A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) (4 page)

“Settle down?” Lucas felt his blood
drain
.
“What does this have to do with me settling down?” Fury erupted inside
him. He felt his muscles tightening again and it had nothing to do with the
rigorous workout he had over an hour ago. He was fit as an Olympic athlete but
had a temper like a volcano when certain topics were thrown at him—such
as his issues with commitment.

Now just what was his old grandpa up to this time?
Lucas was beginning to get suspicious. He didn’t like where this conversation
was headed one bit.

“Perhaps I didn't choose the right words, Lucas.
Forgive me,” Toni backed down. His voice was
more curt
than before but his eyes were downcast.

Lucas's jaw clenched. His lips were pressed together in
a thin line. He knew his old gramps was only trying to make things easier for
him, but there were just some places he wasn’t willing to go and a wife with
kiddies waving from behind a white picket fence was one of them.

“I know you wanted me to give you more time, Toni, but
I think we should make an announcement soon or tell the reporters there will be
no further comment. We need to say something to quiet the commotion outside,”
Pamela interjected softly.

She was a younger woman who’d been hired as the Romero
family’s new spokesperson and informal press secretary. She did indeed look
anxious as she waited for a response. Pam was seated with her notepad and pen
in hand. The room was packed with family members and the temperature level was
off the chart. The heat was sizzling, and not from the sun beaming through the
window!

“She’s right, Lucas and Gramps,” Zack added. “We look
guilty as hell right now. We need to say something.”

“I realize your job is to help my family maintain a
positive public image, Pamela,” Lucas spoke with cool authority. “And it is appreciated.
But I think I will handle this one my way.”
 
 

His stomach clenched at the thought of finally getting
even with the scandal-hungry media that had taken great pleasure ignoring his
hard work while digging up all sorts of juicy stories at his expense. Did they
even check out the women’s claims before posting their news online? Anger seared
through his body.

“What?” Toni called out. The rest of the clan looked
just as shocked as Toni. “That’s nonsense, Lucas. What has gotten into you?”

“I’m heading to the office, and when I leave this
house, I’m going through the main entrance and I’ll be giving them a piece of
my mind so that I can have peace of mind and this can all be done with.”

“Don’t, Lucas. You’re upset. You’ll say something you
may end up regretting. Let me be the one to speak,” Pamela urged.

“I see where Lucas is coming from, Pam.” Zack also
paced nervously by the fireplace. “It looks bad that Lucas is always seen in
compromising positions and always seems to hide behind sugar-coated prepared
statements by our spokesperson. He’s never spoken up for himself. Maybe this
would put an end to this media circus.”

“Or feed it further!” Toni growled.

Lucas’s jaw tightened. He was damned if he did and
damned if he didn’t. “Fine, Pam. Say whatever you want." Lucas’s gut was
telling him to give the press a piece of his mind but right now he’d already
been caught saying enough in public. Maybe it was time enough for him to lay
low.

“In the meanwhile, I suggest you focus on all that
good stuff you’re putting into the new software from Healthy Start, Lucas.
You’re doing such a fine job with that.”

“Thanks,” Lucas responded half-heartedly. Like any
good he’d done ever got noticed. He worked hard to make systems better. Luckily,
he’d been a bit of a tech genius and when he’d aced his courses in college, a
rival accused him of hacking into the institution’s main computer. Of course,
that was untrue. He could crack most passwords if he wanted to but he’d much
rather be doing more productive things with his time.

“In fact, Lucas, I need to speak with you privately. I
have a job I would like you to personally oversee. This will take a bit of time,
but it will get you away from the office and away from the office gossip that is
sure to follow after today.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes. He was often a man in
control, feared even in the business arena but around his family he was just
little Lucas—at least that’s what his granddad always called him when
they’d met because he was one of the youngest, though also one of the tallest
in the family at six-feet-four inches. So that was ironic. Still, he had to
remember that he wasn’t always going to win battles with his dear old
grandfather.

Just what did his old man have up his sleeve? He hoped
it wouldn’t be some inane publicity stunt planned with Pamela, this neophyte image
consultant and advisor. As much as Lucas liked Pamela as a person, he often
wondered why the family needed an employee in her position
twenty-four-seven
.

“Listen, Granddad, we can all leave so that you two can
have some privacy,” Antonio said as he helped Lucy up from the leather recliner
seat.

“Very well,” Toni responded. “And, Pamela, please let
me go over the draft before you make your announcement to the media.”

“I will, of course, sir,” Pamela said before leaving
the study with the rest of the clan.

“Hey, Lucas! Are we taking the chopper into town or
are you driving?” Zack called out from the foyer after exiting the study.

The Romero family was one of the few residents of the
town that had access to its own spacious helipad right out near the east
entrance. It would take a couple of hours to drive through the morning traffic
to Toronto but the chopper would get them there as the crow flies. Lucas was
already running behind and had several meetings to attend during the course of
the day.

“Sure, I won’t be long,” he assured his cousin. Zack
winked and grinned before turning towards the corridor of the left wing.

“Okay, let’s have it, Gramps! What’s this all about?”
Lucas probed as he turned to his grandfather. He eyed Toni skeptically at
first,
then
by looking at the elder patriarch of the
family something inside him melted. He resisted the urge to grin. He didn’t
know if he should be annoyed or amused at what his grandfather was about to do.
He could almost predict every little scheme he had up his tailored sleeves.

“You almost say it as if you expect something awful,
my dear grandson.” Toni sat back down on the recliner.

“Because I know this is about something I’m probably
not going to like.”

“You see, Lucas, how do you expect to achieve positive
results if you expect negative ones?”

“Aren’t those my words, Gramps?”

“Yes, and I’m giving them back to you, grandson,
because sometimes we all need reminders.”

“Fine.” Lucas’s lips melted into a grin as he pulled
up a chair and sat opposite Toni. He leaned forward with his elbows on his
knees and looked into his grandfather’s tired, dark brown eyes.

Lucas had to hand it to him. The man looked great for
his age. Lucas hoped he would look as fit when he reached that age. Except for
the fine, silver strands of hair on his head, you’d never know Toni was pushing
eighty in a few years. He barely looked half his age. He had smooth olive skin,
a family trait that was a blessing…and sometimes a curse.

“Do you remember Maxine Summers from Dream Weddings,
Inc.?” Toni asked casually as he dusted imaginary lint from his tailored blazer
sleeve.

Lucas’s gut reacted. He didn’t know why. But it just
did.
The sound of her name.
Maxine
Summers
.
There was something about that woman that switched him on and he wasn’t all
that pleased about that right now. Why would his grandfather bring up Maxine?
What did she have to do with anything? Funny thing was that Lucas was thinking about
Maxine earlier. In fact, she crossed his mind with naughty thoughts on a few
occasions.

“I remember Maxine. Why?” Lucas got up and shoved his
hands in his pockets again. He often did that when he was compelled to pace or
think. Right now, he wanted to get the heck on out of there if he knew where
his grandfather was headed with this.

“Well, as you know, she’s a good friend of your cousin
by marriage, Lucy.”

“I know.” Lucas gazed out at the garden outside.
“And?”

“Well, she needs to revamp the business.
The Dream Weddings business to make it more interactive for a new
generation of clients.
Most people prefer to interact online these days
and well…she needs a bit of help.”

“Okay. So what does this have to do with me?”

“The Healthy Start Program is interactive, isn’t it?”

“But it wouldn’t apply to her business.”

“Oh, it just might. I thought maybe you could tailor
it for her. Spend some time with her and-”

“Oh, no! Wait a minute. If she’s looking for new
software for her company, she can have one of my tech guys come in. I’m way too
busy-”

“Lucas! Let me finish!”

Lucas rolled his tongue in his cheek and decided to
let his elder carry on. “Fine. What is it that you have in mind, Grandfather?”

“She’s a nice girl, Lucas, and I think she could do
with a bit of help.”

“Don’t you think I should be steering clear of women
right now?”

“Yes.
The wrong kind.
But
this isn’t a date, Lucas. This is business. Good business. If it hadn’t been
for that agency’s wonderful encouragement, Shelly and I would not have had our
happily-ever-after.”

Lucas felt his heart squeeze. And that didn’t happen
often. At times, he may challenge his grandfather but he loved the old man more
than his own life. It gave him immeasurable satisfaction to see Toni happy
after his stroke and certainly the fact he moved on after four failed marriages
was an accomplishment in and of
himself
.

His old man was right. It wasn’t a date. It was a
personal appointment with a client. Heck, CEO of world-renowned companies often
went to celebrities to launch their products or personally show them how to use
the latest gadget. It was the least he could do. And he would never forget who
saved his life—practically saved his life, when his father lost
everything and was forced to live out of their old minivan before they even
found out about the famous Toni Romero being their own flesh and blood. Who
knew where he would be if they didn’t have that saving grace. Sure, he’d help
out Maxine. She was pretty much one of the few women he could probably trust.
She didn’t seem to have any tricks up her sleeve.

“Okay. I’ll have my secretary hook us up with an
appointment.”

“Good. That’s all I ask, Lucas.”

Lucas wasn’t sure but it looked as if his grandfather
had a smug grin on his face. But he let it go and rolled his eyes playfully.

“I’m heading to the chopper now. Can I get you anything
before I leave?” Lucas added.

“Just stay out of trouble, Lucas. I beg of you.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“Hey, don’t you go getting this one knocked up, either!”
Zack teased his brother as the helicopter landed safely on top of the Romero
skyscraper in the downtown core. It seemed like a perfect summer day. The sky
was cloudless and deep blue. The wind was blowing a mild beginning-of-summer
breeze. The temperature outside might have been mild but there was nothing mild
about the way Lucas was feeling at the moment. The rotors settled down and the
motor quieted.

“You’re not freaking funny, Zack!” Lucas shot back.

“Hey, lighten up, bro. You can’t take everything so seriously.”

Zack was always the prankster and the one to come out
with the most hilarious things but this time Lucas was too much on fire to be
cooled by even his brother’s sense of humor.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind, Zack,” Lucas sighed
heavily. He placed on his Ray Bans and prepared to exit the Romero1, the name
given to the blue and orange helicopter, one of the first gifts the boys gave
to themselves after they’d reached their first major business milestone on
their own.

Their first billion dollars in
worldwide sales for their software programs and successful stock options.

It was also the time they set up their own wing at the
Romero Foundation unique from the other sectors their grandfather managed. They
were a strong part of the Romero empire yet had their own independent
successful ventures.

“Yeah, I know,”
Zack
replied
grabbing his shades from the dashboard. He placed on his sunglasses and
unstrapped his seatbelt after powering off the equipment.

As soon as they entered the building, Zack hit the
elevator button to head to the executive floors of the corporation while Lucas
pressed the main floor button to get to one of his BMWs parked on the premise
and left there for days like today when he flew into the city but needed his
own vehicle to get around. “I should be back by late afternoon so you can have
admin prepare the report for me in time for our meeting,” Lucas added, swiping
the screen of his
iPad
while he made arrangements. It
was a good thing they were in a private elevator so they wouldn’t have to deal
with any onlookers or undercover reporters. His grandfather was right. It was
better to be out of the office for a while, given the latest hoopla in the
media.