Played by the Billionaire Read online

  Liam watched her for a moment, enjoying the sway of her hips as she walked away. Another couple of hours and her hips would be moving in a different direction. His rule about no sex be damned; he was only a man, he couldn’t stop the inevitable.

  He pulled out his phone and listened to his voicemails. Several of those he’d met earlier in the evening waved at him or nodded as he passed. They were the kind of people who had bullied him in school, beautiful people who acknowledged only those who shared the same social standing.

  He made his way out to the far end of the terrace and dialed the number of the last caller.

  Ten minutes later, Liam ran a weary hand over his eyes. Was it only nine thirty? He contemplated asking Lorelei for her key, going upstairs, and having a quick nap before she finished for the evening. Things had gone askew again in Washington, but he’d dispatched David to deal with it. His friend was always asking about the type of work he did for the government; maybe if he realized how boring it was, he wouldn’t be envious anymore.

  …

  Lorelei wiggled her shoulders, hoping to relieve some of the tension. What she needed was a good massage, and she knew exactly whose hands she wanted on her. She closed her eyes for a moment and fantasized about unbuttoning those little black studs on Liam’s shirtfront. Spreading the fabric wide and letting her hands rove over his muscles. She’d seen him flex in a T-shirt, she knew they were there, and it was time she got her hands on them.

  “Lorelei.”

  She opened her eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a tall, dark, handsome Liam who stood before her but rather the short, portly figure of Dustin, the Director of Fundraising.

  “Dustin, I didn’t see you earlier. Have you just arrived?”

  “No, I’ve been here all along, watching you try to steal my job. Seems other women’s husbands aren’t the only thing you like to take.”

  A red haze appeared before her eyes. If she wanted her event to be talked about, slamming Dustin’s face repeatedly into the ice sculpture would be one way to do it. But with the Chairman watching it probably wasn’t the wisest career move.

  She put a lid on her temper and straightened to her full height, dwarfing the Director of Fundraising. “I have no interest in your job. My only ambition is to raise money so these poor children can enjoy a day away from the hospital.” Dustin’s raised voice had caused a few people to stop their own conversations and listen.

  “Then how the hell do you explain William Manning?”

  William Manning? Had Liam told his boss about the event and he’d shown up? Why hadn’t he introduced her? She searched the crowd for an uggo with computer code scrolling across his eyes. She’d spent hours memorizing faces and names and didn’t see anyone she didn’t recognize.

  “William Manning?”

  “The man sat next to you. I’ve been trying to get him to donate for years. But I guess I don’t have the right equipment.” Dustin leered suggestively at her breasts and it was all she could do not to flatten him on the spot.

  Dustin might be more incompetent than she thought. He’d probably heard that Liam worked for IWC Security and assumed he was the big boss. Liam certainly looked the part in his tux. “I think you must be mistaken. I sat next to Liam Mackenzie. He’s my date. I paid for his ticket myself.”

  “Does he work in the Internet security field?”

  “Well, yes.” A shadow of doubt clouded her vision and she swayed in her four-inch heels. The words “too good to be true” flitted through her mind.

  “Have you been seeing him long?”

  “A couple of weeks.” She sucked in a deep breath, but it didn’t lessen the crushing sensation in her chest.

  “Well, somehow you’ve managed to snag one of America’s most reclusive billionaires.”

  “What?” The air in her lungs whooshed out.

  Dustin pulled out his phone, accessed a file, and showed Lorelei a photo of Liam with a full beard and longer hair, but Liam nonetheless. Below the picture was the caption, “William Mackenzie Manning, Chairman and CEO, IWC Security Ltd.” She stared at the photo for what seemed an eternity, trying to prove the face on the screen wasn’t Liam’s. There was no denying the eyes. The same liquid chocolate that melted her core whenever he glanced at her looked back at her from the screen. Grabbing the phone out of Dustin’s hand, she scrolled down to read the blurb below. The words billionaire and genius leaped out at her.

  Her stomach sank through to her knees. She glanced up to see Liam approaching.

  “Don’t think this means you can take my job. I’ll talk to him about corporate sponsorship.” Dustin’s voice sounded a long way away. She struggled to take a breath to ensure she wasn’t having another anaphylactic reaction. It wasn’t a peanut allergy restricting her airway, but her heart exploding. He’d lied to her. Played her like an idiota.

  “You want to talk to him about sponsorship? Then now’s your chance,” Lorelei said. She spun on her heel and headed in the opposite direction.

  …

  As Liam reentered the ballroom, he spotted Lorelei standing by the dance floor. Next to her, showing her his phone, was a short, round guy with a sneer on his face. Whatever they were discussing was obviously distressing her and Liam quickened his pace. When he was ten feet away her eyes met his, and he knew the game was up. His heart plummeted to the floor and his stomach did a flip-flop motion sure to bring his dinner up.

  He’d had this feeling before. The first time was when he was thirteen and the doorbell rang and two men in black suits and mirrored sunglasses stood at his door. The second time, when the doctor had told him there was no more hope for Marcus and all they could do was make him comfortable until he passed. And now, watching Lorelei flee the room.

  “Mr. Manning, we are so excited you were able to join us this evening. It has been our pleasure to have you here.” The man who had upset Lorelei stepped in front of him.

  One thing Liam hadn’t missed pretending to be a regular guy was people fawning over him hoping to get something. “I’m here with Miss Torres, as her date.” He tried to keep an eye on Lorelei to see where she went.

  “Yes, Miss Torres, she’s been a wonderful addition to our team. However, I was hoping to meet with you to discuss—”

  “Call my head of PR, Cynthia Dale. She’s in charge of the company’s charitable donations. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Lorelei had slipped through the patio doors and he intended to go after her.

  At least a dozen couples were on the veranda, enjoying the warm night air. Gerald Burkow and his wife waved at Liam as he passed, but he ignored them. There was a figure at the far end of the terrace, all alone. As he approached he saw her stiffen, as though she knew who was behind her.

  “Lorelei…” he said. He saw her shoulders tense, and a sharp stab of pain sliced through his chest. He’d hurt her. Should he just walk away before he caused more pain?

  She turned toward him, her face a mask of fury and agony. “Do you have any idea how I feel? The estúpido Director of Fundraising had to tell me who I was dating?”

  A flicker of hope came to life inside him. If it was only a case of embarrassment—

  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. If you’ll let me explain.”

  “Explain? Explain? What is there to explain? You had your fun playing regular guy with the dim-witted charity worker. Go back to being a billionaire genius now and leave me alone.”

  “No.” He put his hand out to touch her cheek and brush away the tear that lingered on her cheekbone. She flinched and he dropped his hand as though scalded. His mind searched for words, not his strong point; he had to make her understand.

  “No? What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” She was becoming hysterical, the tears flowing freely now. An audience was gathering but he didn’t care. Lorelei was the only one who mattered.

  “It means that now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting you go. I can’t. Please, Lorelei, hear me out.” The anguish in his tone must have found a way through a chink i
n her anger because her glare faltered. The pain was still there, though, and it cut through him to know he’d hurt her.

  “If you’re going to give me some sob story about being a misunderstood billionaire, then save it. I don’t have the time. I need to see if the band has shown up.”

  She made a move to pass him, and he put his hand out to touch her arm. She stopped and glowered at him, brushing her cheeks with the back of her hand.

  “When Marcus died it made me examine my life. I realized how shallow and superficial my past relationships had been. Then I met you. I didn’t want my money or position to come between us. And, as pathetic as it may seem, I needed to know that you liked me for me and not my money or what it could do for your career. I was going to tell you, but we were having so much fun just being us. I knew things would change once you knew.”

  “Is that what you think? That if I knew you were rich I’d hit you up for a donation?” She took a deep breath and he braced himself for whatever she may say next. “I told you I hated lies in a relationship. You should have told me yourself and not waited till a maldito Fundraising Director accused me of poaching his prospect.”

  He latched onto her last statement. “See what I mean about people always wanting things from me? You’re different, Lorelei—all you’ve ever done is give. You’re so special. Please, please give me another chance. Let me show you how wonderful we could be together.” He reached his hand up to cradle her cheek and this time she didn’t move away.

  “You told me you’d met William Manning. You lied to me. You made a fool of me.”

  “I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry. And I certainly never meant to make a fool of you. When I looked in the mirror, I realized I don’t like William Manning much. He’s self-absorbed and just thinks about computers all the time. Then I met you and I wanted it to be different. When I’m Liam Mackenzie, when I’m with you, the world is a better place. I’m a better man. You make me a better person. Please don’t stop now. I need you.”

  She searched his eyes and he hoped she saw his sincerity. Every word he’d said had been true. “It’s not there,” she said, her voice breaking.

  He froze, every muscle clenched. He couldn’t do it without her. And at the moment he wasn’t entirely sure what it was—finishing his brother’s book, or breathing. “What’s not there?”

  “The lines of code scrolling across your eyes.”

  He released the breath he’d been holding. “That’s because of you as well. What do you say, Lorelei?”

  “You did ride the bus to be with me,” she said through her tears. A faint smile played about her lips at the memory of his discomfort.

  “I’ve never ridden the bus for any other woman. And once you’ve been in my Aston Martin, you’ll realize how much of a sacrifice I was willing to make to be with you.”

  A shadow of fear passed over her eyes and she switched her attention to the ground. “I’m not from your world, Liam. I may dress up and rub elbows with the rich, but when I go home I eat pizza straight out of the box and cut coupons to save seventy-five cents on cookies.”

  “You’ve already been part of my world for two weeks. You had dinner with David, Helen, and Jason. They are my world. You…are becoming my world.”

  “This is a huge thing, Liam. It’s going to take me time to adjust.”

  “Adjust to what? I’m still the same person I was an hour ago. I haven’t changed.”

  Putting his other arm around her waist, he pulled her against him. He took her lips in a gentle kiss, but when she melted into him, passion ignited, incinerating reason. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he registered the multitude of people watching. It didn’t seem to matter—he was with Lorelei and her taste and scent were driving him wild. He must be more tired than he thought because he was on the edge of losing his mind. Someone in the crowd coughed and he realized things were getting a little out of control for a public display of affection.

  Burying his face in her hair, he whispered, “And this explosive chemistry hasn’t changed between us either. Please, Lorelei, give us a chance.”

  She took two breaths before raising her head. She pushed away from him and stood with her arms crossed over her stomach. “I need some time to think, to make sure this relationship is right for me. And I can’t do that with you around. I would appreciate it if you would leave and I’ll call you in a couple days.”

  His heart fibrillated for a minute before racing. If he told her about the book now she’d definitely end things and he couldn’t risk that. Not until he’d finished the story. Not until he had worked out how he was going to cope without her. Not until he’d regained his sanity. He searched her face, then turned on his heel and walked away, feeling like he’d just been shot in the chest.

  Chapter Ten

  Lorelei pulled her borrowed dressing gown around her and stared at the ceiling. She��d just called Liam and told him she’d have dinner with him on Sunday night. She needed to make sure this was right for her because she was pretty sure she wouldn’t recover if she let herself fall further in love with him and he ditched her after a couple months. But it was so hard when he was so tempting. Her decision mantra head, heart, body was turning into body, body, body.

  “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Mandy stood with her hands on her hips, her belligerent stance at odds with her tear-ravaged face. The bombshell of Liam’s true identity had coincided with Mandy receiving a text from her fiancé asking for his ring back. Both women had left as soon as the clock struck eleven and raced back to Mandy’s apartment to soothe their heartache with ice cream and tequila. Not a great combination the following morning.

  “No, but…” Lorelei stared at the phone still in her hand. She could call him back and say they could meet for a quick lunch, but that would probably turn into a quick trip back to her place or his. And then next thing she knew they would be arguing over who was going to get out of bed to make breakfast.

  “He lied to you. He deserves a day in the doghouse.”

  Lorelei suppressed a sigh. “Yeah, but he had his reasons. Did you see all the people who tried to talk to him after word got out who he really is? I even heard one woman ask if he could attend her fundraiser next week for some charity she’s involved in.”

  At least her own job was rock-solid as long as she was with Liam. No way would the Chairman fire her when there was a possibility IWC Security would become a corporate sponsor. But neither would she stay with him just to keep her job. That would be despicable. No, if she had a future with Liam it had to be because they were in love.

  “He assumed you would be like the rest. He should have told you sooner, and himself,” Mandy said. She blew her nose loudly and went in search of a fresh box of tissues.

  Lorelei stared at her phone once more before putting it back on her friend’s coffee table. She’d thought she’d awaken this morning in Liam’s arms. Instead, she’d spent the night at Mandy’s place, listening to her friend bewail the loss of her one true love. Lorelei’s stomach dropped. Would she be singing the same sorry tune a couple of weeks from now? Even if she could get past his deception, Liam was way beyond her league. Perhaps she should cut her losses and save herself more pain.

  Her phone buzzed with an incoming text. Her heart raced at the thought it could be Liam, not willing to wait until tomorrow. After all, he was probably used to getting what he wanted right away.

  How did your party go? Are you with him?

  Darn, it was her mom. How was she going to explain the change in circumstances to her? It’d be best to wait until she was sure where she stood with Liam. If she told her she was involved with a billionaire, her mother would probably start shopping for mansions.

  Party went well. Am with my friend Mandy. Will call you later and explain.

  She hoped that would hold her off, except a minute later her phone buzzed again.

  Have you broken up with him? I checked credit card bill and the dating site refunded my money. Do you want me to sign y
ou up again?

  She texted the word “no” back to her mother and her fingers shook as she put the phone down once more. A cold chill swept down her spine.

  That was odd. She hadn’t checked the site again after meeting Liam. In fact, she’d forgotten all about the architect guy she was supposed to meet. He’d probably sent her some message about why he’d missed their date. A flicker of suspicion entered her mind that Liam was responsible. He was, after all, an extremely adept hacker by all accounts. Though she was pretty sure she hadn’t mentioned any Internet dating site when they’d met. She shrugged off the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. Just because he’d hidden his wealth and not told her his full name didn’t mean he’d lied about everything. And he said he had reasons…

  “Mandy? Can I use your computer?”

  “Claro. It’s on the desk.”

  Her friend appeared a moment later, a box of tissues clutched under her arm, the pockets of her dressing gown bulging with used Kleenex.

  Lorelei drummed her fingers on the desk while she waited for the laptop to boot up. If Dustin had been able to get a photo of Liam, or rather William, to load then clearly they’d missed something when they’d looked.

  A half hour later Mandy stood behind her, peering over her shoulder at the computer screen. “We definitely know he’s not an uggo. Although what’s with all the facial hair? What about the bank account?”

  “Oh, it’s huge all right. There’s a magazine article from four years ago when he made his first billion. The rest is mostly about papers he’s written or conferences where he’s been a guest speaker. On the gossip sites there’s only the one supermodel mention, that they know of anyway. He told me last night that when his brother died he looked at his life. Maybe he decided that shaving was going to be the start of a new him.”

  The Internet search had unsettled her. She knew less about Liam now than when she’d started. There was no hint of the warm, funny man who had sat next to her on the bus, whispering incredulous suggestions about the lives of their fellow passengers.