend a lot of time together, and she makes me feel like Superman in bed.”