Robert (Members From Money Season 2, #141)

Chapter 1

Café la Monde was not really a café at all. The lovely red brick building was old and held an important part of the town’s history. It had been a private residence of some sort and had been owned by a duke first and then a prince if the stories were true. It had changed ownership several times in the past.

Over the last five years, it had been taken over by a conglomerate and had become ‘the spot’. Not only was there atmosphere (outdoor dining beneath the canopies of open sky and lush vegetations!)- but indoors the two-tiered dining area was the ultimate dining experience.

Sonya had been there on several occasions. She had brought prospective clients here when she wanted to close deals. The staff were friendly, the décor – gleaming wood, a fireplace taking up one entire section of the wall, tables wide apart to ensure privacy; so, it was perfect.

The stunning slender as a reed African American had turned heads as she made her way to a table beneath an overhanging oak tree. She had chosen her wardrobe carefully. Summer was winding to an end, but the heat and humidity was still clinging on for dear life. Her dress was a designer brand and fitted her slender curves lovingly.

The colors, ripe peaches and mellow green highlighted her coffee and cream complexion.

Thick dark brown hair was scooped back into a neat chignon at the nape of her neck. Discreet diamonds were at her lobes. The platinum necklace with its tear-shaped diamond pendant had been a gift from her beloved father on her sixteenth birthday and was always worn, no matter what else she had on.

On the surface, she looked serene as she sipped her sparkling water and waited for her mother. Underneath, she was a roiling mass of nerves and jitters. Deidre Beaumont-Rivers-Bryan-Cole was a formidable woman, and it did not matter that she was her flesh and blood. The woman went for the heart and her aim was always accurate and deadly.

Deciding to go with a glass of wine, while she waited to steady her nerves, Sonya nodded to the eager and besotted waiter who was her server.

“Cabernet, please. Bring the bottle.” Her voice was well-modulated from careful grooming and private schooling and had the young man blushing and nervous.

“Right away!” He rushed off to do her bidding.

She was aware of her effect on men and had in the distant past used it to her advantage. But she was not that person anymore. She had grown up being spoiled and privileged and was desperate to make that change known. But her mother would never take her seriously, something that was eating away at her, and always had.

She was sipping the wine when a commotion sounded at the edge of the smooth walkway that led to the bank of tables. Without looking up, she realized that Deidre had made her appearance and had done so with her usual flair.

Her mother was a former actress and model and had married up each time, making her a formidable woman with resources at her fingertips. She had passed on her incredibly good looks to her daughter and the two women always rated second and third glances.

“Sonya.” Her voice was cool and lacked any sort of emotions as usual.

“Mother.” Putting her glass down, she leaned in for the casual peck on the cheek before sitting down.

“I have ordered the Salade Nicoise.”

Tamping down her resentment at the woman’s highhanded habit of taking over, she simply nodded.

“Isn’t it too early in the day for wine?” Deidre untied her silk scarf and draped it over the chair next to her to reveal a stunning ruby necklace nestled in her cleavage.

The skirt suit was stunning of course, the baby blue suiting her flawless complexion to perfection. Careful crafting and pampering had managed to maintain her beauty and her makeup was flawless.

Her hair, thick and healthy, was elegantly styled in the usual chignon at the nape of her neck and there was not a hair out of place.

She looked perfect as usual. A simple luncheon, even if it was with her only child, would never find Deidre unprepared and looking disheveled. Sonya did not recall ever seeing her mother looking anything less than perfect. Not even first thing in the morning.

She often wondered if the woman went to bed with her makeup on.

“It depends on what this lunch is all about.” In the past, she had been intimidated to the point where she had avoided being in the same room, but Sonya was thirty-two years of age and had decided some time ago that she was not going to live in fear of disappointing her mother.

Besides, she had already done that when she refused to follow in her mother’s footsteps to become an actress.

Deidre did not respond, but waited until the waiter had placed their meals on the table.

“Please see to it that we are not disturbed,” she ordered, with a careless flick of her elegant hand.

“Of course, ma’am.” The man bowed himself away immediately.

“This must be very important.” Sonya was not in the mood for a salad and would have preferred the soup du jour, but one did not contradict Deidre and if one did, then one had to be prepared for the exhausting argument followed by cold silence. She was not in the mood for either.

“It is.” Picking up her glass of water, Deidre took a sip and nodded. The wedge of lemon had given it the right amount of zest needed. “It’s about your marital status.”

Forcing her hands not to tremble or her face to show any reaction, she stared at the woman blandly.

“I don’t have one.”

“Precisely the reason for this meeting.” A theatrical sigh was uttered. “You have forced me into making a decision I am not comfortable with.”

The fear and trepidation increased, and Sonya felt herself teetering on the brink of despair. For the past year, her mother had been dropping hints about a likely prospect and the fact that she should be getting herself a husband.

In the past months, especially after her birthday in June, the pressure had increased, the main reason why she had avoided being in the same room with her. She was getting tired of the same argument.

“And what is that?” She tried to sound mildly interested but knew her voice was quavering.

“I have several men who would be more than happy to become your husband.”

“Like I told you, I prefer to choose my own and I am not interested.”

Picking up the snowy white napkin, Deidre blotted the sides of her lips, dark brown eyes gleaming. “Just what I expected you to say. It pains my heart to do this, but you have given me no other choice. Find a prospective husband by the end of next week or you lose the funding for your beloved charities.”

This time, she could not hide her reaction. Jerking her head up, she stared at her mother in horror. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered.

“You know me better than that darling. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why you are so interested in these causes, and I have put up with this phase of yours. I am in charge of your inheritance until you turn thirty-five when you get to do whatever you want with it.

But I am in charge, and you are forcing me to use it to get your attention. For goodness sakes darling, you are almost at the point where you will not be able to bear a child.”

“I am thirty-two!” Sonya hissed, feeling as if she was living in a nightmare.

“Precisely. Find a husband and go about your usual business. Or suffer the consequences.” Eyes hardened with purpose; she flicked it over her daughter. “I expect a marriage to be announced by the end of next week.”

“And if I refuse?”

“You know the answer to that.” Her expression softened. “I used to admire the girl you were when you were younger. Ruthless, ambitious. One who did not give a damn about someone else’s feelings.”

Sonya winced at that. “I grew up.”

“Such a pity!” Deidre dug into her salad. “You have my decision and it’s final.”

*****

Robert gazed at his sister fondly, an indulgent expression on his usually hard and cynically attractive face. At thirty-five, he was a self-made multi-billionaire, his reputation as a ruthless businessman, well known and legendary. But with his only living relative, he was just Robert, her big brother and he was proud of her.

She was a doctor, doing her internship at a local hospital and she had insisted on doing so at one that was not biased because of his contributions, even though he had been tempted to recommend his board of directors that they take a special interest in ‘Hope and Grace’, just to ease things for his sister.

But she would have found out and she would have been pissed and disappointed in him. Hers was the only opinion that mattered to him and that was the only reason he had backed down.

Now seated across from her in the exclusive restaurant, he smiled as he admired her trim green scrubs and bouncy coffee brown ponytail.

She was ten years his junior and they had different dads, but they were as close as two siblings could be. He took care of her, more now that their mother had died eight years ago while Catherine was still in college, leaving him to care for his little sister.

“You are staring,” she pointed out mildly, dipping into her soup.

“Am I not allowed?” He had chosen to have the coq ah vin. His days were rushed, and he was not a breakfast person. Two cups of coffee had been his only nourishment since he started his day at four in the morning.

He had rescheduled two particularly important appointments when Cat called and had done so without hesitation, leaving his very competent assistant scrambling to make the changes.

“I am sorry for calling and just expecting you to have the time to have lunch,” she fussed with her spoon. “I know how busy you are, and we have dinner plans on Sunday…“

“I am never too busy for you.” A frown touched his brow as he watched her rearranged the utensils on her place setting. “What’s wrong?”

“What makes you think there is anything wrong?” Lifting eloquent hazel eyes to his identical ones, she flushed slightly as he continued to wait with raised brows. “I could never hide anything from you.” It was said with a hint of resentment that had his sensuous lips twitching.

“You consider that to be a bad thing.”

“Of course it is,” she muttered, rolling her eyes, “it’s frustrating.”

Taking a sip of his water, he waited for her to continue and when she just sat there, he podded. “What is it you are trying to hide from me?” A contemplative look settled over his face. “Who is he?”

“Robert!”

“Am I wrong to assume that it is a ‘he’?”

“No.” She sighed dejectedly. “And he is genuinely nice, and I happen to like him a lot. He wants to meet you.”

“I see.”

His expression was bland, but she knew him too well, not to realize that his sharp mind had jumped ahead to other things.

“He is also an intern,” she ventured.

“One who knows your brother is wealthy.”

Her eyes flashed, and she tried to curb her temper. She also knew he had the tendency to be overprotective. He had taken over her care when their mother died. She also owed him everything. Because of him, she was not burdened by a crippling student loan.

He had funded her education and set her up in an apartment near enough to where she was interning. She did not have to worry about money and anything she wanted, she just had to ask. He had made his money by sheer grit and determination and none of it had been easy.

“He knows who you are, yes, but is not impressed or overwhelmed by your status. He is intimidated because you happen to be my big brother.” Her expression became pleading. “I really like him, Robert. All I am asking is that you meet him and try to be less…,” she gestured with one hand helplessly. “Less you.”

His thick brows shot up in amusement.

“Less me?”

“You know what I mean.” She sighed. “Less unapproachable, less intimidating, minus the constant frown and suspicion on your face and the interrogation. I know you ‘re probably going to have that – that completely impossible head of your security team run a check on him.”

Leaning back in his seat, he stretched his long legs out and studied her face. Their mother had passed on her coffee brown hair and hazel eyes to both of them. But there the resemblance ended.

Catherine had a fine boned face, with delicately arched brows and a gentle expression that gave her an ethereal look. She was also incredibly innocent and compassionate.

Robert had never been innocent. He had grown up much too fast when his dad left him and his mother to cope on their own.

He had been eight at the time. They had been forced to leave their shabby, yet comfortable home because his mother had been unable to pay the rent and found refuge in an apartment that was more of a hovel than anything else.

He had seen his mother running around doing three jobs, just to put food on the table and pay the rent. His brilliance had landed him a scholarship in an exclusive private school, where he was forced to realize the difference between him and the privileged kids who attended.

He had stood out because of the way he looked and the clothes he wore. And he had suffered through years of being laughed at and bullied – until he had started putting on weight and learning to fight.

Now he was no longer scraping for food and wearing hand me downs. His suits were tailormade and of the highest quality, but there were some moments when he still felt like that scholarship kid who did not belong.

“Dinner.” He said abruptly. “Bring him by on Sunday.”

She eyed him as she took a sip of her drink.

“Will you be nice?”

“Will he be genuine?” He countered.

“Robert!”

“Just saying…” A thin smile touched his lips. “I am just trying to protect you.”

“I am an adult…”

“You are still my baby sister, and I am never going to allow anyone to take advantage of you,” he told her firmly, “deal with it.”

“I am worried about you.”

The sudden change of subject had him jolting, a little. “Pardon?”

“You need a woman.”

His smile widened. “I am not short of female companions.”

“Not just someone to have sex with, you need someone special.”

His brows lifted. “I see. You don’t count as someone special?”

“I am your sister. Robert, you should be married, with a family.”

Picking up his glass, he sipped and eyed her over the rim. “Where is this coming from?”

She shrugged. “I am just worried about you that’s all. I love you, but I am not there enough. You live alone in that sterile apartment of yours and you are hardly ever there.”

“That’s because I have a business to run, and that business takes me out of the country every now and then.”

“If you had a wife…”

“You mean someone who is going to be interested in my money?” He asked mildly.

“You are very attractive and not all women are materialistic.”

“As soon as I find one who’s not, I will be proposing,” he glanced at his watch, “I’m afraid I have to run. Stay and finish your meal and have dessert.” He eyed her critically. “You are too thin. Do you need money for groceries?”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Don’t you dare try and send more money to my account. I am probably the only intern with several million in their bank account.”

“Then use some of it.” Pulling her out of her seat, he cupped her face between his palms and kissed her lips tenderly. “See you on Sunday. I love you too.”

She watched as he strode away, unaware or uncaring that he was turning heads. Sitting back down, she finished her meal, her mind whirling.

*****

Slipping out of the designer shoes, Sonya sat on the side of her bed and automatically rubbed her instep slowly. She had spent the ride to her apartment fuming and plotting and trying to come up with a damn solution.

Her mother had gone too far now. She was abusing her position and Sonya was not pleased. She was furious. She did not want to get married. The last thing she wanted to do was become someone’s wife, someone’s unpaid hostess and bed partner. She had better things to do with her life than that.

Flopping back on the pillows, she closed her eyes wearily and took several deep breaths. Her mother had mentioned her high school days and she had reluctantly taken the walk down memory lane.

She had been dreadful. Rich and entitled and beautiful and had taken all of it for granted. She had reigned with terror. Being the most popular, the most beautiful girl in school had gone to her head and turned her into a monster.

She had used people. Given scant regards for their feelings.

After her daddy died, she had had a rude awakening, and it had changed her life. Now she spent her time giving back to society. Her mother had accused her of trying to be a saint.

“Darling, you cannot change the past and why should you want to anyway?”

But Deidre would never understand. She had been horrible to people who were not of her social circle. Especially the scholarship kids. And she was ashamed of herself. Of whom she had been in the past.

Now she was going to have to find someone to marry and she did not have a lot of time to do so. Unless she could pretend to be married to get her mother off her back. The idea had come to her on the drive home. Perhaps she could pay someone?

No, she shook her head instantly. It would have to be discreet. She could have to find someone who would not want anything from her. Someone who would be willing to do her the favor without wanting anything in return.

But who? Sitting up against the headboard, she frowned at the pale blue silk wallpaper. In her line of work, she interacted with a lot of people and just the other day, she had been in a dialogue with Robert Faulkner… Her mind slid to a stop as if a button had been pushed to halt her train of thought.

Robert, multi-billionaire industrialist. She had sought him out or rather his company to partner with a project they had been working on.

The new clinic they were building in the downtown area to accommodate the less fortunate, people who were working low-income jobs and who could not afford proper healthcare. They had spoken at length, and he had agreed to take it up with his board.

He was also a former classmate. When he reminded her that he had been a scholarship kid at the private school, she had been afraid to ask.

“Did I- was I a bitch to you?”

He had laughed, white teeth gleaming against tanned skin. “You barely noticed me. You had an entourage that poked fun at my clothes, but one day you decided to come to my rescue.”

“I did?”

He nodded. “You told them to leave me alone and they scattered instantly. That was how powerful your words were. I had been an admirer before, but after, I became even more so.”

She had sighed with relief. “I must have noticed something special about you.”

“Oh, I sincerely doubt that.” The cynicism that was an integral part of him had returned.

She could ask Robert. But why would he want to do her that favor? She could explain the situation to him and assure him that it would not be a real marriage. She had someone in mind to perform the ceremony. Michael Blaisdell was an actor who had played the part of a priest too many times to count and he owed her a favor.

She was desperate. In order to continue her work, she was going to have to bow to her mother’s wish or at least pretend to do so. A fake ceremony for Deidre’s sake and then she would be free to get on with her life. With that in mind, she reached for the phone.