I reached out and swatted his arm. “You did that on purpose?”
“I did.”
“You’re too old for things like that.”
A hearty laugh filled the kitchen. “Is there anything about sex with me that makes you think I’m too old?”
“No, but...shouldn’t you, I don’t know, think hickeys are juvenile?”
Van set his glass on the counter and placing his hands on my waist, effortlessly lifted me to the edge of the granite. Caging me in with his arms, Van leaned forward. “No. It wasn’t juvenile.” His forehead came down to mine as his words slowed and his tenor deepened. “It was primitive, primal, and animalistic. It was me leaving my mark on you and telling the whole damn world that you’re mine.”
I lifted my lips to his for a chaste kiss. “I wasn’t upset when I saw it.”
“Good. Because you are mine, Julia. I found you.”
My hands went to his wide shoulders. “My dad is worried, Van. Maybe if he knew it was you who bought the stock, if you told the world it was you, maybe that would stop some of the panic by the bank and other investors.”
His head shook. “It wouldn’t.”
“Why? You have capital. You could…I don’t know…restore Wade, make the balloon payment, or give it financial backing so that it isn’t vulnerable.”
He took a step back and lifted his glass, bringing the rim to his lips. I watched as he swallowed and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed where he’d unbuttoned his shirt. Once he was done, he began, “If the media caught wind that I was the buyer, Wade would be lucky to get pennies on the dollar in an offer from any of the bigger pharmaceutical corporations. I told you what I do.”
“You buy and sell.”
“I do. I also destroy.”
Julia
My gaze narrowed. “What do you mean, you destroy?”
“I buy companies and sell them off for parts or force them to falter.”
“I don’t understand,” I said honestly. “You would lose money.”
“Sometimes and when I do, I use it to my advantage.”
Four years of college courses was my big business experience. The last six months at Wade was filled with elementary tasks. With my time divided between work, wedding planning, and literature and writing interests, I didn’t mind not truly being an intricate part of my family’s business. I always thought I’d get the chance to do more with Wade one day. One day when I was interested.
Maybe today was that day.
“You purposely trash companies?”
“I destroy, not trash. Acquisitions are usually profitable, but when they’re not, they can still be advantageous to the bottom line.”
Before I asked why, the answer came to me. “When you lose money, you use it to counterbalance your gross income.”
“Very good.”
“What about the people who lose their jobs, careers, and livelihoods?”
“You should follow the news. Everyone is hiring.”
I jumped down from the counter. “No, that’s not the same thing. You’re talking about taking something, a store, a warehouse, a distribution center, or a factory...a place where people have worked for generations and running it into the ground to reduce your tax burden.”
“Not all acquisitions lose me money; however, in most cases, the acquired entity ceases to exist in its prior form.” Before I could comment, he said, “Welcome to the world of big finance, Julia.”
I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “Oh my God, I trusted you, Van.” I spun to face him. “Whether the cabin was planned or not, once you figured out who I was, you used that information to help yourself at the expense of my family’s past and future.”
“No. I didn’t. Your family’s past and future were on the chopping block before I found you or you found me.”
“But you said you wanted to help.”
“I still can.”
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You’re bribing me to marry you. You’re holding Wade hostage. Tell me how that makes you any better than Marlin Butler.”
Van took a step toward me, a vein bulging to life in his forehead as tendons made their presence known in his neck. His tone changed. “I don’t fucking have enough time to tell you all the ways I’m better than Butler.” Van’s voice was restrained yet forceful. “For the highlight reel, I haven’t been playing your father for thirty years. I haven’t been biding my time, encouraging a marriage to give me access to controlling power. And I haven’t been pretending that I’m someone I’m not.” He stood straighter. “This is me, Julia. You’re looking at Donovan Sherman. I made myself into who I am. I don’t pretend. I don’t act like I’ll save a failing company and then sell the business out from under them or reduce their worth to pennies on the dollar. The reason I won’t tell the world that I bought that stock in Wade is because if I do, the world will believe that I bought it to make it fall. I didn’t. I did it for you.”
“And if I marry you, you’ll save Wade.”
One step and then the next, Van walked me backward until I was sandwiched between him and tall cabinets. Despite his obvious size advantage, I refused to believe no matter how worked up he’d become, that Van would hurt me. I lifted my chin, maintaining our eye contact.
His words came slower, more spaced. “I could save Wade right now, Julia. One press release announcing our engagement. No marriage yet. You said you weren’t ready for that. Only an announced engagement. Giving that information to the world would be the simple gesture that would change everything. We tell the world that you, the Wade heiress, and Donovan Sherman are now engaged. We’ll tell them that I have secured enough stock that together with you, we’ll not only maintain but improve Wade Pharmaceutical...that statement is all it would take. I’m not bribing you. I don’t pretend. I’m not a frat boy who has led you on with an agreement and fucked your best friend.” He pressed himself against me. “I don’t know your friend and I don’t want her. I want you.”
My mouth felt dry. “You’ve had me, Van.”
“One taste of you, ten tastes, one hundred tastes...It will never be enough. That’s who I am. I always want more. I won’t be satisfied until we’re dead.”
“What?”
“Until our last breath, Julia. I can never have enough of you. I’m already addicted. I could fucking take you right now against this cabinet and again after dinner, and I’d want more.”
I summoned my courage to ask one of my million questions. “Have you ever been married?” When his eyes narrowed, I added, “I would understand. Millions of people marry and divorce and find someone else. I would suspect that someone your—”
“Age,” Van said, completing my sentence. “You keep bringing that up. Does my age bother you?”
I shook my head, answering him honestly. “It doesn’t. I want to know you and know about you before I agree to marry.”
“Agree to marry and then get to know me. Agree to marry me and tomorrow before the markets close for the holiday weekend, Wade will set records for its turnaround.”