The Long Con
The Long Con
Lexxi James
Contents
Get in on the Action
Acknowledgments
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
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
The End
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About the Author
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2020 Lexxi James
www.LexxiJames.com
All rights reserved. Lexxi James, Ltd.
Editing by
Pam Berehulke, Bulletproof Editing
ASIN: B085C1KFTR
Independently Published
Cover by Hang Le
Trust me. Some men are made for the con.
He's hot. Charming. Sexy.
And don't forget wealthy.
He can have any woman he wants.
Except one.
Most women look at him like a sugar daddy. Or a baby daddy.
But the way she looked at him was different.
Like he wasn't worth her time.
Well, she just became worth his.
She's smart. Sassy. Slated to be the next CEO.
Her head is on business.
Her curves beg to be touched.
And there's only one way in.
He'll change his looks. Drastically.
Recruit an ally from deep within her world.
Chip away at every one of her defenses.
Put a plan into motion that there's no turning back from.
Dedicate millions to one endgame . . . to pull the ultimate con.
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Acknowledgments
To my very own perfect match, Mr. E.
You are, without a doubt, the most remarkable man in the universe. Kind, generous, sexy, smart—I thank my lucky stars every day for you.
To my family. This year has brought us exceptionally close, even with social distancing, and I cherish the love we share.
To the utterly extraordinary Pam Berehulke. I am so grateful that the universe allowed us to connect! What I've created, you’ve made beautiful. Thank you.
To Crystal. You've been with me from the very beginning. Before my second book. Before Facebook and Instagram. You are one in a billion, and I couldn't imagine ever doing this without you.
To my phenomenal ARC Team. I so appreciate each and every one of you for your thoughtfulness, kind words, FB chats, and amazing friendship.
To the amazing bloggers who've supported my works along the way. Your time, posts and reposts, and generous reviews mean everything to me.
And a very special thanks to my readers from every corner of the world. I'm grateful beyond words.
Love Always, Lexxi
One
“Have you ever been obsessed?” he asked.
With the midday sun blazing into his new uptown Dallas office, Richard noticed Margot squinting. He grabbed a remote control. At the press of a button, transparent screens dropped over two walls of windows, softly dimming the sunlight while capturing the panoramic skyscraper views. When her eyes adjusted, she resumed her skeptical scowl.
He couldn’t help firing such a pointed question at her. And not just for shock effect. He was revealing a secret truth that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t escape.
Appearing unimpressed, she stared back. “Players like you don’t get obsessed. You get fleeting infatuations, until the next new set of bouncy breasts catch your eye.”
He took the jab in stride. Impressing Margot wasn’t the goal. Convincing her to join him was. She had a knack for cutting to the chase, a quality he respected.
Facts. Numbers.
All business. No bullshit.
Here we go.
Despite the expansiveness of his fortieth-floor office, they sat a cozy distance from each other, each on a matching tufted black leather sofa, with a low glass table between them. Two chilled Voss waters waited an arm’s length away on granite coasters.
The refreshments weren’t just there because of the sweltering Texas heat outside. Richard knew the drill. Margot demanded complete sobriety during any negotiation, and this wasn’t exactly a social call. With her golden hair perfectly layered in an expensive cut, and a custom suit contouring her svelte body and complementing her delicate features, she was a woman of the world. No doubt about it—her razor-sharp mind analyzed him. Each word. Every move.
And he knew exactly why.
Jumping on this crazy train would take a wish and a prayer, and a butt-load of cash. And crazy wasn’t even the half of it.
Illegal? Definitely not.
Well, maybe.
Okay, probably.
Richard tried to stay out of anything that was blatantly against the law, but everything about this plan screamed lawsuit. Big, fat, fucking lawsuit. And if the media caught wind of it? He’d definitely be kissing his own ass good-bye. His ass and his assets.
He promptly shoved all the risks from his mind, focusing on the ultimate prize. “It’s not fleeting. And Jaclyn Long isn’t remotely close to a flash in the pan. Any day now, she could take over Long Multinational Systems, and we both know if that happens, it’s game over. This is my chance. My only shot.”
When Margot’s gaze remained unimpressed, he decided to change tactics. Bring out the big guns. Honesty.
“I’m used to women looking at me a certain way,” he said. “Like a gift-wrapped lottery ticket they want to unwrap with their teeth. Half the time they see me as a sugar daddy, and the other half as a baby daddy. But when Jaclyn looked at me, it was different. Like I wasn’t worth her time. But she’s definitely worth mine.”
Margot’s brow lifted.
“Here.” He opened the folder on the coffee table between them and handed her a few documents. “I’m ready to hit her with all I’ve got, but she can’t see me coming.”
Margot skimmed the pages, her smile spreading wider as she flipped page after page.
“You’ve known me a long time, Margot. If I’m in it, I’m in it to win it. But I need an advantage. You’re one of the few people who live in her inner circle.”
“Lived,” she said, correcting him as she returned the documents and resumed her stoic expression. “It’s been a while.”
Her practiced poker face made it impossible to get the slightest hint of where she stood. But she was listening, and his instincts kicked in, prompting him to hit the “schmooze” button.
“But you know Jaclyn better than anyone,” he said. “Maybe better than she knows herself. To make this work, I need you on my side.”
Margot looked up for a second, contemplating a response. Sinking back into the fine leather, she crossed her legs and stretched an arm along the low back of the couch. “And exactly what’s that shot worth to you, Richard?”
Well, that was fast. He figured she’d at least hear him out on the details of this scheme. But, nope. She was ready to decide if she was in or out, and it all came down to price. Her casual indifference telegraphed that she knew his position as well as he did. Without a lick of leverage, why pretend?
Richard leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “How about we cut to the chase? Name your price.”
She smiled, its immediacy killing any hope he had for a fair and reasonable negotiation. “Whether you pull this off or not, I get five percent of your company.”
His eyes popped. Margot’s hardball game wasn’t just in a league all its own. It was like she’d invented the fucker.
He opened his mouth to counter, but the subtle lift of her elegant hand stopped him cold.
“That’s nonnegotiable,” she said. “And I’ll need to see it in writing today. I’ll also need five million in good faith money deposited to one of my accounts. Nonrefundable. My attorneys will draw up the paperwork to ensure there’s no way I’m implicated if anything goes awry with this ‘foolproof’ plan of yours. Because what could possibly go wrong, right?”
Her sarcasm was cutting. She reached for a bottle, delicately unscrewed the cap, and sipped, letting him mull it over.
He pulled in a breath. “How about—”
“Nonnegotiable, Richard. I’m not the one who’s obsessed.”
Their eyes met, and hers sparkled with the triumph of a woman who knew she had him by the balls.
Margot didn’t wait for his reply. “Good. Then there’s the issue of your appearance.”
“Hang on. A ten-thousand-dollar suit isn’t good enough for Your Highness?”
She shook her head. “Oh, it’s great for me, but I’m not the one you have to worry about.” She swept a hand to indicate his appearance. “Her Highness will see you coming from a mile away. No wonder she avoided you like e. coli. Guys like you swarm her in droves. Hot. Charming. Sexy, with a naughty side that keeps girls coming back for more.”
Richard gave her a not-so-modest grin.
“Absolutely worthless,” Margot said sharply, quashing his smile. “Like you rolled off the latest playboy cookie-cutter assembly line. Guys like you have burned her a few times too many. So, if you want this to work, then you’re going to need to make a few changes.”
Damn her. Margot was enjoying this a bit too much.
He crossed his arms casually over his chest, barely wrinkling the custom-made suit. “Fine. We can work on wardrobe. What else?”
She set down her water and moved to take a seat by his side. “Hmm.” She scanned his face. “I’m not partial to facial hair for this little caper.”
His hand protectively flew to his scruff, and he rubbed it thoughtfully. The trademark of his signature look, gone?
“Okay. Fine. It’ll grow back,” he said. “Any more changes?”
She tilted her head, studying him. “I definitely see you as a blond.”
Tall, dark, and handsome Richard stripped down to a squeaky-clean choirboy? He hated everything about it.
But he had to admit, the idea was bizarrely genius, and exactly what he’d asked for. Jaclyn Long would never see him coming. Literally.
Richard sighed. “All right. Fine. I’ll get my stylist on it.”
“Try to get it as close to my color as possible. So people might mistake us for siblings.” Margot ran her fingers through his thick hair, uncharacteristically playful as she deliberately tousled his perfectly gelled waves.
Scowling, he pulled away and stood, quickly smoothing back his hair as he crossed the room. He picked up two boxes from his desk and returned, handing her one.
Margot’s eyes widened the slightest bit. “I do love gifts.” She popped open the box and pulled out a card.
“Scan that. It will load an encrypted app to your phone that works like FaceTime. Then, it’s just a quick click to communicate with me through these.” He opened the other box and pulled out a pair of titanium-framed glasses, then slid them on.
“Oh, I like those. They make you look even less like yourself.”
He frowned. “Nice. And I love how looking less like myself somehow became the goal. After spending the better part of a decade honing my image, I thought I’d be seizing the day in style. But, for what’s on the line, consider it done.”
“And one last thing, Richard.” Margot’s usually stoic demeanor turned cheery. “No lies.”
Confused, he cocked his head, wondering how she’d missed the gist of the entire conversation. “Uh, that might be an issue, Margot.”
Her lips twitched with the smallest of smirks. “You can only take this game so far, and every sport has rules. Your name will be a mystery, and your makeover will be epic, but absolutely no lies. Nothing that can ever be used against you later—in a court of law or otherwise. Lies are too hard to keep up with, and nine times out of ten, they’ll bite you in that Adonis backside of yours. You’ll look and act the part of an altar boy, but that devil in you will swear to tell the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, but nothing but the truth.”
She lifted her bottle for a toast. “Deal?”
He grabbed his water bottle, removed the cap, and clinked it against hers. “Deal. To the future.”
“The future.”
Two
Three guys walked into a bar . . . It had all the makings of a lame joke.
From her perch on her stool, Jaclyn used the art deco mirror hidden behind the mountain range of booze to inconspicuously spy. People-watching, she loved. Having them watch her back, not so much.
A recovering insomniac, she’d made her way down to the basement tavern at the Joule Hotel desperately needing to unwind enough to get a few hours of sleep. A nightcap wrapped in the soothing ambience of peace and quiet gave her room to breathe. Sneaking in at 1:00 a.m., not long before closing time, usually gave her all the privacy in the world, but not tonight. The inebriated band of makeshift brothers who’d just walked in promised to interrupt her laid-back plans.
She studied the trio as they found a nearby table to ogle her from. By their middle-school glances and huddled and hushed chatting, something was brewing, and it smelled all too familiar. She’d suddenly become the grand prize at the end of a pickup line.
Her thick, wavy jet-black hair that trailed clear to her ass always had a knack for catching wandering gazes. Never accused of being rail thin, Jaclyn had ample assets and voluptuous curves with a magnetic pull all their own. Add to that her bulging bank account and seductive spontaneity, only three types of men ever seemed to plow into her life.
First, there were the money-hungry, status-chasing Ivy Leaguers who pursued her like an Olympic gold medal—as if their years of hard work pinnacled in such a worthy award. These trophy hunters loved the chase, not only to capture and keep such an exotic specimen of woman, but to cage her as well. Like with all confident, capable women, captivity clashed with her charisma.
Taking second place were the uninteresting, unintelligible, garden-variety Neanderthals who traveled in packs and swarmed her in droves. They were less interested in her money and more drawn to her milkshake. Brainlessly so. Despite her best efforts to bind those babies down, her double Ds always brought the wrong sorts of boys to the yard. And this band of bar boozers plopped squarely into this bucket.
But option number three was her weakness. The consummate looks-so-good, feels-even-better bad boy. The edgy kind of guy who wasn’t the right fit, but it never deterred her from forcing that puzzle piece in. Deep, deep in.
Ideal for the occasional tawdry and tantalizing tryst, they were perfect in the heat of the moment. It was those disappointing minutes afterward that always burst her bubble. For these good-time guys, both their heads had the attention span of an egg timer. r />
Even if she could grab their focus, she could never keep it. Sure, the sex was smoking hot. But after spending ten or twenty minutes satisfying his, um, ego, what more was there to do? Even if the owner of the down-and-dirty hot body could carry on a conversation, they rarely did. She’d succumb to the eventual boredom, and they’d be on to their next Betty. The blazing-hot boy-toy trail had become one buzzkill after another.
She watched in the mirror as the men across the room metaphorically drew straws for who would belly up to the bar beside her first.
Feeling frisky, she set her sights on a good time. Her way. And not in an annoying, pissed-off sort of spirit where her bitch face preceded her words. She had way more creativity than to waste her energy on irritation. After a long couple of days at work, a round of lighthearted entertainment seemed just the ticket to blow off a little steam.
These guys were overpreparing to the nth degree, and her mind and mood were ready to roll out the welcome mat. Between their clustered discussion and round of locker-room fist bumps, these chumps promised a few rounds of priceless stress relief.