Irresistible Forces

He settled back in the cushions of the seat thinking he was very much looking forward to his dinner date with Taylor later tonight.

* * *

“Your parents are waiting for you in your suite, Mr. Saxon.”

"Thanks, Harold,” Dominic said to the hotel manager moments before crossing the huge lobby to the bank of elevators that would carry him up to the penthouse. The Saxon Grand was a beautiful hotel and had been the first Saxon Hotel. It was built twenty-five years ago and Dominic was almost certain Harold was hired in some position at that time, which would make him one of Saxon Hotel’s oldest employees. And Harold was good at what he did, based on the customer satisfaction surveys that were periodically done. Customers visiting the area kept coming back knowing they would receive first-class service.

Moments later Dominic walked into his suite unannounced to find his parents in a loving embrace. He was not surprised nor the least embarrassed to see them standing in the middle of the floor sharing a passionate kiss. Despite having been married for thirty-six years, Marcello and Megan were still deeply in love. That was obvious to anyone around them for any length of time. As long as he could remember, his parents were openly affectionate. He’d always known how much they loved each other as well as how much they had unselfishly loved him.

He cleared his throat to let them know of his presence. “Mom and Dad, it’s good seeing you,” he said, and knew he didn’t have to add that it was also good seeing they were still very much in love.

His parents had met when Marcello Saxon had arrived in the United States from France to attend Yale. In his senior year he met the beautiful and vivacious Megan Spectrum and they fell in love immediately. It hadn’t mattered that he was French and she African-American. What had mattered was the love they had for each other. They had gone so far as to defy Marcello’s father, who’d threatened to disown his son—the heir to the Saxon wealth—if a marriage took place. Choosing love over wealth, Marcello had married Megan a year later and good to his word, Franco Saxon had practically disowned his son, had barely spoken to him since and only recently had acknowledged the marriage.

Dominic saw the worried look in his father’s gaze. “What’s wrong, Dad?” His father had recently had his annual checkup and Dominic inwardly prayed there wasn’t bad news in that regard.

Marcello read the concern in his son’s gaze and said, “No, I’m fine. The doctors gave me another clean bill of health after my last checkup. But we did get some news last night that your grandfather has taken ill.”

Dominic stared first at his father and then at his mother. Finally he shrugged nonchalantly as he crossed the room to give his father a bear hug. “Have you forgotten, Father, that I don’t have a grandfather?”

“Nick,” his father said in a frustrating tone, “how can you be so unforgiving?”

Dominic arched a brow. “And how can you be so forgiving? That man refused to accept my mother as your wife, publicly denounced your marriage and you, didn’t speak to you for years, never acknowledged my birth and then out of the clear blue sky last year when he’d heard you had taken ill, he showed up and expected everyone to kiss and make up. Well, I wasn’t in the kissing mood then and I’m not in it now,” he said in an angry tone.

He switched his gaze from his father to smile down at his mother. “Except for this beautiful woman here,” he said, before hugging her close and placing a soft kiss across her cheek. “How are you, Mama?”

Megan Saxon returned her son’s smile before giving him a scolding look. “I’m fine, Nick, and your father is right, you know. You can’t distance your grandfather forever.”

“Would you care to bet on that?”

She frowned. “You’re just like your father. Stubborn.”

A smile touched Dominic’s lips. “Yet you love us anyway.”

Dominic then glanced at the man who’d sired him. The man he loved, admired and respected above all else. The man who had not let his father’s rejection of the woman he loved destroy his determination to make her his wife and to make something out of his life—even without the Saxon wealth behind him. After college Marcello had started from the bottom and with keen intelligence, his father built his own Saxon empire, which consisted of hotels, cruise liners, restaurants, publishing companies and various auto dealerships across the country.

His mother hadn’t done badly, either, he thought with a proud smile. Megan Saxon’s name was known throughout the world and graced the garments of several international celebrities. She had a remarkable reputation for outstanding design and had established her own empire in the world of fashion.

The one thing his parents had taught him, Dominic concluded, was to increase his own wealth and not depend on what he might or might not inherit. And so he had. With their blessings he had carved out his personal legacy and thanks to a sharp wealth asset manager like Taylor, he was doing quite well for himself.

Taylor.

He glanced at his watch. They would be sharing dinner in less than four hours.

“Regardless of what you say or how you feel, Nick, he is still your grandfather.”

Dominic decided not to justify his father’s statement with a response.

“Will you at least think about going to see him, sweetheart?”

That question came from his mother. He glanced down at her. She was five feet, eight inches tall and in a room with her son and husband she looked small and delicate. But he knew the latter was far from the truth. She had to be one of the most headstrong women that he knew, definitely no pushover.

It was on the tip of his tongue to say there was nothing to think about and that under no circumstances did he intend to go see the man, but the last thing he wanted was to upset his mother any further. It bothered her that he disliked his grandfather so much because of the old man’s treatment of her.

“I’ll think about it,” he said, although he knew deep down that he wouldn’t.

“And that’s all we ask you to do, Nick,” his mother said softly. “We’re staying in the suite across the hall tonight and flying to France in the morning.”

He nodded. If they expected him to drop everything and fly to France with them because the old man had taken ill then they were wrong. He leaned over and swept another kiss across his mother’s cheek. “And I hope the two of you have a safe flight.”

He saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes and chose to ignore it. “Now if the two of you will excuse me I have a few things I need to take care of before my date tonight here in my suite.”

His mother’s brow lifted in surprise. “You have a date?”

He smiled. His mother was well aware that he rarely entertained anyone in a place he considered his private domain. “Yes. But don’t waste the excitement. I’m merely meeting with my financial advisor.”

“Oh.”

He chuckled. “The two of you can join us if you like,” he invited, knowing they wouldn’t.

“Your mother and I have other plans,” his father said, smiling and gently pulling Megan out of Dominic’s arms into his and kissing her lips. “We’re having dinner with friends.”

“Okay then. Enjoy yourselves.” And then Dominic’s thoughts immediately went back to Taylor and her outlandish proposition. He glanced at his watch again. He couldn’t wait to see her later.

Chapter 2

“Do you really think he’s going to go along with it, Taylor?”

Taylor heard the uncertainty in her sister’s voice through the phone. Vanessa was the one with doubts; however, Cheyenne was the sister who was convinced Dominic would accept her offer. And it wasn’t that Vanessa was a naysayer. She was just being realistic that most people thought logically. And what Taylor was posing to Dominic was highly illogical.

The three of them, she, Vanessa and Cheyenne, always had a close relationship growing up and over the years that hadn’t changed. Vanessa, the oldest at twenty-seven, was the one who, after getting a grad degree at Tennessee State, had returned to Charlotte to work at the family’s manufacturing business, The Steele Corporation, along with their four older male cousins—Chance, Sebastian, Morgan and Donovan. After college, Taylor and Cheyenne had chosen to seek opportunities far away from North Carolina. Cheyenne, who was twenty-three, was a professional model and that meant a lot of traveling as well as living in some of the most exotic places in the world.

Vanessa was in the midst of planning a June wedding to a very handsome man by the name of Cameron Cody. Taylor couldn’t help but smile when she thought about how Cameron had pursued her sister with a vengeance, and finally succeeded in capturing Vanessa’s heart. Taylor was happy for Vanessa and looked forward to returning home for a brief stay this weekend to be fitted for her bridesmaid dress.

“Taylor?”

Vanessa didn’t have to repeat the question for Taylor to respond. She knew what Vanessa wanted to know. “Um, I don’t know if Dominic will go along with my offer or not. It would certainly make my day if he did. At least I’ll have another chance to convince him that I haven’t lost my mind at dinner tonight.”

“Well, good luck.”

“Thanks, Vanessa.” Deciding to change the subject, she said, “So tell me how the plans are coming for the wedding.”

An hour or so later, Taylor was stepping out of the shower to get dressed for her dinner meeting with Dominic. His secretary had called earlier to get her address and to let her know that a car was being sent to pick her up exactly at six-thirty. She would be taken to the Saxon Grand Hotel, where she would be dining with Mr. Saxon.

Taylor glanced at the outfit and accessories she had placed on the bed earlier. She would be wearing a mauve embroidered overlay dress with gold covair beading on the empire bodice and a hem that stopped well above the knee to show off her legs. The dress wasn’t flashy, but she had to admit it was eye-catching. Deliberately so. She needed an outfit that would make Dominic take notice and quickly conclude that a week spent with her on a tropical island indulging in unlimited bedroom activities wouldn’t be all bad.

With less than thirty minutes before the car was to arrive, Taylor was standing in front of the mirror in her bedroom studying the finished product. She tilted her head back, liking the way the earrings dangled from her ears and the matching necklace around her neck. Both had been Christmas gifts from her oldest cousin, Chance, and his wife, Kylie.

Taylor still found it hard to believe at times that within a three-year period her staunch bachelor cousins, Chance, Sebastian and Morgan, had fallen in love and gotten married. And then there was Vanessa, who would be marrying Cameron in June. Taylor was happy for all four of them. Her thoughts shifted to the one lone single male cousin, Donovan Steele. At thirty-two, marriage was the furthest thing from his mind. She had even heard him swear that he would be a bachelor for life.

Her sister Cheyenne was pretty much like her—too involved in a career to take the time to settle down and get involved in a serious affair. But Taylor was determined that no matter how involved she was in her career, she would take time out to become a mother. Having a child had always been her lifelong desire, but she hadn’t known to what degree until a few months back when she returned home to attend Morgan’s celebration party, after he won the council-at-large seat in Charlotte, becoming the first Steele to enter politics.

Vanessa’s best friend, Sienna, had just given birth to a little boy, who in keeping with Bradford tradition had been named Dane William Bradford IV. The moment Taylor had held Little Dane in her arms she’d known that she didn’t want to wait any longer to become a mom.

Sighing deeply, Taylor glanced at her watch. Dominic’s driver would be arriving to pick her up any moment and she wanted to be ready. When she saw Dominic again, she definitely wanted to give him a few things to think about. He would discover tonight that she was a lot more than a mover and a shaker. She was a woman who went after what she wanted and more than anything, she wanted Dominic Saxon as her baby’s daddy.

* * *

Dominic glanced at his watch periodically as he paced around his hotel room waiting for Taylor’s arrival. He couldn’t recall the last time a dinner date had him on edge.

Earlier, during a relaxing moment, he had shared a glass of wine with his parents, and as always, he had enjoyed their company. They didn’t always see eye to eye on everything but he couldn’t ask for better parents. They had always been there for him, supportive in every way.

He couldn’t help noticing how worried his father was about Franco Saxon’s health. It had taken Marcello years to finally put the anger behind him and accept the olive branch that Franco had held out after over thirty years. Dominic hadn’t been that forgiving and to this day he had come face-to-face with the man who was his grandfather only twice. The most recent time was the day Franco had flown in from Paris and had shown up at Dominic’s parents’ home in Los Angeles after getting word that his only son—the one he had years ago disowned—had a life-threatening illness. Luckily, Marcello’s condition hadn’t been as bad as all that, but it had reunited father and son. Marcello was of the mind that too much hurt and pain had passed and as long as Franco finally accepted his marriage, all was well. Before he had left to return to France, Franco had given his blessings to the marriage.

Dominic frowned. As far as he was concerned it had come years too late and he had told the old man as much. But it seemed Dominic’s words had fallen on deaf ears since Franco had refused to give up, determined to forge a bond with his only grandchild. Dominic had repeatedly turned down his grandfather’s attempts. A part of him could not put aside the deep animosity he felt and move on.

Before taking a shower he had touched base with his kitchen staff. Dinner would be served here in his suite, which was a first for him. He rarely brought company to his hotel room, but given the topic of his and Taylor’s conversation, it was important that whatever was discussed was done in private.

Hours later, after getting dressed, he paused to think about everything he knew about Taylor.

He knew from past conversations with her that her mother was still alive but that her father had died years back of lung cancer. He also knew she had two sisters and she was the middle child. And he was well aware that her family owned a multimillion-dollar business, The Steele Corporation, where she had a seat on the board of directors. He knew Chance Steele, her cousin, who was the CEO of the company. They had met years ago at a business conference and Dominic found him to be a very likable person.

Dominic also was acquainted with Cameron Cody, the man her oldest sister would be marrying. They moved in the same social circles and had even been involved in a highly successful business venture a few years back. When it came to business Cody was sharp as a tack.

Dominic wondered if Taylor’s family was aware of how she intended to branch into motherhood. She wanted a baby, but not a husband. All things considered, he could certainly entertain the thought of having a baby without a wife. However, before he agreed to Taylor’s proposal there were a number of things he had to think about, questions he needed answered.

On the flip side, he definitely had no qualms about accepting her proposal. He was attracted to her and had been from the first. Making a baby with her would definitely give him the excuse he needed to cross over the line of business only. The thought of having Taylor in bed beneath him while making love to her had kept him aroused all day.

The phone rang and he was jerked out of his thoughts. He quickly moved across the room to pick it up. “Yes?”

“Your guest has arrived, sir. Do you want me to escort her up?”

“No, I’ll be down to meet her myself.”

He hung up the phone feeling, oddly, a bit nervous.

* * *

Taylor glanced around thinking that this was the first time she had been in a Saxon Hotel. It was big and spacious with an understated degree of refined elegance. It was definitely a five-star that was replete with a luxurious-looking grand interior and a uniformed staff on duty to satisfy a client’s every whim. A person could definitely get swept away with such grace and style.

“Mr. Saxon will be coming down for you, Ms. Steele.”

Taylor glanced at the uniformed man who had spoken. He was the same one who had picked her up from her condo and now stood solidly beside her. “He is?”

“Yes.”

She figured once inside the hotel she would be on her own. Apparently not. It appeared Dominic had other ideas. When he had invited her to dinner she’d known they would be dining in his suite. He hadn’t said as much but she had assumed it. He was a private person and the majority of the time when they had dinner meetings he always made it a habit to suggest a private room. It wasn’t uncommon for him to cause a stir, especially among the media who enjoyed writing about the wealthy Saxon heir.

“Here is Mr. Saxon now.”

Taylor glanced in the direction of the elevators and caught sight of Dominic walking toward them. She had prepared herself to see him again. Or so she thought. The man was so extraordinarily sexy, so ridiculously sensual that her entire body began responding. As he crossed the wide stretch of lobby toward her, people, mainly women, stopped to stare.

She suddenly felt her heart take a nosedive into her stomach. He was wearing a tailored suit and blue shirt that fit him with precision and even at a distance she could detect his calm restraint. She was about to look away and place her focus elsewhere, when his gaze suddenly snagged hers. His penetrating stare was doing things to her, forcing her to embark on one hell of a fantastic voyage. Heat rushed through her, zinged her with a force she hadn’t felt before. The man had enough sex appeal to bottle for future generations.

Damn. Definitely not what she wanted to be up against tonight. How was she going to get through a meal with him when already she felt trapped in his gaze? All right, I can handle this. I can handle him. Those words flowed through her mind as he got closer. With a half smile she expelled another breath and forced back the thought that suddenly entered her mind about just how great it would be to share a hotel room with him, a bed, the same intimate space. Hot sex. Heated Sex. Never-ending Sex. And all for a full week. With her lips barely moving, she released a soft laugh. There would be little time for chitchat.

That thought put every nerve ending in her body on red alert. But she refused to give anything away. So she stood there waiting, looking more poised than she actually felt. She was here for a good reason and knowing that reason gave strength to her resolve. It would be pointless to fight off the sexual heat the man generated but she wished she wasn’t so aware of him. She would have appreciated it if he didn’t make such a powerful impact on her vital signs and wasn’t oozing such raw physical force.

And more than anything, she wished he didn’t look like all the millions he was actually worth. Boy, how she wished.

When he finally came to a stop in front of her, and she saw the beauty of his green eyes as he gazed into her dark ones, she had never wished for anything so much in her life.

* * *

The first thing that had hit Dominic, even before he’d reached Taylor, was her scent. He had to compliment whatever perfume she was wearing. It was both soft and sensuous and had a punch that could drive a man to distraction. But then he had been blown away the moment he had stepped off the elevator and had seen her standing with Ryder. She looked delicate beside the huge hulk of man. Above all, she looked stunning.

The dress she was wearing definitely brought out her sensual side. Thanks to his mother he knew enough about fashion to realize that not every woman would be able to pull off wearing an outfit such as this. You had to have the small waistline, curves and legs to make it happen, otherwise it would be a total waste of good fabric. Taylor had the small waistline, the curves and the legs. Another added bonus was that she also had the breasts, since the square-neck bodice emphasized them. Yes, altogether he would give the outfit an A-plus.

Even now as he stared at her, with her head tilted and meeting his intense gaze, he was fighting for control. He had always admired Taylor for her intelligence, her investment savvy, but now he was about to bestow on her accolades for her ability to take him on at a personal level. He was beginning to discover that she was one irresistible force.

“Dominic.”

His name on her lips seemed to warm his skin. He even felt his insides beginning to melt. He figured he needed to get her up to his hotel room before his sexual response to her became too obvious. “Taylor, I hope you had a pleasant ride coming here.”

She smiled as she glanced over at Ryder. “Um, it was rather interesting.”

Only someone who knew Ryder Sanders as well as Dominic was aware of the man fighting the urge to smile back. Evidently his driver had broken several speed limits.

Years ago, when at the age of fourteen, a kidnapping attempt had been made on Dominic, Franco Saxon, in one of his rare but manipulative moves had sent Ryder. Marcello had been too distraught at the thought of someone trying to use his son in a ransom scheme to send Ryder back. By the time Dominic had learned of his grandfather’s gesture, Ryder had become not only his bodyguard, driver and traveling companion, but the now fifty-something man had become his good friend. Dominic moved around freely knowing that Ryder had his back.

“Interesting?” Dominic said. “I’m sure it was. Are you ready to go up to my suite for dinner?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

The sound of her voice stoked the fires within him once again. There was a whole world of difference between the Taylor he met each month to discuss his financial portfolio and the one standing in front of him looking good enough to devour. All of a sudden the menu that he’d carefully selected lost its appeal and he was developing a taste for something else altogether. Something that was just as succulent.

He gestured toward the bank of elevators. “There’s a private one that goes up to the floor where the owner suites are located.”

She began walking beside him across the lobby floor. He saw several heads turn and knew everyone was probably thinking they made a beautiful couple. Little did they know that during the course of the next few hours they would be encased in his hotel room discussing whether or not they should make a beautiful baby together.

His heart began to thunder in his chest. He had a feeling it would be a long and tempting evening.

* * *

This had to be the longest elevator ride that she’d ever taken, Taylor thought as she tried looking at everything other than Dominic. He was standing beside her and she felt tension grip her stomach.

She didn’t feel like engaging in a nice conversation just to pass the time. Although she and Dominic had spent many hours together poring over his financial portfolio, their meeting tonight would be altogether different. She was now a woman with a plan. And it was a plan that she hoped he would go along with.

“I should have asked before commissioning the cook to come up with something special for dinner tonight if you’re allergic to anything.”

She glanced up at him. “No, there’s nothing I can think of that doesn’t agree with my system.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She met his eyes. They were staring deep into hers.

“And don’t be surprised if we see my parents at some point tonight.”

She arched a brow. “Your parents?”

“Yes. They’re here at the hotel. They flew in from California and are on their way out of the country.”