"An illegitimate son with a vendetta for being left out gains his rightful place and his true love."
Reviewed by Kay Quintin
Posted June 10, 2012
Romance Series | Romance
Successful CEO of Carolina Shipping, Jack Sinclair, has
always been plagued by his illegitimacy. His mother Angela
was his father's mistress. Jack as the oldest son and
never acknowledged by Reginald Kincaid, fought his way up
to success to prove his worth. Always on the outside
looking in, Jack vowed to take over The Kincaid Group when
his murdered father left 45% of the company to him, 45% to
his 5 half sisters and brothers and 10% to an unknown.
Being bitter at the denial of his birthright, Jack finds
himself at the top of the list of his father's murderer with
overwhelming evidence to support the accusation.
Attending the Read & Write Bachelor Auction, the
luscious and vivacious Vikki Thomas buys a dinner and one
wish for $1,000 for Jack. For four (4) months now they have
been an item. Falling head over heels in love with Jack,
Vikki keeps hidden the one thing she fears will tear them
apart. Agreeing to help
Jack find the real killer, Vikki 's first passion is to
unite Jack and the Kincaid siblings as a true family.
Sensuality and sizzling sex between the two fire up with
the investigation as well as in the hot tub. Floating
skimpy tops and bottoms accompanied by steamy sex in foamy
hot water sets the fireworks exploding. Revealing the true
murderer may be the element to keep Jack on the outside
forever. Learning who has the other 10% may also be the
end of the amazing relationship Jack and Vikki share. Jack is a virile powerful man with a vendetta that has
grown from infancy. Learning Vikki's secret blows
him out of the water. Again, he feels he is the underdog.
Vikki's character is truly smart and wonderfully warm. I
was completely drawn into A VERY PRIVATE MERGER and could
not wait to
sort through all the different paths that this tale could
take. Day Leclaire has written everything the average
woman dreams of; hot sex with a powerful, rich man and
acceptance in the world of success. A VERY PRIVATE MERGERS
is not the first
I have read from Day Leclaire and it certainly won't be the
last!
SUMMARY
Winner-take-all business tycoon Jack Sinclair is on the hunt
to get what's his: a slice of competing shipping empire The
Kincaid Group. As the illegitimate and ignored heir, his
reward has been a long time coming. And he has sexy,
brilliant Nikki Thomas by his side to help make it happen.
Right? Not exactly. Nikki is a corporate investigator on the
Kincaids' payroll, so her loyalty is more than a little
divided. Her hidden agenda is enough to make Jack want to
walk away. But passion offers a second chance—until another
truth is revealed that could tear them apart for good.
ExcerptSon of a bitch!Jack Sinclair stood on the sidewalk outside The Kincaid
Group building and watched Nikki Thomas, his
soon-to-be-former lover, give Elizabeth Kincaid a hug before
heading into the Kincaid complex. As far as he was
concerned, it was the ultimate betrayal. Puzzle pieces he didn't even realize he was missing dropped
into place in that instant. She worked for TKG, there was no
other explanation. All this time—three amazing months
together, an affair unlike any he'd experienced before, one
that teetered on the brink of becoming something solid and
permanent—and she'd been using him. Setting him up. Working
for the enemy. He took a deep breath and reached for the
cool, calm poise he'd spent a lifetime cultivating. He found
it…but just barely. There could be some other explanation for that hug, his few
remaining shreds of rational thought insisted. Since Nikki
had purchased him at the Read and Write bachelor auction, an
affair held at Lily Kincaid's home and attended by half of
Charleston's elite, she could have met Elizabeth there. Or
through a woman's club they had in common. Maybe Elizabeth
and Nikki's mother were friends. They were all part of
Charleston high society. No doubt they'd met at some event
or another. It could be just that simple. Not only that, but Jack had asked Nikki in her role as
corporate investigator to find out who owned stock in The
Kincaid Group, specifically who owned the key ten percent
not controlled by him or the Kincaids. Perhaps she was here
on a fact-finding trip. All perfectly innocuous. Well, there was an easy way to find out. He pulled out his
cell phone and touched the screen to access TKG's main phone
number. The receptionist answered on the second ring. "The
Kincaid Group. How may I direct your call?" "Connect me with Nikki Thomas, please." The woman hesitated. "Nikki? Nikki Thomas?" "She's your corporate investigator. She said I could reach
her through this number." "Oh. Certainly. One moment, please." He disconnected the call and swore long and hard, his
momentary hope for an innocuous explanation sweeping away
like the wish for summer in the face of a frigid Arctic
nor'easter. He'd known from the start that she was a
corporate investigator, but her claim of confidentiality had
kept him from asking key questions. Now she'd answer every
last one of them. He headed for the TKG building, driven by something so deep
and primal and basic he couldn't put a name to it. He just
knew it led to Nikki. To a confrontation with the woman
who'd pushed through doors of intimacy he'd spent years
barring and locking. The woman who'd soon regret ever screwing him over. Jack didn't waste any further time. He crossed the street,
oblivious to the busy traffic. His entire focus remained on
the four-story building in front of him and the woman who
worked there. He'd been inside TKG several times over the
past five months for meetings with his father's sons and
daughters—the "Legitimates," as he referred to them. No
doubt they referred to him as the "Bastard," a nickname he'd
earned on more than one front. He approached the reception desk. The woman seated behind
the wide sweep of finely crafted wood took one look at him
and snatched up the phone. He reached over the counter and
disconnected the call without the least compunction. No
doubt she had standing orders to alert one of the Kincaids
whenever he appeared. He'd have done the same in their place. "You know who I am?" he asked, his voice deadly soft. She nodded mutely. "Excellent. Then you also know I own a sizable portion of
this company." He gestured for her to return the receiver to
the cradle. "Nikki Thomas. Where?" She'd picked up on his anger and intense concern flickered
across her face. "What's your business with Ms. Thomas?" "That's none of your concern. Where is her office? I won't
ask again. Nor will I forget your lack of cooperation." The receptionist's concern grew, along with an almost
protective expression. Leave it to Nikki to instill such
loyalty in her fellow employees. For a moment, Jack didn't
think she'd answer. Then she caved. "Second floor…210," the
woman murmured unhappily. "You will not alert her to my presence, is that quite clear?" "Yes, sir." Jack circled the reception desk, debating briefly on whether
to take the elevator or stairs. Stairs. Less risk of running
into a Kincaid. Considering his current mood he didn't trust
himself not to knock the unlucky person flat on their ass.
It didn't take long to find Nikki's office. Her door was
ajar and though she stood at a large window overlooking the
harbor, he doubted she took in the stunning view, not with
her head bent and what appeared to be the weight of the
world resting on her fine-boned shoulders. In all the four
months he'd known her, he'd never seen her look so defeated. She wore her hair up, exposing the vulnerable paleness of
her neck. Brilliant golden sunlight streamed in the window,
losing itself in the ebony darkness of her hair while
highlighting her potent feminine figure, showcased in a
form-fitting royal blue suit. He'd watched her don that
outfit just this morning, knew intimately what scraps of
silk and lace hid beneath, their color a perfect match to
her suit. He also knew—intimately—what she looked like in
the panties and bra, how that shade of blue turned her
magnolia-white skin luminescent, and how tempted he'd been
to strip them away before returning her to their bed. He clamped down on the surge of desire with a ruthlessness
his competitors had come to fear…and respect. She'd betrayed
him, something he doubted he could ever forgive. Now he'd
find out just how deep that betrayal ran. And he'd know why.
He closed the door. The metallic click sounded like the
cocking of a trigger, the sound of the lock being thrown as
explosive as a gun blast. Nikki's head jerked up and she spun around, her expression
confirming his worst suspicions. He must have still
entertained a lingering hope that she'd offer a reasonable
explanation for her presence at The Kincaid Group.
Otherwise, he'd never have experienced such an overwhelming
and devastating sense of loss. "Jack." His name escaped on a sigh of guilt and dismay. "I believe there's something you neglected to tell me,
Nikki. Vital information that's four months overdue." He
didn't dare approach. Not until he'd regained full control
of his temper. "Care to rectify that omission?" "I can explain." He couldn't help it. He laughed. "How often has a woman said
that to a man? Of course, there's usually another man in her
bed at the time she uses that expression." "It's probably as many times as a man's said it to a woman
when she comes home unexpectedly to find him making love to
someone else," Nikki retorted. Then her flash of anger
faded, sliding into something that hovered between sorrow
and regret. "I'm sorry, Jack. Saying I can explain is a
rather ridiculous comment given the circumstances." He leaned back against the door and folded his arms across
his chest. "I wondered why you were willing to pay so much
for me at the Read and Write bachelor auction. You claimed
you bid for me because no one else would. But now I suspect
it was all a setup. The Kincaids came up with the clever
scheme so you'd be in a position to spy on me, didn't they?
It all makes sense now." She held up a hand and her eyes flashed a swift warning.
"Hold it right there. If you think for one minute that I bid
on you at the Kincaids' request—" "You bid a thousand dollars when no one else would." The
anger he worked so hard to control escaped his iron grip for
a split second. "You set me up right from the start." She shook her head, the vehement motion causing silky
strands of her hair to escape and caress her arching
cheekbones, as well as the long sweep of her neck. God, he
remembered burying his face in that sweet-scented hair only
hours before. Remembered kissing a pathway along the pale,
velvety line of her neck. How long would it take before the
memories faded and he'd know peace again? "I didn't set you up. Not then and not now." She took a single step in his direction, but something in
his expression drove her back, a stumbling retreat that
brought out the predator in him. She must have sensed it
because her breath quickened and her eyes—those damnable
sapphire-blue eyes—darkened with pain and regret. She
wrapped her arms around her narrow waist which only drew his
attention to the fullness of her breasts straining against
her suit jacket. He forced his gaze away, forced himself to focus on her
elegant, duplicitous features. They were beyond lovely, no
doubt inherited from her mother, the aristocratic side of
her family tree. He should have known that someone who'd
been born and bred within Charleston's social elite couldn't
be trusted. Hadn't his mother discovered that when Reginald
Kincaid had made her his mistress? Angela Sinclair had come from the wrong side of the tracks,
which made her eligible for a bed partner, but she'd never
been good enough to marry, any more than the son they'd
borne together had been good enough to claim. Jack's mouth
twisted. At least, he hadn't been claimed until dear ol' Dad
had been dead and gone, leaving others to clean up the
shattered mess the man had left behind. All his life, Jack had stood on the outside of those fancy
manors, while the Southern gentility had stuck rigidly to
their social rules and order. Society had made him an
outcast because of his bastard status, while welcoming the
man who'd set the double standard, the man who'd proudly
embraced the Legitimates, the children he'd father...
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