CHAPTER ONE
Adriel Crofts lifted his brandy to his lips and nodded at the blonde who was entertaining him with an humorous story of her father at their recent New Year’s party.
Adriel knew who this man was. Him spending time, not in the same year. He never gives women a chance.
He looked around Rooftop Bar, the number one exclusive bar in New York and noticed most friends were gone. The only thought in his head now is having this blonde's tongue round his c**k in the next hour
He feels a gentle vibration in his coat.
Adriel, we have a situation. Let's meet in your office in an hour.
Reading his father’s message, he knew lots were not right, so he had to change his plans.
Dropping his glass onto the marble bar, he replied to let him know he’d see him there as requested. He looked at the sexy blonde who had been entertaining him all the while and grabbed her arm .
”It's time to go"
Her face lit up.
“Your place or mine?” she whispered.
“I have a meeting in my office in an hour, it's better we head there,” he replied,heading to the back exit with her. The last thing he ever wants to happen is to be
photographed with her thereby causing more gossip to escalate about his relationship status.
He was never getting married. But would the media give up?
She felt reluctant at his offer sank in. Adriel held her gaze. She either takes it or leave it.
He was confident she’d take it.
They are all the same, they'd take it.
A young billionaire was a love potion to these types of women.
Adriel had inherited his father’s good looks, same goes for his brothers. At six foot two with a well built body which he strived hard to maintain in his gym, his square jaw wasn't an exceptional, Adriel was confident and influential.
Some of which he was born with. Some of it was learned.
In the United States, and many places around the world, Adriel Croftscannot be left out in the business and economic world, he was a force to be reckoned with, but his record in the women's world wasn't a very straight one. As mentioned earlier, he doesn't go out with a lady twice but if it occasionally happens, not in the same year.
The gossip world had a few naughty nicknames for him. Adriel has struggled to keep his s*x life secret. He only had a rule.
NO COMMITMENT
However, he did love female company, and the things that happen at the end of the evening, so he took women to the events he had to attend. He never settled for less.
But he can never be in a relationship.
Settling down with a best friend and seeing the same person every blessed day? Nah!!!
They headed to Crofts Towers. Adriel took off his Gucci coat, hung it,he removed his cufflinks, and they pinged as he dropped them on his custom-made tempered glass desk and folded his long sleeved shirt and turned.
Hey... beautiful, damn, he’d forgotten her name, she was staring through the glass wall at the beautiful night view of the city.
“Astonishing, well it's Jane” she said, giving a dry smile.
He checked the time on his Cartier watch.
They had just thirty minutes.
Adriel walked to Jane with his hands dug in his
pockets. “Head wouldn't be a bad one now I assume.”
She turned and bent to yank off his zipper
Adriel sat on a sofa nearby and ran his finger through her hair but he noticed she was being sluggish. “Or I can bend you over my desk and yank your things off. You decide.”
Her head raised up staring at him in the eyes for a second and wrapped her tongue around his c**k in a better way. She was too proud to walk out, and he knew she wanted to have him.
He simply watched her swallow his swollen head and take him deeper, inch by inch.
Adriel let out a low moan. He gripped her hair and kept pressing it further while she sucked him skillfully. It wasn’t long before he was deepthroating her as she milked him dry. He groaned loudly as his orgasm hit him.
She swallowed it.Well that's cool, he thought she would go spit it out.
She still knelt, licking her lips at the same time, repacking her rumpled hair. Jane was a very beautiful woman, she had a model's physique, but like many before her, Adriel had lost all interest in her.
Most of them were just after the door opening name "Crofts". Many of them had trust funds or were wealthy on their own, but they believed he had power and believed marrying him would give them power too.
They were very wrong. Power isn't something passed from, it's something one either had or didn’t have.
It comes from within.
Crofts Hotels, which made up most of the Crofts Empire, had
properties all over the world. It had been built from scratch by his father and went public
Seven years ago. His father stepped away three years ago, though he remained the majority shareholder. Adriel had taken the position he'd been bred for his entire life.
CEO of Crofts Hotels.
“It's been nice being with you tonight,” he said, zipping his pants. Damn, why does he keep forgetting her name. Jane. s**t. "See you another time, Jane.”
She stood and smiled at him, all sexy. “I guess you’ve forgotten about the main part.”
Nope. He never forgot.
But his father was always early and at any moment he’d be
interrupted if things went further.
“Time seems to be against us. I need to prepare for my meeting,” he replied not pretending to be disappointed, then moved away. “You can make use of the bathroom before you leave if you need to.”
“No, thank you. I will wash the c*m from my throat with a glass of champagne when I get home,” she replied, picking up her purse, spun and walked out of the office with her head held high.
Adriel cleared his throat and stepped behind his large desk and lifted his laptop open.
A moment later, his father walked into his office, turning back and pointing at the door. “Was that Tyler's daughter I saw leaving?”
“Yes. She was my date at the White gallery opening this evening,” Adriel said.
William Crofts walked over and sat on the sofa Adriel had just received a head. It wasn’t a new thing for them to meet in the evenings,but Adriel knew this particular meeting was holding. It had been a very serious topic for weeks and
a subject giving him a headache right now.
“No good news from this side, son,” he said, shaking his head. “The signed agreement is still nowhere to be foundand now Senator Willis is bent on extorting us.”
He looked up.
“I don't get, with what?” Adriel asked loudly. “He has started already by claiming we owe him more interest on the initial loan we originally agreed on.”
About two decades ago William Crofts had entered an agreement with histhen friend, Tom Willis. The amount was very huge in the high six figures—and was the major driving force that has made Crofts Hotels grown into what it is today. The loan was to be repaid in twenty years with five percent interest.
They've been diligent about it. Their finance team had been setting the money aside over the years and were preparing to settle it this financial year.
But a few weeks ago, they received a letter from the now senator requesting a payment much larger than the agreed amount. Attached to this letter was a copy of the agreement.
Except it wasn’t the original, it had been forged.
The five percent interest had hiked to twenty five percent. A rate no one in their sane mind would have agreed to.
Very few people were aware of the current situation, apart from his father, his brothers Keanu and Ryan, their financial advisor and lawyer. The latter advised they secure a copy of the agreement before going to the authorities.
William Crofts was confident he had a copy at home in his own files,along with the one kept in the vault at Crofts Empire.
Apparently not.
His father ran a hand through his hair.
Damn it.
“Father. Talk to me.”
William slammed his fist down onto the arm of the sofa next to him.
“He has said we have thirty days to pay, or his daughter gets married into the Crofts family. The prenup cannot exclude her from the Empire Shares.”
“You are definitely kidding me,” Adriel roared.
He knew what was happening next.
“She asked for you.”