Hard Interest: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance

by Walker, Kelli

  I watched her eyes turn glassy at the memories of her grandfather. They were obviously something she held near and dear to her. A new piece of information that dropped into the prevailing puzzle that was the great real estate mogul, Philomena Wright.

  “I sure it should be locked up in some kind of vault, but it begs to be seen,” I said.

  “It’s a watch that costs over seven hundred thousand dollars, Liam. People have killed for less.”

  I grinned as my name fell from those luxurious lips of hers. But I had to get going. My second appointment with the detectives was in less than an hour, and they had made it clear their time was valuable. But Philomena’s fingers on my wrist had the side effect of waking up an old friend. The denim of my pants grew tight and the zipper bulged. And as I gazed into her eyes, I could see her dividing her attention. Darting her beautiful eyes from my watch to my crotch and back again.

  “I can understand the inclination to wear it in public,” Philomena said. “I have a few pieces in my collection that would turn heads. You’re a very interesting man, Liam. You don’t flaunt your wealth, but this watch certainly does lend an air of sophistication I wouldn’t have otherwise attached to you.”

  Her eyes fluttered up to mine and she looked at me from underneath the thickness of her eyelashes. Heat trickled up the back of my neck. Took hold of my throat and closed off my voice as she released my wrist. The effect she had on me was mind-blowing. So unlike any other woman I had ever come across.

  Then again, she had been that night in the bar as well.

  Nice to know some things didn’t change.

  “I hate to cut this short, but I do have a pressing engagement,” I said.

  “A pressing engagement?”

  “Yes. I’m meeting with a couple of police detectives.”

  “Trying to funnel more information on me?” Philomena asked. “Liam, are you having me followed? Is someone taking pictures of me in the shower?”

  “No, but they are attempting to help me track down who broke into my place a few weeks ago.”

  I felt her eyes scan my body as I straightened out my back. It wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. Not something I wanted to indulge. So, I continued on with the conversation before she could pull me into a conversation about it.

  “I trust you’ll be able to pull out something from your bag of tricks that will leave me ready to sign any papers you request of me,” I said. “I have no desire to start from scratch with another agent. It’s tiresome, and I’m done playing games. You know me better than most people, so use that to your advantage.”

  “Trust me, I expect to,” she said. “Though I wish you would’ve divulged this information sooner.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because the properties I’ve been showing you have been centered around views and status, not security. Which would make sense why you’re wearing a very expensive watch with an outfit that leaves much to be desired. How much did you have stolen?”

  “More than I care to talk about.”

  “Then I’ll make sure our next properties have a nice slice of home security to go along with it, Mr. Walsh.”

  I bit down onto the inside of my cheek as she led the way back to her Jeep. I didn’t like thinking about how my world had been invaded. I didn’t like reliving the moment when I stepped into my apartment and realized everything I treasured had been taken away from me. So, my eyes dropped to admire the way she swung her hips. Left to right. Rhythmically and smoothly. With her flexed calves and her pert ass that more than filled the palms of my hands.

  What I wouldn’t have given to bend her over the hood of her car.

  Anything to get my mind off all that shit.

  “You’re not an easy man to please, but it’ll make my success worthy of a celebration,” Philomena said. “With each property, I get to know you a little better, and that’s real estate agent gold. I’m painting an interesting picture in my head, which is very unlike the picture I had of you during our first encounter. It’s no wonder others have had a hard time envisioning what you have in that mind of yours.”

  She started the engine and those long legs called out to my left hand. I reached out for the tanned skin calling to me, but before I could touch her I felt a stinging sensation ricochet up my arm.

  “Down boy,” she said, grinning. “I’m the one driving. If you want to make it to your prior engagement alive, you better put that thing where it belongs.”

  “That’s what I was doing,” I said.

  Her eyes glanced over to me as she pulled out onto the road. It was empty. Barren. Nothing but the top down and the breeze to keep us company. We drove along the coastline, soaking up the salted air and the sun that beat against our bodies. I watched her legs flex as we drove down the road. I watched her command her vehicle the way she commanded her body. Her business. Her mind. The power that bled through her veins was unmistakable, and she made sure everyone around her knew it existed.

  Steeped in confidence and moral resolve, I knew she was resisting me simply because I was a prospective customer. Her client. A man she was attempting to service professionally. But she was too sweet of a woman to give up. Too incredible of a woman to relinquish simply because of her moral high ground. I didn’t enjoy the fact that our little encounter on the beach made her back away, but I did enjoy the wondrous endeavor she took at not crossing that boundary again. It meant that behind that icy stare was a woman who stuck to her goals, kept her eye on her destination, and refused to waver even if she did careen off-course occasionally.

  It was a testament to her strength, and to the woman that climbed the ranks in a man’s world to get to where she was. It was something I admired. A trait of her I enjoyed. Which was why I had us on this wild goose chase for the perfect piece of property.

  I wasn’t ready to give up her companionship and her company. Not until I knew she’d be there once I purchased. I didn’t care if I had to turn down every piece of property on the Eastern seaboard.

  Philomena would be mine before I signed that dotted line.

  Philomena

  I stood at the front door, looking over the very place that had started all of this. It seemed like only yesterday I was dancing seductively to whatever tune was thumping out of the speakers. The cracked window had been repaired and the floors were newly waxed, bringing out the luster of the dark hardwood.

  Galway Bay.

  The name at the top of Liam’s contact list was Rachel. The head bartender and manager for the place. He had given me a window of opportunity to speak to her in private without his knowledge by mentioning he had a prior engagement that couldn’t be rescheduled. And I figured if I was going to learn as much about Liam Walsh as I needed in order to step up my game, his heart and soul was a good place to start.

  I could smell stale beer when I opened the door. They weren’t open, but there was one regular patron sitting there, nursing a long neck bottle and staring at the way that a woman was bent over the bar. I had a feeling she already knew she had unwanted attention.

  “I’ll be right with you,” she said. “We’re not open, but I’m sure you can twist my arm for a drink.”

  She was a breath of fresh air, and she didn’t mind titillating her audience with flashes of skin. I could hear the pride in her voice she had for the place, and already she had me on her side. I took a few tentative steps towards the bar before I stopped, taking in my surroundings.

  I was standing in the exact location where Liam and I had that crowd cheering us on.

  I tensed as music filled my ears. The bar came alive before my very eyes as I stood there with the memory of Liam’s hand between my thighs. He was no Fred Astaire that night, but he had moves that would make Mick Jagger proud.

  “Can I help you?”

  Her voice ripped me from my trance before my eyes fell to her shirt. ‘Rachel’ was stitched in terrible stitching along her breast, automatically drawing my eye to the curves this woman donned. I recognized wome
n like her instantly. Women who didn’t worry about flaunting what they had to make a living. Kindred spirits, her and I.

  “I’ll have whatever you have on tap along with some advice of the lovelorn variety. I could use a sympathetic ear to lean on,” I said.

  “Then belly-up and talk to your local therapist about your problems,” she said.

  Liam’s photograph was over the bar, and he was wearing a Boston Bruins ball cap and leather jacket signed by the entire team. Something else the two of us had in common. Hockey was my sport of choice. There was nothing like a majestic scene of burly men ice skating in wearing tight pants and slamming into one another.

  “So? Tell me your troubles,” Rachel said as she sat a pint down in front of me.

  “I’m getting to know this guy, and he’s hard to read. Closed off. Uses his sexual musk and domineering nature to throw people off his trail.”

  “I’m familiar with the type. You want to know how to peel back those layers, don’t you?” she asked.

  “I figured you would be familiar with the type. Though I think you might know this particular man as your boss. Liam Walsh?”

  The rag in her hand come to a complete stop as her eyes hooked with mine.

  “I was wondering when I was going to meet the girl that had him walking around in a fog. I wasn’t expecting you to come here, but you have piqued my curiosity.”

  “A fog?” I asked.

  She giggled as a sly grin slid across her lips, but she didn’t answer my question.

  “Why are you here, Philomena?”

  She chewed on my name like she was two seconds away from spitting it out.

  “You mean a lot to him. We’ve conversed about you and this bar on several occasions,” I said. “But you can tell a lot about a man from the contacts on his phone. He has you on speed dial. Number one, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve watched him dial it a time or two.”

  “What can I say? I’m alluring to most men,” she said.

  “I came here hoping you could give me an inside look into the man.”

  “Struggling to find him a place?”

  I picked up the pint of beer in front of me and slowly brought it to my lips. An unanswered question for an unanswered question. Fairness was always my game when dealing with unknown entities like Rachel.

  “We dated for a short time and found out we were better off as friends. I don’t want to go behind his back telling tales where it’s not necessary, though. Ask me whatever you want, and I’ll do my best to answer without betraying my friendship to Liam. He gave me a chance to prove myself in this place when I needed it the most, and I would never want to do anything to make him think I wasn’t appreciative.”

  “Dated, huh?” I asked.

  “I’m not a threat to you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Trust me, I never see women as a threat.”

  “Confidence with arrogance. I can see why he’s smitten with you.”

  My eyebrows ticked with curiosity, but I had to stay on track. She opened another bottle and slid it down the bar to the only other patron, and he easily captured it in his fist. He raked his eyes over me before giving his sole attention to his cold glass bottle, so I went back to the original reason why I had come back.

  “Before I feed you information on Liam, I’m curious to know what you think of him,” Rachel said.

  “That’s a simple question with a straightforward answer. He’s handsome, charming, and the Irish accent gives him an unfair advantage.”

  “I already know those things,” she said. “I want to know what you think of him. Not your impression of him.”

  Oh, I really liked this woman. She was good.

  But I was better.

  “You say the two of you dated for a little while. Long enough to build intimacy?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s just us, Rachel. It doesn’t seem possible you didn’t at least take him for one test drive. Just between us girls, I would like to know what kind of man he is in your opinion.”

  “I can’t deny anything you’re saying, but I stand by my word. Liam and I were never intimate. We had a few dinners here and there, but nothing that backtracked to the bedroom.”

  “But you did think about it, right?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t be a woman if I didn’t,” she said as she tossed me a wink.

  “Is Liam the kind of man to believe in love? Has he ever been in love, as far as you know?” I asked.

  “Interesting question for a real estate agent.”

  “Knowing all I can about my clients is paramount to what I do.”

  “Then let me start by saying that he has been hurt in the past. He protects himself by never getting too close to the flame to get burned. His love life isn’t exactly something to be proud of. He won’t admit it, but a woman knows when a man has been in love by the faraway look in his eyes after a few drinks.”

  I could hear the man at the end of the bar mumbling underneath his breath.

  My gut screamed with a warning for me to stay away. To run from Liam as fast as I could and keep what we had strictly professional. There was even the smallest little chirp in the back of my mind that tried to convince me to foil my perfect record with clients and find him another agent to work with. And it was good advice. All of it. But I wasn’t sure I could follow it.

  Mostly because I wasn’t sure why I had walked into the bar any longer.

  I told myself it was to get to know Liam better. To help him find a property he could call home. But was that really why I was sitting there talking with some woman he’d apparently dated? Was that really why I was allowing my memories to drag me back to the first night I’d felt his hands on my hips?

  “A word of advice?” Rachel asked.

  “Hit me with it,” I said.

  “You can’t honestly help anyone without being honest with yourself.”

  Then she walked away from the bar, slinging the rag over her shoulder.

  I stood from the bar and walked around with the pint of beer in my hands. I took in the surroundings as my mind clamored for more memories. I had learned a little more about Liam, even though my questions didn’t go anywhere near as planned, and each new piece of new information it gave me the freedom to express myself with him.

  But I didn’t know why.

  I’d never been dragged in by a man like this before. I’d never allowed him control over any of my actions until this very moment. Sure, I’d never failed this epically with a client before, but I’d also never been so happy about it either. Yes, it was frustrating. And yes, it was annoying every time I listened to him nitpick a piece of property. But with every ‘no’ came another adventure for us to take. Another backroad for us to drive. Another meeting for us to arrange.

  I stood in the middle of the bar and closed my eyes.

  The unheard music played in my head again and I was afraid that it would never stop. That my memories would hold me hostage until Liam walked in here and found me standing in the middle of his pride and joy. I was under his influence with nothing left to lose. I was intoxicated by the heat and sight and sound and taste of Liam. But what was all this? What were we?

  Were we two passing ships in the night?

  A fling for him to distract himself with?

  Would we have anything after I acquired for him the property he was looking for?

  “Want another?”

  My eyes popped open and I looked at the useless pint of beer in my hands.

  “I’m driving,” I said as I handed Rachel the drink.

  “I’m going to leave you with some advice my grandmother gave me when I was growing up.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for advice, but my body wouldn’t move.

  “Nobody really knows what a man is thinking. It’s in the way that he looks at you that’ll tell you everything you want to know. Philomena, we only get this one life to live. Don’t squander it by worrying about the future when you should be concentra
ting on the present.”

  I looked over at the wall, my eyes canvassing the photographs of him shaking hands with the movers and shakers in the town. There were several of him with different players from the Boston Bruins. A couple with the mayor. And the pride in his eyes. The bright smile on his face. The crinkling of his eyes in each and every photograph.

  Liam took pride in what he did.

  He had the pulse of the city in the palm of his hands. He had cultivated friends of power and wealth. An entire wall lined with people who had lined my pockets a few times purchasing up real estate in and around the city. Liam was a spectacular man, that much I was coming to understand.

  But even a spectacular man could break a woman’s heart.

  Rachel was right. Getting what I wanted meant being honest with myself. And the truth was, I enjoyed Liam’s presence. I enjoyed our game of cat-and-mouse. I enjoyed the command he showed in my car and I enjoyed taking command of him on that beach. My thighs pulsed every time he said ‘no’ and my hands shook whenever he called my office and that Irish accent lilted through the phone.

  What I had to decide was if the effort to get to know him was worth the possible heartache.

  I didn’t know if I was capable of love. I didn’t know if Liam was capable of it. I didn’t know him well enough to make that kind of judgment call. But Rachel did, and she seemed to be under the assumption that he was. That Liam had once been capable of loving another woman despite the bars thrown over his eyes.

  But the important truth revealed itself when I got down to the last picture that dumped into a darkened corner of the bar.

  Liam stood there, his arms around an older man and an older woman. He had the man’s eyes, but the woman’s hair. He had the man’s strong jawline, but the woman’s countenance. He had the man’s stature, but the woman’s caring touch.

  And the love in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.