Played by the Billionaire Read online

  Her eyes, which last night had been lit with love, now were blazing anger…hatred…pain. He deserved her anger and hatred; however, he’d do anything to ease the pain.

  “Sweetheart, it’s not like that, not anymore.”

  “Not anymore because you’ve finished the book? Go on, Liam, deny it. Let’s hear your explanation. Start at the beginning. Did you hack into the dating site and read my profile?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Did you, or did you not, hijack my date with Richard?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “What did you do? You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

  Is that what she thought him capable of? Yet hadn’t he hurt her? His heart burned and he looked down, sure he was on fire somewhere.

  “No, of course not.”

  “No to what, hijacking the date or hurting Richard?”

  Her hands were on her hips and her whole body language said stay away. If he could only touch her, he was sure the words would come and he could explain. “Yes, I hijacked your date. No, I didn’t hurt Richard. I sent him a message from your profile saying you had to work late and would reschedule, and then I deleted your account and refunded the money to your mother.” That didn’t sound too bad…

  “How very noble of you. So everyone wins. I get a moment in your life, my mother gets her money back, and you get a real woman to play dolly with her life. What about Richard? What about the dating site?” Even in her outrage her sense of justice stood out.

  “Richard is a jerk. He’s already been married three times and his divorce from wife number three hasn’t even been finalized and he’s already trolling for number four. He had no right being on that site.”

  “You investigated him? What kind of psychopath investigates the competition?”

  All the blood drained from his face at the word “psychopath.” “It was all public knowledge. You just have to know where to look.” If she was this outraged about his investigation of Richard, he sure as hell hoped she didn’t find out all he knew about her background. Her imprisoned father hadn’t been news to him, although he thought he’d played the surprise well.

  “And I suppose hacking into the dating site was for their benefit as well?”

  “It’s cracking, not hacking, when you’re unauthorized. And yes, I did help them. Their firewall was so inept it took me all of thirty seconds to access their administrative back end. And another two minutes to get into their allegedly secure financial database. Do you know the type of damage a real cracker could have done? I had one of my salespeople contact them and offer a substantial discount on our normal price to beef up their security.”

  “Díos mío, you must be vying for sainthood. So is this your usual MO? Crack a site, find a woman, date her, write a book, ditch her, move on to the next one? Or do you wait for them to find out about the book so they break up with you? Then you can play the victim. You like that, don’t you. Poor little boy, never loved by his mother, so you take it out on other women! You disgust me, Liam Manning.”

  She threw a damp paper towel at him. It didn’t even manage the distance between them, falling harmlessly at his feet. He wished she would hit him, pummel her fists into his chest. It wasn’t even near enough to what he deserved but at least it would show she still cared enough to want to hurt him.

  “Lorelei—”

  “Don’t you dare!” she said as he reached out a hand. She strode past him, careful to keep distance between them.

  When she reached the doorway she turned back toward him. “Maybe you should go meet your father. Evidently you have more in common with him than you think.”

  She slammed the door behind her and a minute later he heard the front door slam as well. The sound broke through the ice that held him immobile and he raced from the room.

  Her bag was gone. Wrenching open the front door, she was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t let her stand on the street wearing only his shirt, not even shoes, and make her way home. He raced out into the communal hallway and pounded on David’s door across the hall, praying Helen hadn’t left for work yet. She must have been standing nearby, as the door opened quickly. Her eyes almost popped out of her head to see him standing in the hallway in his underpants.

  “Helen, go find Lorelei, she’s outside somewhere. Bring her back to your place, give her what she needs, and drive her to her apartment. You got David’s car keys?”

  She nodded and without asking any questions, she headed down the hall. Liam turned back to his own apartment door and saw the Do Not Disturb sign. Too late for that; his whole life was now disturbed. He slipped back into his apartment and then watched through the peephole until Helen returned with a distraught Lorelei.

  The woman who was the best thing to ever happen to him was sobbing uncontrollably, holding her arms around herself as though she’d been kicked and punched in the gut. Helen had her arm around Lorelei’s shoulders, trying her best to soothe. He pushed away from the door and headed to the shower.

  Okay, Marcus, how the hell am I supposed to fix this mess?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Liam raised his head as his office door clicked open. Few people had braved his temper over the past two weeks and he’d been able to work in peace. What work he’d managed to accomplish, that was. With Lorelei’s tear-ravaged face appearing before his eyes every twenty minutes it was hard to concentrate and get anything done. Since she’d stormed out of his apartment he hadn’t even done one full day’s work. What had always been his panacea had now become his poison, remembering the keystrokes that had led to his current pain.

  A piece of paper taped on a whiteboard pointer appeared through the crack in the doorway, soon followed by David’s head. “I come in peace. Permission to enter?”

  Without waiting for his reply, David strode into the office, although he kept the door open, probably in case he needed to make a strategic retreat. Even his best friend had kept his distance since returning from DC. Liam wasn’t sure what story Helen had told her brother about rescuing a scantily clad Lorelei from the street, but based on the fact that neither of them had come over for dinner in the past week, he’d been condemned without a trial. Although he couldn’t see how a jury of his peers would reach any other conclusion. But was life without Lorelei a fitting punishment?

  “What do you want, David?” Liam ran a hand over his face and through his hair. Even though he could go back to the beard, he’d still kept shaving.

  “I brought you a present.” David advanced on the desk and deposited the huge bag of peanut M&M’s he’d been hiding behind his back. “Now that she’s gone you can eat these again.”

  Liam noted the judicious avoidance of Lorelei’s name. “I don’t want those.” He threw the candy across the room. It slammed into the wall with a thud before scattering the multicolored treats across the carpet.

  “So what do you want?” David lounged in the chair opposite the desk as he’d done a million times before.

  “You know what I want,” Liam ground out. David was supposed to be his friend, so why was he rubbing his face in his misery?

  “I want to hear you say it out loud.”

  “I want Lorelei, damn it. I want her back in my life.”

  “Why?”

  Liam thrust his chair back so hard it crashed into the credenza behind his desk, sending a porcelain vase crashing to the floor. David flinched, but he didn’t move from the chair. Liam strode over to the window. He looked out on the epitome of success—corner office, panoramic view of the Bay Area, the world at his feet—and it all meant nothing.

  “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

  “Yup.”

  “Why?” He spun around and glared at David.

  “Because you need to hear the words out loud.”

  He took a deep breath. “I want Lorelei back because I love her. I need her in my life for it to make sense.” Hearing the words didn’t sound as foolish as he’d thought. At least David didn’t laugh, he just nodded as t
hough he’d known all along.

  “So, what are you gonna do about it?” He upped the voltage on the electrodes.

  Liam raked his hand through his hair again. “What can I do? I’ve tried everything. I’ve phoned her a thousand times. She won’t speak with me. In fact, she’s changed her numbers. I’ve sent flowers to her home and office begging for forgiveness and the chance to explain. I’ve emailed her until she’s canceled her email account and put a block on her work account.”

  “It would take you two minutes to find out her new numbers and email address,” David said, gesturing at the computer on Liam’s desk.

  “If I do that she’ll know I’ve cracked into the systems. That’s what got me into this hell in the first place.”

  “Ah, she’s found your kryptonite. Without your cracking superpowers you’re only a man, like the rest of us.” David gave an evil laugh and rubbed his hands together.

  “Shut up, David.”

  His friend stood and stretched as though he’d had a good nap. “Seems a book got you into this mess, you need a book to get you out.” He walked toward the door.

  “What do you mean?” Liam said before his friend disappeared.

  “Writing that book for Marcus got you into this love situation. You need to write a book explaining everything to get you out.”

  “She won’t even speak to me. How am I supposed to get her to read another book I write, especially after she’s read the first one?”

  “You’re the genius. You figure it out.” With that pronouncement, David left the room. The door shut behind him with a click that echoed in the emptiness of Liam’s life.

  …

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Lorelei said as they approached the massive wooden doors.

  “An all-expenses paid trip to Antigua, on a private jet, staying in a luxury villa, with a personal chef, plus aesthetician and massage therapist on call? I can’t believe you needed convincing,” Mandy said.

  “I want nothing more to do with him.”

  “And you don’t have to, sweetie. According to the contract this is a string-free holiday, and he has signed saying he won’t set foot on the property for the entire time we’re on the island. Come on, relax. You deserve this after what he did. This is the least he can do to make up for it. Well, this and his corporate sponsorship, guaranteeing that the charity receives five million a year.”

  “But it won’t make up for it. He broke my heart, Mandy. A two-week trip to the Caribbean isn’t going to make that go away.”

  “No, but hooking up with a gorgeous local might. For example, who’s the Adonis standing at the door?”

  Lorelei looked up to see Jason standing with a tray of cool drinks inside the now-open door. She froze; if Jason was here…

  “Welcome to Antigua, Lorelei. And you must be her beautiful friend Mandy. I’m Jason, the chef. If there is something specific you want to eat while you’re here, just ask. The island also offers some world-class resorts and restaurants. Your host has accounts at all of these, so should you wish to dine out then please let me know and I can make those arrangements.”

  “I may never leave,” Mandy whispered as she passed Lorelei. Grabbing a drink off the tray, she leveled a stunning smile at Jason as she went.

  “He’s not here, is he?” Lorelei asked, taking a sip of her drink.

  “No. He’s in China as far as I know, which is why I’m here. He didn’t need me in San Francisco,” Jason said.

  Lorelei relaxed. She never would have come on this holiday if Mandy hadn’t begged, and begged, and begged. She hadn’t seen Liam in six weeks, not since she stormed out of his apartment. And eventually, about three weeks ago, it appeared he’d even given up trying to contact her. The flowers at work and home had stopped and surprisingly, he hadn’t discovered her new phone numbers or email address.

  When the package arrived on her desk two weeks ago she hadn’t suspected it was from Liam until she’d opened it. At her gasp, Mandy was instantly at her desk and had pulled the papers out of her hands once she saw the words “trip to Antigua.” After that it had been her friend’s relentless pleading that had finally made her agree to take up the contract. When returning the documents, though, she had made it abundantly clear that just because she was going, it didn’t mean she forgave him or ever wanted to see him again.

  Now, walking into his home, she wondered again at her sanity. The home was similar in style and color to the one in Russian River, except for the Caribbean touches, ceiling fans in every room, rich, dark wood furniture, and floaty white cotton curtains. She followed the sound of Mandy’s excited voice onto the terrace. Her breath left her body on a long sigh, completely unintentional. The house was set on a hill, surrounded by palm trees and flowering tropical plants. Two large bougainvillea climbed over a pergola, their white-and-pink blossoms contrasting with the perfect blue sky. At the end of the terrace, an infinity pool seemed perched at the very edge of the hill. To the left, however, she could see a path that must lead down to a white sugar sand beach about one hundred feet below.

  “Right, that’s it. I’m never leaving,” Mandy declared as Lorelei came to stand by her friend.

  “Let’s check out the house and change into our bathing suits. I guess the major decision of the day is pool or beach?”

  “Hmm, choices, choices. First one out after changing gets to decide.”

  They walked back into the house through the concertinaed patio doors. A gentle tropical breeze blew through the house, negating the need for air-conditioning. An elderly couple waited near the entrance to the hallway.

  “Oh, hello,” Lorelei said, surprised to see more visitors.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Lorelei and Miss Mandy,” the man said. “My name is Horace and this is my wife, Celine. We keep the house and grounds for Mr. Liam. If there is anything you want or need, please let us know. If you would like to see your rooms we can show you now.”

  “Thank you,” Lorelei said.

  “If you’ll come with me, Miss Lorelei, I’ve put you in the master’s room,” Celine said.

  Mandy followed after Horace, who showed her into a room at the far end of the corridor.

  “I don’t need to stay in the master’s room. A regular guest room is fine.”

  Celine led her down the hall and then up a flight of stairs, but stopped midway up the steps.

  “This is the room I was told to get ready for you,” she said. She carried on climbing and opened the door with a flourish, waiting for Lorelei to precede her.

  Lorelei gasped as she entered the room. It was so beautiful it almost made her cry. A huge four-poster bed draped with white mosquito netting stood in the center of the room. Cushions the same color as the ocean brought the outside in. As with downstairs, the windows were folded back and opened to a huge deck. She could happily spend the rest of her life in this room—except it reminded her of Liam. Coming here was such a mistake.

  Celine remained by the door as though awaiting her orders.

  “Thank you. The room is beautiful.”

  The older lady nodded and closed the door behind her. Lorelei wandered around the huge room, touching the petals of a vase full of flowers to make sure they were real. A paperback book lay on the bedside table. Was it the book Liam had been reading when he was last here?

  Enough. She was going to enjoy her holiday, in spite of, or to spite, him. With her resolve repeating in her brain, she searched for her suitcase. The driver had said he would bring them in after he dropped them at the front door. Unable to find it in the bedroom, she headed toward the walk-in closet. Her clothes were already hung up and put away in a set of drawers. She donned her new swimsuit, the one she hadn’t bought with Liam in mind, and trotted back down the stairs to meet her friend.

  Mandy was already lying on a floating lounger in the pool, another pink drink in the cupholder. “I’ve decided it’s impossible to be stressed here. I mean, look at the view, it’s gorgeous. And there are enough th
ings in the house to keep me busy for a week. Jason said there’s a cinema, library, and games room downstairs.”

  “Glad you’re enjoying it. Just remember this is a onetime, two-week-only escape from normality. Don’t get too used to it,” Lorelei said.

  Mandy sighed. “I already have. Everything is going to be a letdown after this. Acapulco has nothing on this place.”

  Lorelei slipped into the pool. The water was the perfect temperature, cool enough to be refreshing, but not so cold you needed to get out quickly to warm up. She swam a few laps, hoping the exercise would release some of the pent-up frustration in her body. Unable to help herself, she imagined she was visiting with Liam. Would they be upstairs now, checking out the comfort of the bed? Or taking a romantic stroll on the beach? She gritted her teeth and swam ten more laps. This was such a bad idea. There was no way she could get over Liam here, when everything reminded her of him.

  …

  Lorelei woke with a hangover…again…as she had every day for the past week. Jason was an incredible bartender and had kept her plied with wonderful cocktails each night until she finally stumbled to bed, taking only the time to remove her dress, before crashing onto the super-king-size mattress.

  This morning the sun was full in the sky by the time she descended the stairs to the main floor, and she was thankful she had an excuse to wear her sunglasses in the house to hide her red-rimmed eyes. So the redness had more to do with the tears she’d shed as she woke up alone than to the overindulgence in alcohol the night before. She was the only one who knew that.

  “Morning, sleepyhead,” Mandy said.

  Her cheery friend was wearing a skimpy sundress and sat before a huge plate of eggs, bacon, and sausage. The smell alone had Lorelei wanting to run for the bathroom. She mumbled something in reply and sat at the far end of the table. Wordlessly, Jason put a tall glass with a thin red straw in front of her.