How to Seduce a Billionaire (12 page)

“Now what were you saying about ground rules?” he said.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Well then,” he said, taking her at her word as he combed his fingers lazily through her hair. “How about if we get dressed and go grab some dinner?”

But she knew what she had to do.

It was now or never. Breathing in deeply, filling her lungs with fortifying air, she let it all out slowly as she gathered her wits. Then, before she could change her mind, she blurted, “Brandon, we have to stop doing that.”

He leaned his head over to meet her gaze. “Stop doing what? Eating dinner?”

“I’m serious.”

“About eating?” he asked, stroking her back. “Me, too. I’m starving.”

“Brandon.”

She could feel his lips curve in a smile as he kissed the top of her head. Then he said, “Yes, Kelly?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” She reached to take hold of his hand for strength. “We have to stop, you know, breaking the rules, having sex.”

“Do we?”

“You know we do.” She stared solemnly into his eyes as she squeezed his firm hand. “We talked about it before. We were supposed to stop when your family got here.”

“That didn’t work,” he said.

“No kidding.”

He chuckled and kissed her shoulder.

“Then we said we’d stop when Roger arrived,” Kelly said, stretching her neck to allow his mouth to roam her skin. “And now he’s here, and look at us.”

“Yes, just look at us,” he said, and lifted her hair to run more kisses along her neckline.

She could barely speak, but knew she had to say what was on her mind. “You’ve been so generous to help me with all of this. We’ve been together almost every night for a week and it’s been wonderful. I’m having the most amazing time of my life.” Her eyelashes fluttered and she looked away, not wanting him to see the confusion and pain she knew was so close to the surface. “But now we should stop before we get…”

He tipped her chin up gently to get a better look at her. “Before we get…what, Kelly?”

Before we get involved. Before you get tired of me,
she thought, but didn’t say aloud. Instead, she ruffled his hair lightly with her hands and said, “Before we get caught by the housekeeping staff.”

Brandon knew he should be glad that she was calling him out on breaking the ground rules—again. He knew they had to finally end their affair.

So why was he so eager to change her mind?

She was right, they definitely needed to pull back—to stop. After all, he knew their affair had been temporary to begin with, and the last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize their working relationship.

But gazing at Kelly now, he also knew there was something else happening here that he wasn’t ready to give up on. It was hard to explain, but she touched him on a level that he hadn’t known existed before. It wasn’t just the sex, although sex with Kelly was incendiary, to put it mildly. No, it was more than just sex. He
liked
her, damn it, and he wanted to be with her. When they weren’t together, he missed her. The feeling wouldn’t last; it never did. He knew that much. But as long as they were having a good time now, why should they call it quits and be miserable when they could keep seeing each other and be happy?

Ultimately, Brandon knew he would never be the man she needed him to be. His mother had been right about that. Kelly was the type of woman who was made for love and marriage. For family. Real family. The kind of family he knew nothing about.

Yes, it was true that Sally had saved him all those years ago, and together with Adam and Cameron, the four of them had formed a strong family bond. But until Sally came along, all Brandon had ever known of family life was misery. And that kind of memory stayed with a man. Haunted him. Reminded him that he would never be able to live up to the ideal man he saw reflected in Kelly’s eyes.

But that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy each other for as long as it lasted.

“Look,” he said, stroking the hair back from her face and resting his hand on her neck. “Maybe it’s crazy, but I don’t want to stop seeing you. I’m having a great time. And you’re enjoying yourself, too, aren’t you?”

She smiled and reached over to touch his cheek. “Yes, of course. You know I am.”

“Then for now, that’s all that matters.” And to settle it, he pulled her close and met her lips with his.

Eight

K
elly poked her head inside Brandon’s office the next morning. “I’m running these invoices over to the concierge desk. Do you need anything while I’m out?”

“No, thanks,” Brandon mouthed and waved her off as he was still wrapped up in a phone call with the lawyers.

As she strolled along the sun-kissed terrace that led toward the lobby, Kelly thought about the night before. She and Brandon had snuck out of the hotel together and driven into St. Helena for the best cheeseburger and French fries she’d ever tasted in her life. Maybe it was the company, but she couldn’t remember ever having a better time. They’d laughed and shared stories as though they were a real couple out on a real date. But i t hadn’t been a real date and they weren’t a real couple. They were just enjoying sex and the occasional dinner out.

“But isn’t that what dating is all about?” Kelly murmured aloud. “Sex and dinner?” After all, if someone were watching them, they would’ve thought she and Brandon were a normal young couple in love.

But they weren’t in love. Far from it.

But so what? Last night, Brandon had said he was having a great time with her, so why not keep it going? Where was the harm in that?

“We’re having fun,” Kelly insisted to herself as she turned onto the flower-lined brick walkway that circled the main building housing the lobby, then added to her own conscience, “So back off.”

“Kelly?”

“Oh.” She’d been wrapped up in her thoughts, paying no attention to where she was going and suddenly, Roger stood a mere three feet in front of her. “Hello, Roger. What are you up to this morning?”

He pointed in the direction of the spa. “We’ve taken over the Pavilion for the day to conduct some team-building exercises.”

The Pavilion was a large, open-beamed cottage used for special occasions, weddings, dinners and small conferences. Secluded, private, it was situated beyond the spa in the midst of old growth olive trees and towering oaks. It was one of Kelly’s favorite secret places on the property.

“Oh, how interesting,” she said politely. “I hope it’s a successful exercise.”

He stepped a few inches closer and took hold of her elbow in an intimate gesture. “Listen, Kelly, I’ve been thinking about you all night. I’ve really missed you. Do you think we could—”

“Roger?” a female voice called out. “Are you coming?”

Kelly turned and saw the ice queen approaching. Today she wore a severe black suit with a crisp gray blouse and five-inch, patent-leather black heels. She looked like Della the Dominatrix, minus the leather whip.

“Hello, Ariel,” Roger said. He didn’t sound thrilled to see her.

“We can’t start without you,” she said, shielding her eyes from the sunshine.

She was pretty, Kelly thought, except for two unfortunate vertical lines between her eyebrows that dug in deep when she was aggravated, which seemed to be her permanent state. The lines pulled on her eyebrows, causing them to arch almost comically, giving her the look of a demented cartoon witch.

Kelly felt instantly ashamed for thinking such bad thoughts about a woman she didn’t even know. After all, if Ariel really was interested in Roger, she deserved nothing but Kelly’s sympathy.

“Go ahead and get started,” Roger said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. “I’ll be along shortly.”

He watched her stomp away, then turned back to Kelly. “Kelly, what I’m trying to say is that I think you and I could really be—”

“There you are,” Brandon said pleasantly as he strolled up from the opposite direction. “Morning, Hempstead. Hope you slept well.”

Roger didn’t take his eyes off Kelly as he said, “I plan to sleep even better tonight.”

“Good luck with that,” Brandon said, and gave him a fraternal slap on the back. “I recommend a cold beer right before bed. Works wonders. Come on, Kelly, weren’t you headed over to the concierge desk?”

With that, he maneuvered himself between Kelly and Roger and extracted her arm from the other man’s grip. “See you around, Hempstead.”

“Are you insane?” she whispered when they were a discreet distance away.

“Did you hear what he said?” Brandon griped. “The guy’s delusional. He’s got it in his head that you’re going to wind up in his bed tonight.”

“Yes, I know. And I don’t mind letting him think it will happen.”

He stopped and glared at her. “Why?”

“Because it’ll feel so good to tell him no,” she said, her eyes narrowed with rock-solid purpose.

“No?” he repeated.

She glowered at him. “Do you honestly think I would sleep with that man?”

“No,” he said slowly, as though it were just occurring to him. “But he doesn’t know that.”

“Right, and we’ll just keep it that way, won’t we?”

Brandon frowned in puzzlement, but Kelly merely smiled and said, “Let’s please not talk about Roger anymore. I need to get these invoices delivered.”

The following night, Brandon wondered for the hundredth time why he hadn’t punched Roger in the face when he’d first met him.

Brandon’s lead bartender in the wine bar had called in sick, so one of the restaurant waiters was filling in. The hotel was filled to capacity and Brandon was concerned that everything should continue running smoothly. He’d decided to oversee things in the bar until they closed at ten o’clock. If anyone wanted to continue socializing, the restaurant bar would stay open until midnight.

Naturally, Roger the Jerk had chosen this night to tie one on. It was more than clear that the man was a pompous ass who couldn’t hold his liquor, but because he was the boss, there was no one around to tell him no, to call it a night and drag him off to his room. If that wasn’t bad enough, the more Roger drank, the more impressed with himself he became. At this point, he must’ve thought he was a regular Fred Astaire, because he’d just grabbed hold of Sherry, the cocktail waitress, and spun her around. Sherry, a consummate professional, had barely managed to keep her tray of drinks from upending.

Personally, Brandon would’ve loved to have seen Sherry empty all those drinks onto Roger’s head, but Brandon knew that wouldn’t be good for business. So, with great reluctance, he stepped between them, grabbed hold of Roger’s shoulders and turned him in the other direction. “You’ve had enough, pal.”

“You again,” Roger slurred. “Back off, will ya? She wants me.”

“I’m sure she does,” Brandon said, easing his arm around Roger and walking him in the opposite direction. “But I’m doing this for your own good. She’s got a wicked right hook, along with a husband who has no sense of humor. He’s a big, mean guy. You don’t want to piss him off.”

“But I can tell she likes me. And she’s hot.”

“Yeah, pal, I’m sure they all like you,” Brandon muttered, leading him toward the door. “Come on, time to call it a night.”

The ice queen suddenly appeared at Roger’s other side and slipped her arm around his back. “I can take care of him from here.”

“Hey, you,” Roger exclaimed, pointing a wobbly finger at her. “I know you.”

She patted his chest. “Yes, and I know you, too.”

“You sure you’re okay here?” Brandon asked, concerned that Roger could overpower this thin woman with one careless swipe of his arm.

“Been here, done that,” she said, with a brief nod of her head. “I’ve got it covered.”

Roger threw his arm around her shoulders and stared into her face. “How ’bout you and me go back to my room? I’ve got a hot tub.”

“Sounds irresistible,” she said, and walked away with him.

Brandon watched them stumble out the door and shook his head in disgust. The man was truly a jackass, but the woman with him seemed okay with that. Guess it took all types. And watching Roger’s antics here in the bar tonight, Brandon had clearly recognized Roger’s type. He’d seen it before and he didn’t like it.

Roger was the type of man who thought he could do whatever he wanted, with whomever he chose, anytime at all. He could drink to excess and order people around with impunity, simply because he had wealth and power. He’d been born with it, grown up knowing it, and now he wielded it like a club.

Brandon had been around plenty of other men like that when he worked in the NFL. Big men who’d always gotten what they wanted by virtue of their size and salary.

Brandon’s father had been like that, too, minus the wealth. He’d been a big hulk of a man and he’d used his strength to make others cower. It had been like a game to him, and Brandon and his mother had been his favorite objects of contempt. He’d shown it with his fists.

His father and guys like Roger had a lot in common. Brandon could just imagine what kind of damage a man like that could inflict on someone as gentle and sweet as Kelly. And it made his fists clench and his jaw tighten to know that Kelly had made a date to have dinner with Roger tomorrow night.

Brandon also knew that she’d been putting Roger off for the last few days, that had the effect of making the guy want her more than ever. The reason Brandon knew this was because he’d been watching her every move. And when Brandon couldn’t be around, he’d had others watch her and report back to him. He didn’t like Roger, but more than that, he didn’t trust him as far as he could kick him.

And while he’d promised Kelly not to do anything that would interfere with her dinner plans with her ex-boyfriend, Brandon had no intention of leaving her truly alone with the guy for a minute. He would remain close by, waiting, watching, making sure that nothing Roger did could ever hurt Kelly again.

The next evening was Kelly’s big night. She dressed for her dinner with Roger in a seductive black dress she’d been saving for the occasion. It fit her like a soft, silky glove, with subtle ruching along the sides that accentuated her best curves. Before her makeover, she hadn’t even known what ruching was. But now she knew its power, and she liked it. The sleeves of the dress were barely there and the neckline dipped into a heart-shaped curve, nicely showing off just the right amount of cleavage.

She stared at herself in the mirror as she fastened her faux diamond necklace and matching earrings, pleased by her reflection. She’d come a long way and every step had been worth it.

She had decided to join Roger in his elegant suite instead of having dinner in the hotel restaurant. That way, their discussion would be private. In other words, Brandon wouldn’t be able to overhear everything and interrupt them for no good reason.

Even though Kelly had known Roger for years and felt perfectly safe with him, she’d gone ahead and checked with the kitchen, just to make sure he had actually ordered dinner. She didn’t want him to think he could simply invite her to his room and try to seduce her on an empty stomach. It was a big relief to find out that Roger had, in fact, ordered a lovely dinner for the two of them.

They were to start the evening off with a nice bottle of champagne and a small platter of hors d’oeuvres, then proceed to the entrée of prime rib for two, with chocolate soufflés for dessert. Kelly approved, especially because back when they were dating, Roger had begun to show a touch of cheapness when they dined out. But tonight, he’d pulled out all the stops. Kelly figured he wanted to impress her, and that was exactly what she’d been hoping for.

Now, if she could only get him to beg her to come back to him, her plan would be a success. She would gently refuse him, of course. And if he asked why, she would tell him. He would probably protest and he might even be reduced to insulting her. He excelled at that. But she didn’t care. She just wanted the satisfaction of knowing he still found her attractive and wanted her back. Then she could walk out of his life forever and straight into a rosy future.

She had gone over the plan in her mind and even though a part of her knew the whole thing was somewhat petty, she also knew it was something she needed to carry through to the end. Closure. That was her goal. That was all she wanted tonight.

And maybe it was a tiny bit selfish, but she’d been much too nervous to eat lunch earlier, so if she could just arrange to walk out on him
after
she finished that delectable chocolate soufflé, the evening would be a total success.

She never should’ve come for dinner. The past three hours were a wasted chunk of time she could never get back.

The good news was, the prime rib was cooked to perfection and the chocolate soufflé was divine. The bad news was, it all sat in her stomach like a brick.

Roger had greeted her at his door looking handsome and debonair in his Armani jacket with his Brooks Brothers pinstriped shirt collar standing up jauntily. She thought the gold ascot was a bit much, but she had to confess that he’d been a perfect gentleman all evening. He’d complimented her and asked her all about life in California. They chatted about mutual friends back East and he shared confidences with her about the people who worked for him.

She was bored stiff.

They’d sipped champagne, nibbled on appetizers, then enjoyed dinner and dessert. And he hadn’t made a move on her. What was wrong with him? There simply
must
be something wrong with him tonight. After all, since he’d first checked into the hotel on Monday, he’d been approaching her, seeking her out at least twice a day with an urgency she’d obviously mistaken for desire. Because tonight, there was nothing coming from him. No attraction, no interest, just politeness. A regular snooze-fest.

Maybe it was just as well. After all, she was well and truly
over
Roger. She knew that now. Finally and completely over him. And she had Brandon to thank for it.

“It was such fun catching up with you, Roger,” she said, pushing back from the table and standing. “Dinner was wonderful, but I should be going now.”

“Kelly, wait,” he said, jumping up abruptly and grabbing hold of her hand. “Don’t go. We need to talk. About us.”

Taken aback, she glanced down at his hand on hers, then up at him. “We’ve been talking all night, Roger.”

He tightened his grip and moved closer. “I know, I know, but I’ve been holding off saying what needed to be said. Look, Kelly, I want to apologize.”

“You do?”

“Yes. God, you look great.” He ran his fingers across her shoulder. She shivered, but not in a good way.