by Shayla Black
of women willing to tell any lie to get their way.
“I don’t believe you, Ms. Palmer. I grant that my brother fucked you last year before his injury, but not since then. You cannot possibly be carrying his child.”
She had the temerity to look shocked by his bluntness. “How dare you!”
Oliver ignored her. “I’ll make you a one-time offer. I’ll write you a check for a hundred thousand pounds if you agree to recant the story that Callum is the father of your baby. You’ll have to sign paperwork to that effect, of course.”
“Oliver,” Rory barked. “You can’t reward her lies.”
“I’d rather not, but I won’t have this hanging over our heads for the next year.” They had enough problems to deal with. “Once she’s signed, if she comes after Callum in any way, we’ll sue her.”
“And if she’s truly pregnant?” Rory argued.
“Then she shouldn’t be doing cocaine. There’s a bit of it still on your nose.” A smudge of white powder clung to her nostril, and her eyes had gone a little glassy. The fact that he’d ever believed, even for a moment, that his brother might impregnate such a creature made Oliver sick.
Tori, on the other hand, was a different animal. He could imagine perfectly well Callum trying to get her with child. He would do it to secure a future with her, but Oliver refused to allow that. Callum might think it was all right to pursue her because her fiancé apparently neglected her, but he must see the dishonor in that play. Tori had chosen another man. The people in her life should respect that choice, no matter how badly they wanted her for their own.
Thea rubbed her free hand across her nose. “It’s not what you think.”
“It’s exactly what I think. You’re looking for a payoff. I’m offering you one.”
Again, she pulled out the mock distress. “I want Cal. I love Cal.”
“I seriously doubt that. I’ll do what I need to protect my brother. This is a one-time offer, Ms. Palmer. If you don’t agree now, I’ll come after you with everything I have and destroy your credibility. And I assure you, I have a great deal of pull.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You can’t do this to me.”
“I can and I will. I’m the head of this family. I protect it. I have no qualms about eradicating any future you have in order to help my brother. I’ve had a private investigator look into your basic background. I already know some very interesting things about you. If you refuse me now, tomorrow morning I’ll have him dig deeper, especially into your sexual habits these past few months. I have no doubt he’ll find enough dirt to make a mockery of you and your claims in every paper across the country.”
Her mouth pursed and her face turned purple with fury. “I want to talk to Callum.”
“You may be used to getting what you want, but I’ll make certain you don’t get anywhere near him.”
“Because he’s with that whore, isn’t he? I know exactly who she is. I’ve seen them at dinner together, watched Callum escort her around London as if she’s some fucking princess. If I see a single negative piece about me in the papers, I’ll make sure everyone knows what a slut Torrance Glen is.” Thea pulled away. “I won’t allow her to take my man.”
The need to wrap his hands around the bitch’s throat rode him hard. He barely managed to quell his rage. “Are you refusing my bargain?”
“Bloody right, I am.”
“Then we’re at an impasse, but you should know your clock is ticking. If you are pregnant, science will easily prove the baby isn’t Callum’s. Until then, I recommend that you keep your mouth shut. Your life will be much easier.”
“You’re a fucking wanker.”
Oliver smiled tightly. “And my offer is now rescinded. Get out. If I see you again, I’ll have you arrested.”
“This isn’t over. I won’t let you or anyone else keep me apart from Callum.” She whirled around and jerked open the door, stomping out of the room and toward the guard and the exit.
Oliver waited until she’d walked past the reporter, blithely licking her wounds. For now. He was sure Thea would be back—and become an enormous pain in his arse.
“She’s rather frightening.” Rory’s lip curled up in distaste as he watched her. “She knows about Tori. We need to do something about that.”
“That’s precisely why you should have allowed me to send her back to the States.” Oliver wouldn’t mention the utter relief that had flooded his system when he realized he didn’t have to let her go. It was perverse, but then that word described him perfectly these days.
Rory sighed. “I don’t want her to go.”
“God, not you, too.”
Besides Callum’s obvious desire for her, Claire had done her best to capitalize on his growing feelings for Tori and push them together. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how badly Rory wanted her as well. “Can’t you see we’re terrible for her? She won’t mean to, but if we’re not careful, she’ll tear this family apart.”
“We won’t let her. That’s not what she wants.”
“She wants to go home at the end of this assignment and marry her fiancé. She made her choice months ago, and you and Callum will bring great dishonor to our name by trying to seduce her out of it. I will not marry again. Even if I did, I certainly wouldn’t pick a naïve girl like Tori Glen. I have no interest whatsoever in having a relationship with her.”
He charged out of the room and nearly ran into another reporter. They were everywhere. With a curse, he stepped back into the ballroom, hoping the fundraiser would end soon.
Claire strode toward him instantly, her face tight with concern. “Oliver, I can’t find Callum. He appeared to get into some kind of an argument with Tori and now they’ve both disappeared.”
No. This ball wouldn’t be over anytime soon. Oliver sighed. In fact, it looked as if he was in for a long night.
CHAPTER FOUR
Tori descended the ballroom stairs with a charming smile in place, but Callum saw the furious glower underneath. He started up to meet her. Bugger. No doubt, he was in hot water.
Over his shoulder, he watched Oliver disappear past a sea of balloons and into the front entryway, Rory following behind.
His brothers intended to deal with his problem, and he felt guilty about that. Well, they would deal with one of his problems. Tonight, he had two, and they both involved women.
“Where are you going?” Claire climbed the stairs behind him.
Callum didn’t know what to say. If he had arranged the same shopping experience for the surgically enhanced loon in the lobby as he had for Tori, Thea would have fallen to her knees and happily expressed her gratitude. Not his little publicist. Instead, he’d insulted her independent nature and now she meant to show him the sharp side of her temper. Which was precisely why he wanted her. She wasn’t interested in his money or fame. If he won her, it would be because he was worthy of her love.
He turned to his sister. “I need to talk to Tori. We seem to have a misunderstanding.”
Tori approached, her smile more brittle with every step. Even so, she looked breathtaking. Her hair fell in loose waves around her pale shoulders and made him long to shove his fingers in and wrap them around her soft, shimmering tresses.
“We need to talk.” She scowled as if he was a child she intended to take to task.
Now might be the time to play his ace with her. “Yes, I think we do.”
“What’s going on?” Claire glanced between them, confusion on her face.
“Your brother is playing some kind of game with me and I don’t like it,” Tori said, anchoring a hand on her shapely hip.
“I’m playing a game? You’re the one who started it, love. But I plan on winning.” His heart was thudding in his chest as it always had before a match. Callum had to admit that being close to her now, preparing to admit his feelings, gave him a rush.
“Cal?” Claire prompted.
“This is nothing for you to worry about,” he reassured his sister. “Please help
Oliver. I think he could use it.”
Tori didn’t miss a beat. “Win? So this is a game to you?”
“If I’m being honest, no.” He gripped her elbow and turned to the crowd with a plastic smile as he started to escort her down the stairs. He certainly wasn’t going up. Her rather frightening family awaited there, and he intended to be on much firmer footing with Tori the next time he faced them.
She hurried beside him. “Where are you taking me?”
They left Claire on the stairs, staring after them. Guilt prickled Callum, but he couldn’t pause to soothe his sister now. He’d explain everything to her later, but at the moment he needed a quiet place to hash this out with Tori.
He knew exactly where to go. Several smaller rooms adjoined the ballroom. When he and Claire had come for a final site visit before the charity ball, he’d explored a bit. He’d stumbled across a particularly nice conference room that hadn’t been locked. He hoped the same was true tonight.
“Somewhere private. You see, a very intelligent woman once told me that arguments should remain private. Clearly, you’re about to yell at me, so I thought we should nip out, away from prying eyes and ears, so you can express yourself freely.”
They crossed the ballroom floor. Orchestra music swelled and elegant couples danced, London’s wealthiest citizens gossiping all around them. He’d much prefer to take Tori out on the floor and show her off as his, but he hadn’t earned that right yet. Instead, he led her into the empty, shadowed hallway on the far side of the ballroom.
“I’m not going to yell,” she said in a hushed voice. “I don’t ever yell. I’m just going to ask you not to lie to me. How much did this dress cost?”
Yes, he’d been caught, but at least he wasn’t without a play. “That dress looks stunning on you and it’s worth every penny I paid for it.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, clearly trying to keep tight control on her temper. “I asked for help in finding a suitable dress I could afford. You offered me your personal shopper. Fine. Nowhere in that conversation did I agree to let you buy my gown.”
He reached the door, thankfully finding it unlocked again, and opened it. Some of the event staff had used a corner for storage, but the room lay empty now, so Cal dragged Tori inside. The noise of the ballroom faded away as the door swung shut behind them. “You couldn’t begin to afford anything you’re wearing, which is precisely why I bought it.”
She whirled on him. Ambient lighting shimmered around the perimeter of the room, a soft, golden glow that illuminated the space. The diamonds around her graceful throat and her shimmering skin caught the light as she paced in front of a good-sized table and several leather chairs. “You bought it so I wouldn’t embarrass the company or your family at this occasion?”
He shook his head. “You could never embarrass me. I bought it because I think you deserve to have a dress as beautiful as you.” Telling her the truth felt good, freeing.
Eyes wide, she stepped back, her body coming into contact with the conference table. “I believe you meant this as a lovely gesture, but my brothers-in-law pointed out to me that I’m wearing a fortune I didn’t pay for. Do you know what they think of me now?”
He didn’t particularly care what they thought. “That you look beautiful, too?”
“That I’m your mistress.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Your whore.”
Anger flashed through his system and burned hot. Usually, he wasn’t a man with a quick temper, but this pushed his buttons.
He whirled and stormed toward the door. “I’ll handle it.”
She grabbed his arm, halting him before he left. “Stop.”
This wasn’t something he would be moved on. “No. I won’t allow anyone to talk to you that way. Do you understand me? I don’t care who they are. Which one was it?”
It didn’t matter. He’d take on all three if he had to.
She took a long breath and stared up at him. “Cal, no one used that word except me, so don’t get angry with my brothers-in-law. I’m telling you how I felt when they pointed out that any man who spent this much money on a woman meant to put his brand on her.”
All right, then. He could agree with that. “It wasn’t my intention to make you feel like my mistress. I simply like seeing you in clothes I bought for you.”
“Callum, I’m engaged.” And she was right back to putting space between them. Clearly, she meant to play this lie out to the bitter end.
He moved in, obliterating that space she used as an invisible wall between them. He inched closer, closer…until she had nowhere to go. “So you’ve told me. But if you’re in love with your fiancé, why do you spend so much time with me?”
He watched her, carefully noting her responses. Her breathing picked up. Her skin flushed lightly. She licked her lips as she gazed up at him. Cal saw no signs of fear, but he would bet her nipples were hard pebbles now. He wouldn’t have to expend much effort to touch them. Just a little tug, and that bodice would fall. He could cup a breast, pull its tip into his mouth, and drink her in.
Her gaze slid away. “Because we’re friends.”
“We are friends. But I want more than that.” He cupped her cheek and forced her to meet his stare once more.
“I can’t.” The words came out breathy and soft, without an ounce of real willpower behind them.
Normally, Tori had no problem defending herself. She could argue for hours, but all her self-possession seemed to have fled. Her blue eyes looked soft as her gaze tangled with his.
“Because you love your fiancé?” He leaned in, his mouth hovering above hers. “Think carefully before you answer. I won’t like it if you lie to me.”
She gasped. “You know.”
“I do.”
Panic flitted across Tori’s face. She tried to pull away, but Callum didn’t give her an inch. “What did you do? Sic a PI on me?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t do this. Please…” She raised her hands, palms flat on his chest. But she didn’t push him away. “You have to let me go.”
Callum had suspected she’d react this way. After all, she’d invented a fake fiancé for a reason. He had to uncover what in order to move past her objection or fear. “Why?”
“Because I won’t be another link in your chain of conquests.”
Was that her worry? He might have taken many of the opportunities available to him as a professional footballer back in the day, but he’d put all that behind him.
“I don’t have a chain of conquests, Tori. For the last six months, all I’ve had is my bloody hand and an image of you playing in my head twenty-four seven. If you think for an instant I’m not serious about you, think again. Why else would I pay a ton of money for a PI to hop across the pond to locate this mysterious man of yours? In the beginning, I meant to have a long talk with him about how he treats you.”
“Treats me?”
“Tori, if you were mine I would never allow you to spend half so much time away from me. I’ve even come to hate weekends because I don’t see you and can’t make certain you have everything you need. I couldn’t imagine six months without you. I’d go mad.” He took a risk and gripped her shoulders. Bloody hell, her skin felt so soft against his fingers. He swallowed a lump of lust and pressed on. “In the beginning, I wanted to confront this man because I thought he was a bastard. Then I find out he doesn’t exist at all. Why would you put a fake diamond on your hand when another man might well want to give you a real one?”
She shrugged from his grip and blinked up at him. “I thought it would keep me safe.”
“From me?” She was about to find out that nothing could keep her safe from him.
“From all of you,” she whispered.
He gripped her hips this time, dragging her closer. “You’re interested in all three of us?”
Her lips closed stubbornly.
“Well, I can’t speak for my brothers, but I intend to show you why you should choose me.”
“Do they k
now about my engagement, too?”
Finally, his real bargaining chip. He aligned their bodies together, not missing the way her breath hitched the minute he crushed her breasts to his chest. “No. I haven’t told them. You don’t want them to know how you lied to them, do you?”