The Landon Billionaires (7 stories)

CHAPTER TEN: YOUR WISH, MY COMMAND

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dem shrieked, sinking her body back to the grass. Although she knew how much it had cost him to answer her, she was making no concessions this time. She had lost too many times to continue. After all, the only objective of the game was to ask him that particular question.

Somehow, she had known it would be oriented towards his family. Dem knew something was amiss in that department, but since he had done so much for her, she wanted to repay him in some way. She had wanted to give him something which counted. A gift. Although, she had been open with him, Dem had realized that Chase had no intention of opening up to her. During the trip, he had played along with her without giving any meaningful information about himself.

That game had been her intention to ensnare him. She had purposely lost the first three rounds wrapping him into a secure cocoon until she had carefully laid her trap. By that time, she had been truly losing and had to open up about herself as well. She never had any intention of choosing “Dare”.

“I have to lose first, remember?” she prevaricated not knowing if he had discovered her treachery and was trying to punish her.

He scoffed while he distributed the cards. And she lost.

“Alright,” she tried for a casualness she was far from feeling. “Give me my dare.”

“Vieni qui e baciami,” he said enigmatically.

“Vini what?” she repeated, as he shrugged in response. No kidding! “Don’t you dare,” she started when Chase picked up the bag and started walking away from her.

“Chaaaaase! What the hell?” she cried, indignantly running after him to catch up. “This is not the time to go all Italian on me. I don't understand Italian. The only Italian word I know is gracias,” she supplicated willingly in order to gain his sympathy.

Chase stopped in his tracks to look back at her. “Gracias is not even Italian. It's Spanish, cariña,” he explained in a mildly exasperated tone like he was talking to a child and not a very bright one.

Dem was not backing down. “See? I completely suck at the language. Now will you please...” she cut off the rest of her sentence when Chase turned round to continue his casual walk like she had not even been speaking. What a rude insensitive jerk!

“I'm so going to make you pay for this,” she muttered under her breath and galloped after him pestering him with her need to know what he had said. Had she been bright, she would have remembered the words but no matter how much she tried to remember she could recall only “Vini” and “bacamas”.

Later when she tried to google the words, her research was futile and she tried to harass Chase into at least repeating the words. However, he remained adamant.

“How the hell am I supposed to complete the dare if I don't even know what it is!” she shouted upset when he got out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist.

Dem gulped at the sight of the perfect male body sculpture in front of her and berated herself for being so stupid as to follow him inside his room. Not that he was feeling uncomfortable or anything in her presence – in fact he seemed to be enjoying her discomfiture.

“You’re smart. You’ll find a way,” he said in response to her frustrated comment.

Looking anywhere but him, Dem tried to hide her awkwardness in vain. She wanted to look. He was male perfection personified, the obvious temptation must be because she had never seen a nude man before. Well, he was not completely n***d, the way the towel was slipping towards his torso made her mouth water and her imaginations run wild. What was wrong with her?

Flustered, she fled from the room as if she couldn’t get out fast enough.

Scolding herself for her foolish reaction, she was glad for the escape when a voice stopped her in the small corridor. “I will have to fly back to California this afternoon. Sorry, something cropped up at work. An emergency. Do you want to come with me?”

There was something in the way he said those words that caused the hair on her neck to rise, she shrugged it off though. She was being paranoid. It was the perfect opportunity to plan what she had been thinking of while he was gone.

“No, I’ll invite Eva over so that we can have a girl’s night. Are you going to stay away long?”

“Not that I know of. Most probably, I will be back day after tomorrow. Eva can stay during the whole time I’m away. I will be reassured to know that you’re not alone while I’m not here,” came the reply from his room, Dem wanted to go back and spy on him.

What would his reaction be if she intruded his privacy and watched him dress like she longed to? He would most probably think she had gone berserk since they did not share that level of intimacy. Unfortunately. He was the first person who awakened that kind of reaction in her; she wanted to be so close to him as to share the tiniest details of their lives.

She knew that Chase was not an emotional freak like she was. From what she had gathered from the tabloids, he had a colorful past full of mistresses and casual relationships but then that probably did not mean anything. Who better than her to know that when the gossips stated that someone had painted the town red, it did not necessary mean that it was the case?

Realizing that she was standing in the corridor like some gawky teenager, she started to walk only to turn round when she heard footsteps. At the sight he presented, her heart missed a beat. He was immaculately dressed in a formal black suit, his hair still wet from the shower neatly combed back with some gel. It was so long since she had seen him in formal attire that Dem had almost forgotten how gorgeous he looked in it.

He seemed to stop too when he caught sight of her in the middle of the corridor. He looked at her with a puzzled expression. Praying that her need for him was not showing on her face, she put on her impassible mask as she tried to compose her feelings.

Without any words, he came close to her and tipped up her head. “Don’t do that!” he rasped in an almost angry tone. A tone which he had never used with her so far.

Dem swallowed and looked up at him unable to show him the feelings running riots inside her. It was too dangerous to let him know that she was so obsessed with him that she trembled whenever he was near her. Or that her palm got sweaty. Or that his grin did funny things to her heart.

She tried for a light bantering instead. “Vini bacamas,” she said trying to mimic his Italian accent.

As predicted, he grinned and winked at her wickedly. “You’re close.”

“You wouldn’t be kind enough to repeat the words to me, would you?” she asked cheekily batting her eyelashes at him in a flirtatious manner. Her dramatic actions abated when he leant closer to her face until his was merely inches away from her.

“You wouldn’t know how to do it anyway,” he replied gruffly, and Dem had the feeling that he was not as unaffected as he was letting on.

“You’d be surprised,” she retorted back with more spite than bravado.

He seemed like he was on the verge of saying something then seemed to check himself, a faint flush appearing on his cheekbones, the only indication that he was having a hard time suppressing his emotions as well.

“Ahem. I have to go. I’m sorry.”

“Okay….,” she said a little breathlessly since he was still glued to her despite his words. Then as if in t*****e, he wrenched himself from her and all that was left was a miff of his cologne.

As soon as he was gone, Dem got to work doing her homework until Eva joined her. Time passed so quickly that she was still furiously tapping on her iPad when Eva suddenly dropped herself on the couch besides her.

“What are you up to?” her sister-in-law asked, peering curiously over her tablet, and Dem showed her the small red notebook she was working on.

“I am planning a dinner for the homecoming of your brothers,” she replied, frowning as the name Roman Landon returned a blank on Google search.

“You are what!?!” was the instant shriek and the dumbstruck note in the voice made Dem look up from her task at hand.

“You heard me,” she confirmed. “I am inviting your brothers over for dinner. So far, I have done a background research on Liam who is currently in Miami and divorced. So we won’t be inviting his wife. And…” she stopped mid-sentence when she felt herself being violently engulfed in a bear hug and the air whooshed out of her lungs. “Eva…,” she scolded gently. “Get off me! We have work to do.”

“Do you think they will come?” Eva asked her almost breathlessly, looking at her in awe, which made Dem even more determined to make the event happen.

“Depends,” she replied evasively trying for a nonchalance she was far from feeling. She was an optimist. “I need your input though.”

Eva nodded, looking grim like she was on a military mission or something. “I’m all yours. Giving you a small background check. Liam is next after Chase, and he fell in love with a waitress. Dad was furious since he was the first one to start the rebellion. I mean before that everybody fitted in the mold Dad had crafted. Chase was also against the wedding – I don’t blame him though. Liam was only twenty years old.”

Munching on her lower lip, Dem was feverishly taking notes while Eva explained the situation, her mind running riots with the possibilities of how to tackle the brothers.

“Dyl is the coolest one; he plays the piano like he was born to – something he inherited from Noni. Dad refused to let him pursue his career in music, so he left home just after high school. I’m still in touch with him, and I’m sure he will come especially if you invite him. Nathan joined the politics, and we lost him when he was elected in the parliament. He never has time for me; he is Allegan’s governor.”

Dem frowned; she had no idea Chase’s brothers were so affluent.

“Roman was close to Nate. He left just after him, and I have no idea what happened to him. Trys is the youngest one. He…ummm he left to work with Kennedy,” she stated awkwardly, and Dem grimaced. Preston Kennedy was the best friend of her father William Hilton; ex-best friend in fact.

One year ago, Uncle Kennedy and her father had had different opinions about a business dealing which made their partnership fall apart. Since Kennedy was the largest shareholder in the textile industries, her father eventually lost all his intakes in the business by losing a colossal amount of capital. The reason why he had wanted to merge with the Landons – the immediate rivals of Kennedy.

Dem found the way her father had replaced Uncle Kennedy with Peter Landon a bit tasteless, but in their world nothing mattered more than money. Or mergers. Or strategies. Dem could relate to Chase’s brothers more than Eva would understand. Even her own father had tried to mold her into someone she was not, and subdued, she had finally accepted her role.

“Okay, we start with the easiest one. Dylan,” she signaled to Eva to make the call and listened as they chatted easily for some time. Then when she was passed the phone, she initiated her invitation. Dylan appeared to accept it without fuss and Dem felt grateful that it looked so much easier than she had first thought.

“Okay,” she huffed after disconnecting the phone. “One down.”

Eva nodded. “Who’s next?”

“The governor,” Dem muttered thoughtfully. “We have to book him first because he is the one most likely to be busy. If we can get a date from him, then I’m sure we can manage for the others to free themselves."

So, next call was to the governor’s office. Like expected, they were made to wait or they talked to the secretary who insisted on Mr. Landon being too busy to receive their call. Finally, Eva had had enough and she told the high-handed lady that it was a family emergency.

“Eva!” a raw voice barked impatiently over the interphone loudspeaker. “What is it?”

Dem cringed at the tone and watched as Eva’s face fell. “Mr. Landon,” she quickly intervened before her sister-in-law burst in one of her emotional tornadoes. “I’m Demetria Hilton…Landon,” she corrected. “Chase’s wife.”

There was an ominous silence during which Dem and Eva sent each other frantic signals. The phone was still connected though and that could be interpreted as a good sign.

“I have to admit I’m curious.” The sentence was so loaded with meaning and reproach that Dem felt quivers down her spine. This one was going to be a tough nut to c***k.

“Errrm…,” she cleared her throat awkwardly. “I was thinking about…ermmm...a dinner…if you would…l…like,” she stopped. Hell, Nathan Landon was so intimidating that she was stammering like a foolish adolescent. It was time for her to put her heiress mode – the one Chase detested.

“Governor,” she tried again with her usual iciness. “I am arranging a dinner party for my husband’s family and would greatly appreciate your presence.”

Another long meaningful pause. “Why now? I wasn’t even invited for the wedding!”

Damn! What now? How could she account for something she was not even responsible for? “I know. We regret not having…”

There was a harsh mirthless laugh as she fell the rest of her meaningless sentence drift away. Dem sagged her shoulders in defeat.

“Nate, please,” Eva suddenly said her voice filled with huskiness as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Please don’t do this.”

There was a huge sigh. “Alright,” he finally conceded. “I will come. Just don’t expect me to play the happy family again, okay?”

Dem closed her eyes in relief. Whatever. If he was willing to come, there must be something left in him for her to work on. All hope was not gone yet. As commanded, they connected to his secretary to find a place in his agenda and by some miracle he was free the day after tomorrow – the day when Chase was due to return home.

Without wasting time, Dem called the Ritz Hotel to book a private dinner for her family. Since she was a regular client there, the manager promised her that he would make his best to give them maximum space. They discussed the menu over the phone and Dem was not too fussy about the details. When everything was confirmed, she looked over at Eva her eyes twinkling.

“Two down!” they said in unison and burst into laughter.

After dinner, the two women were still debating about how to find Roman. Dem had asked Eva to find him through relatives and friends, but so far, the research had proved as futile as the internet one.

Roman Landon appeared to have disappeared under the surface of the earth. Minutes later, they continued their missions. When they called Liam’s office, he appeared to be unavailable and they left it for the next day.

“Trys!” Eva exclaimed enthusiastically, while Dem prayed that he would accept their initiative. Even if they accepted to come, the reunion was going to be explosive. They were all headstrong males, and Dem did not know whether she would be able to manage the situation the next day. Thank God there was Eva, their Achilles heel to diffuse the atmosphere when things would get complicated.

After a few minutes, she took the receiver to try with her coolest tone to invite him over. His refusal was equally crisp and polite. Even Eva was unable to ward off his recalcitrant attitude. Trystan was the most obdurate brother, later Dem learned that he had been the one to clash with Chase more than the others over their father’s business. Their father had made it clear that Chase’s opinion was the only thing that mattered because Trystan was the youngest one.

Talk about baggage. Dem was exhausted with all their family dramas. She found it daunting to deal with so many differences in opinions in only one family and for a few seconds, she felt pity for Fiona Landon.

“The only person who could manage them all is my Noni,” whispered Eva sadly as she slumped her form on the couch next to her in front of the television. “Chase loved her very much and every one of my brothers has inherited her stubborn Italian streak.”

Dem had to agree on this one. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she replied when she was informed that the formidable grandmother had died a year ago. She almost wished her back for some help. “That explains why Chase babbles in Italian all the time,” she commented.

Eva jumped in her seat like a spring. “Chase speaks Italian with you?” she stage whispered in awe as though she had recently discovered a State’s secret.

Dem was wary. “Uhuh,” she acknowledged carefully.

Eva let out a very loud unladylike whistle. “Wow. He never uses Italian with me or mother. Has always reserved it for Noni – said she was too special to him to share. I’m almost jealous,” she told her and Dem was dumbstruck.

“Right,” she replied stunned at the discovery. It did not mean anything, did it? Her heart picked up pace, her palms became itchy and her throat dried like there was a serious drought. The Chase Landon effect was back in full mode. “You wouldn’t know what baciamente means, would you?”

That got her a frown. “No, I don’t know Italian that much but I doubt it’s even a word.”

“It’s not,” Dem confirmed. “I googled it and it doesn’t feature as any Italian word. Actually, it’s a sentence. Vini e tu baciame or something like that,” she supplied hopefully.

“Vieni qui e baciami?” Eva repeated the exact words Chase had told her earlier, and Dem was the one who jumped in her seat like a spring this time. Finally! She was finally going to get the answer to the dilemma that beast had tortured her with since the very morning.

“What does it mean?” she asked, bouncing on the sofa like an excited kid unable to tone down the anticipation which coursed down her veins like some d**g.

Eva grinned. “It seems like my brother dear is getting romantically inspired. It means ‘Come and kiss me’,” she winked at her with a lecherous sneer.