sipped his coffee, knowing he’d have to get an appetite for the sandwich later. He wouldn’t be going down to dinner at seven. Miss Amber Stone would be more likely to show up at midnight if she didn’t know who he was. He’d rather seduce her anonymously. Just thinking about her smooth skin, her petite, curvy body, and all of that long, thick hair drained all blood from his brain to his cock. He stared at his laptop screen, not focusing on it, as he imagined how he’d take Amber in the barn later tonight.
Chat boxes now covered his screen and he studied them, noting the time as he did. He would wait an hour and then let Cook know he wouldn’t be down for dinner. The most recent chat box, which was front and center on his screen and above the others, grabbed his attention. The name on the top of the box was Anton_Admin2000.
“Crap,” he complained, reading the message in the box.
Your Grandfather wishes you to call at your earliest convenience.
Jordan X’d out the box, read the instant messages from the others, and X’d out each of those. Two of his workhands sent messages from their phones, both comments about the ranch. He grabbed a small notepad from his laptop case, jotted down a few notes so he could address their concerns later, and then grabbed his phone.
Mary Rhodes was a good lady, and he shouldn’t ignore her message. They were casual lovers at best, and right now he had bigger fish to fry. That is, if he could catch them first. He X’d out her box after reading the message she’d sent from her phone as well. More than likely she instant messaged her friends from her phone while sitting at the combination diner, country store, and post office in Big Timber. He would have told Mary he’d be gone for a month, but Mary saw most of the ranchers and a lot of the ranch hands. Asking her not to mention that Aunt Penelope’s ranch-hand supervisor would be gone for a month might mean asking more than she could do.
Taking his phone to the comfortable-looking chair alongside his large bed, he relaxed, putting thoughts of Mary out of his head. It had been a couple of months since he’d taken her out, and if she were hinting for another date, he would avoid answering her for as long as possible. The news would get out soon enough that he wasn’t on Big Sky Ranch.
Placing the dreaded call, Jordan set the notepad and pen on the table next to the chair and then put his phone on speaker.
“Anton Enterprises,” the secretary answered on the second ring.
“Pierre Anton, please.”
“Mr. Anton doesn’t take phone calls,” she informed him, her voice clipped and indifferent.
“This is his grandson, Jordan Anton.”
“One moment, please,” she told him, using the same tone.
Jordan sat through the silent hold, his thoughts again drifting to Amber Stone. What was she doing right now?
“Pierre Anton’s office.” Grandfather Anton’s right-hand man and primary bully, Pablo Diego, spoke with a husky voice that broke up through the speakerphone.
“Pablo, it’s Jordan. I received your message on the computer.”
Pablo didn’t answer, more than likely watching Jordan’s grandfather, who’d probably raised his hand for silence. Grandfather enjoyed making anyone around him wait for an audience. It was all about the power trip.
Jordan’s thoughts wandered as he shifted his attention to his closed bedroom door. It had been longer than he remembered since he’d sat in the middle of the afternoon and done nothing, as he was doing now. And he didn’t like it. Amber didn’t strike him as the kind of woman accustomed to doing nothing either. She was a working woman, more than likely having built her reputation by putting in long hours and appearing tireless at all times. Would she exert the same energy sexually? What he’d seen of her so far—her craving to explore, boldness that covered her shyness—had him dying to find out.
“Jordan, my boy, how are you doing?” Grandfather Anton’s voice boomed through the speakerphone.
Jordan tapped the button on the side of his phone to turn down the volume, just the sound of his grandfather’s voice reminding him of the seriousness of the game he was about to play. Even relaxed and jovial, the power in Grandfather’s tone wasn’t missed. Jordan wondered how terrible his life would be if he just allowed the old man to disown him.
“Doing good,” he answered easily. “The chartered flight from New Zealand went smoothly. You hired a good pilot.”
“Of course,” Grandfather said, as if the thought of anyone on his staff being less than perfect had never crossed his mind. “And Miss Stone, what do you think of her?”
“Miss Stone?” Jordan asked, deciding at that moment that he would allow his time with her today and tonight to be off the clock. He would also learn if there were security cameras along the paths on the island. “Is she here?”
“She arrived on the island a few hours ago, this morning your time.”
“I’ll seek her out, then,” Jordan offered.
“Good. If she doesn’t meet your needs for a social organizer I’ll need to know within the next twenty-four hours. Princess Tory arrives tomorrow afternoon and you’ll need to give a good show for Her Highness.” Grandfather’s tone lowered, the joviality disappearing when he continued. “Jordan, this is the chance of a lifetime, boy. I hope you see that I wouldn’t do this for any of my other grandchildren.”
Then why him? He wouldn’t ask. What was the point?
“Your mother is heartbroken that you’re throwing away your Harvard degree playing ranch hand. You’re thirty years old, my boy. It’s time to grow up.”
“I’m grown up, Grandfather.”
Grandfather’s laugh bordered on dangerous. “Don’t cross me, Jordan. Anyone else in the family would kill for this opportunity. The Alixandre family is one of the most prominent Sicilian families. Their royal line dates back centuries.”
In other words, Grandfather wanted to marry Jordan into the Mob.
“Your marriage to Princess Tory will unite two of the most powerful families on this planet,” Grandfather boasted, as if the event were already sealed. “I want to hear from you immediately after you’ve met Princess Tory. Keep an open mind, boy. You already know she’s gorgeous. Take your time getting to know her and understand she will probably be terrified flying to an island away from her home to meet a man who very likely will be her future husband.”
“I know how to be a gentleman,” Jordan said, barely able to keep the disgust out of his voice. They weren’t in the Dark Ages. Arranged marriages were a thing of the past. And in spite of Grandfather stressing that all of this was his and Princess Tory’s choice, Jordan wouldn’t be surprised to learn Grandfather had already arranged where the wedding would be held.
“I’ll also be curious to hear what you think of Miss Stone,” Grandfather added.
Jordan frowned. “I’m sure she’ll be very capable of doing her job,” he said, trying to figure out Grandfather’s interest in the social organizer.
“I want to know what you think of her as a woman,” Grandfather stressed.
“Why would it matter?”
