Indecent Exposure (12 page)

Chapter Twelve

Unable to sleep, even after Mitch had added two more orgasms to her tally for the weekend, Gina lay in his arms and waited. When his breathing deepened and his muscles went lax, she moved slowly out of his hold and slipped from the bed. Her heart was a lead weight in her chest, and an overwhelming urge to weep almost consumed her. She was about to lose him.

On legs as heavy as her heart, she walked to where her bag lay on the chair. When she heard the rustle of sheets, she glanced around and noticed that Mitch had shifted and now lay on his back. Assured he still slept, Gina turned back and dug in her bag. She retrieved her phone and switched it to camera mode before moving back to the bed.

Her breath hitched as she stared down at Mitch—his arms flung above his head, his hair ruffled from her busy and desperate fingers, his abdominals flat and toned. The sheet lay at his waist. Gina knew she had to get the shot of him fully naked or Costas wouldn’t be satisfied. Anything less than full frontal and the photo would be worthless, he’d said.

Her blood ran cold at the potential damage Costas intended to inflict. For sure, he had something despicable in mind, but her every attempt to question him about it had fallen on deaf ears. Her only job, he’d told her, was to get him what he needed.

The ache in her heart deepened as she continued to watch Mitch. Her hands shook so much, she almost dropped the phone. Even as she tried to steady her breathing, the air caught in her lungs and tightened her throat.

She couldn’t do this.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to think. What could she do? How could she put a stop to this? There had to be a way. Except there wasn’t. Had there been a way, she would have figured it out by now. Her anxious deliberations would have yielded some alternative scenario.

Opening her eyes, her throat contracting painfully, she reached down and curled her fingers around the edge of the sheet lying across Mitch’s waist. Holding her breath, she started to draw it slowly—oh so slowly—down, revealing his toned abdomen, his for-once flaccid cock, strong thighs and powerful legs.

Forcing her hands to steady, she raised her phone. She held her breath and looked at the display screen. Everything within her squeezed, but she pressed the button. Mitch’s naked image was captured there and she stared at it through a blur.

“You could have told me you wanted a souvenir.”

At the sound of Mitch’s graveled tone, she jerked and the phone fell to the carpeted floor. While he hoisted himself up to rest on his elbow, she bit back the tears that threatened to fall.

Oblivious to her distress, Mitch shifted and leaned over the bed to retrieve her phone from the floor. He peered at the screen. “Had I known you wanted a photo, I would have, shall we say, risen to the occasion.” He smiled, but when their eyes met, he frowned. “What’s wrong? Are you crying?”

Swallowing, she glanced down at the phone he placed on the bedside table. Unable to speak, she turned abruptly and headed for the bathroom, unsure what to do next. She wanted to pack and get out of there before Mitch realized what she was doing. She couldn’t bear to see his reaction when he realized she’d betrayed him.

Mitch must have moved like lightning, because he caught her arm before she reached the bathroom door. “Hey. I’ll admit it’s not the best photo I’ve ever had taken, but it’s not bad enough to make a woman cry.”

His attempt to lighten her distress only served to make her feel more wretched. She shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

Grabbing her other arm, he turned her to face him. “Then make me understand. What’s wrong?”

All the strength suddenly left her, all the fight and resolve. She felt like a screwed up mass of emotion and she simply couldn’t think how to disentangle herself from the consequences of what she’d done. She made herself look at Mitch. Facing him was the least she could do considering her part in this whole debacle.

But when she looked into his blue eyes, she experienced the first moment of clarity she’d had in days. In that moment, she knew she couldn’t do it. No ifs, buts or maybes. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—betray Mitch.

If she told Mitch everything, he’d be furious, but she would gladly suffer his wrath. He was entitled. And whatever way she played it, she knew it was over between them, which meant all she could do now was protect him.

As she deliberated, Mitch went over to retrieve her phone. He held it out. “Something tells me this is more than a little memento of our weekend.” His eyes were slits of blue glass. “Maybe you’d like to explain.”

“Delete it,” she said firmly. “Do it, Mitch.”

“Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on.”

The fierce tone made her hesitate. She had no real idea how he would react, what steps he would take. For sure he’d confront Costas, and the last thing she wanted was for Mitch to retaliate and get hurt in the process.

Was that what Costas wanted? Did he want Mitch to find out about the photo and strike back? Maybe that was his intention all along. To get Mitch to take a swing at him so he could haul him up on charges. A police record might certainly hurt Mitch’s reputation, likely much more than the release of a naked photo.

Hell, she couldn’t think straight. All she knew was she had to try and prevent all hell breaking loose. Now that she’d seen the real Costas up close and personal, made brutally aware of what sort of man he really was, it wasn’t hard to imagine him taking the next step and actually resorting to physical assault. She also had no doubt he’d release the video regardless of whether or not she did his bidding, just to spite her.

Perhaps there was no choice now but to tell her mother, seek her counsel, and pray that she would be forgiven for being so stupid.

The thought of her mother knowing was so depressing she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but a tiny shimmer of optimism broke through the bleakness. Perhaps with her mother’s help, they might be able to find a way through this. Maybe then Mitch didn’t need to know about Costas’s threat, and there would be no reason for them to break up.

Her heart skipped at the prospect, but since Mitch was waiting for her response, she took a deep breath. “I thought a photo would let me remember the weekend,” she improvised. “A memento of a great time.”

His frown morphed into a scowl and she knew he wasn’t buying it even before he spoke. “A simple memento wouldn’t make your hands shake or drive you to tears.” He glanced down at the phone still in his hand. “Exactly what game are you playing?”

The hope that shimmered in her chest dissolved into nothingness. She’d never been the best liar in the world, and it seemed her lack of skill in that area wasn’t about to improve anytime soon. From his reaction, Mitch wasn’t about to let her off the hook, and she realized she was living in a fool’s paradise.

She couldn’t protect Mitch. Whatever way all this played out, he was going to get hurt. If she told him about the photo, he would go after Costas. If she didn’t, and the photo was released, he would go after Costas.

The only option was to tell him the truth. That way she could reason with Mitch, tell him what she thought Costas really wanted and convince him not to react.

Needing the armor of clothing to do it, she pulled on her panties and slipped a T-shirt over her head. “I have to tell you something, Mitch, but you need to promise you won’t do anything until you hear me out.”

Since he didn’t seem inclined to give a response, but fixed her with a dark glare that made her stomach jump, she swallowed and nodded to her phone. “Costas Zarikas wants the photo. He intends to blackmail you.”

In that moment, he looked even more dangerous than Costas, but the difference was she wasn’t scared of Mitch—not physically. He wouldn’t hurt her that way. But the way he could hurt her was far more devastating.

“He expects me to hand this over so he can use it against you, blackmail you into giving him whatever it is he wants.” Gina shuddered in a breath as Mitch remained silent. “If your reputation is threatened, he thinks—”

“How the hell is a naked photo going to threaten my reputation, exactly?” Mitch spread his arms wide and stood proud in all his magnificent glory. “Take the fucking photo. Tell the bastard to do his worst.”

“You don’t know him, Mitch. He’s dangerous.”

“He’s a fucking moron if he thinks releasing a damn photo will make me react.” He snatched up his pants and yanked them on. “And what’s in it for you, a nice fat paycheck? Or maybe you’re just happy to do lover boy’s bidding.”

Her heart squeezed painfully. “It’s not like that.”

“No? Then how about you tell me how it is?” He pulled on a shirt. “Because I’m damn sure I don’t know the woman standing in front of me right now.”

That hurt more than she could say and her mind went into freefall. How much should she tell him? Would he believe her? He’d caught her taking the photo, and although she’d told him to delete it, would he believe she had decided to do that anyway? And what if she told him that as soon as Costas realized she’d refused to do his bidding, her bound and tied naked body would be plastered all over the internet? What would he think of her? Bad enough he thought her a scheming cheat, but to have him think of her as a cheat
and
a slut… That would destroy her. She couldn’t bear to have him think so badly of her.

She had to try and convince him that she’d made the decision to delete the photo before he’d found it. She snatched up her phone and held it up to him so he could see
image deleted
scrolled across the screen.

“That’s supposed to make everything okay?” Venom lay thick in his tone. “You lie to me, pretend you’re attracted to me, sleep with me for God’s sake. And it’s all fucking pretense.”

“It wasn’t pretense.”

“The plan wasn’t for you to lure me into bed? Then how the hell else were you supposed to get the photo?”

She shook her head, trying to find the words to explain how it really was. But she realized Mitch’s assessment was pretty accurate, and undeniable. Except for one thing.

Okay, she had lied to him, slept with him to get the photo, but she hadn’t pretended to be attracted to him. She’d always been attracted to him, but she hadn’t expected to fall so hard along the way that her heart ached with the contemptuous way he now looked at her.

“I slept with you because I wanted to.”

His laugh was scornful. “Convenient. That must have made it a little easier to go through with your plan.”

“I’m not going through with it. I can’t do that to you. But you must realize that it won’t stop Costas from finding some other way to get what he wants from you.”

“He can fucking try.”

“He will. You don’t know him.”

“Oh, I know the bastard well enough. I’ve had the displeasure of dealing with him before. So don’t you worry your scheming little head over it, he won’t get the chance to so much as breathe on me or my reputation.” He sat on the side of the bed and pulled on shoes. “And if he decides to use another woman prepared to let me fuck her so she can get what she wants, he’ll be wasting his time.”

“Mitch, it wasn’t like that.”

“Strange that you only decided not to go through with it after I’d caught you taking the photo,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Maybe Plan B slipped into effect, the one that says if you’re caught you can flutter your eyes at me, say you’re sorry and it wasn’t like that. Then I’ll take you back to bed, fuck you senseless, and wait for you to screw me over some other way.”

He finished buttoning his shirt, then stood and snatched his keys from the side table. “I suggest you get some sleep. You’ll be taking the first flight home in the morning.”

With which he flung open the door, stormed out and slammed it shut.

Gina wanted to go after him. She needed to explain. But how could she? From what he’d just said, he probably wouldn’t even care that she herself had been blackmailed. Maybe he’d think her a naïve fool who didn’t have the ability to see she was being used by a scumbag like Costas.

In the cold light of day, what she’d done to Mitch was unforgivable. She couldn’t blame him for his reaction and for the way he despised her now. She despised herself.

She just had to try and salvage what she could from this whole mess. Hopefully, she could alleviate the repercussions from the ensuing fallout and stop them hurting the people she cared about most.

Her mother. And Mitch.

Chapter Thirteen

Gina went straight to her studio from the airport. She hadn’t seen Mitch since he’d left after their altercation the night before. Breakfast had arrived at seven the next morning, with a note from reception advising her that she’d been booked on a flight to London and a cab would shortly arrive to take her to the airport.

She could barely remember packing, heartsick when she realized that Mitch’s clothes were still in the wardrobe. His shaving kit still in the bathroom alongside her washbag. She’d left him a note saying how sorry she was for everything, but had resisted the need to tell him she hoped one day he would forgive her. He wouldn’t appreciate her sentiments and would probably see them as empty words.

They were far from it. She wanted with all her heart for him to forgive her. For him to let her apologize, explain. Except she was still not able to explain anything to him. She was barely able to explain it to herself. Right from the start, she’d known Costas was bad news, but that self-destruct button she seemed to have, the one that pushed her into situations and relationships that were wrong for her, had been operating at full tilt.

She’d barely wanted Mitch to know about her relationship with Costas, let alone what was on that video. And even if she did tell him, it in no way justified her actions. Saving her own skin, but sacrificing his?

That wasn’t love…

Love?

Her steps faltered as she walked. Did she
love
him?

Yes
, her heart screamed in response. Oh God.
Yes.
She’d likely fallen back in college, and these last few days had rekindled every pulsing emotion she’d felt for him back then. She’d pushed those feelings so far down deep inside that she hadn’t even known they were there.

Now it was too late. He hated her and he didn’t even yet know the video existed. She didn’t want to imagine what he’d think when he found out.

She all but stumbled into the studio and met Lucy’s surprised look as her assistant came through into reception. “You’re back early. I didn’t expect you until… What’s wrong? What happened?”

Gina shook her head and walked behind the reception desk. “It didn’t work out.”

“You had a row?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it. Not yet, anyway.”

“Okay.” Lucy came and stood next to her as she leafed unseeing through the bookings diary. When Lucy’s arm came around her shoulder, she edged away. Her throat felt tight and unshed tears stung behind her eyes. The last thing she wanted was sympathy and understanding from a friend. She was barely holding on to her emotions as it was.

“Studio two is free,” she said to Lucy, as if her assistant wouldn’t already know. “I’m going to take the opportunity to rearrange the workout mats and give the storage area a clean while I’m at it.”

“Okay,” Lucy said again, her tone soft and compassionate. “Do you fancy coffee? And maybe a brownie to go with it?”

Gina drew in a steadying breath as she met Lucy’s concerned gaze. “That’d be good, thanks.” She walked to the hallway, but glanced back to Lucy before she headed for her office to store away her bag. “Make it the biggest brownie you can find.”

Lucy’s smile was full of understanding. “You’ve got it.”

For the next two hours, Gina busied herself cleaning and sorting. It was way past lunchtime when she returned to her office. She grabbed her bag from the locked drawer, and couldn’t help checking her phone. Her heart leapt when she saw eight missed calls.

Mitch.

As she scrolled through the messages, her heart beat double time. Maybe he was trying to contact her to give her the chance to explain.

Her body chilled. Every missed call was from Costas.

Blood ran cold in her veins as she stared down at the screen. She had to face him. There was no escaping what needed to be done, and putting off the inevitable by cleaning workout rooms wasn’t going to make it go away.

Thirty minutes later, on unsteady legs, she walked into Costas’s office. In front of his desk, she stood and faced him. His eyes bored into hers. She hadn’t realized just how dark they were before. Black. Soulless.

Her stomach twisted as she gripped the strap of her shoulder bag and tried to remember the speech she’d prepared on the way over. Now she couldn’t remember a single word.

He leaned back in his chair. “Where’s my photo?”

“There isn’t one.” Gina swallowed through a rapidly tightening throat, but raised her chin. “And there isn’t going to be one.”

Costas swiveled slowly from side to side and those black eyes narrowed. “I’m growing fucking tired of your games, baby doll. You think I won’t go through with what I warned you would happen?”

Oh, she knew he would, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging the fact. “You’re crazy if you think Mitch will ever stand being blackmailed. I won’t have any part in it.”

Dark eyebrows drew together and his expression grew menacing. “Then in the next couple of hours, the whole fucking world will see your spread legs and your sweet little cunt enjoying the ministrations of an anonymous lover. I hope people have the audio turned up while they watch because your enthusiastic response is worth a listen. You’ll soon be a media star for a whole different reason, baby…and so will your mama.”

Her legs turned hollow and she groped for the back of the chair as the room began to spin. “You’ve got nothing to gain by doing this.” Her breath hitched. “It’s over. Mitch won’t play your games, and neither will I. Just give me the video and I’ll be on my way.”

His low laugh echoed ominously. “You know better than that.” He raised his hand to his face and stroked along his chin. “However, I might be willing to negotiate.”

She didn’t need the gleam that burned in his gaze to know what format those negotiations would take, and the thought of having him touch her again was so unpalatable it made nausea swim in her stomach. “I’d never let you near me again.”

With casual ease, he opened his drawer and took out a dark red pen drive. “As I said, I could be persuaded to negotiate.” He gave a feral smile. “You know what you have to do.”

Her whole body began to shake from the inside out, and Gina found it hard to think straight. But one thing was abundantly clear: no way in heaven would she ever allow Costas to lay his hands on her again. The thought made her feel physically sick. After being with Mitch, it was hard to contemplate
any
other man touching her.

Tiny spears of pain spiked at her heart as memories of how it had felt being in Mitch’s arms, but she couldn’t afford to go there. Not when she needed all her wits about her dealing with Costas.

With sudden clarity, she knew there was no way he would ever have given her the pen drive, no way he would have let her off the hook. He would have kept her forever at his mercy. As for Mitch, Costas would go after him until he got what he wanted. She had to warn him. Make him listen. He had to realize the depths to which Costas would stoop to get what he wanted. At least then he would be forewarned and could protect himself.

As far as her own predicament? She squeezed her eyes shut. There was only one outcome for her and she would have to face the consequences.

When Costas’s low laugh broke into her despair, she opened her eyes. “I see you finally understand the futility of your position.” His tone was flat, hard. “Now get over there and lock the door. We’ll start negotiations as soon as you’re on your back.”

She sucked in a breath, swallowed down nausea. Saying nothing, she turned and walked to the door. All she could think of was getting to Mitch. When Costas realized she had no intention of giving into his demands, he would release the video, and he’d put into effect whatever alternative plan he had for Mitch. She had no doubt he had one.

About to reach for the handle, she stumbled back as the door burst open. Mitch stormed into the room. He strode to Costas’s desk and slammed his hands on the mahogany top. “You’ve got a damn nerve, Zarikas.”

Costas stared up at Mitch and waved away his personal assistant, who had followed Mitch into the office all the while protesting that she’d tried to stop the intrusion. Costas waited until the door closed behind her, before leaning back in his chair with the smug expression of a man who knew he not only had all the cards, but was fully enjoying the game. “Mitchell Coleman What an unexpected surprise.”

Frozen to the spot, Gina stared at Mitch’s back. He’d stormed in so focused on Costas, she was sure he hadn’t seen her behind the door. Now, he leaned farther across the desk and she could almost feel the anger emanating from his tense body. “You’ve taken on the wrong man. Let’s see how clever you think you are when I slam a fucking blackmail charge on you.”

Costas raised his eyebrows. “Blackmail? I’m insulted. How do you figure that?”

Gina hadn’t dared move, but imagined she could hear Mitch grinding his teeth.

“Know this,” Mitch grated, ignoring his adversary’s feigned offence. “You try something like this again, you’ll be a whole lot more than insulted.”

Indolently, Costas raised his hand and made a show of checking his fingernails. “Now that sounds dangerously like a threat to me.”

Mitch straightened. “Fucking right it is.” He jabbed a finger at Costas’s chest. “You made a mistake coming at me.”

“Come on, don’t try and tell me you didn’t enjoy my little offering. I know firsthand that she doesn’t disappoint.”

Costas had hardly got the words out before Mitch stormed around his desk and, grabbing a fistful of Costas’s shirt, hauled him from his chair. Although Costas put his hands out in a gesture of surrender, he grinned. “I see I’ve touched a nerve. Interesting. Your—or should I say
our
—little bedmate over there will be happy to see you’re so ready to defend her honor.”

As Mitch’s head snapped around, Gina felt the punch of his enraged gaze. He stared at her for long moments, during which her heart seemed to stop. Then he let Costas go with an abruptness that had the man stumbling backwards into his chair.

From the look in Mitch’s eyes, it seemed he’d taken the inference and believed she remained Costas’s lover. Perhaps even complicit in the man’s despicable plan. She wanted to scream her denial, but wasn’t sure anything could escape her tight throat. The cold look Mitch threw her chilled her blood.

Costas broke the interminable silence with a deep laugh. “Well, well. Could it be you’ve fallen for my partner in crime? How inconvenient for you. And very bad luck seeing as she’s agreed to return to my bed.”

“No. That’s not true.” Gina’s shrill denial filled the room as she finally found her voice. She made herself look at Mitch even though the contempt in his eyes broke her heart. Regardless that they were over, he needed to know she would never stoop so low as to get back with the bastard who had tried to destroy him.

But he was already walking to the door.

Instinctively, Gina reached out to him, but he ignored her and stormed ahead.

“Maybe you’d like a private showing of the video before you go,” Costas said as Mitch reached the door. “A premiere, if you like, before it hits the airwaves.”

Gina froze as Mitch turned slowly around.

“What video?” The question was aimed at Costas, but he looked at her with barely leashed fury.

Fiery heat burned her cheeks as ice ran through her veins. She willed Mitch to just keep walking away, but knew he wouldn’t. Just as she knew Costas would show him the video. She squeezed her eyes shut for an instant, as if the action could obliterate what would come. She couldn’t bear Mitch seeing it. It was bad enough he despised her for what she’d done to him, but for him to see her in that video…

“Maybe we can get some feedback, baby doll. Mitchell might even be willing to give a rating or review for us, confirming that it’s for real and you really do react as shown when a man goes down on you.”

Her legs felt like jelly and she placed one hand on her stomach as nausea swam. Over and over she swallowed, trying to alleviate the urge to throw up. She reached out blindly, trying to find something to hold on to. Mitch’s hand came roughly around her elbow, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting in a chair opposite Costas’s desk with a glass shoved against her lips.

“Drink,” Mitch ordered.

Her head swam, but she sipped slowly, letting the chilled water cool her burning throat. Beside her, Mitch stood unmoving, while Costas remained seated at his desk.

“She’s a little squeamish,” Costas said conversationally. “It’s her first time on camera, so perhaps it’s understandable.”

“What the hell’s going on?” Mitch’s deep, uncompromising tone made Gina’s already unsteady stomach churn viciously. “And don’t give me any bullshit.”

“A simple video,” Costas offered. “Of what we’ll call adult pursuits.”

Mitch moved away from her. She’d taken comfort in the fact he’d come to her aid, maybe in the depths of her psyche even hoping that he still felt something for her other than contempt, but the few inches of distance he placed between them felt like miles.

His vicious glare sliced her heart. “You filmed us?”

Oh God.
He thought the video was of him, of them. And that she’d taken it.

“Alas, you don’t appear,” Costas intervened. “But I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching.”

Costas picked up the pen drive and Gina looked across the desk at him. “Why are you doing this?” she asked weakly. “You’ve nothing to gain now.”

“Ah, but maybe I have.” He pushed the pen drive into the computer. “Indications are that Mitchell may be inclined to save your virtue. Maybe not. Either way, I’ve nothing to lose.”

Lightning fast, Mitch reached out and snatched the pen drive from the computer. He shoved it into his pocket. “Nobody’s watching or doing anything until someone tells me what the fuck is going on.”

“It’s of me,” Gina blurted, unable to stand it any longer. “Costas filmed it. It’s when he and I were…”

Her throat snapped closed. She couldn’t look at Mitch. She held her breath as she waited for his reaction. Would he simply walk out the door and not look back? Would he lay into her? Call her the names she’d tried not to call herself?