Ambition: A Dark Billionaire Romance Anthology (35 page)

I
was
in my best cocktail dress, coordinating the servants we'd hired for the night, which was a beautiful late January evening. The stars stood out, diamond pinpricks against the black velvet of the sky, and I shivered only a little bit as I greeted our guests. "Governor, it's good to see you again."

"Joanna Bylur, as always you put on a great event," the man greeted me. He wasn't the most sincere man in the world, but he was well meaning. He had been by Mount Zion multiple times, usually alone. Sadly for him, his wife had died the year before, and he was still mourning. He tried his best to cover it up with a good smile, even though it never quite reached all the way to his eyes. "How's the family?"

"Amazing sir," I replied, shaking his offered hand. "Matthew is still shocked by Patrick's offer."

"Chief of staff is a great position. And reading what I have about your husband, he sounds like the type of man who can help Patrick in any situation."

You have no idea,
I thought before smiling. "Thank you. Enjoy the party, sir. Maybe next year we can have one for you?"

"We'll see," the governor said before heading inside. I turned to the next guest, smiling and shaking hands with the VIPs and those who I knew personally. I was the head of the house at Mount Zion, and it was important to make sure the house maintained its good reputation.

After the majority of the guests had arrived (these sorts of events always had a few late comers, but we had greeters and coat-check people to help with that) I made my way to the back, and launched into last minute instructions for the help. "First round of trays go out in three minutes. Remember to smile, and keep their glasses filled. If you see someone who you might recognize from the news start acting a little tipsy, don't give them another glass, and tell me. I'll handle it."

"Yes ma'am," some of the staff replied, causing me to shake my head in good humor. Was I really getting old enough that people called me ma'am? I guess I was. At least despite my job as head of the house, I still wasn't Alfred Pennyworth though.

While I pondered the passage of time, Mark came through the crowd. The years had been very, very kind to my husband, who still sported the lean physique that had turned me on when I saw him in that nightclub twenty three years prior. We (and I mean, Mark and I, not MJT or any other front corporation) had bought that building and had it torn down, replacing it with a daycare center ten years ago. It had been part of the second cycle of community investment, after the community centers.

"Hey babe, how's things here?" he asked me, taking my hand. There was just a touch of gray at his temples, but he still turned heads on women in their twenties, and not just those with Daddy issues either. I am one lucky woman. "Need any help?"

"No, go and enjoy the party. There's plenty of handshakes out there for you too, Mister Chief of Staff," I replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be out once the first wave of stuff is on the way. But if you see your son, can you send him in here? His mom might need a hand with the cake later."

Mark grinned and nodded. "Of course. He's probably around here somewhere. There's quite a few pretty girls in the audience, he's going to have his hands full."

"Like father like son," I replied. Mark chuckled and left, and I redirected my attention to the staff. One girl, a cute little thing who looked kind of like I did when I was twenty, a lot of curves with just a hint of softness to them capped by a thick mane of nearly black hair, watched Mark leave with dream filled eyes. She was like me I could tell, a lot prettier than she thought she was and suffering mostly from a giant case of insecurity. I smiled and tapped her on the arm. "You okay?"

The girl jumped, startled. "Yes... sorry ma'am."

"It's okay," I said. Quietly, I leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You want to know the secret?"

She nodded, all big eyes and innocent features, and I smiled again at how much she reminded me of me at that age. "Just go out and try for them. They're not out of reach, although they are hard to find. Got me?"

The girl nodded again, a sheepish smile coming to her face as she realized I'd nearly read her mind. Her smile faded and her jaw dropped as the swinging door to the kitchen area opened again, and Riley came in. Named after his father (it was how all of us had finally learned his real name), Riley Bylur was the spitting image of his father when he was younger. Sandy blonde hair, piercing eyes, smart and athletic, the only thing he lacked was the soft Southern drawl his father could recall in an instant that still melted my heart. At nineteen, Riley was already a junior at Harvard. Like mother, like son, I guess.

"Hey Mom, Dad said you needed.... help," Riley said, his eyes stopping on the young girl next to me. I tried to hide me smile as I saw the two look at each other, and made a decision.

"Yes, later. In the meantime, Riley, this is...., sorry, I didn't get your name," I said to the girl next to me.

"Scarlett," the girl replied, blushing. "Scarlett Wayne."

"Scarlett Wayne. Scarlett, this is my son Riley Bylur. If you need any help tonight, ask him. I'm sure he'll be happy to assist you, he can coordinate things back here," I said, patting my son on the shoulder. "I'm going to join the party."

Riley nodded and smiled at Scarlett, already dismissing me from his thoughts. I left the kitchen before I could overhear too much of their conversation. The celebratory gala was already going when I came out, followed seconds later by the servants, carrying trays around to everyone. I made my way through the crowd, smiling and exchanging pleasantries with people while I looked for Mark. Finally I spotted him near the front door, shaking hands with Bennie Fernandez. Excuse me, Judge Fernandez of the Fifth District, a new position that had him in line for a Supreme Court spot if he wanted it later on. Still, he was just Bennie to us.

"So how's the new house?" Mark asked as the two took drinks from the tray, Mark's of course being non-alcoholic. Some things never changed.

Bennie on the other hand had. Balding, with a pleasantly round belly, he sill had the fire in his eyes that had told me he was a good prosecutor years before. "We're enjoying it. Our son's getting married soon, so the extra room will be great. Can you imagine it? Grandkids running around the house. My wife is already planning on spoiling them rotten whenever they come over. I was glad the President was willing to relocate me down there after my son got a job in Miami. It's a good thing. Keeps me out of your hair at least."

Mark laughed and patted Bennie on the shoulder. "You know I'm getting too old for that type of stuff, Bennie. I'm not twenty five any more."

Bennie chuckled, knowing that he'd never, despite all the years of subtle probes, get a clear answer from Mark. "I see.... and the urban legends then?"

I chuckled and came up to Mark, wrapping my arm around his waist. "Are urban legends, Benjamin. Don't make us lie to a judge."

Bennie laughed and nodded. "Okay. Well, I'm still fighting the good fight myself. New playground, same trash to take out. You know how it is."

At the front of the room, Patrick's assistant campaign manager took the microphone in hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming tonight," the man said. He was young, just out of college and was replacing Gwen as Patrick's personal assistant after so many years, once Gwen had trained him in how to do things.

Gwen wasn't leaving us, she was just moving up, taking Vanessa's job as head of the community center project while she came over to Patrick's staff as press secretary. The old campaigner had finally found her niche, that was for sure. Meanwhile, Nick the new assistant smiled again as the crowd quieted. "Again, thank you. The speeches are more or less done for the day, and my boss as you know likes to keep things not so stuffy, so I'm just going to say, please welcome to the party, our city's new Mayor and First Lady, Patrick and Tabby McCaffery!"

The crowd broke out into raucous applause while Patrick's music, a lighter remix of the old Nolan
Batman
film themes (he'd picked that because of my Hans Zimmer appreciation), played over the loudspeakers. Patrick was also nearly as fit as he had been when the three of us had taken down the Latin Kings, his face still youthful, his scars from his battles hidden. He'd had a few losses over the years, including that first campaign for Deputy Mayor, but had come back stronger than ever each time.

Tabby, for her part, was heart stoppingly beautiful, and even Mark hummed his appreciation. "How does she do it?" he asked. "Seriously, we saw her just this morning, looking like normal Tabby, and now....."

"Now she looks like an A-list Hollywood celebrity?" I remarked. "Who knows? I'm just glad she's in our lives still."

"Kind of hard not to be, isn't it?" Mark asked with a slight grin as another couple followed Patrick and Tabby onto the stage. "Andrea looks nervous."

"She takes after you," I said. "Never has enjoyed the spotlight. Much better in the dark."

Mark patted my hand. Patrick took the microphone and smiled. "Thank you everyone. I wouldn't be here without all of your support, but I'd like to give special thanks again to my family. First of all to my lovely wife Tabby, who inspires me every day to reach beyond myself and find new light in the world. To my son Carter and his fiancée Andrea, who I've known since she was born, thank you for being here. And finally, while she couldn't be here tonight, my daughter Barbara, who is off in Europe studying at university. Without your help, I wouldn't be here tonight. I'd also like to thank everyone who helped us reach this goal. I only hope I can continue to uphold the dreams that you've placed in my trust."

The crowd applauded again, and the music started up, with the first dance being the exclusive dance of Patrick and Tabby. They had chosen "Music of the Night" from
Phantom of the Opera
, and it was beautiful played on violin, the crowd applauding a final time before the party swung back to normal. Patrick and Tabby made their way over, Patrick embracing Mark as soon as he could. "Sorry I couldn't say you too."

"It's okay, we know," Mark said, as Tabby hugged me too. "Hey, did you see? Shawn Northrup stopped by to offer his congratulations. He said he'll talk to you in the office Monday."

Patrick chuckled and nodded. For twenty years, the two had butted heads, agreeing while disagreeing, consistent rivals even as Patrick's star shined while Shawn's waned. He still was on the city council, but was never going to grow bigger than that. "Yes, we exchanged handshakes. I'm sure he has something up his sleeve. After all, he is Shawn."

Carter and Andrea came over, their arms around each other. Their wedding was in a month, and the two of them were crazy in love. With his father's green eyes and his mother's rich auburn hair, it was a shame Carter didn't let it grow longer, he was perhaps even more handsome than Mark and Patrick. Andrea, whose hair had darkened some to be halfway in between Mark's sandy blonde and my brown, was obviously happy. They had grown up together, and it had just seemed natural that they were to fall in love, even though the stories of how they figured that out can be a whole other epic in itself.

"I can't wait for this to be over," Carter said. Standing six foot three, he was even taller than his father, and I was glad that Andrea had ended up closer to Mark's height than mine at just over five eleven. "I'm practically itching to get out of this monkey suit."

"Oh, I don't know honey," Tabby said, adjusting the bow tie of her son's tuxedo. "I think you look rather dashing. Don't you agree Andi?"

"You know it, Aunt Tabs," Andrea said. "Come on Carter, let's show them what we can do on the dance floor, our parents can't have all the fun. By the way, Mom, where's Riley? I can't find him anywhere."

"Your little brother is probably still talking to Scarlett, the staff member I introduced him to," I replied. "I'll tell you all about it later if he gives me a chance."

"Okay," Andrea said knowingly. Riley had a well deserved reputation as a playboy, he took after his Aunt Tabby so much, but I had a hunch that Andrea's dismissal of this latest girl might be a bit premature. There was something in Riley's eyes that said he might be different this time.

Mark looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and I patted my husband's arm. "He's fine. She reminds me of me twenty years ago."

"That worries me more than assures me," Tabby joked, and we all laughed, enjoying the party.

T
hat night
, as the moon set and the last of the cleanup crew drove away, I went upstairs to the bell tower. Inside I found Carter and Andrea already suiting up, their outfits more high tech than anything their fathers or I had ever worn. My legs had never been bulletproof, and I never had the sensors or physical enhancements they had.

"I read the manual on vigilantes. In fact, I wrote the manual, if I remember correctly. You can take a night off every once in a while," I joked, looking on enviously as Andrea zipped up the side of her outfit. Had I ever been that slim? I must have, at least Mark said so. Thankfully even after nearly two and a half decades, he still loved me, and still loved my body. Even still, Andrea's pinup figure had me wistfully recalling my days jumping rooftop to rooftop with Mark. "With Riley in town for the summer, you could even work out a patrol sharing system."

"Little bro? He's already gaga over that new girl," Andrea replied. "Come on Mom, it's just a quick sweep and check of the Docks. You know its nowhere near as dangerous as when you and Dad were running down the Confederation."

"Or even when Dad and Uncle Mark cleaned out Filmore Heights," Carter added. "Besides, Mark's agreed to work coms for us tonight. We promised to be back by one in the morning. He's got an early day tomorrow, can't tire him out. You know how age gets to you."

I shook my head in exasperation, then laughed. "Watch yourself Carter, or else your Uncle might just take you out on the mat and kick your butt. All right. Just be careful, I read the files. New weapons on the streets, something military based?"