Resisting the Billionaire Collection (17 page)

"Because I work for Drummond Airlines? Is
that it? If that's the only problem I can just quit, right here and
now."

"It's more than that, Melanie. It's our
father, Alex Senior. It doesn't matter if you quit or not. You were
once an employee so he will be against it and then we would both be
excluded from the Drummond Corporation, the family, and of course,
any inheritance. Neither of us would ever work in the airline
industry again or in any area where my father has power -- and he
is a very powerful man. I couldn't condemn you to that. God knows I
wanted to be with you from the start, but then the last few weeks
on this island have been driving me insane. Seeing you every day,
growing more beautiful every hour, learning more about you, hearing
every tone and nuance of your voice, coming close to you and
drawing in your breath like my own... it's just unbearable and I
don't know what to do anymore."

He looked down at the sand again. Melanie's
mouth was open in shock. He had finally come clean, almost.

"What are you saying, Alex? What's
unbearable?"

He mumbled something into the sand and
Melanie came up onto her knees.

"Say it louder Alex. I can't hear you."

"It's love." He whispered. "I love you." He
lifted his eyes to meet hers and they were filled with courage now.
"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Their gaze met and Melanie was lost. Here was the love she had
waited for her whole life, and it was huge, hot, rippling with
desire, and struggling to hold itself back from taking her right
there and then on the sand.

A slow clapping noise made her glance away
from her lover.

"Well done, big brother." Sebastian was
grinning as he gave his slow applause. "Are you done?"

Alex nodded and then looked back down to the
sand.

“Okay," Sebastian said, "I've got to admit
he's good. He's my big brother for God's sake and I love him -- I
always will. But it wouldn't be fair to any of us if I didn't speak
my mind."

"Will you be speaking as Sebastian now or
are you still pretending to be me?" Alex said in a low voice.

Sebastian felt his face go hot but his
embarrassment was covered by the shadows. If Alex wanted to play
dirty, then he could do that too. It was always the only way he
could ever beat his brother at anything.

"I'm Sebastian." He said.

Alex snorted contemptuously and Melanie
breathed a sigh of relief. Some truth at last. She had to admit he
was beautiful, even for a liar. "I was born just seven minutes
after Alex but it might as well have been seven years. Alex has
always been ten steps ahead of me in everything."

"That's not true Sebastian, and you know
it."

"I let you speak, didn't I?"

"I wasn't lying."

"Let him go, Alex. You had your turn. If you
have any problem with what he says you can address it later."

The men nodded and Sebastian continued.
Melanie waited to hear what he would have to say about his crude
comments at the check-in desk, impersonating his brother on the
airplane, about lying to her while she had amnesia, fooling her
into getting naked for him, and then nearly fooling her into sex on
the sand an hour ago.

"There's one big, big, big difference
between me and my brother." Melanie waited to hear, her mouth half
opened, staring at the little brother who was so obviously hot with
unrestrained desire for her.

"I don't care about the money." He said. "I
never thought twice." He was rocking her world again; her head was
beginning to spin. "When I saw you, I walked right up to you and
told you what I thought. I made sure you would be on our jet so I
could have you to myself for nine long hours on the flight and then
ten days together on Tahiti. If I couldn't make you love me in that
amount of time, then it was never meant to be. But I knew it
was."

Melanie held her hand up to stop him.

"Why did you pretend to be him? We almost
made love on the plane. Why did you trick me?"

He stared at her for a long moment. Tension
filled the air.

"Yes Sebastian, why the charade?" His
brother added. Sebastian gave him a slow angry stare.

"I didn’t trick her."

"Bullshit!" His brother spat.

"Alex! Let him have his say."

The older brother ground his teeth.

"Thank you, Melanie." Sebastian said. "I
never told you I was Alex. You assumed. You thought because I was
being nice to you that I must be him. You called me Alex but I
never, ever said I was him."

Melanie had searched frantically in her
mind. She it did again as she sat alone on the sand that stark and
empty morning.

My God, it's true! Her jaw had gaped and
Sebastian smugly nodded his head.

"What was I supposed to do? I see my dream
girl, my... my soul-mate, and in ten minutes my older brother who
has beaten me at everything in my life from skateboarding to
earning billions has stolen her away from me, just because I'm not
as smooth as him." He looked pained, a lifetime of resentment and
failure to live up to expectations etched on his face. "I couldn't
let you go. When you kissed me on that plane, it was the real me,
no matter who you thought you were with."

The three sat in silence, a tropical evening
breeze swaying the trees in the forest.

"But like I say, there's one thing that sets
me and my big brother apart." Melanie was transfixed. How could he
make her go back and forth like this? He had fooled her, cheated
her, lied to her, and now all she wanted to do was draw him to her,
hold him, and believe in him.

"Do you remember what I said to you on the
plane? I told you that I would resign from the Drummond
Corporation. It was before we even kissed. Isn't that right?" He
was telling the truth. Again. He was sexy when he was a lying
snake, but coming clean here in front of her about his love and
desire set Melanie in danger of losing control of herself.

"While big brother Alex is tearing himself
in half wondering if he loves you enough to give up all that money,
I never gave it a second thought. Hell, I could live right here
with you on this island for the rest of my life and be happy every
single day the sun rises."

Melanie longed to take him. She longed for
both of them.

She would have to make a decision -- one
that would rend her heart in two.

"Can I speak now?" Alex inquired.

Melanie nodded. "Then I get to speak again
too, right?" Sebastian quickly added.

"Of course, of course, whatever. But look,
Sebastian, Alex, I'm feeling very confused right now and I don't
even know what it is you want from me. Why are you both here? Can
you explain that to me?"

"It couldn't be simpler Melanie. I love you.
That's why I'm back."

"So do I!" Sebastian said. Alex sent him a
dark look.

"It's my turn." He said. Sebastian nodded.
"My little brother is twisting my words. I don't care about the
money at all. Not on my own account, anyway. I'm perfectly capable
of living without it, but why should you suffer? Why should you
lose your job and be poor? That doesn't make any sense at all, but
that's exactly what Sebastian is willing to do to you. He's always
just thinking of himself. He thinks he can live like a normal Joe
after spending his whole life as a billionaire and that you'll be
happy to struggle along with him, but I'm not like that. I’m rather
you are happy even if… " he struggled with the words, "even if it
means losing you." He turned his dark gaze to the sand.

"But I have an idea." He almost
whispered.

"Last interruption." Sebastian interjected.
"Just for the record, I want it to be known that this is entirely
and completely his idea and that I don't agree with it, I'm not on
board with it, and I don't even think he should suggest it to you."
He zipped his fingers across his lips and then sat back to see how
his brother could possibly come out with his ridiculous
suggestion.

Alex turned all of his focus to Melanie and
held her gaze for several long, intense moments. She felt
inexplicably nervous. She couldn't imagine what on earth his idea
was or how it could help to ease her confusion. She was scared but
still longing to hear what he had to say and praying for some way
out of her emotional confusion.

"I love you, Melanie." He said. "I'm sure of
that. And I want you all to myself and forever." Her heart was
melting inside of her. "I hope you feel the same way, too."

She longed to respond but couldn't move.
What about her feelings for his brother? Could she deny those right
here in front of him? Alex waited a little longer for a response
from her, found none and then continued.

"But I want you to be happy, too. I need you
to be happy or there's no point in any of this. So, here's my idea:
our father will disinherit whichever one of us takes you. You will
lose your job and any future prospect in the Drummond Corporation
or the airline industry in the United States. However, the brother
who loses you will keep his position and inherit his full share of
the Drummond fortune. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "I understand that." She said.
"But how does that solve anything?"

He was shaking with nerves. She couldn't
imagine what it was that would make this extraordinarily confident
man so twitchy.

"What if the man who was yours was also the
man who inherited the Drummond fortune?"

She shook her head, bewildered.

"Oh come on," Sebastian interrupted, "just
get to the point, will you?"

Alex opened his mouth but nothing came
out.

"This genius," Sebastian continued, "this
relationship Einstein right here wants to share you.
Understand?"

"That’s not what I mean and you know it."
Alex bit back.

Melanie shook her head, she was baffled,
mystified.

"Just hold on a minute." She said.

"Right. That's what I thought." Sebastian
said. "Look at her! She’s not confused because she doesn’t
understand; she’s confused because she gets it and it’s totally
crazy."

"It’s not as crazy as you think, Melanie. I
swear it."

"Then why can’t you just come out with it?
What he means is--"

"Shut up, I’ll tell her myself. Melanie,
let’s say you chose him, for whatever crazy reason. I still don’t
want you to be poor. I’ll see to it that both of you are taken care
of, no matter what. It means that we could never speak to each
other again, never even be seen in each other's presence."

Her mind was reeling. This was a crazy idea
doomed to failure. It had to be Alex’s because he was the selfless
one, the one willing to sacrifice. Sebastian was far too
egotistical. If she chose Alex, Sebastian would be sure to betray
them and they would be disinherited anyway. Then she would never
see Sebastian again and she didn’t want that either. No man had
ever touched her like he had before.

"Never." She heard herself say. "It’s
crazy." She looked up into Alex’s pleading eyes. "I know you mean
the best, but you can’t make me do that."

Sebastian's jaw nearly hit the sand. He
stared at his brother, who shared his shocked expression. It was
the last thing either of them had expected. This girl was throwing
away a lifetime of guaranteed luxury and wealth.

"Do you know how crazy that is?" Sebastian
was blindsided. "Do you know what you’re giving up?"

"Melanie, you’d never have to worry about
anything ever again. No more struggling to make ends meet, no more
flying back and forth from LA to Columbus on the redeye, no more
worrying about whether or not the airline is going to make a profit
or lay people off. You can do whatever you want: study, travel, do
charity work or just kick back and enjoy life. Are you seriously
turning all of that down?"

The two rich men, raised on luxury could not
fathom the woman before them.

"It’s not the money." She said, still gazing
at Alex.

"Hey, I’m here too!" Sebastian said. "If
it’s not the money then what the hell is it, Melanie? Aren’t we
good enough for you?"

"It’s not that either." She had said,
feeling wracked with guilt and suddenly naked and exposed before
the two most gorgeous men she had ever met.

"Then tell us." Alex pleaded. "Please,
Melanie. What is it? If there’s a problem, we’ll make it go away.
We’re Drummonds for God’s sake; we’ll make this happen. We’ll make
you happy one way or the other. Just tell us what to do!”

God, he was so arrogant. Both of them were,
even when they were being sweet. She was turned on and ashamed all
at the same time.

"I can't decide." She said in a low voice,
her eyes now diverted from Alex and looking to the sand. "I just
can't. I feel so strongly for the two of you. How could I ever
choose?"

Sebastian jumped to his feet.

"God damn it Melanie, I won't share you!" He
shouted. Not with him, not with anyone. I won't do it. You have to
make up your goddamn mind!"

"I'll do anything to make you happy,
Melanie." Alex said softly. "Even that. If he won't agree to it,
then he can keep my share of the fortune, as long as it’s me you
want. If you choose him, I swear I’ll make sure he gets his share
anyway. I don't care anymore. I've made up my mind. Now you have to
make up yours." His wild, desperate eyes pleaded with hers.

"Take him if you want, Melanie. But you’re a
fool if you do. I know him way better than you do. If we’re
together then it will be just you and me -- no money -- not from
him or anybody else. That’s the real choice you have to make. If
you really don’t care about the money and if it’s me you want, just
like you did earlier, then this is an easy choice to make."

Melanie was stunned. The depth of his
feeling, his emotion, his passionate desire was something she had
never known in a man. He waited a moment and when she said nothing
he turned his back to them and melted into the shadows of the
forest. Melanie rose to stop him.