Taming Her Billionaire

The fine art of seduction

Maximus Knight just had a rude awakening. It’s bad enough he has to compete for control of Knight Shipping with the half brother he never knew he had. Now his father’s will has just given gorgeous gallery owner Tahlia Armstrong a tie-breaking stake in the company. Seducing her into turning over her shares—and controlling interest—to him backfires when a sizzling kiss ignites emotions too powerful to ignore.

Max is Tahlia’s secret weakness. For years, she has desired the man no woman can resist. But the charismatic entrepreneur is used to getting what he wants, and Tahlia has been scorched by love before. When a shocking power play threatens their passionate bond, Tahlia has to decide whether she can trust Max with her heart—and a love too precious to lose.

He spun her around and, to her surprise, began buttoning her coat.

“I can do it,” Tahlia said, halting his hands with her own.

“I want to make sure you’re warm,” Maximus said, brushing her hands aside as he continued his task.

Tahlia looked down. Didn’t he know she was not only warm, but she was also on fire from his touch? She hadn’t recovered from his earlier kiss, and being in this confined space with Maximus was playing havoc on her senses. Her heart was already beating an erratic rhythm.

“Tahlia, look at me.” Maximus’s voice was husky with desire.

She met his eyes with hers, and they scanned her face slowly and seductively. And when his gaze slid downward to her lips and he lifted his thumb to caress them, her pulse quickened. Maximus tilted her chin upward with a finger to inch her closer to him. Tahlia knew what was coming next, and there was no hesitation on her part. She twined her fingers into his curly hair at the back of his head as she’d been longing to do. Sweet relief flooded her as he hauled her against him, bent his head and closed his mouth over hers.

Dear Reader,

I hope you find Maximus Knight’s story a satisfying conclusion to the Knights of Los Angeles series that began with Taming Her Tycoon. My idea of a sibling rivalry over the family dynasty came from watching the television show Empire.

I love the arc of each character’s metamorphosis. Maximus can’t get past his father’s betrayal in giving half his birthright to his brother, Lucius Knight, with Tahlia Armstrong as the tiebreaker vote. Maximus is equal parts charmer and schemer as he tries to retain his empire by seducing lovable Tahlia. She becomes empathetic to Maximus’s plight after realizing her surrogate father, Arthur Knight, had faults. It’s exciting to see Maximus’s growth as he falls for Tahlia’s sweet nature and accepts his new brother.

My next book, His San Diego Sweetheart, debuts in spring 2018. Visit my website, www.yahrahstjohn.com, or write me at [e-mail] for details.

Yahrah St. John

Taming Her Billionaire

Yahrah St. John

www.millsandboon.co.uk

YAHRAH ST. JOHN is the author of twenty-five books, seventeen with the Harlequin Kimani Romance line. When she’s not at home crafting one of her sexy romances with compelling heroes, feisty heroines and a dash of family drama, she can be found in the kitchen cooking one of her gourmet meals discovered on the Food Network for her husband. Or this thrill-seeking junkie can be found traveling the globe seeking out her next adventure. A graduate of Hyde Park Career Academy, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Northwestern University. St. John is a member of Romance Writers of America but is an avid reader of all genres. She lives in sunny Orlando, the City Beautiful, where there’s great weather all year round. For more information, please visit www.yahrahstjohn.com.

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To my husband, Freddie Blackman—you light up my life.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Maximus Xavier Knight stared at the beautiful woman who’d just entered the library of his family’s estate for the reading of his father Arthur Knight’s will. Had she really just said she was his partner? Was he in some alternative universe? Surely his father’s attorney, Robert Kellogg, hadn’t just informed him that his father had bestowed 49 percent equally to him and his illegitimate older brother, Lucius Knight, and given this random yet stunning woman the remaining 2 percent?

One thing was for sure, she was a knockout. His eyes skimmed over her. The wrap dress she wore clung to her shapely curves, showing him she had generous breasts and hips he could grab on to and legs that went on for miles. Long, flowing black hair hung down her back in soft luxurious waves. Her smooth tapioca-colored skin looked soft to the touch. He drank in every detail, her high cheekbones, finely arched eyebrows and full kissable lips, which held a hint of pink lipstick. Her expressive large brown eyes were mascara-coated and looking at him intently.

“Maximus, I presume.” She held out her hand. “Tahlia, Tahlia Armstrong.”

Maximus extended his hand, cupping her small, soft one in his, and shook it. The brief contact sent an arc of desire shooting straight through him. They stared at one another for several beats before she lowered her hand, making Maximus wonder if he’d imagined the electric connection.

“Ms. Armstrong, welcome,” Robert said. “I was hoping you would have come earlier.”

“Sorry.” Tahlia blushed. “Promptness isn’t my strong suit.” She found an empty chair beside his half brother, Lucius, and took a seat. She was clearly embarrassed by her tardiness but seemed to have known more than any of them did.

“Omigod!” Maximus’s mother, Charlotte, cried into her handkerchief by his side. He knew she must be in shock just as he was by his father’s bequest, but he was determined not to show weakness.

“Robert.” Maximus remained standing and walked over to his father’s longtime friend. “Is this will iron-clad?”

The attorney frowned. “Meaning was your father of sound mind when he wrote it?”

“Of course he was,” Lucius’s mother, Jocelyn Turner, burst aloud, jumping out of her seat. “This was his way of finally acknowledging Lucius.” She pointed to her son, who was still seated next to his fiancée, Naomi Brooks.

“You have no say here.” Charlotte Knight stopped sniffing long enough to speak and rise from her seat to face her nemesis. “Arthur was my husband, not yours. You were nothing more than his low-rate mistress, one he couldn’t bother to be seen with.”

“Mother! That’s enough.” Maximus didn’t want an all-out brawl to break out. Lucius had stood as well and stepped in front of his mother in full protective mode.

“Everyone, please,” Robert spoke loudly, interrupting the crowd. “I need you all to take your seats.”

Reluctantly, both mothers sat down while Maximus and Lucius remained standing. Maximus didn’t know what to make of his older brother, but he knew he’d be a formidable opponent. He was six foot two with a square jaw and an athletic physique. Even though he worked out often, Maximus wasn’t sure he could take him down physically, but there were other ways.

“Why would he do this?” Lucius asked, turning to Robert. “I know nothing about the shipping business, and I want no part of any inheritance Arthur Knight may have left for me.”

“Good.” Max smiled. He was glad to see that he and his brother were on the same page. He didn’t need or want Lucius around, and apparently he felt the same way. “It’s settled. You can sign over your shares and we can be done with this business.”

“No!” Tahlia’s voice rang out. “It’s not what your father wanted.”

Maximus spun around on his heel. The withering look he gave her may have frightened many an employee in his office, but not Tahlia. He guessed she was somewhere in the neighborhood of five foot nine or ten, and wasn’t backing down from him even though he stood several inches taller. “And how would you know what my father wanted?”

“I’d like to know the answer to that question, as well,” his mother said. Fury was etched across her face. How was it that she was in the dark about yet another woman in his father’s life?

“Because he talked to me about his failure to do the right thing by his sons,” Tahlia responded.

So she knew about Lucius? How long? Was she another one of his father’s mistresses? She was young and incredibly beautiful. How had she gotten herself mixed up with an older married man when she could have her pick of men? A million questions scrambled Maximus’s brain, but before he could fire them at her, Robert interjected.

“Everyone, I know Arthur’s wishes must come as a shock to all of you,” Robert stated, “but I can assure you he was of sound mind and body when he wrote this will. Further, as Ms. Armstrong has stated, it was Arthur’s hope that you both could work together side by side and truly become brothers.”

“Robert, you act like this is some kind of family reunion,” Maximus returned, “when that’s far from the case. We—” he motioned around the room “—are here because my father was a liar, a cheat and a coward. It sickens me. And only now in his death does he have the courage to speak up? This is nothing short of Shakespearean.”

“Please, take some time to let all of this sink in, give it time to settle,” Robert replied softly. “You’ll see he was finally trying to be fair.”

“While ripping the ground right out from underneath me? He’s given a complete stranger—” Maximus responded with contempt as he pointed to Tahlia “—two percent of his company, and I want to know why.”

“I don’t know why,” Tahlia replied, squaring her shoulders. “I certainly didn’t ask him for it. I was just a friend. An ear to listen when he needed it. And vice versa. I know that may be hard or strange to believe given our age difference, but nothing untoward happened between me and Arthur. He was like a father to me, giving me advice about life, work...and I—I miss him, too...” Her voice broke, and she turned away from him, clutching her hand to her mouth.

It made Maximus feel like a heel because he’d clearly upset her when he hadn’t meant to. He just wanted answers. He had a right to know why half of the company he’d devoted his life to had been given to a son his father never claimed and someone who wasn’t even a member of the Knight family. He was boiling with rage, but venting at a woman wasn’t his style. Nor would he give Lucius the satisfaction of seeing him falter, but one thing was for certain: he wasn’t about to give up the battle for Tahlia’s 2 percent, which was rightfully his.

Maximus bent down to speak to his mother, who was still reeling at the news. He whispered in her ear, trying to soothe her frayed nerves. “There’s nothing we can do at this moment. Give me some time to figure this out, okay?”

She nodded.

Maximus glanced up and watched Robert pack up his briefcase and then come over to him. “Max, I’m sorry how this all turned out for you,” he said. “I warned Arthur that this wasn’t the best approach, and he should have discussed his choices with you sooner rather than blindsiding you.”

Maximus shrugged. “Why should I be surprised, Robert? I’ve never been able to do enough or achieve enough to gain my father’s respect, and now this? He didn’t even think I could run his company.”

Robert patted his shoulder reassuringly and quietly walked away.

What was he supposed to do now? Maximus’s mind was jumbled as to what his next move should be. He glanced across the room and saw Lucius, Jocelyn and Naomi speaking quietly while Tahlia stood in the background, watching the entire scene. She was clearly uncomfortable to be in the middle of a family squabble. And it surprised him that he felt protective over a woman he’d just met and wanted to comfort her, but he did.

So he strolled toward her.

She smiled when he approached, and Maximus’s stomach flipped. Something that never happened with other women. Usually his time spent with the fairer sex was either as a companion for an event or his bedmate. Nothing more.

Tahlia Armstrong fit neither of those categories.

“Are you all right?” he inquired.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” she responded with a half smile. “I mean, I didn’t have my entire life turned upside down today with no warning.”

“Very true, but you also became an instant millionaire today,” he said smoothly, regarding her intently. “Two percent in Knight Shipping is nothing to laugh at.”

“No, I don’t suppose it is,” she said demurely.

And then there it was again, a hint of a blush on her rosy cheeks. She looked downward, not quite looking at him, and that was when he realized Tahlia Armstrong was flustered by him. Maximus had to figure out how to use that to his advantage.

“You should stay for dinner,” he stated quietly, surprising even himself with the offer.

“D-dinner?”

He grinned. “Yes, you do eat, don’t you?”

She chuckled, and Maximus had to admit he liked the sound of it. “I do.”

“Then join me. I mean, me and my mother that is.”

Tahlia glanced over to his brother. “Is Lucius and his family welcome to join us?”

Max bristled inwardly. He hated being backed into a corner, but in order to figure out his next move where Tahlia was concerned, he might have to tolerate a meal with his older brother and harlot of a mother. Though he had no ill will against Naomi.

“If that means you’ll agree, then yes.”

* * *

Tahlia smiled. She’d won a small victory in getting Maximus to agree to dinner with his brother, Lucius. When Robert had first telephoned her a couple of days ago, she’d been unprepared for the bombshell he was about to drop on her. One day she was a lowly assistant at an art gallery in Los Angeles, the next she was the owner of the gallery as well as a 2 percent partner in Knight Shipping, one of the largest shipping companies in the United States. Talk about a change in circumstances overnight! Not to mention she was finally going to get close enough to Maximus to actually have a conversation after seeing him only from afar!

Tahlia had been so shocked by the turn of events, she’d kept the news to herself and hadn’t even told her mother, Sophia, or sister, Kaitlynn. How could she tell them she was tied indefinitely to the Knights and Maximus, the man she’d secretly crushed on the last year? Ever since she’d first seen him from across the room at one of the gallery’s exhibit openings, he’d been on her mind. Not that he had noticed her that night. When she’d asked Robert why he was telling her in advance of Arthur’s bequest, Robert indicated he thought there might trouble between the two brothers when they learned their fate and was hoping she’d play peacemaker.

It was a tall order, one which she knew wouldn’t be achieved overnight, but it was a start. They were family after all. And for some reason, Arthur, her dear friend, had chosen her to lead the effort, and Tahlia was determined not to let him down.

Tahlia tried not to show nerves as she and Maximus walked over toward Lucius and his family, but instantly a chill spiked in the air.

“Lucius.” Maximus nodded in his direction.

“Max.” Lucius used his youngest brother’s nickname, and Tahlia felt Maximus immediately tense beside her. She was sure it was used only by family and close friends, certainly not a brother he’d known nothing about until a couple of weeks ago.

Tahlia had been horrified when she’d heard that Arthur had been caught in flagrante with Lucius’s mother, Jocelyn, in a hotel room and had a heart attack. The news media had been unforgiving in their portrayal of the shipping magnate and his womanizing ways. And when the press had realized that Lucius was the product of their decades-long affair, they’d been brutal. It was no wonder both men were angry. They had a right to be. Arthur should have been honest with them much sooner.

“I’ve invited Ms. Armstrong,” Maximus began, but she interrupted him.

“Tahlia.”

Maximus nodded. “I’ve invited Tahlia to dinner this evening. And she thought you and your lovely fiancée might like to join us.”

Tahlia frowned. She was sure she’d said Lucius’s family, including his mother, but was that asking too much under the circumstances?

“That’s quite generous of you, Max,” Lucius replied with a wide grin. “And I’ll stay if my mother is welcome.”

Lucius was purposely baiting him, and Tahlia hated that she was the cause, but Maximus didn’t seem fazed—or at least not that he was showing outwardly. In Tahlia’s opinion, he plastered a fake smile on his face before saying, “I suppose, but it might be best to keep both our mothers on opposite sides of the table.”

“That would be prudent,” Lucius responded.

Soon they were all headed in the direction of the dining room. Tahlia was shocked when Maximus returned to her side after briefly speaking with his mother. She could see Charlotte Knight recoil with the turn of events as evidenced by the glare she threw in Tahlia’s direction, but she remained silent and did as Maximus instructed.

Once they made it to the beautifully appointed dining area, Charlotte immediately sat at the head of the table, making it clear this was her home and they were all just visitors in it. Maximus flanked his mother to the left, leaving the seat to her right open, which Tahlia reluctantly took. Meanwhile, Lucius and his mother sat beside Tahlia while his fiancée sat next to Maximus.

A uniformed man Tahlia could only assume was the butler came to speak with Mrs. Knight. Several seconds later waitstaff entered to fill their water glasses as well as offer them wine with their meal. Other than everyone selecting their choice of red or white, the silence in the room was deafening.

“Th-thank you for having us,” Tahlia offered, glancing at Charlotte. “It’s really quite generous.”

“Did we have much choice?” Mrs. Knight queried under her breath.

“If you don’t want us here, we can leave,” Lucius responded tightly from across the table, and Tahlia could feel the tension ratchet up a notch, but Maximus intervened.

“We’ve invited you and you’re our guest,” Maximus stated wanly. He turned to the company on his side. “Naomi Brooks—” he offered her his hand “—it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard quite a lot about Brooks & Johnson. I believe you use their products don’t you, Mother?”

He turned to Charlotte.

She gave the first sincere smile Tahlia had seen since she’d arrived. “Yes, I do. They are the only products my salon carries where I get my facials.” She lightly touched her cheek. “They’re really quite remarkable products.”

“Thank you.” Naomi smiled.

“You started the company with your best friend, yes?” Maximus inquired, sipping his wine and leaning back in his chair to regard her.

“Yes, in our apartment in college,” Naomi replied.

“And turned it into a billion-dollar business,” Maximus added. “You’ve got yourself quite a find here, big brother.”

Tahlia gave Lucius a sideward glance. The love in his eyes was evident as he grinned across the table at his fiancée.

“And you?” Charlotte turned her attention to Tahlia. “What is it that you do, dear?”

“Mother,” Maximus cautioned. The tone in his voice told her to tread lightly.

“I’m just being cordial,” she replied, reaching for her wineglass.

“Up until recently, I worked as an assistant at Art Gallery Twenty-One.”

“That was one of Father’s favorite galleries,” Maximus said, offering Tahlia a warm smile.

“Have circumstances changed?” Charlotte asked.

“As a matter of fact they have,” Tahlia answered. “Robert informed me that Arthur was owner of the gallery and has bequeathed it to me.”

A loud gasp escaped from Charlotte, but she soon recovered. “So now you own it? You must have made quite the impression on my husband.” She took another sip of her red wine. “Very much like other people I know.”

Her implication was clear that Arthur and Tahlia had an intimate relationship, a seedy one. Fury boiled inside Tahlia, but she needn’t have worried because Jocelyn rose to the bait.

“If you’re insinuating something, Charlotte,” Jocelyn spoke after being silent since they were seated, “just say it. Maybe then we can all end this whole charade.”

Tahlia suspected it must be very difficult for Jocelyn to sit in her former lover’s home with his wife and son, knowing she’d had an affair with the man for years and produced a child. A child who was sitting beside her but had never been acknowledged, until now.

“Au contraire, contraire,” Charlotte replied with a snort. “It gives me great pleasure to sit with the mistress of my lying, cheating excuse for a husband and her illegitimate offspring after you’ve in essence ripped my child’s inheritance right out of his hands.”

“I did no such thing!” Lucius roared from beside her. His dark eyes blazed with indignation. “I didn’t ask for any of this. Neither did he.” He flung his hands in Maximus’s direction. “Did you know Arthur was cheating on your mother?”

Maximus glared at him, and at first Tahlia thought he wouldn’t respond, but then he shook his head. “Of course I didn’t,” he finally replied. His dark brown eyes were very much like Lucius’s. “Do you think if I did I would have let Arthur continue to humiliate my mother with yours?”

Tahlia tried to speak. “Everyone, why don’t we calm down. I think dinner is coming.” Or at least the salads were. Several waitstaff entered the room carrying plates filled with mixed greens, cranberries and walnuts and what appeared to be some sort of vinaigrette. As they set a plate in front of her, Tahlia couldn’t wait to dig in.

Maximus gave her a small smile from across the table, but it was pointless because Jocelyn rose to her feet. “I’m sorry, Lucius.” She turned to her son. “I can’t sit here and break bread with these people in A-Arthur’s home. It’s just too much.” Seconds later, she pushed her chair back and rushed out of the dining room.

“Good riddance!” Charlotte said with a smile.

“That was uncalled for, Mother,” Maximus hissed. “Apologize.”