His Unexpected Heir (The Billionaire's Club Book 8)

Chapter 1

“And…go!” Astra Phillips whispered, holding her breath as she surveyed the procession. Stepping back, she watched as the sparklers lit up the festivities accompanied by a gasp of surprise and delight from the wedding guests watching the line of waiters as they moved through the diners. With their trays filled with the wedding dessert held high, the sparklers added just the right touch of glamor and excitement to the dinner experience.

Success! Astra breathed a sigh of relief and allowed herself a moment of pride that the wedding celebration was working out exactly as she’d imagined.

“Just a few more hours,” Macie, her assistant, whispered.

Astra nodded, trying to ignore her aching feet. She hadn’t slept in…Astra didn’t look at her watch, not wanting to know how many hours she’d been awake. Too many.

“You did it,” Macie said. “This wedding was a monumental success.”

Astra looked around. The gold and blue theme of the wedding was perfect. Not only was blue the background color of the Sidrina flag, but it was also the perfect background for Mandy’s dress. The many shades of blue and green trimmed with delicate gold repeatedly drew the eye.

Or perhaps it was the happiness that was obvious between the bride and groom. Mandy was a really sweet person and Zahir…? Objectively, he was pretty darn good looking. Dressed in his dark blue uniform, trimmed in gold, the powerful sheik was an impressive figure. Unfortunately, he didn’t spark any interest in her, Astra thought.

Like a magnet, Astra’s eyes moved towards the other man, the dark-haired man who was currently leaning towards his friend, laughing at whatever Sean Byrne had said. The group of men at that table were…more than impressive.

Before she could glance away, the man in question looked right at her. Astra gasped as those dark eyes bored right into her soul. Her heart rate accelerated and she couldn’t seem to release the air from her lungs. Every part of her tingled with awareness.

It had been like this every time she’d seen Antonio del Campo over the past few days. Every stupid glance in his direction, every conversation had caused Astra to lose her concentration and just…sigh. If only the man was a horrible human being. Or a criminal like his father. Or just…mean!

But the future Marquesso del Campo was nice. Not just nice, he was funny, charming, and kind! He was good friends with some very powerful people, which had brought him into her sphere on several occasions during the wedding celebrations. His half-brother, Matteo, was nearly as good looking, but there was something about Antonio that just…did it for her!

A waiter bumped her slightly, which was a relief since the touch allowed her to pull her gaze away. Breathing in deeply, Astra turned away from the man, but she knew he still watched her. Those dark, penetrating eyes were more powerful than a laser, she mentally grumbled.

“Are you okay?” Macie asked, tapping some information into her tablet, then glancing at Astra. “You look a bit flushed.”

“Flushed” was a bad thing, Astra told herself, pulling her mind away from the bothersome man. Banishing the images of that man naked, she forced herself to focus on the night’s events. This wedding, this finale to the week’s wedding celebration, was hugely important to her business.

Giving herself a mental shake, Astra focused on ensuring that the final moments went smoothly.

“Yeah, everything looks…” she paused, noticing one of the waiters flirting with a wedding guest. She glared at the man, then turned to the head waiter. The man instantly recognized what was happening and moved to remedy the situation. One didn’t flirt during a royal wedding! Good grief. What was he thinking?

“Everything is fine, Astra.” Understanding, Macie moved slightly closer. “You did it. You’ve created a magical ambiance that will be talked about for years!”

Astra looked around and…her eyes immediately found a dark gaze again. Darn it! Astra didn’t have time for this!

And yet, once again, she couldn’t seem to look away. He was unusually tall and his swarthy appearance did something to her insides, making them feel gooey and tingly. However, Astra couldn’t seem to look away.

This time, there was a dark, smoldering heat in his eye that reminded Astra that she was alive. When he tilted his head towards her, she felt a thrill that was completely out of proportion with the night’s success. His acknowledgement of the evening’s triumph revived her, sending a jolt of energy to every cell in her body.

Feeling the blush bloom in her cheeks, Astra turned away, needing to…do something other than stand here, glowing. She had a wedding feast to finish! She didn’t have time to blush.

Pushing through the doors to the kitchen, Astra looked around, but there wasn’t any place to hide. She needed…just a moment, she told herself. A moment to pull herself together. This was ridiculous! She wasn’t some brainless, young debutante who needed acknowledgement of a handsome stranger!

She found a door and stepped through it, finding herself…in a broom closet? Astra closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the door. “Get yourself together! The man might be funny and interesting. But he is still a stranger! You have work to do!”

Okay, so he wasn’t a stranger. She’d met him, even spoken with him several times. And maybe, perhaps, in the dark, secret hours of the night…Astra might have read a few online articles about Antonio del Campo. So, she knew that he was considered a brilliant business strategist who was quickly cleaning up the mess his father had created. The current Marquesso, Ricardo del Campo, Antonio’s father, was currently serving out a one hundred and thirty year prison sentence. The father had been convicted of attempted murder, multiple counts of drug trafficking, and money laundering not to mention racketeering charges, abuse of power, and a slew of lower level crimes. The father had turned the small village surrounding his castle into his personal fiefdom, crushing any rebellion with brutal and merciless force. Thankfully, the Spanish government had cracked down on him as soon as his cruelty was uncovered.

“Has anyone seen Astra?” a voice called out.

Astra opened her eyes and, with a heavy sigh, stepped out of the broom closet. “I’m here,” she called out, trying to be heard over the cacophony of the clanking pots and pans. The kitchen staff were busy preparing the after dinner treats, washing thousands of dishes from the ten course meal, and some were even prepping ingredients for tomorrow’s breakfast. The palace chef was a master of controlled chaos, and Astra was truly grateful for his expertise. The food was one aspect she hadn’t had to worry about.

Everything else…yep. She worried.

At this moment, the sommelier approached her about a crisis, then the housekeeping staff needed guidance, someone else needed to know when to start the coffee service, the band was setting up in the ballroom and needed extra chairs…the list of minor problems went on and on.

Such was the life of an event coordinator. Astra handled everything with an outwardly calm demeanor, while underneath, she was a churning mass of exhaustion and terror that something would go badly wrong.

Antonio watched, amazed as the wedding feast came to a spectacular ending. The wedding cakes, yes, multiple tiered cakes, were lit up with sparklers. There was even a chocolate fountain. How the palace chef had managed that, Antonio didn’t know. It seemed impossible to have a chocolate fountain coming out of the center of a five-tiered cake, but there it was. And how did the cakes not catch fire with all of those sparklers lighting up the tops and sides? Each five-tiered cake was like a spectacular firework display.

Antonio lifted his glass of champagne to his lips, scanning the room. Almost immediately, he found her again. Astra was whispering to someone in the back of the ballroom. The palace servant nodded, then hurried away. The beautiful woman stood with her back ramrod straight as she surveyed the ending of the wedding feast. How the hell had she created such a fantasy wedding so quickly? It seemed as if his friend, Zahir, Sheik of Sidrina, had only just met his gorgeous bride yesterday. And yet, they were now married. Mandy and Zahir looked deliriously happy together.

Correction; Mandy looked happy. Zahir seemed to be…Antonio laughed and Zahir’s eyes snapped towards him. Antonio knew exactly what Zahir was thinking. Antonio tilted his glass towards his friend and watched as Zahir rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation. Si, this wedding extravaganza had been necessary. But Antonio knew that Zahir would have been perfectly happy with a small wedding. One that would have gotten his ring on the lovely Mandy’s finger two weeks ago.

Antonio snickered and Levi Harris, another friend from Philadelphia, punched his arm. Clarissa shook her head at him reprovingly. “Behave,” she warned.

“I am behaving,” he countered, but his eye was immediately caught by Astra again as she walked across the room. Even as he watched her, she lifted a hand. That must have been a signal because, suddenly, what he’d thought was a wall, started to pull away. It wasn’t a wall, but was a set of folding doors that opened to the ballroom.

Impressive, Antonio thought. The small quartet that had been playing in the corner of the dining room stopped and a larger group of musicians in the ballroom began playing. Zahir stood up and gallantly took the blushing bride’s hand. The wedding guests applauded enthusiastically as the newly married couple led the way into the ballroom for their first dance together as a married couple.

Antonio stood up, not applauding as he downed the last of his champagne.

“And now, we dance,” Sean Byrne announced with relish as he pulled his gorgeous wife, Kennedi, into his arms. The others at his table did the same, but Antonio wasn’t in the mood to watch the happy couples dance. Moments later, he and Edward, the Duke of Finehearst were alone in the dining room.

“Are you going to find her?” Edward asked, handing Antonio a glass of something other than champagne.

Rami, known to the rest of the world as Sheik Rami al Qadar, Ruler of Ditar, joined them, a glass of scotch in his hands and amusement clear on his not-handsome features. “Is he going to find her?” he asked of Edward.

Edward chuckled, shifting his body to include the other man. “Doubt it.”

Antonio accepted the glass and sniffed, but he didn’t really care what was in the glass as long as it wasn’t more champagne. He was sick of the bubbly stuff. It was an excellent vintage, but it was still champagne, which he hated with a passion.

“Find who?” Antonio asked, even while he scanned the room again.

“The lovely lady who made everything happen today,” Rami replied, his tone bored. He looked over at the women, all of whom seemed more than slightly terrified of him. The man might not be considered conventionally handsome, but there was an alluring power in his dark eyes and powerful body that challenged both men and women alike.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Antonio took a sip and discovered it was scotch, nodding slightly as he appreciated the subtle smoky flavors.

Edward rolled his eyes. “Don’t even bother, old man,” he teased, sipping the excellent scotch. “You’ve been eyeing Astra all evening.”

Several pretty women tried to catch Antonio’s attention, but he ignored them. He wasn’t interested in any one else tonight. He watched with amusement as the women eyed him, evaluating himself, Edward, and Rami.

“You’re delusional,” he snapped, dismissing the women.

Edward chuckled. “So, you’re not interested in Astra? If not, then say so, old man. I’ve been keeping away out of respect but if you’re not–”

“Don’t even think about it,” Antonio snarled, turning to level a glare at Edward.

Edward chuckled, nodding knowingly. “I thought so.” He clapped Antonio on the shoulder. “Since you’re obviously smitten, I’ll just have to console those lovely ladies over there with my gallantry.” He punched Antonio’s shoulder playfully. “She did a wonderful job today. Let me know if I can hire her for future events. Everyone is amazed at how well today’s wedding was organized so quickly.” He downed the rest of his scotch, placing the crystal glass on the gold-covered table behind them. He turned to Rami. “I’m flying out to Estradia soon to discuss the project we were talking about earlier. We’ll finalize the details then.”

“Are you going to join me?” he asked of Rami.

Rami eyed the ladies, then shook his head. “No challenge,” he replied, bored with the women.

Edward chuckled. “You’re becoming jaded, old man.”

Rami snorted. “And you aren’t?” He jerked his hard chin towards the women. “Are you seriously interested in any of them?”

The duke shrugged his broad shoulders. “I never turn down a dance with a beautiful woman.” He moved off towards the small group of women and Antonio watched, trying to release the abrupt fury he’d felt when his friend had suggested romancing Astra.

He searched for, and found, the woman that had haunted his thoughts for the past several days. She wasn’t “his” woman, as much as he’d like her to be. Astra was graceful, beautiful, and intelligent. She was the calm amid the storm that was today’s celebration. Everyone turned to her for guidance and she offered instruction with a smile.

Yes, he wanted her. But Astra was clearly exhausted. She hid it well, but Antonio could see the fatigue in her eyes, in the slight slouch of her shoulders. She glanced at her watch and he noticed the sigh. Then she straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin a touch higher and…glanced towards him.

There was a jolt of electricity. He felt it. And her startled gaze told him that she felt it too.

Nodding, he lifted his glass in her direction, trying to convey…what? That he knew she was worn out? That he could see the fatigue in her eyes? All that, and congratulations on having done an outstanding job today. Antonio had worked with many other event coordinators over the years, and none would have been able to accomplish a wedding of this magnitude so quickly. Even with the expertise of the palace staff, today’s wedding and the night’s reception had been a monumental feat. And Astra had done it.

Damn, he was proud of her.

A snort beside him interrupted his contemplation of the gorgeous, if exhausted, woman.

“You’re hooked, aren’t you?” Rami grinned at him.

Antonio didn’t bother to answer since the man’s assistant appeared by his side at that moment. Speaking of being “hooked”, Antonio thought as the man leaned in, listening to what his assistant had to say. Antonio noticed that the sheik even put a hand on the lovely woman’s shoulder. And in response, the lady’s cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink.

Interesting, he thought. Maybe, after he’d finished fixing the damn mess that his father had left him, Antonio might head over to Ditar, just to see how Rami handled the young beauty. It was always interesting to see how the mighty fall. And Rami was definitely about to fall, even if the man didn’t realize it. Which only made the situation more interesting.

Turning away from the intriguing tableau, Antonio scanned the room, once again finding Astra. She was pointing towards a doorway, giving instructions to the waiter who was nodding.

The waiter moved away and Astra pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, give her a bit of his strength. Antonio wanted to infuse her with his energy. Infierno, he wanted to make love to her and worship every inch of her body. He wanted to hold her close and whisper in her ear that she was magnificent!

But this was not the time. Astra had a job to finish. He stepped out into the dark courtyard. Finding a bench, he sat down, then shifted so that he could continue to watch “his woman”.

Desafortunadamente, Antonio knew that he couldn’t claim her. Not yet. There were still too many problems to fix back home.

“You’re bowing out?” a deep voice asked from the darkness.

Antonio turned and saw Levi and Sean. They wandered over, with glasses of scotch in their hands.

“Where are your wives?” he asked, scooting over so the pair could settle onto the bench beside him.

“They went to bed,” Sean replied. “It’s been a long day.”

Levi grunted and took a sip of his scotch. “How’s the cleanup going?”

Antonio sighed, draping an arm along the back of the bench. “My father was an idiot. It’s taken me months to clean up the illegal activities he sponsored and resuscitate the businesses.”

Sean grunted. “I saw the new marketing campaign for your textile factory. It’s good.”

Antonio nodded. “Si, it’s finally ready.”

“To sell?” Levi clarified.

“Si. The factories are back to processing linens and cotton blends instead of drugs.”

“And you don’t want to keep the factories? You’ve already sold off the rest of the businesses.”

Antonio stared down into the glass, swirling the liquid thoughtfully. “My father was a miserable businessman. The only way he knew to generate revenue was to sell drugs or launder money.” Antonio shook his head and looked at the good men he’d met through his brother, Matteo. These men were his friends now and he appreciated their support. “I’ve weeded the criminal element out of the businesses and gotten them running smoothly, but I don’t want to keep them.”

“You prefer investing?”

Antonio smiled, nodding with satisfaction. “Si. I enjoy the challenge of discovering viable businesses before other investors realize the hidden value. Besides, I prefer investing in a business over managing the day to day minutiae.”

Sean chuckled, his Irish accent coming out now that he was among friends. “Ye tend to create waves each time ye shift money, my friend.”

Antonio waved a dismissive hand. “That’s not my problem, it’s theirs,” he replied, but smiled with intense satisfaction.

Levi chuckled. “You saw the potential in that mining company. It was a good tip. Thank you.”

Antonio nodded. “It was a good partnership,” he replied, thinking about how he and Levi had combined their efforts. Levi’s guidance had turned the mining company around and Antonio had done the “whisper campaign” to get buyers involved. The mining company had become a massive success with skyrocketing profits, half of which were paid out to the employees, creating intense loyalty and more determination by even the lowest staff member to increase the company’s success.

“You came up with a good strategy. I wish I’d thought of it,” Sean replied.

Antonio’s pride was silent this time. “I enjoy the efforts.”

“But you’re still going to sell off your father’s businesses?”

“Si. The people of my village suffered under my father’s abuses. The money from the sale of his business will be funneled back into the village. The houses need repairs, the road into town needs to be widened, and the bridge reinforced. The villagers hate each other now because my father sowed distrust among neighbors.” He sighed heavily. “I can fix the physical problems, such as the damaged houses and poorly maintained schools, but I don’t know how to fix the anger among the villagers. The distrust is…pervasive.”

The three men sat silently for a moment, contemplating the problem. A moment later, Edward appeared and headed in their direction. “You mates look like you’re trying to solve world hunger.”

The men laughed and Edward leaned against a tree, the women he’d been pursuing nowhere to be found.

“In a way, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” Levi explained, then went on to summarize their conversation.

It was Sean who broke the silence with an outrageous suggestion. “Throw some parties,” he blurted.

All three men turned to stare at the Irishman in confused silence.

Sean chuckled. “Think about it,” he urged. “What forces people to come together and talk? Is there anything that will lure people into a conversation better than free food, booze, and a live band?”

Levi tilted his head slightly, considering the idea. “He has a point.”

Edward nodded. “I think it’s an excellent idea, mate. And stop looking gob smacked,” he teased with his upper class, British accent coming out in full force. Edward continued, ignoring their laughter. “Sean is right. Gather everyone together for a party and they’ll drink and dance until they are all best mates again.”

“Or they’ll drink enough to kill each other,” Antonio replied sarcastically.

Sean laughed, nodding. “That’s definitely a possibility.”

A moment later, all four men turned to watch as Astra walked through the now-empty reception area. The crowd had left the dining room in favor of the ballroom. There were about two dozen palace staff members cleaning up, some collecting dishes, others collecting chairs and putting them onto long, rolling trolleys so that the chairs could be cleaned, polished, and stored .

But they weren’t watching the cleanup. They followed Astra as she glided through the area. She touched one person’s shoulder, spoke quietly to another, and smiled at a group that were collecting the gold table clothes to be dry-cleaned. Everyone who received one of her smiles or touches seemed to appreciate her acknowledgement of their efforts and worked harder to please her.

“She’s incredible,” Sean pointed out. “If anyone could pull your people together, it would be Astra Phillips.”

The others nodded their agreement. It was only Antonio who could barely move as he watched the woman that made his body ache.

Yes, the idea was good. It would solve many problems. But the issue was that he wanted her in his bed. He wanted to make love to her over and over, to hear her scream his name as he gave her so much pleasure, she was drunk with it.

He did NOT want to employ her! Employment would mean that she was off-limits.

A slap on his back interrupted his spiraling thoughts, bringing him back to the present. “Now that your problem is solved,” Edward commented, “how about if you tell me more about this village and how there are some old buildings I might be able to re-tool for my new factory.”