All That He Loves (Volume 2 The Billionaires Seduction) (13 page)

I leaned forward again and hugged him as tight as I could.

For some reason I couldn’t explain, it felt like I was saying goodbye.

He hugged me back, his hands warm against my naked skin… and then he gently pulled away. “I better go before Sebastian barges in here.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“See you soon.” He got up from the bed and strode over to the bedroom door.

“Good luck…”

He smiled back at me as he opened the door. “Thanks. Go back to sleep, get some rest.”

I waited for him to say it, silently pleading with him to say it –

I love you.

But he didn’t.

He just walked out and shut the door silently behind him.

I tried to go back to sleep, but there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

I lay there, tossing and turning, my mind going a million miles an hour.

Why didn’t he say it?

What was wrong?

What changed?

The little voice that likes to undermine me whispered in my ear.

Maybe he was waiting for YOU to say it.

I’d wanted to.

But something had held me back. The subtle shift in his manner, the lack of passion in his kiss.

Maybe you should have said it first.

Maybe I should have.

But I’d had a reason not to.

Because I was afraid he would repeat it woodenly back to me.

Or worse, say nothing at all.

Why didn’t he say it?

Leave it to Connor Templeton to be able to take my mind completely off my impending global shaming and the utter destruction of my personal life, all by
not
saying three little words.

Sleep was impossible, so I got up, threw on one of the hotel robes, and then paced back and forth. I wasn’t quite at full-on, hand-flapping freak-out mode… but I was getting closer, minute by minute.

My slowly rising panic overrode my ordinary hesitations, and I called room service for some coffee and fruit. I paced back and forth furiously as I waited. When the guy came up with the rolling tray, I thanked him and signed for a nice tip. As he left, I peeked out after him. Down the hallway were two big, burly men in suits, one on each side of the elevator.

One of them looked over at me, his face curious.

I snapped back in the room faster than the groundhog seeing his shadow and shut the door behind me.

I fixed myself a cup of coffee with cream and way too much sugar, then turned on the giant flatscreen in the penthouse’s main room.

This is crazy,
I told myself.
It’s only…

I searched for a clock. There was a fancy digital one over on a shelf, all sleek glass and brushed steel.

4:17 AM.

Nothing’s on,
I told myself.
Nobody knows yet unless they saw it on the internet.

How wrong I was.

Yeah, it was mostly infomercials and bad movies, but I also discovered a ‘Guide’ button on the remote that brought up a listing of the various channels available. I discovered that, despite being in Los Angeles, I had access to New York channels.

Including the New York City ABC affiliate… featuring
Good Morning America.

Yippee.

My hand trembled as I pressed the ‘Enter’ button on the remote.

I really, really shouldn’t have done that.

The screen exploded into a 52-inch shot of me and Connor, my back pressed against the brick wall, a black bar across my breasts as I had an orgasm for the camera.

The coffee cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor. I felt the hot liquid splash across my bare feet, but I barely reacted.

“…the scandal rocking the nation this morning,”
a woman’s voice said over the photos,
“when pictures of a billionaire’s very public encounter with a woman of… let’s say, ‘questionable occupation,’ surfaced last night on TMZ.com. That very billionaire, Connor Templeton – of the famously rich family – will be joining us via live feed in just a few minutes from Los Angeles to explain his side of the story.”

I sank weakly onto the couch and watched, my stomach churning, as more pictures of my enraptured face flashed across the screen.

Then I ran into the bathroom and threw up.

By the time I’d collected myself and cleaned up the coffee, Connor was on TV.

A strange mixture of fear and tenderness coursed through me when I saw him.

He looked amazing. I could see the strain around his eyes, but only because I knew him. Otherwise he was picture-perfect, from his $5,000 suit, to his confident smile, to his stunning good looks. On another day, in another context, he could be running for the Senate, or maybe even the Presidency – an incredibly handsome man, powerful and assured, young and full of vigor, about to change the world. It was like JFK’s spirit had been reborn in a shell that was ten times better-looking, and without the Massachusetts accent.

He was in some sort of studio with wood paneling and potted trees in the background. He looked like he was relaxing and enjoying himself – definitely not undergoing a nationwide sex scandal.

The screen cut back to the female host, and her voice filtered into my consciousness.
“…billionaire investor and philanthropist Connor Templeton is here with us now via satellite from Los Angeles. Thanks for coming on the show, Connor.”

“Thanks for having me.”
He flashed that panty-dropping smile, and I imagined ten million females across America – housewives, women getting ready for work, eighty-year-old grannies – all swooning at once.

“Connor, these are some pretty… um, ‘compromising’ photos of you here.”

He laughed.
“Yes, that’s putting it mildly.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I think you can see from the pictures exactly what ‘happened.’”

Nervous, titillated (yes, I used that word deliberately) laughter from the female host.
“Um, yes, well… yes, I guess we can!”

Connor’s eyes suddenly focused on the camera with laser-like intensity, as though staring out at ten million souls, speaking to them each individually. I know
I
felt like he was staring at
me
, that’s for sure.

“The question is, how did these photos come out, and why? I’ll tell you – because they were an attempt by my ex-fiancée and my parents to blackmail me and try to stop me from financing a clean energy revolution that would bring inexpensive electricity to every household in America within five years – and after that, the world.”

The camera cut back to the hostess; she was clearly astounded.
“That’s – um – wow, there’s quite a bit in that statement, let’s unpack that for a second. You’re alleging that your ex-fiancée and your parents tried to blackmail you?”

“They were in my Las Vegas hotel room yesterday at 4PM. That’s when I first saw the photographs, which they threatened to release to the media unless I abandoned my plans to bring inexpensive, clean energy to the nation.”

“I don’t understand – why would they try to stop you from doing that?”

“Because my father – Augustus Templeton, I’m sure you’ve heard of him,”
Connor said, flashing a sarcastic smile,
“has made billions of dollars from the coal and oil industries, and has spent hundreds of millions over the decades lobbying Congress to deregulate those industries, to provide his companies with federal subsidies, to make EPA standards looser – basically to pollute your air and water and make you, the American taxpayer, foot the bill, while he amassed an unbelievable fortune. My ex-fiancée, Miranda Lockwood, is a hedge fund CEO who makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year in investments in those same polluting companies. My father and Miranda stand to lose billions of dollars if the coal and oil industries are replaced by what I propose – an energy company that harnesses the sunlight in the Nevada desert and distributes it across America for PENNIES compared to traditional energy companies. I want to give back to the American people, and eventually give back to all of humanity. Miranda and my parents want to hoard their money and keep stealing more out of your pockets as you hack up your lungs on the way to the hospital.”

“Um, Mr. Templeton – ”

Again, that dazzling smile.
“My father’s ‘Mr. Templeton,’ and I don’t want to be mistaken for him. Call me Connor.”

“Okay, Connor – these are some outrageous allegations.”

“I have some outrageous family members.”

“Do you think there was any sort of, I don’t know, revenge factor in this from your fiancée – ”

“EX-fiancée,”
Connor stressed.
“She walked out eight months ago after betraying me in a business deal – a business deal she did with my father, by the way.”

“Okay, your ex-fiancée – I mean, you ARE pictured with an attractive young woman in these photographs – ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,’ and all of that – ”

“Oh, I KNOW Miranda wanted to destroy me, but she’s always been very focused on money at the expense of everything else. I think that’s why she’s doing this, why she’s effectively trying to screw the American public out of what I want to do for them – because she wants to make billions of dollars, no matter what the cost is in human lives.”

“Okay, well, let’s talk about these photos – who is this mystery woman? The reports say her name is Lily Ross – ”

Connor’s face set almost imperceptibly.
“That’s correct, but I’d really appreciate it if you leave Lily alone. You can come after me as much as you want, but she’s an innocent victim in Miranda’s and my parents’ plot to try to destroy my plans to help America.”

“Well, she’s kind of made herself a public figure here – ”

Connor smiled coldly.
“No, Miranda and my parents made her a public figure to try to blackmail me.”

“Yes, well, is there any truth to the allegations that you paid her $50,000?”

Connor tackled it head-on, not angry, just levelheaded and smooth as silk.
“Oh, yes, that’s completely true. But I know what the insinuation is – that I paid her $50,000 for sex. That IS what you’re thinking, right?”

“Well – it does raise questions – ”

“Lily’s my girlfriend. We’re in a committed relationship.”

My heart soared. Suddenly all the strange awkwardness of an hour ago was forgotten.

“ The money I gave her was a gift, not a payment,”
Connor continued.
“Yes, those photos are regrettable – I lost my head, I took her there, I begged her to do it, she did it for me, to make ME happy, against her better judgment – ”

I frowned a little. What he was saying wasn’t exactly wrong, but it made me seem like a little lost sheep. I hadn’t exactly fought
that
hard. And any fool could see from the photos that I had enjoyed it – immensely.

“ – but she shouldn’t be punished because she cares for me. If anybody wants to come after me, that’s fine, I’m a public figure. But I’m asking people to please give Lily her privacy. She was just trying to make me happy, and now Miranda and my parents are hell-bent on destroying her just so they can continue to line their pockets with dirty, polluted money.”

Again, the nervous, titillated laughter from the host.
“I’ve got to be honest, Connor, I think there are a lot of women watching this show right now who would have been HAPPY to, uh, try to make you happy.”

I felt a little surge of relief that she wasn’t judging me – and a little spike of anger:
Hey, quit flirting with him!

Connor grinned.
“Well, I certainly hope people can see it that way and put the blame where it belongs – on my ex-fiancée and my parents, for trying to destroy an innocent woman’s life.”

“She’s your girlfriend, you say?”

Again, that almost imperceptible setting of Connor’s expression. I wondered if I was the only one who could see it, or if it was apparent to everyone else watching the show.

“Yes. Yes, she is.”

“Soooo… you’re in love with her, I’m assuming?”

His smile became more fixed, like he had to struggle a bit to maintain it.
“Yes. Yes, I am. Very much so.”

An ice-cold shadow passed over my soul.

It was the only statement he’d made the entire time that wasn’t entirely convincing.

Connor said his goodbyes to the GMA host, then they cut to commercial.

I remembered something about Fox, and flipped through the New York channels until I found the cable news station. I didn’t have to wait long before the whole rigmarole started again.

There were the pictures, the ‘shocking scandal’ quotes, Connor’s introduction as a billionaire. There was a slightly different tone this time – the hosts were more combative, and seemed to view him with self-righteous smugness and more than a little mistrust. Especially when he brought up the solar company.

“Wait, wait – are you saying there’s something wrong with the coal and oil industries?”

“They were appropriate for their time,”
Connor said,
“which ended as soon as the researchers I’m funding found an easy, inexpensive way to harness solar power and distribute electricity. No pollution, and energy independence from the Middle East. Surely you’d like our country not to have to depend on the whims of OPEC and countries that don’t have our interests at heart? I mean, we’re talking about regimes that fund terrorists – I want us to get away from them IMMEDIATELY, and give Americans inexpensive, clean energy while I do it.”

“Well, I don’t disagree with you there, Connor, but coal – Kentucky, for instance, or West Virginia – Kentucky’s economy depends on coal, there are so many places in America that would be destroyed, absolutely decimated, if you do what you say you’re going to do.”