The Billionaire's New Year Gift

The picture showed a fresh-faced, serious-looking P.J. Alex stared at the photo for a long time. The article called her an heiress. “Heiress to a great fortune,” it said. “The third of Peter Prescott Kincaid’s four children,” it said, “who will be attending Stanford in the fall.”

At first, he was indignant. What the hell was she doing, pretending to be an ordinary woman working at an ordinary job? Before long, though, amusement supplanted the indignation. She was doing exactly what he was doing. How could he be angry with her? He’d be willing to bet every single thing she’d told him had been the truth.

Well, well, well. This changed everything. And yet, did it? After all, if Alex did marry P.J., no one could ever accuse her of wanting his money.

So now he knew half of what he needed to know. And he’d just bet Rick could supply the other half. He decided the first chance he got, he would quiz Rick about her.

It was Wednesday before he got the chance. The two of them were eating lunch together in the cafeteria and Rick mentioned something P.J. had said earlier. “Hey,” Alex said after he’d finished telling the anecdote, “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What’s P.J.’s story?”

Rick, who had just taken a huge bite of his burger, chewed and swallowed before giving Alex a knowing grin. “I knew you liked her.”

“I’m just curious about her. You have to admit, she’s not exactly the kind of woman you’d expect to find in a warehouse.”

“Yeah,” Rick agreed. “I figured out a long time ago she comes from a different background than most of the women at the center. More educated.” He looked at Alex speculatively. “Kinda like you.”

“Me?”

“It’s obvious you’re a helluva lot more educated than the rest of us, Alex. Lotta the guys been wondering what you’re doing at the center.”

Alex winced. And here he thought he’d been fitting in so well.

“It’s no big deal,” Rick continued. “Most of ’em figure you got your reasons for working there. Hell, we all got our reasons. Anyway, I think P.J.’s family probably has some money or something. She pretends she’s like the rest of us, but you can tell she comes from a privileged background. I mean, even the way she talks is different, you know? Something must have happened, though,” Rick added, “because here she is.”

“Happened with her family, you mean?”

“Yeah. Maybe they don’t get along.”

Alex nodded. Yet on the night he’d met her jogging she’d mentioned having a date with her sister for dinner and the other night at the Thai place she’d said her family all lived in the area. She hadn’t sounded as if they were estranged or anything. On the other hand, she might have felt she didn’t know him well enough to mention any problems they might have. He certainly hadn’t said anything about his family. “Does she ever talk about them?”

Rick shook his head. “One time she just said they didn’t see eye to eye.”

That could have been a reference to the differences she’d mentioned regarding her job choice. Or it could be something deeper. Maybe she’s got a mother like mine. “How long has she worked for the company?”

“She started about six months before I did. In fact, we worked on the same team for a while.”

Alex wondered if Rick had resented the fact P.J. had been promoted to a supervisory position and he hadn’t.

“But it was obvious from the beginning she wouldn’t stay a picker for long,” Rick said. “She’s too smart.”

“Did you mind that? That she got promoted and you didn’t?”

“Me? Hell, no. I don’t want to be in management. Nothing but headaches managing people.”

Alex smiled. Rick was right. In fact, managing the staff at the foundation was Alex’s least favorite part of the job. Thank God for Marti. She was a jewel when it came to getting people to do their jobs without resentment or problems.

“P.J.’s a good boss. Lots better than I would have been,” Rick said.

“Wonder why she’s not married,” Alex commented, keeping his voice casual as he got to what he really wanted to know.

“Now that I can answer.” Rick grinned. “She doesn’t believe in marriage. Said there’s no way she’s ever gonna let some man order her around.”

Alex chuckled in spite of himself. That sounded like P.J. “Think she means it?”

“I’ve never known P.J. to say anything she doesn’t mean.”

The words were hardly out of Rick’s mouth when a voice behind Alex said, “Who’s taking my name in vain?”

Alex turned around. P.J. stood there, hands on her denim-clad hips, a mock frown on her face.

“We were just sayin’ what a great boss you are, boss,” Rick said.

P.J. rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“We were,” Rick insisted.

“Is that true, Alex?” she said.

“Scout’s honor,” Alex said, raising his right hand.

She fought against the smile, but lost. Soon all three were laughing. “Well, next time you have to fill out one of those surveys about our department, make sure you remember to say that,” she said. “Maybe they’ll give me a big raise.” Then she waved goodbye and left them to their lunch.

“She’s a good sport,” Rick said.

Alex nodded. He admired the way she treated her employees. She was professional, but she was also friendly. He could tell they respected her. He wondered what they’d think if they knew her background.

“She’s also a really nice person,” Rick added.

“Seems to be,” Alex said.

“No, I mean really nice. She’s helped out a couple of the people here. Financially, I mean. One of the girls in the shipping department, her little boy was sick and the girl either needed to stay home and take care of him or hire someone to do it and either way, she couldn’t afford it. P.J. heard about it and she made sure Evvie was taken care of.”

“Taken care of…how?”

“She started a sick-day pool. You know, she convinced the powers that be to let any employee who wanted to to contribute some of their sick days to Evvie so she could stay home and not lose pay. And P.J. contributed the most. Plus I heard she also gave Evvie some money.”

The more Rick talked about P.J., the more Alex admired her. It seemed to him that she had exactly the same kinds of values he had. In fact, he couldn’t imagine finding another woman more suited to him.

She was the woman he wanted.

Now all he had to do was convince her she really did want to be married.

“Hey, Alex, you have any interest in poker?” Rick asked later that afternoon.

“I love poker. Play every chance I get.” He’d actually started a poker night with a couple of the guys who worked for the foundation.

“Well, a bunch of us play twice a month, and we’re supposed to play tomorrow night, but Chick, who’s one of our regulars, can’t make it. Wanna fill in?”

“Sure, that’d be great.”

“It’s at Wayne’s house. He’ll give you directions.”

When Alex walked into Wayne Crowder’s house the following evening, the first person he saw was P.J. He could see she was as surprised as he was, even though she tried to disguise it, just as he did. Alex wasn’t sure if he was glad or not. Having her there would be a distraction, and Alex took his poker seriously.

Wayne brought Alex a beer and he joined the others at the table. They were playing in the dining room of the small bungalow, and Wayne had set out bowls of nuts, pretzels and chips.

Alex noticed a high chair in the corner but no sign of a child or a wife. What he’d seen of the house was homey and had a woman’s touch, so he figured there must be a female in the equation.

“Let’s get started,” Rick said. He began to shuffle the cards as the others dug out their money.

“What do you guys play?” Alex asked.

“Texas hold ’em,” Wayne said.

“My favorite,” Alex said.

“You play much poker, Alex?” The question came from Jim.

“Whenever I get the chance.”

Rick explained the rules. “No one’s allowed to lose more than twenty dollars. Once your twenty bucks is gone, you gotta just watch.”

The first hand was a dud for Alex. Dealt the three of hearts and nine of spades, he immediately folded.

P.J., on the other hand, had a pair of jacks in the hole and when the river card was a third jack, the pot was hers.

“That was nice,” she said as she scooped up her winnings.

“For you, maybe,” grumbled Jim.

Alex smothered a smile. Most men hated losing to a woman. A lot of women might have made a disparaging remark, saying something like, “Oh, I was just lucky,” but not her. She grinned happily, quite obviously pleased with herself.

Of course, considering her background, it didn’t surprise him that she had so much self-confidence or that she wasn’t falsely modest. It was funny how now that he knew who she really was, he could see evidence of it in everything she said and did.

Rick dealt the next hand. Alex’s hole cards were the two red kings. Wayne folded immediately, throwing his cards down in disgust. P.J. bet the minimum and Jim called. Then it was Alex’s turn. He had decided not to raise, because he didn’t want to give his hand away. He’d wait and see what happened with the flop. “Call,” he said.

The flop consisted of the Queen of Spades, the deuce of clubs and the eight of diamonds. P.J. again bid the minimum and Jim raised. Alex called again, and P.J. threw her money in, staying with the hand.

When the turn card was another eight, Jim couldn’t disguise his excitement. Alex figured he probably had two eights in the hole. He almost folded, but then threw in his money. He’d stayed this long, he might as well see what the river brought. What it brought was the Queen of Hearts. Disgusted, Alex finally folded. He was certain Jim had a full house.

But to his amazement—and Jim’s shock—after two more rounds of bidding and raising, P.J. revealed her hole cards to be the two missing queens.

That hand set the tone for the night. Alex was a good player—a very good player, in fact—yet he was outplayed by P.J., who was not only skillful but lucky, and who ended up the night’s big winner.

“See why we’re considering making this a men-only night?” Rick said, half-jokingly. “She cleans us out every time.”

P.J. grinned. “Better not try it. I have ways of retaliating, you know.”

As they got ready to leave, there was the sound of a car in the driveway, and a few minutes later the back door opened. A pretty dark-haired woman holding a sleeping child walked into the dining room.

“Hey, Lauren,” chorused the men.

Lauren smiled and said hello. Her gaze moved to Alex.

“Honey,” Wayne said, “this is Alex Noble. He works with us. Alex, my wife, Lauren, and that’s our rug rat, Billy, sleeping on her shoulder.” Wayne’s smile was proud. “He was a year old last week.”

“Hi, Lauren,” Alex said. “Nice to meet you.”

By now, P.J. had gotten up and walked over to where Lauren and the baby stood. “Wow, he’s grown,” she said softly, touching his silky dark hair. Her smile was tender as she peeked at him. “He gets cuter every day.”

Lauren smiled and Wayne beamed. “And smarter,” Wayne said.

“And more demanding,” Lauren said. “He actually thinks he runs this household.”

P.J. chuckled. “And I’d be willing to bet he does.”

Wayne made a face.

“Well,” Rick said. “We’d better be going. Let you people get to bed.”

As Alex drove home, he kept thinking about P.J. How she’d looked that night—her face flushed with excitement, her hair tumbling out of its clips, her eyes sparkling. He thought about how they came from similar backgrounds and spoke the same language. He thought about how smart she was and how good with people and what a wicked game of poker she played. But mostly, he thought about how she’d looked and acted toward little Billy. It was obvious she loved kids.

That was a huge factor to Alex, because even if Harry hadn’t made having a child part of the challenge he’d issued, Alex definitely wanted children. In fact, he wanted lots of them.

And from what he’d seen tonight, it looked as if P.J. felt exactly the same way.

Chapter Seven

Alex walked up the flagstone driveway toward the laughter and noise of his sister’s birthday party. He’d much rather have gone to Jake’s tonight with the rest of the guys from work, but he’d promised Julie he’d be here.

When he reached the wrought-iron gate, he stood for a moment before opening it and entering. Even then, he didn’t head toward the merrymaking, but took a few minutes to observe the crush of guests gathered on the back veranda and around the pool. There were about forty people there, he estimated, most of them his sister’s friends. Looking around, he spied Julie, who looked spectacular in a form-fitting black strapless dress, laughing and talking to a group of young people about her age. Suddenly, as if she felt his gaze, she turned.

“Alex!” she cried. “You made it!”

Beaming, she rushed to his side. Putting his arm around her, he kissed her cheek. “Hello, birthday girl.”

Her blue eyes shone with excitement. Julie loved nothing better than a party. And a party in her honor was the best of all possible worlds.

Alex handed her the small, silver-wrapped box he carried. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you! Oh, I love presents.” Taking his hand, she led him toward her friends. “C’mon. I want to introduce you.”

Alex knew it was useless to protest, so he let himself be led. Six pairs of eyes turned his way.

“This is my gorgeous brother, Alex,” Julie said. “Alex, these are…” One by one, she named them. “Crystal, Russ, Scott, Madison, Penn and Phoebe.”

The girl named Phoebe, a truly spectacular blonde, gave him a seductive look from under long eyelashes.

“Gorgeous is right,” she murmured.

Alex would never get used to the boldness of Julie’s crowd. The girls didn’t seem to care what they said or how they said it. If they wanted something, they went after it, no holds barred.

Not waiting for Alex to answer, Phoebe slipped her arm through his and said, “He’s mine.”

The others laughed.

Gently but firmly, Alex removed her arm. “It’s nice to have met all of you, but I have to go say hello to my mother.” Directing his smile at all of them, he said, “Excuse me.”

Shaking his head mentally, he headed toward the house. It was a moment before he realized Julie had hurried after him.

“Alex, wait up!” she said.

He turned around, stopped so she could catch up to him.

“You broke Phoebe’s heart,” she said as she reached his side.

“I seriously doubt that.”

“I’ve been telling her about you for weeks.” Although her tone was scolding, her blue eyes—the same shade as the tourmalines in his gift—were amused.

Alex looked down at her. “Not interested, Jules.”

“Why not? Phoebe’s beautiful and sexy and rich in her own right. Plus she’s my best friend.”

“For one thing, she’s too young. For another, she’s not my type.”

“Too young? She’s twenty-five! And how could she not be your type? Most men would die to have Phoebe.”

Alex wasn’t in the mood to spar or to justify his reasons for not wanting to get involved with the model-like Phoebe. “Aren’t you going to open your present?” he said instead, for Julie still held his gift.

“Later. I’ll put this on the table with the rest of them.”

Alex knew his sister was punishing him for not going along with her matchmaking scheme. Or maybe she just wanted to ensure he’d stay at the party for a while.

“Mom’s probably over there,” Julie said, pointing to the area on the other side of the pool where there were several umbrella-topped tables.

Alex and Julie headed that way. Sure enough, his mother sat at the nearest table along with Julie’s father and another older couple. At their approach, Terrence touched his wife’s arm, and Lucinda turned around.

Her face lit up, and she rose. As always, she looked beautiful. Tonight she wore an emerald silk pants outfit with wide legs. Her dark hair was swept up, and sizable diamond studs twinkled in her ears. A small woman with a trim figure, she didn’t look her fifty-eight years and could have easily passed for someone in her early forties.

As always, Alex felt himself tense as she rushed forward and put her arms around him. Because he was essentially kind and because he did love her, even as he knew he would never be able to trust her, he returned her embrace, saying, “Hello, Mother.”

“Oh, Alex, it’s so good to see you.” She drew back and looked up into his eyes. “You look wonderful.”

“You look very nice yourself.” He heard how stiff he sounded and wished he could be more generous toward her. But the habits of a lifetime were hard to break, especially when the underlying reason for his feelings hadn’t changed.

“Thank you for coming,” she said softly, her dark eyes liquid in the deepening light. Her dimples flashed briefly when she smiled.

Alex had inherited his height from Harry, but everything else came from his mother: dark hair, dark eyes, dimples. Julie, on the other hand, looked more like her father than like Lucinda, with her blue eyes, five-foot-eight height, and larger bone structure. The only trait of Lucinda’s she bore was the dark, almost black, hair.

“Come meet our friends, darling,” Lucinda was saying. She took Alex’s hand and led him forward.

“These are Spencer and Deanna Steele. My son, Alex Hunt.” There was no denying the pride in her voice as she introduced them.

Alex shook hands with Spencer Steele, a powerful-looking man with gray hair and an enviable physique. He smiled at Deanna Steele, a lovely, cool-looking blonde who had remained seated. He then turned to his stepfather. “Hello, Terrence.”

“Glad you could make it, Alex,” Terrence said.

“Alex just met Phoebe,” Julie said, addressing the remark to the Steeles. Turning to Alex, she said, “Spencer and Deanna are Phoebe’s parents.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

Alex decided he would not let his sister get to him. “You have a very beautiful daughter,” he said graciously.

“Yes,” Deanna said, “we think so.” Her gaze was speculative.

They made polite conversation for a few more minutes, and all the while Alex was wondering how long he’d have to stand there before he could make his escape.

“What do you do, Alex?” Spencer Steele asked.

“I’m the CEO of the Harrison Hunt Foundation.”

“Really?” Deanna Steele said. “And you like working for the foundation?” There was just the faintest hint of surprise in her tone.

“It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

She nodded, and he wondered what she was thinking.

“You don’t have a drink,” Terrence said, saving him from further questions. “C’mon, I’ll show you where the bar is.”

“I can do that, Daddy,” Julie said.

“Now, sweetheart, you have other guests to attend to,” Terrence said. “I’ll take care of Alex.”

Alex realized Terrence wanted to talk to him, so he gave Julie a smile and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Terrence put his arm around Alex’s shoulder. “We set up the bar in the cabana.”

Once they were out of earshot of Julie and Lucinda, Terrence said, “I’m going to have to make a trip to Singapore next week, Alex. Be gone about ten days.”

Terrence was in the import/export business and frequently traveled abroad, especially to the Orient.

“I was hoping you’d keep an eye on the girls for me.”

“Oh?” This was a first. “Something I should know?”

“It’s not a big deal, just…” His voice trailed off.

By now they’d reached the bar and Alex ordered a vodka and tonic. Terrence waited until he’d got his drink and they’d moved away before saying anything else.

“Look,” he said, leading Alex toward the back of the cabana where it was relatively quiet and no one else could hear their conversation. “Julie’s been acting funny the past couple of weeks. I’m worried that maybe she’s messing with drugs.”

Jesus, Alex thought. “Have you said anything to her?”

Terrence shook his head. “I don’t want to accuse her of something that might not be true.”

“I’m not afraid to. I’ll talk to her.”

“It’s not that I’m afraid to,” Terrence protested. “I just…I trust my little girl.”

Then why the hell are you asking me to keep an eye on her? Alex wondered if Terrence had any idea how contradictory he sounded. “Even sensible people can be led astray by the wrong kinds of friends.”

“Her friends all come from the best families,” Terrence blustered.

Alex raised his eyebrows.

Terrence had the grace to look sheepish. “I know, I know. That doesn’t mean they can’t get into trouble.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Alex sipped at his drink thoughtfully. It would be hard to keep an eye on Julie now that he was working in Jansen, which wasn’t exactly close to the Queen Anne area where Julie lived with her parents. “I’m in the middle of a big project right now that’s keeping me out of town most of the time, but one way or another, I’ll keep tabs on Julie.”

Terrence huffed a breath. “Thanks, Alex. I really appreciate that.”

“I love Julie, too,” Alex pointed out. “And I don’t want her to get into trouble…or hurt herself.”

“I know.”

Alex made himself a promise as he and Terrence moved to rejoin the others. He would not only keep tabs on his sister, he would sit her down and talk to her.

In fact, he’d start tonight.

P.J. couldn’t believe how disappointed she was that Alex hadn’t shown up at Jake’s. She wished she could ask Rick why, but of course, she couldn’t.

She wondered if he was seeing someone. If maybe he had a date tonight. The thought bothered her a lot more than it should have.

It’s just your ego that’s smarting. You were sure he was interested in you, and obviously, since he hasn’t made a move to ask you out, he’s not.

You should be glad. You’ve dodged a bullet. This is the best thing that could have happened…or not happened. Considering you’ve decided there was nowhere for a relationship with Alex to go, anyway.

Yet no matter how many times she told herself all of this, she couldn’t stop wondering where he was tonight.

And with whom.

It was nearly eleven before Julie opened her gifts, and by then Alex knew it was going to be impossible to talk to her that night. Resigned, he watched her indulgently as she squealed and exclaimed over each offering. He’d say one thing for her. She might be spoiled and pampered, but she wasn’t jaded. He smiled wryly, remembering the Lotus. Well, maybe not totally.

“Oh, Alex, they’re gorgeous!” she said upon seeing the tourmaline-set silver bracelet and earrings he’d given her. Coming over to where he stood, she kissed him. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You always know what I’ll love.”

Love for her warmed him. Funny how she had so easily crept into his heart whereas he had always felt an off-putting distance with his brothers. Not for the first time, he wondered why that should be so. Perhaps it was being raised by a succession of nannies and the impersonal atmosphere of Harry’s mansion. Or maybe it was simply Harry himself, so absorbed in his business and his money that he couldn’t give much face time to his sons.

After Julie finished opening her gifts, Alex pulled her aside.

“I’m beat,” he said. “I’m going to head out.”

“You’re such a party-pooper,” she said, pouting. “We’re all going to Twist, and Phoebe’s going to be so disappointed if you don’t go with us.”

“You know how I feel about the club scene.”

Julie just shook her head. “Twist isn’t a club. It’s fun. You’d like it.”

Alex smiled. “I’ve been there. I’ll pass.”

“Honestly, you’d think you were ninety instead of just thirty-six. You keep saying you’re not stodgy, but I’m having a hard time believing it.”