Blackmailing the Billionaire (4 page)

Carig clutched the wheel of the car. Damn.
What was this woman doing to him? She was a series of
contradictions – tough on the outside, yet surprisingly soft on the
inside. He wanted to be able to ignore her, drag her around as his
‘girlfriend’ for the allotted time before putting her back on a
plane out of his life. The previous day he had been ready to
throttle the small woman, yet today here he was kissing her – and
what a kiss. He could not remember the last time a simple kiss
affected him so much. Darting a fleeting look across, even the
sight of her sat so still and silent sent a shock of heat through
him. If she kissed like that, how would she feel in bed?

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, he
tried to push such thoughts from his head. ‘Eye on the bigger
picture Carig... Focus’, his mind chastised, even as she crossed
one slender ankle over the other, his X-rated thoughts ramping up
uncomfortably.

Reaching the outskirts of the town, he wound
his way through the back streets, Joy remaining silent by his side.
Finally reaching their destination, he pulled to the curb, quickly
moving round to open her door. She raised an inquisitive brow as
they stood outside a non-descript building in the better part of
town. He smiled back, “While you were changing, I made a call to a
good friend of mine. She is going to ensure that you have all the
clothes you need... As we discussed”

Joy felt her insides shrivel, the pit of her
stomach dropping as nerves rose like angry bees deep within.
Nodding, not trusting herself to speak, she followed him, the door
of the plain Victorian building opened by an older woman, her smile
genuine as she greeted Carig, pulling him in for a hug. Her lilting
voice expounded on how long it had been since last seeing him,
telling him off for his having not kept in touch, Joy smiling at
the way the women scolded the imposing billionaire.

Finally, she stepped back, her eyes moving
to Joy, a smile on her lips. “And this is the young lady you told
me about”, the woman moving closer, her eyes taking in every inch
of her, before a warm smile spread across her lovely features. “I
think that I can help”, a wicked twinkle warming her brown eyes.
“Not as much of a project as you made out Carig... I think you were
more than a little harsh” A wink left her as she took Joy’s hand in
a firm shake, “No... You are quite lovely my dear” Joy’s eyes
darted to him, glowering as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
“Sorry. I was a little irritated... I may have been a little
cruel”

The small snort from the other woman was
evidence of how cruel he had been, she hooking her arm into Joy’s,
leading her towards the stairs. “Do not worry my dear. We will make
him pay for his words”, her eyes playfully landing on Carig. “And I
mean that in the ‘I may be going on holiday soon’ way”

Carig laughed, the deep rumble sending the
strangest fluttering through Joy. “I will return for you in two
hours”, he managed, the woman pausing, her look matronly. “Indeed
you will not... Not unless you want to wait... And I know how you
hate that. You will be back in four hours. I have organised for
Sasha to fit Joy in for a session” As he made to argue, the older
woman lifted her chin, looking down her nose at him, Carig making a
grumbling ‘hmph’ sound as he conceded. “Fine... Four hours... We
will have to eat on the plane”

For the next three hours, Joy was subjected
to measuring, colour matching and a whole array of things she had
never even heard of. She had thought shopping was a hit or miss
thing, where you either found the right outfit or settled on the
nearly right one. However, Valerie, she quickly finding the
imposing woman to be called, made it look more like a scientific
endeavour. Soon she was being shown outfits, each more beautiful
than the last, the clothes chosen by the exacting specifications of
the owner.

While Joy normally did not like clothes
shopping, a gene her father had been more than happy about, she
enjoyed herself. Trying on the wonderful clothes, she found herself
relaxing, laughing even. When hours later they finished, even she
not aware of all that had been purchased, the different clothes
merging into each other as some were put to the side, others
replaced, Valerie once more handing her the yellow dress she
arrived in.

“Normally my dear, I would recommend wearing
something new, but that is such a beautiful dress”, her eyes
travelling over it. “Original?” Joy nodded, as Valerie’s eyes grew
warm. “I used to have a similar one... loved it... And the colour
is perfect for you”, a small nostalgic smile leaving the older
woman before she grinned. “Now... Come, Sasha is waiting”

Frowning, Joy’s eyes were quizzical, “Who is
Sasha?”, Valerie already walking towards another of the upscale
stores in the prestigious building. “The finest hair dresser in the
country my dear”, a twinkle in her eyes, “Or at least that is what
he tells everybody”

As Joy sat draped in a large colourful cape,
Sasha, an attractive Frenchman, circled her. Having combed out her
long hair he was looking at it from all angles, Joy not sure if his
thoughtful scowl should worry or annoy her. Finally he stood before
her, a pensive look in his eyes. “You have beautiful hair. Thick,
rich colour... But the cut is a train wreck dear girl... Do you
trust me?”

Joy wanted to shake her head. How could she
possibly trust a man she had only just met? However, behind him
Valerie was nodding furiously her mouth wording ‘go with it’, so
pulling a nervous smile to her lips, she nodded, “Sure... I... I
trust you” Instantly the man beamed, lifting her hair. “Good. This
cut is too... school girl. I want to sophisticate it up... Bring
out the goddess in you... Make you sexy”

She wanted to laugh, ‘goddess’... ’sexy’...
not words which would ever describe her... What a salesman, but
instead she remained silent. “We will give you a fringe, teasing,
edgy, will really show off your bone structure, and put in some
layers to allow your natural bounce to come through. Joy felt her
mouth gape. “Fringe?”, she managed, her eyes unsure, as Sasha waved
away her concerned word, twisting her away from the mirror. “You
will love it”, he insisted before she was pulled back and her hair
washed.

For what seemed a lifetime, Sasha snipped,
cut and teased her hair, his eyes focussed on his job, nobody
talking. When her hair was finally dried, he used mainly his
fingers to fan out the strands, refusing to let her see how she
looked until he was finished. Finally he stood back, Valerie beside
him nodding in approval, “You look stunning Joy” She smiled as
Sasha finally turned her chair back to the mirror. Staring at her
reflection, she could hardly believe it was her. The woman in the
mirror looked stunning. “Wow”, was all she could manage, her hand
gently patting the still-long hair, as her head shifted from side
to side before looking at Sasha. “I look... I look... ”, her mind
not able to finish the sentence as Sasha grinned. “Like a sexy
goddess?”, he filled in for her, Joy laughing as she nodded, “Oh
yes... I look like a sexy goddess”, all three laughing.

The young assistant moving into the salon
saw Valerie look at Joy with humour clear in her eyes, “Perfect
timing, Carig has arrived. That man is not going to know what hit
him” Joy chuckled, rising as she hugged Sasha, thanking him.
Together the two moved back to Valerie’s boutique, where Carig
stood as they entered the small waiting room. As his eyes fell on
her, she could see the shock in them, his look trailing down her.
“You look... amazing”, he finally managed, Joy flicking a grin at
the older woman before adopting a nonchalant air, “Well...
hopefully Valerie did a good enough job on your ‘project’”, she
sniped back, his mouth quirking as Valerie laughed. “Oh Carig...
Nice to see you finally met your match”, before leaning over to
give Joy a hug. “Take care my dear... We will have everything
delivered to the plane”, before she passed an overnight bag to her.
“Some things for your journey”, Joy giving a feeble smile, suddenly
everything she had agreed to do seeming so real.

Soon the two were once more back in his car,
Carig not able to stop himself staring at her, a slow sensual smile
on his features. “Well Miss Reid... You scrub up really well...
This might not be the worst thing that ever happened to me after
all” With a contemptuous half-laugh, still smarting from his
‘project’ comment, she fixed him with a matronly look. “Like I said
in your office Mr Calle, this is a business arrangement... nothing
more, do not think that I am about to turn groupie on you” Carig
chuckled, his lips twisting into a rueful smile, “Hmmm... I’m
thinking I might come to regret saying that to you”, Joy not able
to hold back the small laugh as the car pulled out into the
traffic.

Having cleared customs, Joy’s eyes widened
seeing the plane they moved onto. It was certainly not the small
four to six seater she had expected. Instead, it contained several
rooms, Carig moving into the main area, her eyes like saucers as
she took in the expensive and plush furnishings. She was already in
a state of excitement, having found out where they were going,
Carig having to tell her as they passed through customs, she
stunned to discover that he was needed back in New York, and that
they were headed there.

Exhaling a soft appreciative whistle she
slanted an amused smile at him, “Well it is good to be king”, his
lips quirking as he nodded, “Well it doesn’t suck, that is for
sure”, before becoming more serious. “Actually, I travel around so
much, this is like a second office to me” Nodding, she sat on one
of the cream chairs he pointed to, fixing her seatbelt, the chair
so soft she actually gave a small content groan, his amused look
making her sit up straighter. “Although it does seem a waste...
Flying this huge thing just to ferry one man around”, she
commented.

Carig waited until the stewardess moved out
of the room before giving her a superior look. “Actually, I have
arrangements with many charities. When I am on the move, we carry
goods and necessary items for them free of charge... So perhaps it
is a waste for one man... But not for them... They need assistance
from those such as myself” Joy looked away, feeling very small.
Damn the man. Every time she felt that she managed to shoehorn him
into a ‘shallow, selfish, self-serving’ box, he managed to leap
into the ‘caring, thoughtful’ one instead. “I’m sorry... I didn’t
know”, she managed to mumble as he inclined his head. “Apology
accepted”, his voice becoming more serious. “Look Joy... Why don’t
we start again? We seem to be dancing around each other here...
Perhaps we should just be ‘friends’”

The smile she gave him lit up her features,
Carig swallowing hard at the way it sucker-punched him once again,
not understanding his own reaction, as she nodded, a thankful gleam
in her chocolate eyes. Holding out his hand he took hers. “Hi...
I’m Carig Calle... and you are?”, with lips pursed to stop the
laugh spilling out she shook his back. “I’m Joy Reid... It is a
pleasure to meet you Carig Calle” With an approving smile he
released her hand, fixing her with eyes which shone with humour. “I
wonder Joy, if you would be interested in having dinner with me?”,
she miming delighted surprise as she nodded, “I would love that...
Eating is one of my favourite things to do” Carig struggled to hold
back his laugh as he too mimed surprise, “Really?... Mine also...
That is spooky... We should go out together... I look forward to
our first date”, before both could no longer hold back the
laughter.

The plane taking off, however, saw a change
in Joy as she jumped, a frightened whimper leaving her. Carig’s
expression instantly became one of concern as he took her hand,
taking her mind off the ascent as he teased her about how she
squeezed hands like a weedy girl, Joy turning to give him an
appreciative chuckle, he staring at the small dimples on her cheek.
Why did he find those so adorable?

After the seatbelt sign was turned off, the
stewardess, a bubbly woman called Deborah, reappeared, quickly
setting the dining table located near the back of the plane. The
delicious smell of food coming from another hidden room made Joy
laugh. “You have a kitchen onboard?”, her question full of
disbelief as he gave her a pained look. “Well of course... Have you
tasted normal airplane food?”, a loud chortle escaping her as she
fixed him with mock sympathy. “Oh poor baby... ”, Carig offering
his hand to help her up as he smiled back.

Joy enjoyed sitting with Carig, finding him
entertaining company as the two slowly ate their way through the
sumptuous three-course meal. She had been surprised to find that
Deborah was also the cook, the other woman beaming with delight
when she complimented her on the food. Finally, with stomach full,
and a glass of wine in hand, she fixed him with inquisitive eyes.
“So... You seem... normal, Mr Calle”, his mouth curving as he
lifted a glass in salute. “Praise indeed from you Miss Reid”, he
once again feeling the jolt of desire rip through him as she
rewarded him with another of her wide smiles, before cocking her
head to the side. “So... why is a very rich, seemingly socially
adept, intelligent, good looking 32-year-old man like you not
married or at least trying to get over a string of broken marriages
from gold-digging exes?”

For a moment Carig could only stare at Joy,
her blunt question – no doubt fuelled by the fact she was on her
third glass of wine – taking him by surprise, his eyes dropping to
his own still-full glass. Shrugging, he became more serious. “Not
really something I am interested in... Marriage is just not in my
long term plans... Who needs that kind of trouble?” Leaning
forward, her voice was softer, “So not in a rush to be a father
then?” His brows drew together as he looked up at her, his features
colder, “No. Not interested in being a father. There are some men
who should never be fathers”, his words holding a hint of anger,
her eyes wide, “I... I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to upset you”