Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
In which Ocean convinces me to take a stand and then defends me in the most glorious way.
I heard the keycard beep and Ocean burst into the suite, his hair windswept and eyes sparkling. But his carefree expression quickly faded as he took in the half-packed suitcases on the bed and the tension radiating off me in waves.
“Cash?” Ocean’s brow furrowed with concern. “What’s going on? Why are you leaving?”
“You better sit down for this one.”
He followed me into the living room, where we sat side by side on the couch. His hands were shaking a little, which somehow reassured me.
I took a deep breath as I laced our fingers together. “Preston is here.”
He paled. “What?”
“He walked out of the Krause headquarters as I showed up for my appointment this morning.”
I watched as Ocean pieced it together. “He’s trying to ruin your deal.”
“James said there was another buyer, one he had misgivings about initially. I think he was talking about Preston, and I fear that, by now, Preston has gotten to them with lies about me.”
“What kind of lies?”
“I don’t know, but they were different this morning. Garrett and James, I mean. Considerably cooler.”
“Fuck.”
“Ocean, your father…” My voice caught. “I can’t believe he’d stoop this low.”
Ocean’s jaw clenched, a storm brewing in those expressive eyes. “That man stopped being my father a long time ago. But this? This is a whole new level of fucked up.”
The anger radiating off him was palpable, yet I sensed a deep hurt beneath it. “I’m so sorry, baby. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Ocean whirled to face me, his expression softening. “No, baby boy. I’m sorry. I’m sorry he’s such a bastard that all these years later, he still can’t let go. The man gives a whole new definition to holding a grudge.”
I sighed. “I don’t understand why he’s suddenly so interested in me, in this specific deal. I mean, why is he…?”
Something occurred to me. Maybe this wasn’t his first attempt at sabotaging me. That string of deals that had gone wrong before I’d come here, what if that hadn’t been bad luck? Had Preston somehow managed to kill those deals?
“What’s wrong?” Ocean asked.
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, my phone buzzed. Oliver’s name flashed on the screen. Normally, I’d let it go to voicemail, but something in my gut told me this was important.
“Sorry, I need to take this,” I said. “Oliver, what’s going on?”
“I know how Preston found out about the deal.” Oliver’s usually bubbly voice was tight with tension.
My stomach sank. “How?”
“Markowitz.”
My accountant. Other than Oliver and me, he was the only one who knew about this deal because I’d asked him to do an audit. Jesus fuck, had he screwed me over? “You have proof?”
“No, but there’s no other explanation. After we hung up, it occurred to me that this might not be the first time Preston’s tried to kill a deal for you.”
“I had the same thought. Before I came here, I had a whole string of acquisitions that somehow went wrong.”
“Exactly. Markowitz was the common element. I made a quick list of who was involved in each deal, and other than you and me, he was the only one in the know about all of them.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “It’s not hard proof, but it doesn’t look good for him.”
“It’s illegal, right? What he did?”
“Definitely a breach of his professional code, but if he gave Preston financial data about my company, then yes, that’s illegal. That’s corporate espionage.”
“So you could press charges.”
I could…and I should. If what we suspected was true, I couldn’t let Markowitz get away with this. But pressing charges meant returning to New York and talking to the cops, maybe even the FBI. It meant leaving Australia…and Ocean.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I said.
Ocean spoke up for the first time during the call. “What’s there to think about? Of course you need to press charges.”
“Hey, is that Ocean?” Oliver said, perking up. “It’s so lovely to meet you.”
Ocean smiled despite it all. “You too, Oliver.”
And, of course, Oliver switched to video call again, but could I really blame him? The man had been born with an insatiable curiosity.
“Oooh,” he cooed when he saw Ocean. “You’re just as gorgeous as Cash told me. Your eyes are so beautiful!”
Ocean’s smile widened. “Right back atcha, pretty. I can see why he didn’t want to bring you here.”
Oh my god, he did not just say that. Was nothing sacred anymore? Apparently not when my personal assistant and my boyfriend ganged up on me.
Boyfriend.
Jesus, I’d never called Ocean that, but he was, wasn’t he? My boyfriend. My partner. My…Daddy.
“Oh, I know. We would’ve ended up screwing each other’s brains out,” Oliver said happily. “And while that would’ve been fun in the short term, it would’ve sucked in the long-term because I love my job, and Cash can’t function without me.”
Truer words had never been spoken.
“Do you two need a moment?” I said dryly.
They both laughed, but then we all grew serious again.
“He’s right,” Oliver said. “You do need to press charges.”
“I know, but it means heading back to New York.”
Ocean simply nodded, his jaw set with determination. “When do we leave?”
The “we” hit me hard, filling me with equal parts love and dread. “Ocean, I can’t ask you to?—”
“You’re not asking. I’m telling. We’re in this together.”
I felt my resolve crumbling, torn between my need for Ocean and my instinct to protect him from the shitstorm that was about to hit. “It’s going to get ugly.”
Ocean’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Good thing I look hot in battle armor.”
In that moment, looking into those eyes that held all the wild beauty of the sea, I felt a surge of gratitude and love so powerful it almost brought me to my knees. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“Must’ve been one hell of a good deed in a past life,” Ocean quipped, then grew serious. “We’ve got this, baby boy. Together.”
“Oh my god…” Oliver fanned himself. “That totally made me tear up. You two are so precious together.”
Oops. I’d completely forgotten about him. And Ocean had called me baby boy. Had Oliver picked up on it?
“But we’re not leaving before you find out what Preston told Garrett Krause,” Ocean said.
My head turned sharply toward him. “What?”
“They liked you, Cash. He’s only met them, what, once? He may have told lies, but if you explain the situation, don’t you think they’ll take your word over his? And who knows, he might’ve told them something that’s easy to refute with hard evidence.”
“But what if they don’t believe me?” I sounded weak, even to my own ears.
“You’re Cashell goddamn Sullivan,” Oliver snapped. “You don’t take no for an answer.”
Jesus, between the two of them, I had no choice but to agree. But they were right. My instinct had always been to run when it came to Preston, but it was time to stop that.
“You’re right. It’s time I quit playing defense. Preston wants a fight? He’s got one.”
Ocean’s eyes lit up, a fierce pride evident in his gaze. He surprised me with a searing kiss, his lips hot and insistent against mine. When we finally broke apart, both breathless, he fixed me with that intense gaze that never failed to make my heart race. “Show that bastard what you’re made of.”
“Good,” Oliver said. “I’ll arrange the flights for you while you clear that up. Call me when you’re done.”
He ended the call.
Ocean smiled at me. “I like him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you would. He’s as bossy as you are.”
“He is, which tells me that’s exactly what you want and need, even if you don’t always want to admit it.”
I was so not responding to that. Instead, I found Garrett’s number in my contacts and took a deep breath, a momentary flutter of nervousness in my stomach. But Ocean’s steady presence beside me bolstered my resolve. I hit dial.
The line rang once, twice, before Garrett’s gruff voice answered, “Cash? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. How are you feeling?”
Right. He thought I was sick. Or did he? “We both know I wasn’t sick when I walked out,” I said softly.
There was a pause, heavy with unspoken tension. “Yeah, I figured as much.”
“What happened, Garrett? We were fine…and then this morning, we were not.”
Another long pause and Ocean took my hand, squeezing it. “We learned some new information earlier this morning. About you.”
“From Preston Levine,” I said, my voice cool now.
“Yes. He said he knew you well.”
“That’s not how I would word it. We used to be friends a long time ago, but not anymore. He’s been trying to destroy me for years. Can I ask what he told you about me?”
Garrett let out a long sigh. “Your assistant, the one you brought to the meeting… He’s your lover, right?”
I frowned. This was about Ocean? “He is, but what’s the problem? He’s younger, but he’s a legal adult.”
“He wasn’t when you first started seeing him, according to Mr. Levine. He was only a teenager, and a young one at that. Mr. Levine said you groomed his son from when he was twelve years old, after his mother passed away.”
My breath caught in my throat, the implications hitting me like a sucker punch. Preston had accused me of being a pedophile. Of all the things he could’ve chosen to bring me down, he’d picked something so vile that he knew would turn people against me instantly. But how did I dispute this? How could I prove my innocence?
“That’s not…” I struggled to keep my voice steady. “I didn’t…”
But before I could continue, Ocean gently took the phone from my hand. His eyes met mine, a silent promise passing between us. As he began to speak, his voice strong and clear, I felt a surge of gratitude for this incredible man who’d chosen to stand by my side.
“Mr. Krause,” Ocean said, his voice steady and confident. “This is Palmer Levine. I believe we need to clear some things up.”
“Son, I don’t think?—
“With all due respect, Mr. Krause, I’m not your son. You know whose son I am? The man who told you the most despicable lies about Cash. Not one word of it is true, Mr. Krause. Yes, Cash and I are in a relationship. But I’m twenty-four years old, not some teenager he’s taking advantage of. Until two weeks ago, I hadn’t seen Cash since I was eight years old. In fact, I was in a boarding school for my entire teenage years, so Cash couldn’t even have had access to me. Also, my mom died when I was fourteen, not twelve, so Preston even got that timing wrong.”
I couldn’t help but marvel at Ocean’s assertiveness. This was a side of him I’d glimpsed before but never so fully on display. Right now, he was a force of nature, fierce and protective.
Garrett made a raspy sound. “But why would your father lie about that?”
Ocean sighed. “Mr. Krause, you’re a father, right?”
“I am. Three sons.”
“And you’re close with your kids?”
“I’d like to think so, yes.”
“So you love your kids and would do anything to protect them.”
“I would.”
“That would make it hard for you to understand this. Mr. Krause, my father doesn’t love me. At all. In fact, he doesn’t even like me. I hardly saw him before my mom passed away, and after that, I was sent to boarding school. During breaks, I was shipped off to summer camp, surf camp, or I stayed with friends. There’s not a single picture of me and my father from my teenage years, Mr. Krause. Not even one. When I was nineteen, he found out I’m gay…and he beat me with a baseball bat.”
Garrett’s gasp was so loud it hit me viscerally. “I don’t… I can’t believe he would… I’m not saying you’re lying, but how could a father do that?”
“You’d have to ask him. And if you want proof, I can send you the pictures of what I looked like after and the ER report, but I have to warn you they’re not pretty.”
“No. God, no. I don’t need to…” Garrett clearly needed some time to process. “I believe you. Of course I believe you.”
Ocean’s lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. “Thank you, Mr. Krause. I appreciate your willingness to listen.”
“Cash, are you still there?” Garrett asked.
I cleared my throat. “Yes.”
“I owe you one hell of an apology. I should’ve come to you directly instead of believing rumors.” He muttered a curse. “I knew from the get-go there was something off about that man, and James felt it too. I should’ve listened to my gut. I’m so sorry, Cash. We did you wrong.”
My father had always taught me that the measure of a man wasn’t how bad he fucked up but how he handled it when he did. Character shows in a genuine apology, he’d always said, and he was right. I could easily forgive Garrett for believing Preston. After all, I knew firsthand how charming Preston could be. “Thank you for acknowledging that. That means a lot to me.”
“Can I ask how Mr. Levine knew about this deal? James and I did wonder how he knew we were looking for a buyer since we didn’t make that public knowledge.”
My face tightened all over again as a heavy weight settled in my belly. “We suspect my accountant has been feeding him information.”
Garrett made a sound, then said, “That explains why his offer was higher than yours by enough to consider it seriously. It surprised us, seeing as how he hadn’t had access to our books but felt comfortable making an offer.”
More proof that Markowitz had been behind it. “I fear he knew my exact bid through my accountant.”
“God, that’s horrible. Is there something you can do legally?”
“Yes, but it means I have to travel back to New York as soon as possible.”
“I completely understand.” Garrett hesitated, then said, “Dare I ask if your decision to buy our company has changed?”
“It hasn’t, but I can’t sign the papers until I’ve sorted out the situation with my accountant. I hope you will honor our deal even if there’s a delay in closing it.”
“Cash, I promise we won’t even talk to another buyer until you’ve made your final decision. That’s the least we owe you.”
“Thank you. I’ll reach out as soon as I know more.”
We ended the call, and I turned to Ocean, feeling a surge of gratitude and admiration. “You were incredible. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Let’s not waste time thinking about that.”
“But can I say thank you for being my…my anchor?”
Ocean’s lips quirked into that heart-stopping smile of his. “It’s in my nature to want to take care of you, baby boy. Just like it’s in your nature to try and shoulder everything alone.”
His words hit home, and I felt a twinge of vulnerability. “I’m not used to having someone to lean on.”
Ocean’s expression softened, his eyes reflecting a deep understanding that made my heart ache. “You’d better learn, then, because I’m not going anywhere.”
I pulled him closer, our foreheads touching. “Promise?”
“Promise.”