Family Ties Read online

  Sloan’s ice blue eyes were daggers as the metal doors opened. He barked as he stepped off the elevator. “Logan?”

  “Meeting us in the conference room.” Abbey’s steps fell in time with his long strides. She cocked a small grin in his direction. “You knew this was coming eventually.”

  Sloan glared at her coldly for a moment. Then his face melted into a soft smile as he took her hand in his. “You up for this, lass?”

  “I’ve been dreaming about this day for years. It’s even better that those idiots picked Nathan Paulson to lead their charge.” Abbey let go of Sloan’s hand to reach for the conference room door. As she flung it open, she was met with a table full of wrinkled, smug grins.

  The biggest belonged to Nathan Paulson, his grey eyes beneath his wire rimmed glasses sparkling. “We were wondering when you’d join us, Sloan.”

  Abbey crossed the conference room to the head of the table, her back to the computer screens that made up the wall behind her. She briefly glanced back at the Sloan Enterprises logo sprawled across them before her eyes locked on him. “Me, Mr. Paulson. You direct your statements to me.”

  “Sloan is so whipped he has you now fighting his battles for him. Cute.”

  Abbey looked up at the door to see Logan and Ashleigh slip in. Silently, Logan took his spot at the computer controlling the wall. Her gaze wandered to Sloan reclining back in his chair with his hands laced behind his head. He grinned at her, completely amused. Rolling her eyes and sighing, she continued. “You have approximately thirty seconds to tell me why you shut down Rio. Illegally, I might add.”

  “It was far from illegal, Abbey. This Executive Board was assembled by that man,” Nathan pointed at Gordon, “and Liam to act when Sloan O’Riley did something that would put Sloan Enterprises at risk. Building in a dangerous city like Rio de Janeiro is beyond foolish. We are here to stop it.”

  “Really? We are building the complex on the water, like countless other complexes we built in the safest part of the city. We’ve studied this location for two years. It’s not our first rodeo, Calamity Jane.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’ve stepped in and done our job. When Sloan acts stupid, he needs to be stopped.”

  “One, stop speaking about my husband as if he’s four. What you’ve done is illegal.”

  “Explain to me how.”

  “The purpose of this Board is to intervene when Sloan does something foolish, correct?”

  “You know that.”

  “Logan, please enlighten our guests on their mistake.”

  Logan’s fingers flew across the keyboard briefly. A document popped up on the screen. “Gladly, Abbey. Once again, you’re here to stop Sloan, correct?”

  “Abramsom, stop wasting our time!” Nathan snapped.

  Logan slowly scrolled through the document on the screen. “I’m just making sure. Forgive me, ladies and gentlemen. It seems your lawyer is a little slow. Your mission is to police Sloan. He never changed your agreement to add Abbey.” He stopped scrolling at a very feminine signature. “Rio was never authorized by Sloan. Abbey is in control of the project. Sloan is overseeing Seattle. You illegally shut Rio down because your jurisdiction with the company does not involve Abigail O’Riley.”

  Nathan Paulson cringed at the pairs of eyes that suddenly shot to him. He laughed uneasily as he shuffled papers in front of him. “Let’s be honest, Abramson. As CEO of Sloan Enterprises, he should have shut this project down. His actions are irresponsible. It’s time this board does what it should have done years ago. We are taking the company from Sloan.”

  “Checked the stock market this morning, huh? Well, I hate to point out another of your oversights, Paulson. You can’t.”

  “Like hell we can’t.” Nathan tossed a document in front of Logan. “Right there, Abramson. Read it and weep.”

  Logan brought up a document on the screen and pointed. “Likewise.”

  Nathan squinted through his wire rimmed glasses. “What the hell is this?”

  “The current stock division of Sloan Enterprises. As you can tell, Sloan doesn’t own the majority of the company.”

  Abbey slammed her palms on the table. “I do,” she snarled.

  “That’s impossible,” Nathan objected, panic laced in his voice.

  “It’s very true.” Logan grinned. “I was advised by Gordon and Liam to sell Abbey that decisive two percent of stock when Sloan was imprisoned in Belfast years ago. We figured you would have struck then. Knowing all you old cronies would eventually get greedy we left it that way.”

  A small, plump man in a pinstripe suit spun to Nathan. “What does that mean?”

  “That means the Executive Board of Sloan Enterprises doesn’t exist,” Abbey spat. “You can’t control the company if Sloan doesn’t control it. Paulson never rewrote your agreement to control me. So you all, including your pathetic lawyer, need to vacate my board room before I call security. Understand?”

  “Paulson?” the bald man demanded.

  Nathan scrambled through his papers. “Give me a moment.”

  “Thirty…twenty-nine…twenty-eight…” Abbey warned.

  Each member of the executive board shoved their chair back and stormed out. The cold glare Nathan Paulson pierced each of them with spoke volumes. He obviously didn’t see himself getting fired twice. Abbey met his glare evenly. He slammed the door shut behind him.

  “Well done, luv,” Sloan remarked, a hint of pride in his cool brogue.

  “Thank you.” Abbey glanced around the room to her family and friends gathered there. “If you are wondering why I asked you to all be here, here’s why. You are the new executive board of this company. You’ve given your blood, sweat and tears for us. Sloan and I’ve talked about this a lot. We want and appreciate all of your feedback. We love all of you. You’re our family.” She looked at Logan. “Can you draw up the documents?”

  “Of course,” Logan answered. “Do you want me to start the process of selling the two percent of stocks back to Sloan?”

  “Not yet,” Sloan interjected. “Let’s make sure this whole matter with Paulson and his clients goes away first.”

  “Of course.”

  “And for the record, little one,” Gordon added as he grinned proudly at Abbey. “We love you too.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Abbey smiled. “I think we’re done then. Meeting adjourned.”

  They all slowly made their way from the conference room and back to their tasks. Sloan pressed a kiss to her forehead before rushing off to another meeting. With a sigh she wandered back to her office. It would take the rest of the day to get Rio back up and running.

  The evening raced by as Abbey tag-teamed dinner with Sloan and kept their seven children busy. After baths, teeth brushed and bedtime stories they finally got them to sleep. Abbey let go a sigh of relief. It was time to get back to work.

  Abbey stretched out on the sofa, a folder full of papers on her lap. Slipping the earbuds in her ears, she turned up the Linkin Park song already playing. She scanned the document on her iPad. Putting seven kids to bed each night was always an adventure. It left very little time to catch up on overdue work.

  After she electronically signed the document, she opened another. And then nearly jumped off the couch when a hand clamped on her ankle. “Abigail.”

  Her eyes shot up to the source of the voice as she tore the earbuds from her ears. Sloan stood in front of the roaring fireplace holding a bottle of wine with one hand and two glasses with the other. His dress shirt was unbuttoned, showing a tantalizing amount of sculpted chest and a hint of his incredible tattoos. His grin was oh-so-sexy. “You’re going to wake the kids and then you can put them back to bed,” she chided.

  “Put the tablet down,” Sloan demanded.

  “We break ground in Rio tomorrow,” Abbey reminded. “I still have to write four or five explanations about what happened with the injunction.”

  “I don’t care. We’ve been working too hard lately. Between the kids and the company
, we haven’t had enough time for each other. This morning was a distinct reminder of that. I’ve spent all day thinking of the parts of you I want to taste first. So put the tablet away and come enjoy a glass of wine with me.”

  Abbey nodded as she closed her document and tossed the iPad on the end table. She found a spot on the plush rug to settle. As she reached up to accept her glass of wine, her eyes met Sloan’s ice blue ones. Instinctively, she wiggled herself until her skirt rode up to the highest part of her thigh. Sloan lowered himself beside her and laid a hand on her bare leg, moaning deep in approval.

  Abbey nodded to the glass of wine in his hand. “I would have thought after our meeting with the Board of Directors this morning you would want a stiff drink, not merlot.”

  Sloan chuckled. “Trust me, luv. I had one in my office right after. Although you handed the whole thing brilliantly.”

  “Yeah. I gave a bunch of geriatrics and their idiot lawyer their walking papers. Even though it felt so good to kick Nathan Paulson to the curb after everything he’s done to us.”

  “You made an excellent point. We built our company. We and our family, not them. They have been reaping the benefits without any effort on their part. You were incredible, luv. I am proud of you.”

  Abbey felt her cheeks grow hot at his compliment. Then she noticed his eyes narrow hungrily. “Lass, you’re blushing. You know what that does to me.”

  “Me breathing does that to you, Sloan.”

  A chuckle rumbled from his throat again as he took her glass of wine from her and set it with his on the hearth of the fireplace. Cupping her face in his hands he drew her to him, enveloping her lips in a deep kiss that turned her insides out. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his shoulders pulling herself onto his lap. She could hear him moan through their kiss. His fingers tugged on the buttons of her blouse, exposing her soft breasts cradled in her lace bra.

  Abbey pulled away from his mouth. “The kids,” she protested.

  “We have the baby monitor. It’ll pick up any sound from the hall,” Sloan assured as he drew her back into another passionate kiss. Abbey surrendered hopelessly. Who was she to argue with his logic?

  Chapter Two

  The sidewalks of downtown Minneapolis were unusually busy for a Wednesday afternoon. Ame clutched her favorite drawing pad to her chest as she weaved between the bodies chatting, rushing to their next location, or talking on their phones. A couple of days a week, her grandpa Gordon picked her up from school and took her to help her grandma Mary at the bookstore. Gordon raised her dad in Northern Ireland after Dad’s father and brother were killed in a shootout. Mom’s father took off when Mom was just a baby. When Grandpa Gordon met Grandma Mary they fell in love and got married.

  On their trips to the bookstore so she could help Grandma Mary, he would stop and get Ame a treat. Just before she would hop out of his car, he would slip a twenty dollar bill in her backpack even though Grandma always paid her for her help. He went to all of her events to cheer for her. He beamed at her with a proud smile only a grandpa could have. Grandpa Gordon was the only grandfather Ame knew and that was all right. He was the only grandpa she needed.

  She pulled the door open at the bookstore, inhaling the cool darkness before she stepped inside. Bookshelves greeted her, filled with books of every shape and size. In this world of e-books and digital media, customers came to Grandma Mary’s book store for a refreshing change. And being a librarian all her life, being surrounded by books was the only place Grandma wanted to be. The store was a gift from Grandpa. Of course, Ame’s father insisted on having a hand in it. Everyone assumed he would give money toward it. Instead, he gave his blood and sweat to make it perfect. Sloan spent hours sanding and staining the bookshelves that lined the walls of the former tobacco store.

  Ame sighed. Being the good daughter, Abbey was right by Sloan as they remodeled the bookstore. There were many nights they stayed to finish long after everyone else went home. No one was surprised when the twins arrived nine months later.

  Ame set her sketch pad on the counter and then slung her backpack off her back and behind the bookshelf that held the cash register. She looked up with a beaming smile to greet her grandmother. Instead she lost her breath and her voice stuck in her throat.

  Dakota grinned at her from the doorway of the storeroom, a stack of books cradled in his arms. He was still dressed in his school uniform, his tie tugged a bit free to expose a bit of his chest. “Hey, Ame.”

  “Hey, Dakota,” she murmured. “What are you doing here?”

  “Mrs. Fionnain hired me. I don’t have practice right now, so I wanted a part time job.”

  Mary scooted past him, her auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail. “And he’s been a huge help so far.” Wrapping Ame in a big hug, she popped a kiss on her cheek. “Hello, sweetheart. How was school?”

  “Fine.” Ame cringed, her voice still way too high for comfort. “So, you don’t need me today?”

  “Actually, I do. I had a book come in that I would like you to deliver.” Mary shuffled to the mountain of volumes piled high on the table in the corner. She took one from the top and brought it to Ame.

  “We deliver now?” Ame questioned.

  Mary glanced at Dakota then gave Ame a small smile. “This one we do. It’s a gift. I need you to deliver it to Mister Sloan O’Riley at Sloan Enterprises.” She gestured to Dakota. “Go ahead and set that pile on the counter then go get another.” She waited for the boy to leave before turning back to Ame and handing her the book. “Open it to page fifty-three.”

  Ame thumbed through the pages until she reached it. The photograph of a brilliantly colored painting met her. Mary tapped the page excitedly as she looked over her granddaughter’s shoulder. “It’s one of your dad’s first paintings,” Mary whispered. “The next six pages are devoted to him. Turn the page.”

  Ame silently did as she was told, finding sketches and her father’s profile picture. Mary pointed at the sketch of an infant. “See? That’s you, Amelia. You get your artistic talent from your father. It’s the first art book I’ve seen that profiled him. I called your mom and she said he’s in the office. It’ll mean more to him to get it from you than me.”

  Ame gave her grandma a smile. “I’ll be right back then.”

  Mary pressed another kiss to Ame’s forehead. “Be safe.”

  Ame pushed the door open and stepped out into the warm Minnesota sunshine. She spun on her toe and strode down the street, clutching the art book to her chest. She glanced up for her destination. There was no way to miss it. Sloan Enterprises towered overhead, the glass and steel exterior beaming in the sun. She picked up the pace a little until she reached the rotating doors of the building.

  She was greeted by nods, waves and smiles as she made her way across the lobby to the large glass elevators. It didn’t surprise her. Everyone knew her here. In this place she was Sloan and Abbey O’Riley’s oldest child, not an awkward high school freshman. She used to slide across the marble floors in her socks. She knew all the best places to hide for hide and seek. Stepping inside the elevator, she punched the thirty-one button with her knuckle then leaned against the glass for the ride to the top floor.

  During her life, Ame had been on every floor of this building. Several of the lower floors were rented out to other companies. Almost all of them were identical, filled with cubicles with flat screen televisions mounted to the walls. Almost all of them, but not the thirty-first floor. As she stepped off the elevator she was greeted by a dark stained wood wall with two double doors that took up one entire side of the building. Surrounding the atrium were glassed-in offices. Ame counted them off in her head like she always did. Grandpa, Uncle Robert, Uncle Bartholomew, Uncle Logan and Aunt Ashleigh. None of them were family by blood but were her aunts and uncles nevertheless. They were over for every holiday, they celebrated every birthday with her. She knew no other family but them. Other offices on this floor were also broken apart from each other by conference rooms. The Ex
ecutive Offices of Sloan Enterprises. Taking a deep breath, she tugged one of the large wood doors open.

  Aunt Vicki grinned at the sight of her. “Ame! We weren’t expecting you.”

  Ame held the book in her arms up. “Grandma sent me to deliver a book to Dad.”

  “He’s in his office, sweetheart.” Vicki checked her computer then her phone. “He has no appointments and he isn’t on a call. Head on in. He’ll love to see you.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Vicki.” Ame gave Vicki a quick squeeze as she passed by her desk. The girl paused as she reached her father’s door. She softly knocked.

  “Enter!” A deep brogue demanded from inside. Ame turned the doorknob and pushed it open.

  Sloan stood, facing the floor to ceiling windows that lined his office. To those who didn’t know him he looked strong, demanding, almost dangerous. To Ame he was only one thing. Daddy.

  He turned, his face beaming at the sight of her. “What are you doing here, Angel?”

  Ame held the book out to him. “Grandma wanted me to bring you this.”

  Sloan walked around his desk then leaned against the front of it. Taking the book from her, he studied the cover. “Great Contemporary American Artists,” he read out loud.

  Ame beamed. “Look at page fifty-three, Dad.”

  He glanced at her puzzled then flipped through the book until he reached the page. A grin spread across his face. “Well look at that. Funny. I’m Irish but who am I to argue.”

  Ame leaned against the desk with him and pointed at the brilliantly colored painting. “Where is that one?”

  “In an art museum in Prague. It belonged to a Count and Countess. They donated it before they died.”

  “Wouldn’t you want it back?”

  “Nay. It doesn’t hold many happy memories.”