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Authors: Marie Kelly

Tags: #romance, #erotic, #love, #lovers, #billionaire, #blackmailing

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BOOK: Blackmailing the Billionaire
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Carig released a long slow breath, his hands
running through his hair, an apologetic half-smile on his mouth,
“Sorry... I didn’t mean to snap... You just hit a nerve” Joy waved
her hand, understanding in her lovely eyes, Carig however, feeling
a need to explain “My father married my mother after knowing her
for only a week. He thought that he was in love - That she was the
‘one’. It didn’t bother him that she was twenty years younger than
him and that maybe she might want different things. It just did not
seem something he thought would be an issue... But he was wrong.
She was only twenty one and had me the next year” His eyes shifted
unseeingly as the memories came back. “But... while he might have
wished her wife of the year... she wasn’t. She became notorious for
her affairs... but my father stood by her. When she died in a car
accident with one of her drunk lovers, my father fell apart...
Despite everything he loved her... And I had to watch as he just
gave up, until his heart attack a year later” His eyes snapped back
to hers, sadness deep within. “My mother chose a fast and short
life, and my father chose her... Neither of them chose me... Which
is why some people should not be fathers”

Instinctively, Joy rested her hand on his as
sympathy crashed through her. Her mind saw the sad little boy
starved of affection and love, her heart reaching out to him. “But
that doesn’t mean that you would be a bad father”, her comforting
words only eliciting a small ‘hmph’ sound from him, his look
falling to her hand, his fingers capturing hers as he lifted it to
gently kiss the dainty digits. “Look at my history Joy... Which of
my parents do you think I most take after?”, sadness evident in his
words as she held back the tears she wanted to cry for him. “No...
I am my mother’s son... And that is just the way I am”

“Tell me about your father” His soft
question sent pain shooting through her as she pulled her hand
back, a frown marring her lovely forehead, before a whimsical smile
lifted the corners of her mouth. “My father was a wonderful man. He
raised me all by himself after my mother died of cancer” His
apologetic words of sympathy were smiled away by Joy as she shook
her head. “I really don’t remember much about her... I know he
loved her very much... and he never remarried” Carig watched as her
eyes shone with love for the man. “He would help anybody... Give
the shirt off his back if you needed it... And he always had time
to spend with me, I was the happiest girl in the world”, the pride
in her voice becoming sad as she dropped her gaze to the table.
“Seven months ago, he had a brain aneurism... They told me that it
was quick... That he most likely felt nothing... But I was so
lonely without him... So lost”

This time it was Carig who took her hand, a
sigh leaving him. “Seven months ago... A month before I started
trying to buy your land?” Nodding, her eyes held a desolation that
ripped at him, “Yeah... I couldn’t bring myself to sell... All my
neighbours said I should but selling felt like... Well, like losing
him all over again... Like I was failing him by not holding onto
the farm”, her shoulders shrugging as she gave a small sad sigh. “I
know it is silly... But that was just how I felt” Beside her Carig
shifted, his look sharpening. “If you felt that way... what
happened that changed your mind?”

Startled, her look shot to his, discomfort
clear on her features as her mouth flattened, head shaking. “I... I
can’t say” Both regarded the other for several seconds before he
nodded slowly, “OK... Then let me ask the same question back, “Why
is a seemingly socially adept, intelligent, very attractive
24-year-old woman, with no childhood hang-ups, not married or being
actively pursued by some husband material wannabee?”

Joy chuckled, her brow rising in an attempt
at appearing mysterious, “Oh... And how do you know that I am
not?... Just because we are playing a role doesn’t mean that I
might not have some man hidden in the background” Her cheeks
dimpled impishly as she added, “And you just said I’m very
attractive?”

With a mock grimace, he nodded, “Damn...
Hoped you would miss that bit”, his lips quirking before fixing her
with a more serious look. “I know. You used Google to find out
about me... I used a detective to do the same with you. I levelled
the playing field”

“Oh”, Joy’s surprised word filled the air as
she pulled her hand from his, not sure why this seemed so intrusive
to her, she knew that he would have checked her out. Tucking a
wayward hair from her face, she savaged her lips, before lifting
her glass and taking another sip of the delicious wine. “And what
else did you find out?” Missing her hand, he was surprised at the
change in her. “Not much. You just graduated as a physiotherapist.
You have only one other relative, the woman now looking after your
farm, and yes, I said very attractive”

Replacing her glass on the surface, she
twiddled nervously with the stem, his final statement taking her by
surprise as she pinkened slightly, before a small yawn escaped her
lips, an apologetic half-laugh leaving her. “I am so sorry... Has
been a long day... Full of many twists and turns”, Carig grunting a
return laugh before standing. “Why don’t you take the bed? We don’t
land for another six hours... I could wake you in say five, give
you time for a shower”

With a thankful smile, she moved in the
direction of the room he pointed to, slipping into it, her eyes
widening with wonder. It was opulent, with an en suite to equal any
five star hotel, her head shaking. Dragging the bag given to her by
Valerie, she pulled from it toiletries and a change of clothing,
silently sending up a prayer of thanks to the woman for her
foresight. She had not even given any thought to the next day,
never mind that night, as she fished out the filmy night dress.

The sigh which left her as she slid between
the sheets was one of indulgence, her tired mind registering that
the sheets were the softest she had ever felt, this her last
thought before she fell into a deep undisturbed sleep.

As Deborah cleared away the table, Carig
threw off his suit jacket, pulling his tie down as he settled in
the oversized leather couch. Pulling documents from his briefcase,
he began reading reports, one hand tucked under his head as he
worked. His mind kept returning to the woman in the other room. For
somebody he had expected to at best humour and hopefully not have
to deal with too much, she was proving a distraction, his lips
twitching. She had a wicked sense of humour and a quick wit, this
as attractive as the woman herself. When she had moved into
Valerie’s waiting room, he had almost swallowed his own tongue,
knowing that Valerie was laughing at him as he tried to
recover.

Now the thought of her lying in the large
bed alone was doing all kinds of bad things to his self-control,
Carig scowling with the realisation that once more he had not taken
in the words of the sentence he was reading. Closing his eyes, his
mind replayed the strange events of the past two days, his nicely
ordered life becoming... less orderly.

Chapter Three

He was on a beach, hand-in-hand with
someone. A feeling of total peace enveloped him as the sun began to
set, the sky erupting into a dazzling kaleidoscope of colours, the
show enough to steal the words from anyone. Beside him, the woman
moved, her arm wrapping around his waist, his wrapping around her
shoulders drawing her close enough for her to slip under his chin,
his head bobbing to kiss the top of her head, neither speaking,
both enraptured by nature’s light show.

Taking a deep breath, he had known that now
was the time. His heart beating frantically, now was the perfect
time.

The wind ruffled his hair, he trying to
ignore it as he slowly turned her within his embrace his look still
fixed on the sky. Frowning, the breeze blew harder, his entire body
moving as everything began to melt, panic filling him. His eyes
dropped, he needed to see her one last time, but already she had
become mist in his arms, light rushing in to destroy the rest of
the scene as Carig’s eyes snapped open.

Deborah stood, her features apologetic, “I’m
sorry Mr Calle... You looked like you were having such a good
sleep... But I heard you tell Miss Reid you would wake her an hour
before we landed, and we land in just over an hour”

Blinking in confusion, struggling to make
sense of her words, Carig swung his legs back to the floor, his
hands scrubbing his face before smiling up at the stewardess.
“Thank you Deborah”, his lips twisting ruefully, “I hadn’t meant to
sleep” Nodding, the woman moved back towards the kitchen. “Well you
looked like you could do with it Sir... I will prepare some
breakfast for you both if you like”

Grinning, he threw the stewardess a thankful
smile, “Thanks... Sounds wonderful”, before she slid into the
kitchen. Rising, he stretched, his muscles complaining from having
slept on the couch. Remnants of the dream still clung to him, his
brows furrowed as the sensation of total peace and something else
tantalized him. He wanted that feeling again, it felt wonderful –
better than anything else he had ever experienced.

In the bedroom, Joy slept. Her back was
turned away from him, hair fanned out on the pillow, only her
creamy shoulder visible to him. Stealthily moving to the drawers,
he pulled a change of clothing from within before moving into the
en suite bathroom. Grimacing as he looked down himself, his nose
scrunched up. He needed a shower and change of clothing.

Ten minutes later, wearing jeans and a black
t-shirt, he slipped back out of the shower, his hair still wet and
tousled. His mouth quirked in a grin. Joy had not moved, still
sound asleep, any noise from his shower not having awakened her.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he allowed his eyes to run over
her, admiring the creamy soft skin, catching his breath at the
overwhelming desire which unwelcomingly swamped him, to lean
forward and push the hair from her neck and nuzzle into her throat,
inhaling the scent of the woman. What was that all about?

Before he did something he would later
regret, he shook her shoulder, Joy groaning softly as she rolled
onto her back, her hand lifting as though to shoo away a fly,
“No... Another ten minutes Joseph... Please”

Carig stiffened. “Joseph? Who the hell was
Joseph?”, his hand once more shaking her shoulder, this time a
little more roughly, Joy’s eyes opening in shock as she woke in an
instant. Looking at Carig, he could see the wariness deep within
her eyes as she grabbed the edge of the sheets, pulling them up as
she pushed herself to a sitting position. “What are you doing?”,
her voice holding more than just a hint of accusation, mouth set in
a firm line. Grinning he stood, looking down on her. “Told you I
would wake you before we landed. You have just less than an hour.
Deborah will have some breakfast ready in about 30 minutes if you
want to get ready”

With that he turned and strode from the
room, hoping that she would not see the tell-tale bulge that just
the sight of her cleavage had slammed into him. What was wrong with
him? He was acting like some horny, hormonal, teenage boy, not a
man who regularly dated some of the most beautiful women in the
world. Gritting his teeth, he tried to unclench his fists as once
more his mind wrestled with the question which was eating away at
him, ‘Who the hell was Joseph?’

 

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BOOK: Blackmailing the Billionaire
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