Stolen:The Billionaire Deception(21)

"I have a feeling that James Hunter enjoys looking at himself in the mirror."



"I have to say that sadly, I agree. He is definitely one of the most   narcissistic people I have had the displeasure of knowing. Have you   found anything out that will help you in your cause yet?"



"Nothing solid, but Seth has told me some things …  what he can remember,   but I honestly don't think he knows what James did, exactly. He was a   kid too when it all took place."



"I can see that you are very fond of him."



"I am, but I'm afraid I may have realized too late that his fear of his   father runs a lot deeper than whatever feelings he might have for me."



"I want to help you," he said.



I felt a surge of hope once again. I was getting nowhere …  I needed help.   "Thank you, I can't even tell you how much that means to me."



"I can imagine. I loved my parents too and if anyone had tried to take   what I had left of them when they were gone, I would have fought to the   death for it. I have the good fortune as a shareholder to have access  to  a lot of private documents. I've never had reason to look through  the  old ones before, but I will be doing that now."



I lost my head for a second and threw my arms around the portly little   man. I felt his body shake as he laughed. When I let go of him my face   was hot with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I'm just so grateful."



"Don't be sorry. It's been a long time since a fat old bald man such as   myself received such an affectionate hug from a pretty young lady." He   took two business cards and an ink pen out of his breast pocket and   handed it to me. "My numbers are on there. Write yours down for me on   the other one."



I did as he asked and he said, "I will be in touch. If you need to get   ahold of me before that, A-Erin," he said with a smile. Calling me that   let me know that he was willing to keep my secret safe. "Feel free to   call me anytime."



"Thank you so much. I will always be grateful."



"I hope I can help you," he said. "I will do my best." I stood rooted to   the spot while he left. I felt like the stars were finally lining up  on  my side.









CHAPTER SIXTEEN









I stood there looking around the room I was in for a full five minutes   after Phillip left. It was definitely a library. It was filled with   classic and out of print titles that were probably worth more than all   of James's executives yearly salaries put together. I had to look at all   of this excess that he seemed to flaunt and wonder how much of it came   from illegal or immoral gains. I hardly doubt that his taking  advantage  of me was the first or the last time he took advantage of  someone.  Shaking my head in disgust, I moved on. No one was in the hall  so I  headed in the direction I had been going in to begin with and  slipped  into the next room I came to. It was some kind of office, or  study.  There was an oversized cherry wood desk in front of a plush  looking  leather chair. Behind it was a set of shelves that contained  gold framed  photographs of James Hunter with various public figures and  even a few  celebrities. I didn't see any of him with his own son …   imagine that. To  the left of the shelves was a large wooden filing  cabinet.         

     



 



I went back over to the door and looked out into the hall once more. It   still appeared that I was alone. I closed the door and went over to the   filing cabinet. Sliding the top drawer open I saw neatly organized  files  with dates written across the top of each of them. It appeared  that  they were in chronological order. The drawer I was in appeared to  be  recent files from this year. I knew that I didn't have time to stand   here and go through all of them right now, although I would have liked   to …  for no other reason than to see what other evil things this man  had  been up to. I closed that drawer and opened the one on the bottom. I   found the year I was looking for and pulled out the first file. It had   documents in it …  original documents for the purchase of an apartment   building on Park Avenue. I put it back and pulled out the next one. This   one was a court document and I saw the name I was hoping for: Morgan   Corp.



It listed my father's company as the "Plaintiff" and the "Respondent"   was listed as the one and only James Hunter. My father was suing James? I   turned the first page and began reading. It looked like my father was   suing him for a breach of confidentiality. It also said that James   Hunter was filing a countersuit against my father for slander. James was   a lawyer during that time. Was he my father's lawyer before the civil   suit? I began to turn to the next page when I heard the sound of   footsteps on the smooth wood floor in the hall. Damn it! I'd left my bag   up front with my coat. I didn't have anywhere to put the papers in the   slinky dress I was wearing. I shoved the file back in the drawer and   closed it. I would have to figure out another way to get back in here. I   stood up just as I heard the doorknob turn and acted like I was  looking  at the photos on the shelf.



"Erin?" I turned around. It was Seth poking his head in the door. Thank   God he hadn't found me on my knees in front of his father's private   filing cabinet.



"Yeah," I said. He pushed the door open further and came inside.



"Hey, what are you doing in here? I've been looking all over for you."



"I just needed some time to myself," I told him.



"Are you okay? I'm sorry if your feelings were hurt. My father can be a real ass sometimes."



"Your father's behavior was not what upset me," I told him.



He knew that I was talking about him. I saw a guilty expression cross   his face and then he said, "I'm not sure what you expected me to do. I   didn't want to cause a scene in front of the guests."



I looked at him for a long time. Did he really not know that I expected   him to stick up for me no matter who was there? We were seeing each   other …  we were sleeping together …  of course I expected him to stick up   for me. I wanted to be more important than his asshole father and stuffy   guests. I thought it so strange that he didn't see that, but this was   neither the time nor the place for that discussion. I had a headache  and  no desire to have another run in with the senior Hunter. I was  finished  for tonight.



"I'd like to go home, Seth. I'm not feeling very well."



"Okay, I'm sorry. I'll take you." He said that because that's what I   expected, but I could see the anxiety in his eyes. I'm sure him leaving   in the middle of the party would be the source of a fight between him   and his father. As angry as I was with him, I didn't want him to have to   go through that.



"No. You stay here, finish the party. I'll be fine if you can just have your driver take me, please."



"Erin … "



"We don't have to talk about this tonight Seth. Please."



He nodded and said, "I'll have Trevor bring the car around. I'll talk to   you tomorrow?" I didn't answer him. In spite of how angry I wanted to   be at him, the hurt in his eyes made me feel bad. I tamped it down,  like  I told Seth …  not tonight.





***





Seth tucked me into the back of the limousine and I went home. When I got there, Grant was just coming in as well.



"Well, hello gorgeous!"



"Hi Grant. How was your evening?"



He made a boo-boo face at me and said, "Mine was good, but you look like you need to talk about yours."



"Maybe," I said. "I'm going to change out of this dress."



"You look stunning," he said. "You look much too beautiful to come home   so sad. I'm going to open us up a bottle of wine and you can tell me   whose ass I need to kick."
         

     



 


That made me smile. While he went into the kitchen to get the wine, I   went in to change out of the dress. I stopped to look in the full-length   mirror before I did and I marveled at the fact I could leave the house  a  few hours earlier in love and feeling like a princess and return   confused, hurt and frustrated. I unzipped the dress and stepped out of   it. Then I stripped off my tights and shoes and went into the bathroom. I   took my hair into both of my hands and twisted it up on top of my  head,  securing it with an elastic band and then I washed the make-up  from my  face. I slipped into a pair of flannel pajamas with ducks on  them and I  went back out to the living room. Grant was sitting on the  couch with  the bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on the table in  front of him.  When he looked up and saw me he said, "Wow, even without  all the fancy  schmancy stuff, you're gorgeous."