Liar, Liar

LIAR

LIAR

KASEY MILLSTEAD

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Thank you for respecting the work of this Author.

Liar, Liar is a work of fiction.  All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book are either from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, with exception to Artists named, and their song lyrics, and direct quotes from movies whose titles have been named.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2014, Kasey Millstead

Cover design © LM Creations

Editing by CJ Pinard

To Jovi

You taught me the hard way that life is too short.

Five and a half years with you wasn’t long enough; but for a parent, forever isn’t long enough.  I love you with my whole heart.  I miss you even more. xx

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”

Ray Bradbury

Come to Me

God saw you getting tired,

And a cure was not to be.

So he put his arms around you,

And whispered, ‘Come to me.’

With tearful eyes we watched you,

And saw you pass away.

And, although we love you dearly,

We could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

Hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best.

-Anonymous

Steele Investigations

Sapphire

Emerald

Down Under Cowboy Series

Cowboy Town (Eden & Jackson)

Sky Cowboy (Ava & Jeremy)

Cowboy Dreams (Jules & Clay)

Cowboy Christmas (A Henley Christmas Novella)

Tatted Cowboy (Laura & Luke)

Rogue Cowboy (Sienna & Zeke)

Cowboy Redemption (Kennedy & Kye)

Cowboy Endings

Stand Alone Novels

Fighting to Stay

Illicit Desire

Vengeance is Mine

Dancing with Desire

Fighting for Switch
Family Secrets

Undercover

Liar, Liar

COMING IN 2016

Convoluted

Consequences

Troy – God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you... 

To my four beautiful babies – I love you beyond measure.  Thank you for being you.  Never change.

To Mel and Wurry, my soul friends - I think “
I II III IV III II
” says it all. Mwah.

Thanks to Meri for being my sounding board, for listening to me waffle on, and for giving great advice.  You’re one of the best!

To my mum and dad – thanks for having such an awesome child.  I bet you’re proud of yourselves! ;)  And an extra special thanks to my mum who implanted a deep love of reading in me at a young age by reading The Adventures of Blinky Bill & Nutsy to me every night when I was a little girl. 

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

Stephen King

Kylie at Give Me Books blog – thank you for all you do for me.  I’m lucky to not only have you as my promotions extraordinaire, but also as a friend.

Kell, thank you so much for everything you’ve done – the proofing, the teasers, the advice – all of it!!  I’m so lucky to have found such a beautiful friend in you!

To my editor, CJ – you’re freaking awesome.  You always do an amazing job and fit me in at the drop of a hat, which works well for me seeing as I can’t write to a strict schedule!  Thank you for doing an amazing job each and every time, and for never taking long to do it!

Thank you Louisa for creating such a gorgeous cover for me.

To my Cowgirls – You’re all awesome and I love each and every one of you!  You brighten my days and always give me a laugh.

To each and every blogger that participates in my cover reveals, blog tours and book blitzes – THANK YOU!!!  I wish I could list you all individually, but that would be a novel on its own!  Thank you for everything you do.  Your hard work never goes unnoticed and it’s appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

To the girls in 101 – Wow! You ladies are such knowledgeable, friendly, helpful people.  I’ve learned so much since I found y’all, and I’m so very grateful. <3

Lastly, thank you to each and every one of you that reads this book.  You are making my dreams come true.

www.kaseymillstead.com

www.facebook.com/authorkaseymillstead

www.twitter.com/kaseymillstead

Goodreads.com – Kasey Millstead

If you liked
Liar, Liar
, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

. . . Liar, Liar

Makenna Banks is a 28-year-old, independent, professional woman who spends her days seeking the truth for her clients.  She is tenacious and fueled by events in her past, determined to bring hidden secrets into the light.

. . . Pants On Fire

Thrust into a life he didn’t imagine for himself, but unable to escape it, Benny Duncan immerses himself in his job to avoid his home life.  With his future mapped out for him from birth by a pair of controlling parents more concerned about their social stature than the happiness of their only son, he always knew he was destined for this life.  It doesn’t mean he likes it, though. 

. . . Nose As Long

In her search for the truth, Makenna has to put herself in sometimes-dangerous positions, going above and beyond for her clients.  But what happens when a situation is not all it seems?  What happens when love is thrown into the mix?

. . . As A Telephone Wire.

To do her job properly, Makenna has to get involved, but not
too
involved.  It’s a fine line she has managed to never cross.  Until now.  Until him.  Benny Duncan will turn her inside out, changing the world as she knows it.  She may be powerful in all other aspects of her life, but Makenna is powerless against the biggest factor of all; true love.

Liar, Liar
is the brand new, suspense-filled romance from USA Today Bestselling Author, Kasey Millstead

The world is full of liars.

White liars.

Compulsive liars.

Sociopathic liars.

Occasional liars.

Careless liars.

No matter which category they fall into, one aspect remains the same; they are all liars.

I’m the biggest one of all.  However, I don’t believe I fall into any of the above categories.  I like to think of myself as professional liar.  I don’t lie out of habit, nor do I do it for my own benefit. 

I lie to uncover the truth.

~*~

Dressed in my usual impeccable manner, I walk into the office I share with Mitchell Reynolds, ready for a day of meetings.

“Good morning, Miss Banks.  Mr. Reynolds is in the conference room.”

“Thank you, Josephine,” I reply.

I veer left from the reception desk and enter the conference room to find my business partner, Mitchell, seated at the head of the glass-topped table.  To his left is a woman I have never seen before.  Presumably our newest client.

“Good morning.”  I greet them both with a friendly smile and take a seat.

“Makenna Banks, this is Regina Duncan.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Duncan.”

“Regina, please.”

My first impression of her is:
Uptight housewife.  Probably a snarky bitch, too.
  Judgmental, I know, but I would never speak my opinions aloud. 

She is dressed in designer clothing, and dripping in diamonds.  Both her hair and makeup are flawless, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she had them professionally done before her consult today.

“What can we do for you, Regina?” Mitchell asks.

“I require your assistance in a very…
delicate
matter,” she states.

“And what would that delicate matter be?” I press.

“I need to divorce my husband.”

“We’re not a law firm,” Mitchell advises.

“I realize that, Mr. Reynolds,” she snaps.  “I need your help in providing proof my husband is having an affair.”

“Well, that we can help you with,” Mitchell states.

“What makes you think your husband is having an affair?” I ask.

“I doubt he is,” she scoffs. 

I look across the table at the woman, waiting for her to explain.  When I don’t speak, she sighs, as if it is an inconvenience for her to lay out the situation.

My first impression of her was right. She is an uptight bitch.

“The man I married isn’t the man I thought I was getting when I said my vows.  He is a selfish, ignorant workaholic, and after five long years, I have had enough.”

“Okay?” I murmur, still not understanding her motive.

“I have lived this
unsavory
lifestyle for far too long, and I no longer wish to be married to a man who doesn’t consider me his first priority.”

“Right.”  From the look on his face, Mitchell clearly isn’t following her either.

“The terms of our prenuptial agreement state if he is unfaithful to me, I am entitled to four million dollars.” 

Annnnd she finally gets to the point.

“And if there’s no infidelity?” Mitchell asks.

“Then I only get two point eight million.” She gives Mitchell a pointed look.  “I deserve four.”

Wow.  Greedy bitch.

“To put it blankly, Mr. Reynolds, hiring you and Ms. Banks to fabricate an infidelity is much more affordable than hiring a hit man. Obviously, it also comes without a prison sentence.”

For the first time in a long time, I am speechless. 

“We’ll need some details from you about your husband, including his schedule,” Mitchell says, his tone slightly hesitant.  I am sure he is in as much disbelief as I am.  Generally our clients are women who are certain their husbands are having an affair.  Never once have we had a case where we are required to fabricate the entire scenario so the wife can receive a higher divorce settlement. 

“I have all of those details with me.  I am very serious about this, Mr. Reynolds.  All the information you need regarding my husband, his daily routine, his work schedule, and so on, are included in this file.”  She slides a brown plastic file folder across the table to Mitchell.

“I have also added some recent pictures of him, in case you need them. His social security, banking details, date of birth, and all other personal details are also contained in the file.”

Wow.  She really is serious.  And keen.
Overly keen, actually.

“Thank you for that,” Mitchell murmurs, as he flicks through the information provided.  “Given that you have arrived at today’s meeting fully prepared, I would say at this juncture, we don’t require anything further from you.  We’ll be in contact in the coming weeks.”

“Excellent.  Thank you very much.”  She stands and both Mitchell and I follow.  She holds out her hand to each of us in turn, and with a swift, albeit limp, shake of her wrist, she turns and leaves. 

“Well, that was… interesting,” I mutter.

“She’s definitely a piece of work,” Mitchell replies in the same tone.

“Either the man she’s married to is completely oblivious to her unsavory personality, or he is just as bad as she is,” I comment.

“Or, he sees no way out,” Mitchell states.

“If that’s the case, then, he’s a scaredy-cat.”

Mitchell barks out a burst of laughter. “Makenna!  Are you ten?”

“Oh seriously, Mitch.  Are you telling me you would stay married to a woman like that?  No, you wouldn’t.  You’d do whatever it takes to scrap her off.  So I think my summarizations are more likely to be true, compared to yours.”

“Want to make it interesting?” he challenges.

“Of course.” 
As if there would be another answer!
 

Betting on cases is something Mitchell and I often do.  He has a winning average of seventy-three percent.  But, I never admit defeat, even if the odds are stacked against me.

“If I win, you buy me lunch from
D’Tre’s
,” he states.

“If I win, you buy me those new leather and lace booties I’ve been eyeing online,” I rebuke.

“Deal.”

I really hope I win this one, because those booties are
awesome
.

~*~

Sitting at my desk a few hours later, I go through the file Mitchell copied for me.  Benny Duncan is an extremely attractive, very wealthy man, who appears to have very little social life. 

According to the schedule his wife provided, he wakes early and goes to the gym.  After his morning workout session, he goes to the office, where he stays until dark.  Then he does an evening workout session before arriving home very late in the evening.  Every day of the week he follows the same routine, except for Sundays.  Each Sunday, instead of going into the office, he plays golf at Charter Lakes Country Club.

Two things strike me as off.  The first being, for a married man, he doesn’t spend much time working on his marriage.  A marriage can’t be sustained if the couples aren’t putting in the work and effort it needs to survive.

Second, for a man who is as successful and attractive as he is, I can’t help but wonder why he is so reclusive.  It doesn’t make sense.

Looking through the photos of him, I notice immediately that he is extremely photogenic.  His smile is relaxed and natural, showcasing the two dimples in his cheeks that only enhance the deep brown of his eyes.  His skin is tanned.  His hair is dark, almost black, but not quite, and it appears thick and lush. 

My fingers twitch, itching to thread through his locks.

He is tall and slender, but muscular.  His arms appear thick, bulging and straining beneath the white shirt he wears.  His waist is narrow and my eyes are drawn to the plain black belt that holds his black suit pants in place.

The bulge in his pants is hard to ignore, and I find myself staring at it for longer than necessary. 

“Ms. Banks, you have a phone call on line two.”  Josephine’s voice coming through the intercom interrupts my inappropriate ogling of the photograph, and I quickly lift my handset and bring it to my ear.  Remembering I have a job to do is proving to be difficult with Benny Duncan taunting me from the pictures on my desk.

“Makenna Banks speaking.”

Knock, knock.

I glance up and see Mitchell on the other side of my partially closed door.  I wave him in and bring my attention back to the person on the end of the phone line.

“My name is Juliette Maas, and I wanted to enquire about using your services.”  The woman on the phone sounds timid, hesitant.

“That’s fine, Juliette.  However, all appointments are made through reception.  I’ll need to transfer you back to Josephine to schedule a booking.”

“Oh, uh, yes.  That’s fine, but I wanted to speak with you personally,” she says.

“Okay, at the moment I’m in the middle of a business meeting, but I can assure you I would be at the consultation, should you make one with Josephine.”

Why the hell did Josephine even transfer her through?

“Well, I guess that will just have to do,” she sighs.  “I just know you’re the best in the business, and I really need the
best in the business
,” she stresses.

“I understand, Ms. Maas.  Let me transfer you back to Josephine.”

“Do you think we could meet up for coffee, perhaps?” she rushes out just before I hit the button to send her back to reception.  Closing my eyes, I decide to pretend I didn’t hear her.  I hit the button and put down my receiver.

“What was that about?”

“Juliette Maas.  She wanted to meet with us.  Or, to be more specific, with me.”

“Why did she come through to you?”

“I have no idea,” I sigh.  “Now, what’s up?” I ask.

Mitchell and I have been business partners for just over nine years.  We built our company from the ground up, determined never to let anyone destroy our dreams.  We have known each other since childhood, and the solid ties of broken homes, lies, and consistent parental disappointment bond us.

“Have you had a chance to look through Benny Duncan’s file?”

“A little,” I allude.

Mitchell’s sharp eyes focus on mine.  “Right, well, I suggest you read through it and familiarize yourself with Mr. Duncan, because we’re starting this assignment tonight.”

“Yippee,” I mutter.  “Close the door on your way out.”

By
starting tonight
, I know he really means we will be having dinner at a quiet restaurant and perhaps we will throw around some ideas about how to approach this case.   Suits me fine, though, because I had no plans for after work anyhow. 

Flipping open to pages of the file again, I studiously ignore the picture of Benny Duncan and his hypnotizing dimples.

He is thirty-three, and following a four year engagement, he married Regina five years ago.  This is an interesting tidbit.  A four-year engagement is a substantially long time, and Regina doesn’t strike me as the patient type.  Seeing as both Benny and Regina come from wealth, it wouldn’t appear money was the issue. 
So what was?  Why stall?
 

I jot down some notes so I don’t forget, and keep on reading.

As I sift through Benny and Regina’s financial records and bank statements, I notice some discrepancies.  For two years it appears they were struggling financially, as no income was being deposited into Benny’s account.  Interestingly, the credits start appearing again immediately after their wedding date.

Hmm.

Tap, tap.

“Ready?” Mitchell asks.

“Yeah, just give me a sec.  I lost track of time.”

“Okay, I’ll wait out by the elevators.”

By Josephine’s desk, more like it.
  I give him a smirk and stand, gathering my notes and then locking the file in the cabinet behind me. 

As I approach reception, I hear Mitchell talking to Josephine.  Even though he hasn’t admitted it to me, I know he is sweet on her.  He has been smitten since the first day she turned up for work.  He tries to fight his attraction to her, because he is her boss, but I think he struggles.  It is actually funny to watch, because Mitchell is used to getting any girl he wants.  Josephine is making him work for it, though. 
Atta girl.

“Any plans for tonight?” I hear Mitchell ask, his tone casual.

“I’m going out for dinner,” she replies.

“With friends?” Mitchell asks, his voice slightly sharper.

“A friend, yes.”

“A date?”

I round the corner and walk up to them.

“Have fun on your date,” Mitchell says, and by the look on his face, I can tell the words tasted like acid on his tongue.  “Come on,” he says to me, striding to the elevator.

“Later, Josephine.” I give her a smile and a small wave that she returns, before Mitchell and I step into the elevator.  The doors close and he hits the ground floor button.