The Bachelor Contract Page 23

  His younger brothers—twins—were a united front against anything and everything that happened, not only within the family, but especially with Brock. It had always been them against the world, leaving Brock the awkward job of defending them to his grandfather while simultaneously living with the ever increasing aggravation of their sex- and alcohol-filled lifestyles.

  “His medication…causes…” Brock clenched and unclenched his fists, mainly so he wouldn’t do something stupid like punch one of them. Sleep. He needed more sleep, and a life outside of running a company he’d never wanted to run in the first place. “Visions,” he finished. Bitterness took hold like it always did when he thought of the company, his grandfather, and the heavy weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “You think visions of unicorns is bad?” Brant, the younger of the twins, gave Brock a disgusted look. “Just last week I found him skinny-dipping in the pool.”

  Brock frowned as the elevator doors opened to the main offices of Wellington, Inc. “Why is that strange?”

  “Alone,” Brant said. “Who skinny-dips alone?”

  Bentley smirked, pushing past both of them. “Not you…clearly.”

  Brant’s lips pressed into a smug grin. “Jealous?”

  “Of the skank from last night?” Bentley snorted and sent off a text, most likely to the very same girl who had left Brant’s bed the night before. Always a competition with them. “Hardly.”

  “Hello, boys.” Mrs. Everly, their grandfather’s secretary, was like family. She refused to acknowledge the brothers were well past the “boy” stage and had been for years.

  “Hello,” they all said in unison. Bentley reached for her hand and kissed the top of it.

  “You get younger every day. Amazing, almost like you’re aging backwards.” He winked.

  Brock’s patience was already on edge. Running the company for his grandfather was one thing. Keeping the twins from making asses of themselves was another.

  “Bentley.” Brock gripped his brother’s shoulders with a jerk and shoved him toward the door. “Don’t keep Grandfather waiting.”

  The twins exchanged an eye roll.

  “So responsible,” Brant said under his breath. It wasn’t meant to be a compliment.

  “So…old,” Bentley added, because that’s what he did. “Brock, when was the last time you even got laid? If you say anything past seven days I may need to disown you.”

  It had been more than seven.

  Way more than fourteen.

  But with a company to run…

  And two brothers to keep under control…

  Not to mention the accident that had nearly taken his grandfather’s life this last year. Resentment washed over him.

  When would he even have time?

  For fun?

  Sex?

  Women?

  Anything?

  “You’re not getting any younger,” Bentley interrupted Brock’s depressing thoughts. “Aren’t you turning thirty-eight this year?”

  “I saw a gray hair when he turned his head,” Brant added. “Depressing as hell.”

  “It’s not gray,” Brock snapped, clenching his jaw so tight his teeth ached. “And if you haven’t noticed I’ve been busy.”

  “Boys?” Brock flinched at the sound of their grandfather’s booming voice. “Boys, is that you out there?”

  “He may be losing his mind but he sure hasn’t lost his vocal chords,” Bentley murmured as all three of them stepped casually into the office and shut the large wooden door behind them.

  It closed with a resounding thud and Brock felt an ominous current of anxiety travel down his spine.

  It was the same feeling he’d had when he was twelve and his grandfather had told him his parents had died in a plane crash.

  The same feeling he’d had last year when he’d gone head to head with his grandfather over an acquisition—and won. The board had approved his decision. And less than twenty-four hours later, he’d almost lost his grandfather in a car accident.

  As if reading the direction of his thoughts, his grandfather winced. The pain was still there, Brock knew, even if Grandfather refused to admit it.

  Charles Williams Wellington the Third was seated behind his desk as if he sat on a throne, his mass of silver hair flowing into a deep curl that fell over his forehead. His wrinkled and tanned face didn’t look older than seventy, though he was pushing eighty-two, only weeks away from celebrating his birthday.

  “I have decided”—he paused and stood to his full height of six-four—“to have an auction.”

  “Oh?” Brock was the first to speak. Business he could deal with. Numbers he could process. Anything outside of that and he was going to need a drink.

  Or ten.

  “What would you like to auction?” He pulled out his iPhone and started a new note. “One of your houses? A few of your stallions? Titus Enterprises had a car auction last year that was extremely profitable.”

  Grandfather’s face transformed into a wicked grin. “Maybe the other two should sit down.”

  “I think he means us,” Bentley said under his breath, while Brant shot Brock a worried glance.

  “I mean to auction…” Grandfather took a deep breath and raised his finger to point at them. “You.”

  Brant, the fastest of the bunch, jerked his chair to the right. “He’s pointing at Bentley.”

  Bentley, never the more clever of the two, faked a coughing fit and fell forward in a vain attempt to kick Brock’s chair closer to the middle.

  Rolling his eyes, Brock said, “He’s pointing at all of us.”

  “Actually…” Grandfather’s voice deepened. “I was pointing at you, Brock.”

  Brock had always done everything his grandfather asked. When he graduated high school he’d been pressured into going to Harvard, because wouldn’t it be so wonderful to go to the same school as his father? In honor of his memory?

  Football, not basketball.

  Chess, never checkers.

  It was easier to keep the peace, to keep the smile on his grandfather’s face. And because he’d do anything to keep the old man from more grief and sadness. He’d seen those emotions on his grandfather’s tear-stained face when he’d told him his parents were dead. And ever since, Brock had said yes.

  To Harvard.

  To football.

  To business school.

  To taking over the company.

  To the women his grandfather thought it best he be seen with.

  But this? This was too far.

  “Auction a person?” Brock tried to clarify. “Why?”

  Immediately relieved they were no longer the focus of attention, both of his brothers had already directed their attention to their phones.

  Not even paying attention.

  Story of his life.

  Grandfather limped around his massive desk. Guilt slammed into Brock’s chest in perfect cadence with his increasingly erratic heartbeat.

  With a curse, Grandfather grabbed his cane and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

  His eyes locked in on Brock. “Please.”

  Brock opened and closed his mouth.

  “It’s for a good cause.” His grandfather didn’t blink, just kept limping toward Brock until he had to crane his neck to stare up at the man he’d do anything for and had sacrificed everything for.

  The final nail in the coffin was when the older man lowered his chin and humbled himself by uttering, “Do it for me.”

  Fuck.

  Chapter Two

  Jane!” Esmeralda shouted. “Hurry up! You’re taking way too long! We’re going to be late to the party!”

  “Maybe you should just go without me,” Jane offered in what she hoped sounded like the perfect balance between depressed and content. She was exhausted from work—the last thing she needed was to babysit her sisters while they drank their body weight in vodka tonics.

  Esmeralda’s voice was loud and clear as day. “Jane! If you don’t come who’s goin
g to fix my dress if something happens? Or watch over Essence; you know how she gets shy with guys! And you’re the best wingman.”

  Jane clenched her teeth together. What girls actually had their own personal seamstress? Though Jane was really more of a jack-of-all-trades. And she was probably the worst wingman in history.

  “You girls ready?” Essence asked.

  “Jane! Hurry up! We don’t want to arrive too late. It’s rude, and he may not notice us.”

  Jane barely managed to hold in her gasp as Esmeralda and Essence tumbled down the stairs and presented their dresses.

  Esmeralda’s tight black dress had just enough fabric to cover her surgically enhanced boobs and barely covered her ass.

  Essence’s was nearly the same style, except it was white.

  One wore purple lipstick, the other had on gray; they were always on top of the newest trends even if the trends were stupid—and ugly.

  At Fashion Week, they could get away with it.

  In Phoenix they just looked like Bratz dolls.

  “Yeah, I think”—Jane coughed into her hand—“he’ll notice.”

  “Aw!” Esmeralda clapped her hands and flicked her dark hair over her shoulder. “That’s so nice of you to say.”

  “Yes.” Essence twirled a few times to show off her dress to full effect. “How sweet of you, Jane.” With her eyebrows drawn in perfect arches, it was amazing she could even move them. “Jane, why aren’t you dressed?”

  “I think I’m just going to stay in,” Jane answered, tugging at her dress self-consciously. It was the best one she could find at the last minute. She hadn’t even known about the party until an hour ago, and the best she’d been able to scrounge up was a dress she’d borrowed for prom four years ago from one of her sisters.

  She’d tried her best to make the black cocktail dress appealing.

  But you couldn’t fix plain.

  And that’s what it was.

  What Jane was.

  Plain Jane.

  Her sisters gave her the same empty-eyed stare. Arguing with them was completely useless. When it was two against one, she never won, not that it mattered in the long run. Her sisters typically got their way regardless of what Jane said. They were pushy—but they were family.

  Swallowing back her insecurity, she nodded quickly. “I’ll just grab my purse, then.”

  Her sisters whispered under their breaths, though Jane heard every mean word.

  “Doesn’t she have any other dresses? Poor Jane.”

  “Hey, I offered to help her shop and she said no.”

  Jane snorted quietly. She’d said no because Essence’s shopping style was more like buy everything name brand and go into major credit card debt. At one point, Jane had had to use all of the money her parents had left them to pay off the bill.

  “Poor Jane,” Esmeralda said again.

  She hated pity.

  Especially theirs.

  She would move out of the house if she thought her sisters wouldn’t starve without her. Well, that and the fact that they were family and family stuck together. Even if family exhausted you, stressed you out, and made you want to scream at least ninety percent of the time.

  “Let’s go!” Esmeralda clapped her hands loudly and they were off…headed to a party that Jane didn’t even care about.

  Acknowledgments

  This part doesn’t get repetitive, even after sixty-plus books. This is the part where I get to acknowledge all the people, but first I get to acknowledge and thank God for his incredible grace in my life. When I was little all I wanted to do was exist in the make-believe worlds in my head. I’d like to think that He knew that desire in my heart and was like, well, I can’t make you a dinosaur slayer, but this is almost the same thing. Thank you, Jesus, for this amazing career; thank you for many blessings!

  Nate, Thor—you dudes are my rocks. I’m so blessed to have you in my life and so thrilled that we get to do life together hand in hand. My greatest accomplishment is having a son with the love of my life. Thank you, babe, for always taking him when I need to hit a deadline and for being not just a husband but a partner and my best friend.

  Jill and Nina—Wait, you’re still here! It’s been crazy busy this year, totally my fault for taking on so many projects, but you’ve been with me every step of the way, holding my hand, telling me not to panic, and even helping me brainstorm this book along with all the others. Jill, you’re family—my sister, thank you for being a constant in my life; and Nina, thank you for not laughing at me when I told you all the things we had to accomplish. I feel like you and I met, fell in love, then hit the ground running and I’m so thankful for you!

  Erica, awesome superhero of an agent, thanks for always being such a support system for me. I don’t know what I would do without you—it actually makes me sick to my stomach to think about! You are the best of the best and I’m so grateful to have you as my agent and my friend.

  Kristin, Liza, Heather, Michelle, Jessica—whoa, all of you guys (including Jill) did an awesome job beta-reading. Thank you for going through this process with me and for helping me make it the best! And Becca Manual, thank you for all your feedback and help with graphics and ordering all the things that make my life so much easier (ha-ha!). I have no idea what I would do without you!

  Kay, as always, thank you for editing before I send it in—you always have the best suggestions for what I need to do to make every manuscript perfect.

  And Amy—man, I feel like we went through a war and then came out on the other side complete winners…ha-ha. It took some time, but I’d like to think that by book three we found our stride and I’m so happy that we were able to work together for this series and put out such fun stories. You challenged me in ways I’ve never been challenged before and I’m so grateful that you don’t allow authors to get lazy; you push us to be more, and I know I’m better because of you.

  Lauren Layne, Bae, Staci Hart, Jessica Prince, Audrey Carlan, Molly McAdams, Mia Sheridan, Jennifer Van Wyk—GAH, I knew I shouldn’t have started this list because, well, now I know I’m forgetting about a billion people that I’m going to be upset I forgot about in this section. To my support system, to all the authors I talk with, you guys are incredible. Thank you for being you.

  Rachel’s new Rockin Readers—you guys are legit the best group on Facebook. Thank you for being more family than anything!

  To all the bloggers who helped support this release, the editors, the people who made this book amazing, thank you so much. I know I’m forgetting people but know that I’m constantly in awe of this amazing community and the support given to romance!

  HUGS,

  RVD

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  About the Author

  Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling author of Regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing, you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

  She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband, her adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

  Want to be kept up-to-date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

  Also by Rachel Van Dyken

  The Bachelors of Arizona series

  The Bachelor Auction

  The Playboy Bachelor

  The Bet series

  The Bet

  The Wager

  The Eagle Elite series

  Elite

  Elect

  PRAISE FOR

  RACHEL VAN DYKEN’S NOVELS

  The Playboy Bachelor

  “The Playboy Bachelor was one hilarious, sexy and emotional read.”

  —CollectorofBookBoyfriends.com

  “Van Dyken succeeds with this well-characterized, tightly p
lotted tale.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “If you want fun—seriously high in the entertainment value department—with a good mix of sexy and emotion, then this is it!”

  —AboutThatStory.com

  “This was a strongly written story about feelings, friendship, and family. A slow-burn romance at its finest.”

  —BooksnBoysbookblog.com

  The Bachelor Auction

  “The first in Van Dyken’s Bachelors of Arizona series charms readers with a decidedly modern retelling of the Cinderella story. [A] lighthearted, eminently readable treat.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Full of romance and wit, this book will be the perfect choice for your next book escape!”

  —RomanceRewindBlog.com

  The Wager

  “Rachel Van Dyken is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the future. The Wager is a must-read for those who love romance and humor. It will leave a lasting impression and a huge smile on your face.”

  —LiteratiBookReviews.com

  The Bet

  “I haven’t laughed this hard while reading a book in a while. The Bet [is] an experience—a heartwarming, sometimes hilarious, experience…I’ve actually read this book twice.”

  —RecommendedRomance.com

  “If you need a funny, light read…I promise you this is a superb choice!”

  —MustReadBooksOrDie.com

  “Friends-to-lovers stories…Is there anything better? And when told in a fun, light manner, with a potential love triangle with lovable characters; well, how can you not enjoy it?”

  —TotallyBookedBlog.com

  Elect

  “Secrets, sacrifices, blood, angst, loyalties…This book has everything I love!…Rachel Van Dyken is a fabulous author!”