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    Knave of Hearts
    Knave of Hearts
    Knave of Hearts
    Ebook86 pages1 hour

    Knave of Hearts

    By Adrianna Dane

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    About this ebook

    Nathaniel Diamond, head of a corporate restructuring consultancy firm, is as hard as his last name suggests when it comes to sealing the deal. In his personal life, broken hearts are nothing more than collateral damage, and business is his sole priority. Until, that is, he meets his new client’s right-hand man, Elijah Gentry.
    Elijah returned home to Seattle out of love and respect for his guardian, Charles Ballard, head of Ballard Holdings Worldwide, who is dying. Charles hired Nathaniel to help secure his financial legacy, and Elijah is expected to aid him. Although Elijah has a grasp of the business, his true passion lies in Los Angeles with his sound editing career, not with Ballard Holdings. Eventually, he plans to return to L.A., away from the world of high finance and dog-eat-dog corporate politics.

    When Elijah and Nathaniel first meet, they are strangers. Well, almost. Nathaniel knows Elijah’s type, and he plans to use the man to get intimate and necessary information Elijah might not share otherwise in order to do his job. But Elijah is not quite the easy target Nathaniel expects, and soon the games begin.

    Sex and power quickly tangle in this high-stakes game of corporate politics. Will either man emerge heart-whole from their encounter? Or does destiny have another set of plans for these two very different men?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDream Romantic Unlimited LLC
    Release dateJun 25, 2018
    ISBN9780463436608
    Knave of Hearts
    Author

    Adrianna Dane

    Adrianna Dane has been putting pen to paper since the age of ten. She currently resides in the state of Washington. She has a great fondness for using a fountain pen when writing her first drafts. Hobby interests are varied, including photography and traveling. The first defining love story Adrianna read back in junior high school was "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte, and that set her on the road to her long-standing love affair with books of all genres. Her inspiration in writing often can be found by listening to song lyrics, from hard rock to classical, and reading poetry by such poets as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edgar Allen Poe, and Ranier Maria Rilke. But finding inspiration for her stories truly has no boundaries for Adrianna. In 2006, her dark fantasy GLBT story, Body Parts, won its category in the Dream Realm Awards. Adrianna has written more than 100 stories, short, novella, and novel length, delving into many facets of the human condition - contemporary, futuristic, and fantasy, and all the flavors therein and in between. In other words, wherever the story and the characters, as well as their intricate stories, take her imagination, then her pen and/or computer keyboard, are sure to follow.

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      Book preview

      Knave of Hearts - Adrianna Dane

      Nathaniel Diamond, head of a corporate restructuring consultancy firm, is as hard as his last name suggests when it comes to sealing the deal. In his personal life, broken hearts are nothing more than collateral damage, and business is his sole priority. Until, that is, he meets his new client’s right-hand man, Elijah Gentry.

      Elijah returned home to Seattle out of love and respect for his guardian, Charles Ballard, head of Ballard Holdings Worldwide, who is dying. Charles hired Nathaniel to help secure his financial legacy, and Elijah is expected to aid him. Although Elijah has a grasp of the business, his true passion lies in Los Angeles with his sound editing career, not with Ballard Holdings. Eventually, he plans to return to L.A., away from the world of high finance and dog-eat-dog corporate politics.

      When Elijah and Nathaniel first meet, they are strangers. Well, almost. Nathaniel knows Elijah’s type, and he plans to use the man to get intimate and necessary information Elijah might not share otherwise in order to do his job. But Elijah is not quite the easy target Nathaniel expects, and soon the games begin.

      Sex and power quickly tangle in this high-stakes game of corporate politics. Will either man emerge heart-whole from their encounter? Or does destiny have another set of plans for these two very different men?

      This story is a work of original fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.

      This book remains the copyrighted property of the author.

      Smashwords Edition License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be

      re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Copyright 2018 by Adrianna Dane

      Cover Art Designs by T. A. Gallup

      This story was originally released in August 2013 by Amber Quill Press/Amber Allure

      CAUTION: This story contains explicit sexual situations and strong language. You must be over the age of 18 years of age to read this story.

      Knave of Hearts

      By Adrianna Dane

      Dream Romantic Unlimited, LLC

      Table of Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Author Bio

      Networking Links

      Chapter One

      Well hello, beautiful. Elijah murmured to himself, his interest suddenly piqued by the man who had just entered the ballroom. Elijah couldn’t help ogling—ah, staring. It was unlikely he could make his way across the room through this throng of people, who were here to celebrate Charles Ballard’s sixty-fifth birthday, but he could look. Napkin in pocket to catch any drool, of course.

      Elijah, get me a glass of water, Charles said, his tone a bit peevish.

      Elijah broke his gaze unwillingly from the handsome, rather piratey, yet dishy-looking man on the other side of the room, and turned to Charles, who sat in his wheelchair. He looked pale, but that wasn’t unexpected. This likely would be his last birthday celebration. Charles was dying of lung cancer. All those cigars finally had done their duty. Elijah laid a hand on his bony shoulder. Of course. It may take a minute. I’ll be right back. Will you be all right?

      Jean should be back soon. She went off to do something or other. Said she’d only be gone for a couple of minutes. But my throat’s dry, and all these people that keep wanting to commiserate are making me hoarse. I’ll be glad when this shindig is over.

      Elijah saw the exhaustion etched into the deep grooves lining his face, heard it in the weariness and scratchy, low tenor of his voice, but also that steely determination he was so known for was very evident in the brightness of his intelligent eyes. This would be Charles’s last public appearance, and he obviously meant to make it a good one. The lump formed in Elijah’s throat, and he swallowed hard, his lips tightening as he tried to block the emotion. Charles would not thank him for a public display.

      Hold it in, dammit. There will be time for mourning later.

      How many times during the last months had he forced himself to keep his feelings of loss at bay? More times than he could count. This wasn’t about him. These last weeks were about Charles.

      Jean, Charles’s ex-mistress-cum-nurse, probably had needed a relief break. Taking care of Charles was more than a full-time job. Likely by the time Elijah got back to his side, she would be there as well. She was certainly dedicated to the man who had dumped her for a younger, money-hungry starlet. Although somehow Jean had managed to stay friendly with him, where none of the others who tramped in and out of his life through that revolving door had done as much. They took their jewels and ran, without a backward glance.

      Jean had unexpectedly returned four months ago, when Charles informed her he had lung cancer, and he decided not to prolong the inevitable with chemo. Elijah had tried to talk him into pursuing treatment—he’d begged him to reconsider, but Charles could be stubborn at the best of times. And that’s also when Charles had set things into motion to secure his legacy, Ballard Holdings Worldwide, by hiring an outside corporate consultant. It was a risky move, but one about to come to fruition. An outside eye to the company structure wouldn’t hurt, especially at this critical time when they were losing the founder and chairman of the board.

      Elijah made his way to the bar, and asked for a glass of iced water, from the special stock that Charles’s personal staff had provided. The purest of glacial waters from Alaska. Charles,

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