“Mom knows I’m seeing her.She’ll meet everyone next weekend.Let’s talk later, Eddie.I need to check on her.”
He and Eddie had always had a unique relationship.Lex loved his brothers, but they worried too much about him.If they knew about the adventures he and his friends took, they’d round up the entire family and wait for him at the nearest resort—or worse, insist on staying in contact the entire time.Nothing was a buzz kill like staying plugged in while battling nature.Since almost all his friends had no living relatives, except Sloan, things could get awkward between them fast.So Lex had chosen to confide in Eddie just in case something went wrong.Eddie never shared that information with anyone in the family.Lex could trust his cousin with anything.
Lex checked on Jillian and then headed downstairs to Douglas’ place.
“I’m feeling better, sir.I’ll be upstairs shortly to prepare your dinner.”
Douglas’ idea of better was obviously very different from Lex’s.The man looked like shit.“No, you won’t.Rest.I insist,” he added when Douglas looked ready to argue.“I’ll order something from Eros.”As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he had no idea what Douglas liked.“What would you like to eat?”
Douglas looked uncomfortable with their switched positions.“I should order, sir.I know your preferences.”
“I’m ordering dinner, Douglas, and that’s the end of it.Now tell me what you’d like to eat.”
Lex frowned as he walked back upstairs.He needed to pay more attention to those closest to him.He’d been with Douglas for ten years and he’d never noticed what the man ate.
Jillian slept through dinner.He tried waking her up, but she just rolled over and curled up in a fetal position.His second attempt earned him, “Go away, Alexander.”
He grinned.She only called him Alexander when annoyed.He’d kept her awake the night before, so he knew she was exhausted.Still, he worried.He ate alone, and for the first time in his adult life, Lex felt lonely.
Before heading to bed, he called Sloan.
“Still having the party on Saturday?”Lex asked.
“Moved it to Sunday.Deedee is flying back on Saturday.”“Deedee” was Sloan’s baby sister, Deidre.“Do you think you’ll still make it?”
“Maybe for a few hours,” Lex said.
“Then it’s on.Go easy on Rod on the TNO pictures.It was my fault someone followed you from Van Nuys.I mentioned you were flying in, but in my defense, I had no idea the girl draped all over Rod was a journalism student.She took the information and ran with it.Selling the story and pictures to TNO was an attempt to impress him.”
“Did it work?”
Sloan chuckled.“No.I think it gave him a reason to get rid of her.He’s sworn off women and promised to follow your M.O.”
“Which is what?”
“Do a background check on every woman before he beds them.Or in Rod’s case,afterhe beds them for the first time.”
Lex chuckled, but he wasn’t amused.He’d changed his M.O.with Jillian, or he would have foreseen this mess with her family before it happened.Maybe he should have had her investigated.Even as the thought crossed his mind, he was happy he hadn’t.He would have missed out on meeting her.
“Okay, Sloan.Usual time?”
“Yeah.I have a few guilty pleasures lined up, so bring your appetite.”
Lex hung up the phone and reached for his tablet.Anyone listening to their conversation would conclude they were a bunch of bored billionaires with depraved tastes.Yes, he and his seven friends worked hard and partied hard, but there was more to them than making money, women, and pitting their skills against nature’s most dangerous elements.
Bringing his appetite was Sloan’s way of saying Lex should bring his checkbook or start moving funds around.Guilty pleasure was a code for a new cause worthy of their organization,Infinitus Agendum,Latin for Infinite Agenda or limitless plan.Sloan’s parties were perfect covers for their meetings.
Infinitus Agendumhad one goal—to alleviate suffering from around the world without getting political.They worked with humanitarian organizations, using the power of their checkbooks to send aid wherever it was needed.They sponsored doctors and engineers without borders, provided food and shelter after a disaster, natural or otherwise, and even funded operations when governments didn’t want to be involved.
Sloan, who worked from home and had more flexible hours, ranInfinitus.Rod’s vast media influence made sure atrocities were reported.Cade, the tech guy, made sure no hacker followed the money trail and identified them.The other four contributed more than their money too—Rake and his private satellites, Dom and his CIA connection, Aiden and his import and export business, and Lucien, another IT guru in the group.Dot-com bubble might have made these seven men wealthy, but their ingenuity had made them experts in their fields.But when it came toInfinitus, they preferred to stay in the shadows.
Lex moved funds around, turned off his tablet, and left for the bedroom.Jillian was still asleep.He crawled in bed and pulled her into his arms.He could get used to listening to her breathing.
Okay, it would take awhile, he decided an hour later.He wasn’t sure whether it was the fact that Jillian was sprawled out on top of him and his cock had a mind of its own or if he wasn’t used to a woman sleeping in his bed.And when he finally fell asleep, sniffles woke him up.Jillian was crying in her sleep again.
“It’s okay,” Lex whispered.“I’m here.I’m never letting them hurt you again.”
~*~
