Be transported to the worlds of oil barons, family dynasties, moguls and celebrities. Get ready for juicy plot twists, delicious sensuality and intriguing scandal.
6 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!
Blame It on the Billionaire by Naima Simone One Honor thy mother and father.
Grayson Chandler smothered a sigh. With all due respect to Moses, but if heâd been stuck listening to Graysonâs mother nag on and on and about his lack of duty, loyalty and wife, the prophet mightâve asked God to nail down the specifics on that commandment.
Swearing. Out.
Muzzling. Out.
Faking a coronary episode to avoid her complaining. Gray area.
For a moment, a flicker of guilt wavered in Graysonâs chest. But at the moment, he was caught in his motherâs crosshairs. Pit bulls with lockjaw had nothing on Cherise Chandler. She didnât let go of somethingâwhether it was a project, a subject or a grudgeâuntil she was done with it.
Which didnât bode well for him.
He was thirty years old and president of KayCee Corp, one of the most successful global tech start-up companies in the country and he hadnât been a child to be controlled long before he left his parentsâ
house. For years, heâd answered only to himself, owed no one else explanations or justifications.
Yet none of that mattered when it came to the crystal blue gaze that could make him feel like the little boy whoâd been busted hiding a stray dog under his bed for a week.
Hell.
Parental guilt trips were a bitch.
âGrayson, your stubbornness is becoming ridiculous,â his mother said, a note of irritation in her voice.
She shifted closer and a small frown marred her brow. âYouâve proven your point with this little business venture of yours and Gideon Knightâs. But your father needs you now, your family needs you. Itâs time to stop playing at CEO, step up and take your place at Chandler International. Itâs your responsibility.
Your duty.â
He clenched his jaw, trapping the vitriolic stream of words that scalded his throat. This little business venture. Time to stop playing. As if striking out on his own without the emotional or financial support of his Chicago old-money, well-connected family was the equivalent of a rousing game of Monopoly. With those few words, sheâd dismissed years of his and Gideonâs hard work, relentless determination and resulting success.
He shouldâve been used to this casual disregard. Of his accomplishments. Of him. As the second son, the âoops babyâ of Daryl and Cherise Chandler, heâd been an afterthought from birth. But somehow, his skin had never grown that thick.
Another black mark in the âWhy Grayson Isnât Jason Chandlerâ Column. Right under rebellious. Selfish.
And disloyal.
Didnât matter that heâd had a hand in founding a tech platform that served major businesses and assisted them in tracking their shares with its unrivaled software. Didnât matter that his business was one of the most successful start-ups to hit the financial scene in the last five years.
None of it mattered because it wasnât Chandler International.
Dammit.
Grayson shoved his hands in his tuxedo pockets and glanced away from his motherâs scrutiny. Guilt and shame knotted his gut.
He was throwing a pity party, but at least he was alive.
Jason couldnât say the same.
And because his mother had lost her sonâher favorite sonâGrayson imprisoned the sharp retort that weighed down his tongue.
âI take my position at and ownership of KayCee Corp as seriously as Dad does with Chandler. I also understand my obligation to our family. But as Iâve told both of you, my company is my legacy just as Chandler is Dadâs.â
âDonât be deliberately obtuse, Grayson. Itâs not the sameââ
âMother,â he interrupted, voice cold. âNow isnât the place or time for this conversation.â