Billionaire's Lies: A Novel (15 page)

"So, are we okay?" I asked him while I went to unlock the door.

"Yes, we are," he assured me. "We're going to be friends for a long time." But something in his voice made me believe that wasn't true.

We hugged and I kissed his cheek before he slipped out of my apartment.

I locked the door behind him and sighed. It felt a little bittersweet, saying goodbye to Adam, but at least now I didn't need to pretend anymore.
Maybe I should start collecting cats,
I thought.

I made a move towards the bathroom to wash up for bed, but a knock at my door stopped me in my tracks.
It's probably Adam
, I thought,
I bet he forgot something.
As I walked back to the front door, I quickly glanced around the room to see if I could spot his forgotten item to spare us another awkward goodbye.

"I don't see anything," I said as I opened the door.

But it wasn't Adam who had returned.

It was Blake.

Chapter 19

"Was that your boyfriend?" he asked coolly. He was leaning against the frame of the door, his sculpted arms crossed in front of his chest. Blake stood in front of me as sexy as ever, even in a simple black t-shirt that hugged his muscles in all the right spots and dark blue jeans. The rain was pitter-pattering behind him angrily, yet he was completely dry.
How long has he been here?
I wondered. "Moved on that quickly, did you?"

His eyes were stony, dull, unimpressed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was jealous.
But there's no time for games right now
.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, matching his pose with my own arms crossed in front of my chest.

"Answer me."

"That isn't fair, Blake. You have no right to question what I do in my spare time when
you
are the one who is engaged!" I was seething.

One pointed look from him, though, and I reconsidered my strategy. I didn't know how he had this effect on me, but it was exactly why I couldn't respond to his texts or phone calls--contact with him always puts me under his spell. Without fail.

I moved towards the couch and plopped down. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get rid of him, not without making a scene and waking all of the neighbors, at least.
Just talk to him and get it over with. Then you can finally move on.

"He was just a friend," I finally answered his question.

"Do you kiss all of your friends?" He hiked a perfectly arched brow. Blake was already halfway across my living room, my door shut and locked with a flick of his wrists.

"No! It was a goodbye kiss," I responded, frowning.

He sat on the ottoman in front of me, studying my face to see if I was lying.
What is this?
I thought.
Why is he even here?

"What does it matter to you?" I asked him again. "It's not like I ever actually mattered to you."

"We're going to talk now, Christina. No more running away."

I looked away from him, not wanting to meet his burning gaze. It was hard resisting him when I looked into his eyes.

"You need to understand that I can't stop thinking about you. I haven't been able to stop for ten years, and it isn't going to stop just because you're throwing a tantrum."

"A tantrum?" I asked between gritted teeth.

With a wave of his hand, he quieted me and I waited to hear him out.

"You have been avoiding me for weeks. I have called, texted, emailed, and come to your office to no avail. You were never home when I would come visit, and this is the first night I have had off in weeks."

"Because you were with her?" I asked bitterly, looking away from him again to blink back tears.

"No. Well, yes, but not in the way you think. It's true that Jennifer is my fiancee, but you're the love of my life."

A small sob escaped me, and I immediately hated myself for it.
What happened to being strong?
"So what is it, then? She's wealthier, thinner, prettier than me? Is that it? Is that what made me dispensable to you? Or why exactly did you think it was okay to string me along and just cast me aside, when you knew I was perfectly happy being alone before I met you? Why did you have to shatter my heart when you knew you were getting serious with Jennifer?" I couldn't help it. All of the questions I'd had, all of the feelings and emotions I'd been enduring, just came tumbling out.

Blake's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I felt a small smug satisfaction from being able to make him show any sign of emotion. "Is that what you think? Look, Christina, I hardly know Jennifer."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "What?" I blurted. "So what, was she so hot that you just had to marry her? That worker lady in your building said you two were serious. Don't try to deny it, Blake."

It was quiet for a long while, but when Blake looked at me, his gaze was full of something I hadn't seen from him before. Regret? Anguish? The only interruption to the silence was the rain splattering against the window.

"I never meant to be apart from you for this long," Blake began.

I opened my mouth to interrupt and ask what he meant, but something stopped me. A gut feeling that if I interrupted him now, I might never know the truth, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Remember when I was telling you about that real estate deal that fell through? When we were on our way to my cabin?" Blake glanced at me with stony green eyes, and I nodded an affirmative. He paused and tapped his strong jawline, deep in thought over how he would word what was to come next. "I believe I told you I was finding a way to finagle my way into the deal."

I stared down at my slippers, frowning.
What was he driving at?

"Christina,
Jennifer
is the real estate agent."

I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer. "So you fell in love with her while trying to convince her to give you the deal?" I blurted angrily.

Blake just waited for me to calm down. He looked as sure of himself and as calm and collected as ever. I wanted to fly across the couch and shake him by the collar, to scream at him that it didn't matter how or why he fell in love with her. I hurt the same. I didn't need to hear this. I moved to get up and lead him out the door, but his next words stopped me in my tracks.

"No, Christina. I didn't fall in love with her. I've already told you that I'm in love with
you
. I'm doing what I need to do to get her to close the deal."

My jaw dropped. "
What?
"

"I'm in love with you, Christina. I always have been. I always will be."

My palms began to get sweaty, and I wiped them on my robe as I tried to process all of this information.
He's in love with me. His relationship isn't real.
"Does she know?" I asked though I was certain I already knew the answer.

"Of course not," he responded matter-of-factly. "But she will. Soon."

It felt so strange. I was taken over with this warm, blossoming feeling, one that told me that I
was
loved, that it wasn't all in my head. Now, instead of wanting to shake Blake, I wanted to kiss him again and again and never stop.

I couldn't help myself. As soon as it dawned on me that he wasn't actually cheating on me and that he loved me and not her, I was drawn to him. My arms wrapped possessively around his shoulders, and that was all I needed to do. Blake wrapped his arms around the small of my waist and pulled me to him so I was sitting on his lap. He held me up as if I didn't weigh a thing, and my heart fluttered for him as it never had stopped doing.

When our lips met, it would have taken more than an army to pull us apart. Fiery electricity coursed through me as his lips ravaged mine, devouring them with all of the feeling and emotion as two lovers who had been lost and had recently found each other again. I took it in eagerly, and could feel myself growing wet at the feel of his fingertips stroking my waist, my side, all the way up to the curve of my breast. I moaned into Blake's mouth and arched my back to really
feel
his hands on me, but he didn't give in. His fingers worked slowly, painfully softly, as they stroked my pebbled nipples over the fabric of my nightie.

I shifted, so as to not leave a stain on his jeans, but he held me in place with his other arm. It gripped me like he never wanted to let me go, and my heart pounded at the realization that everything he had told me was true.
If only I'd given him a chance to explain himself,
I thought.

There was still this nagging thought in the back of my mind, though. The thought of how he still wasn't officially finished with Jennifer. As much as I didn't want to, I had to pull away from Blake. He had to be done with her before we moved any further, because I knew it wouldn't feel "official" until he was done with her and washed his hands of her once and for all. So as much as I wanted to cry tears of joy for all of my pent of frustration, and moan cries of pleasure for my pent up
sexual
frustration, I knew the struggle wasn't over for me yet.

"When are you breaking it off with her?" I asked breathlessly once I had him at arm's length.

Please say before the wedding,
I thought, my heart thumping in anticipation.
If she hasn't signed it yet, then odds are she
will
sign it after the wedding since it's this weekend. If she ever does at all.

And my heart sunk. "As soon as she signs over the property to me."

"But Blake! That could take ages. What if she doesn't do it until after you're married and have kids?" I went cold. "You haven't slept with her, have you?"

His gorgeous features looked taken aback. His eyebrows pinched together slightly with his puzzlement. "Of course not. I haven't laid a finger on her."

"Or your lips?" I asked hopefully though I knew it'd be too much to ask. Most women want to 'try out the goods' before permanently sticking to the goods.

"No. I haven't touched her at all. I didn't need to."

Greedy bitch
, I thought. I knew I shouldn't blame her--it's not like she even knew about me. But what else was I supposed to think about someone jumping to marry a billionaire they knew nothing about (including intimacy)?

"And... if she doesn't sign until after the wedding?"

I held my breath.

When Blake looked at me again, his eyes had turned dark. "It would be an inconvenience, but it'll be better for our future. For my future with you."

I let it out shakily and just shook my head sadly. "That isn't good enough." I stood up and gestured towards the door. "You should go. You have a wedding to prepare for."

"Christina..."

Blake reached out to touch my arm, but I withdrew immediately. "Don't. Just go." I tried to sound strong, but I knew he could hear the melancholy in my voice. It didn't matter. He'd made his choice, and if he was going to marry her just to have more money, then that wasn't a decision I could live with. We were done.

Chapter 20

It was the big day, and I was sitting at home with the remote glued to my hand. I surprised even myself when I took the day off from work. Fortunately, my bosses didn't give me much grief. I think it was partially because it was a Saturday, so it would be a slow day in the office anyway. But a small part of me also thinks they were partially okay with it because they were too busy rolling around in all of the money that I was bringing in. If only I could give myself a minute to gloat.

Today, I couldn't worry about work. Today, my number one focus was this wedding. I'd started watching
Entertainment Forever!
as soon as the clock ticked 11 am, because I knew Blake's wedding had the lunch special. I still had my eye out for him, even though the cameramen hadn't shown the groom yet. A sharp sensation twisted my heart, and I briefly closed my eyes to allow myself a moment of silent pain before I stuffed my face with ice cream for lunch followed with a healthy glass of wine.

Currently, the cameramen were fixated on all of the luxuries of the wedding. They had flowers flown in from France, the suits and dresses were the finest from Italy, the bride's dress was custom-made from some hotshot French designer, and they were going to honeymoon in Aruba. I could care less about it all. All the flowers and satin and white beaches in the world could be handed to me, and it still wouldn't put a drop in the ocean of want and need I have for the true prize of this wedding: Blake Slate.