Bedding The Billionaire

Giving in to a true moment of cowardice, Lil ran from the stunned expressions on the faces of everyone at the table.

Dominic leaned forward, one hand clenching on the table and the other pointing across the table at Jake. “This is your fault. Fix it,” he ordered.

Jake folded his arms across his chest. “Your family. You fix it.”

Dominic left his spot at the head of the table and strode toward Jake. “It’s going to be your family, too, if you know what is good for you.”

Surging from his seat, Jake met his friend half way. “Or what? What are you going to do, Dominic? Hit me? Try it.”

Abby sprinted toward them, but Mrs. Duhamel stopped her with a hand on one of her arms before she reached them. “They need to settle this themselves, Abby,” she said.

Dominic swung at Jake’s jaw, but Jake avoided the hit and landed one of his own in Dominic’s abdomen. The sound of the breath leaving Dominic was a hiss in an otherwise silent room.

Jake addressed the doubled over Dominic. “I’m tired of pandering to your colossal ego. I don’t work for you and we both know that.”

Dominic growled and flew at Jake, landing a hit that sent Jake back a few feet. “And I’m tired of you talking to me like I wouldn’t have a company without you.”

Rubbing his quickly swelling jaw, Jake shoved Dominic backwards, toppling the serving table beneath his weight. “You wouldn’t.”

The fists flew faster, leaving no time for words. It only slowed only when both men’s faces were swollen and they were holding their sides.

Dominic wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, and actually laughed. “I had no idea you had it in you.”

Jake bent over, hands on his thighs, his breathing a bit labored from pain. “It felt surprisingly good.”

Mrs. Duhamel made a tsk sound with her mouth and said, “Are you boys through, now?”

Dominic looked at the older woman with a bit of chagrin. “You know he had that coming, Marie.”

Marie nodded. “I know.” To Jake, she said, “You did.”

Jake conceded with one nod. “So did he.”

Marie smiled. “No one is questioning that, Jake. But now you two need to make up so our poor Abby can enjoy her engagement party.”

As usual, she was right.

Jake held out a hand. “Truce?”

Dominic shook it but added, “You’re still marrying Lil.”

Abby stepped forward at that. “What did you say, Dom?”

Dominic said, “He heard me.”

Abby clarified her question. “I heard you, too, but why would you say that?”

Dominic returned to his place at the head of the table and said unhappily, “Our plan to get the two of them together worked a bit too well.”

Abby looked quickly at the door her sister had departed through and exclaimed, “That’s why she’s so confused this weekend.”

Nicole added, “Poor thing.”

Dominic placed his napkin decisively on his lap as if doing so would bring an end to the conversation. “Don’t worry, Jake is going to rectify the situation.”

Abby stood behind Dominic’s chair and put a hand on one of his shoulders. “Don’t make things worse, Dom.”

He scowled up at her.

She touched his cheek lightly and his expression softened. She said, “You can’t force Jake. No one wants to marry a man who doesn’t want to marry her.”

Jake returned to his own place at the table and said, “I never said I didn’t want to marry her.”

All eyes turned to him.

Jake shrugged. “Well, I didn’t.”

Stephan’s aunt, Elise, said, “Isn’t it amazing that men and women get together at all?”

Jake continued, “I even asked her to move in with me, but she said no. Now she won’t even talk to me. ”

Abby said, “I’ll go find her.” She wagged a finger at Dominic. “Behave while I’m gone.”

He simply smiled up at her and she hesitated.

Stephan’s mother, Katrine, said, “Go on, Abby. We’ve got this.” She turned to her sister-in-law. “Elise, doesn’t this bring back memories?”

Her husband, Victor, laughed and asked, “Were we this bad?”

Elise threw both hands in the air and joked, “Worse.”

Stephan sighed and said, “Makes me almost wish I had a brother.” When both Dominic and Jake aggressively jumped to their feet, he quickly dissolved the tension by raising his two hands in an amused call for peace. “Almost.”

They sat somewhat reluctantly.

Nicole said, “Zhang left the table, too. Do you think we upset her?”

Katrine said wryly, “I don’t know what she could have seen that would make a sane person reconsider having dinner with us.”

Nicole smiled and laid her hand on her fiance’s. “At least we know the wedding won’t be boring.”

Dominic looked across the table at Jake and asked, “Best man?”

Jake dabbed a napkin into his glass of water and pressed it to a cut on his cheek. “Absolutely.”

Lil slipped out a side door and onto a balcony that overlooked one of the main gardens. To her surprise, it was already occupied. “I’m sorry,” she said hastily. “I just couldn’t stay in there a moment more.”

“Nor could I,” Zhang answered.

Lil moved to leave and Zhang said, “Your sister is a wonderful woman. I now proudly count her as one of my friends.”

Lil heard something in the woman’s voice that gave her pause. She turned and walked back to where Zhang was seated on a bench. “But you don’t want to be in her bridal party.”

“Precisely.” Zhang motioned for Lil to join her. “Is there a customary way to decline the honor without either side losing face?”

Lil sat on the bench beside her. “If you hear of one, tell me. I don’t want to be in it either.”

A look of surprise crossed over the woman’s face, just a brief flash before she regained her composure. “That’s surprising.”

Lil shook her head sadly. “Not really. If Abby is smart she’ll choose someone better suited. I’m a walking disaster.”

“That’s not the way Abby described you.”

“Really?” Lil heard the hope in her voice and was somewhat embarrassed by it.

Zhang’s tone warmed. “Abby and I have spoken about you on several occasions. She said you were born with your mother’s spirit-quite the warrior soul. She admires your strength.”

“I didn’t know there was a thing about me that she approved of,” Lil said, surprised and moved by Zhang’s words.

Zhang didn’t let Lil’s side comment slide by without rebuttal.“Then you don’t know your sister very well. She also envies your circle of friends. She said you collect people who would do anything for you.”

“I’ve always been very lucky with that.”

“Friendship is not a result of luck, it’s a testament to our character. You inspire loyalty in your friends because you’ve earned it.”

“I don’t know how.”

Zhang considered her and said, “An eagle will never swim as well as a dolphin. The eagle’s potential will only be realized when it decides to soar instead of dive.”