Rich Man's Deception: Complete Boxed Set Bundle: Billionaire Boss / Corporate Espionage Romance

by Gibson, Valerie S.

  By the time we sneaked back to the estate it was dark, and I was tipsy, that perfect point before being too intoxicated to be in control, but just enough to slacken my grip. My company must have felt the same, because Ian had called for a driver to come pick us up from the restaurant since none of us were capable of making the drive ourselves. So we had spent the time laughing and drinking in the back of a limousine.

  I felt warm, dizzy. I looked over at Ian. He had unbuttoned his collar and loosened his tie. His hair was ruffled and his eyes bloodshot. The look of him stirred something inside of me. I caught a glimpse of his rock-hard chest just beneath the shirt. Then I looked to Cassie, who was sipping out of her glass of wine, her red lipstick leaving behind a print from where her lips had pressed. This also aroused me. Sensations shot through me, tingling. I felt a hunger awaken inside me, a hunger for flesh, for Cassie and Ian.

  “Shhh,” Ian said, nearly tripping over one of the couches in the living room. “We have to be quiet. If we wake Logan up, he will yell.” Ian’s eyes were glittering, full of a youth that before had been so hard to imagine. Now I could see it though, a younger Ian, mischievous, care free. It only made me love him all the more.

  “Where are we going?” Cassie whispered, brushing up against me accidentally. I felt her ass press up against me. A faint trace of her perfume wafted into my nostrils. It was intoxicating, delicate and subtle. I was practically trembling now; the lust was taking control of me.

  “To my room. It’s the safest place in the house. Soundproof,” Ian said with a wink.

  When we arrived, the room was dimly lit. I basked in the warm glow of it. The soothing sound of a crackling fire made my muscles unwind. Then I saw it. “You have a fireplace in your room?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yeah. Beats a furnace every time,” Ian said, gliding up to me, his lips only inches from my own. “It’s not electric though, it’s real wood, and a real pit. Because nothing is ever as good as the genuine article.” Ian pressed his hot lips against mine, his hard chest pressing me against the wall. The kiss was so fierce it smeared my lipstick, pressing some of it on Ian’s lips as well.

  I felt the heat spreading through my body, the dull heat of the fireplace, and the heat of Ian’s chiseled abdomen as I ran my hand across it, unbuttoning his dress shirt as I went.

  “No fair. I don’t get to have any fun,” Cassie said, curling her pouty lips.

  I looked over, realizing that I had almost forgotten about her. She was leaning against a desk, her short black dress riding up her long, flawless legs. Her shoes were off too, revealing toes painted as black as her dress. The dress was riding so high I could see her pink panties wedged between her legs. The sight was like throwing gasoline on a fire: explosive.

  Ian looked at me, then at Cassie. “What do you think? Do you want her to play, too?” Ian asked. I could smell the wine on his breath. It was as intoxicating as any cologne.

  I wanted Cassie to join us more than anything. The guilt of it, the taboo, it all just made it that much more consuming. “Yes,” I said, drinking in the sight of her.

  Cassie smiled, putting down her glass. She grabbed the back of my head and shoved her tongue down my throat. I grabbed a handful of her perky, full breasts, feeling the satin underneath my palm. With my other hand, I grabbed at Ian’s engorged cock as he began to suck on my neck.

  Cassie stopped kissing me and grinned at Ian. “She’s fun,” she said.

  Ian nodded, his eyes dark. “She likes to be played with, to be used. Don’t you?”

  I nodded. “Use me,” I said. My panties were soaked. I could feel the wetness dribbling down my thigh.

  Slowly, Cassie and Ian began to undress me, then each other. We all stood there, together, Cassie and Ian both caressing my breasts, each sucking on a nipple. Cassie grabbed a fistful of my hair and Ian bit into my neck. I could feel the pressure inside me begin to mount, the heat rising to a fever pitch.

  They led me over to the bed and laid me down. There they began to worship every inch of my body, every curve and dip and dimple. The sensation of it was a bliss I had never previously known. I was swirling in a vortex of pleasure, no sense of direction or purpose, only a storm of sensuality.

  Cassie climbed on top of me like a cat, sitting on my face. At the same time, I felt Ian hold up both of my legs by my ankles and slip his cock inside of me. My moans were muffled by Cassie being pressed against my mouth, gyrating her perfect hips and ass on top of me. Ian’s cock continued to slip in and out of me over and over while Cassie clung to my hair, her grip tightening as my tongue buried itself inside of her. All at once we came, together. I felt Ian’s seed spill inside of me and Cassie’s body shudder as I entered my own explosion of ecstasy, taking me to a height I had never reached before. Then Ian fell in a slump next to me, and Cassie as well, and we all drifted asleep, naked bodies still in a tangled mass of limbs.

  * * *

  “Are you questioning the validity of the story?” I asked.

  “No,” Renly said, still in thought. “You were drinking, though. Perhaps you remember it differently.”

  I laughed. “I don’t think so. Not really much to misinterpret...” I said.

  Mr. Renly nodded. “It does check out. Cassandra is no longer Cassandra Payne, but Cassandra Brook. I didn’t even know that until a few minutes ago,” he admitted, his face cherry red.

  “Everything I tell you is the truth. Not embellished either, not a word. There’s no reason to hide it, anyway. Not anymore,” I said.

  Mr. Renly nodded. “What happened next though? You still had the problem with Logan. Obviously, you never told Ian about him, did you?”

  “I did, actually,” I said.

  Mr. Renly looked skeptical again. “But if that is true, why are you here?”

  My eyes went distant, a lump in my throat solidifying. I took a deep breath. “Because he wouldn’t listen...”

  * * *

  The kitchen was calming, serene. I hadn’t made my own meal in ages. I had forgotten how therapeutic it could be. My thoughts wandered to last night. It had been fun, interesting. It was the first threesome I had ever had, and with two people whose collective worth was more than my family could make in a hundred generations.

  I popped a piece of warm cinnamon bread in my mouth. It melted away along with the swig of milk I used to wash it down. The sun was leaking through the blinds now. Ian would be up soon. Which was good.

  I hadn’t been able to sleep long last night. I was preparing to tell Ian the truth. Even the cinnamon bread failed to give me any exceptional courage. I would tell him though, one way or the other. I was going to make myself do it, because it was the right thing to do, and because I loved him.

  “Good morning, Ms. Adams,” a voice said.

  I narrowed my eyes. Only one person in Ian’s estate would call me Ms. Adams. “Hi, Judas, I mean Logan,” I growled back.

  Logan was reading the paper. He had it in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. “Look at this,” he said, showing me a picture of Ian smiling and waving. It was from last year’s expo. “Front page. Not bad. Speaking of front pages, there’s another story that will probably end up there, if a certain journalist ever delivers on it that is...” Logan said.

  I scowled. He made my skin crawl. “Can’t I enjoy my breakfast in peace?”

  Logan shrugged. “Sure. Food’s only better with company,” he said with a smile.

  “Normally I’d agree. But you give me indigestion,” I said.

  Now Logan was the one scowling. “I know you don’t like me, but that’s no reason to be impolite. We had a deal, Ms. Adams. So where is it, where’s the schematic?”

  My stomach turned cold. “In my purse,” I said, nodding to my bag beside me.

  Logan nodded. “Good. So be a nice little girl and hand it over to me, would ya?”

  “No,” I said.

  Logan looked at me in shock. “No?” he asked.

>   “Are you hard of hearing, old man?” I said.

  Logan grimaced, his eyes solemn. “I thought we talked about this, Rachel,”

  “We did.”

  “You’re making a big mistake,” he said.

  “I’ve been doing that a lot lately,” I responded.

  Logan sighed. “This isn’t going to end well for you. Are you sure you want to tell Ian? You don’t really get a second chance with things like this.”

  “Tell me what?” a voice asked. Logan and I both turned to see Ian standing in the doorway. His hair was ruffled, his eyes red. He looked very young, almost boyish.

  Logan smiled. “Hey, kid. Ms. Adams and I were just talking about you. So, go ahead, Ms. Adams, what were you going to tell him?” Logan said.

  Ian scratched the back of his head and yawned. “Ms. Adams? Who is Ms. Adams?”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Me,” I squeaked. “That’s my name.”

  Logan looked from Ian to me, grinning from ear to ear.

  “What?” Ian asked, still groggy from the night before.

  I took a deep breath. “My name is Rachel Adams. I’m a journalist,” I said.

  Ian looked at me, his eyes going wide. They looked like they belonged to a lost puppy, one I had just kicked. I looked away, unable to face them. Ian only continued to stare in silence.

  “A reporter, Ian. I just ran the background check today. Ms. Potters never existed. It was all just a scam, a scam to get closer to you,” Logan said, handing Ian a bundle of paperwork.

  Ian gawked at it, then looked at me. The utter sadness in his eyes made my heart want to burst in my chest. There was so much pressure building in it that I thought it might. “Is this true?” he asked, his eyes watering up.

  I felt the warm trail of my own tears as well. “Yes.” I nodded. “It’s all true.

  Ian’s pained face was twisted somewhere between hatred and sadness, anger and agony. “So the yoga, the India, Peace Corps, all of it? All of it was fake?” he asked, the outrage in his voice building.

  “No,” I pleaded. “Not all of it. Those facts, yes. I’ve never done yoga a day in my life, okay once, with a hot guy, but I hated it, and him. I’ve never been to India and I don’t even know what the Peace Corps does. I can’t speak any other languages and I’ve never even left America. What I do know though, is that I love you, Ian, I really love you.” The tears were cascading down now. My insides were bursting into flames, immolating. It was nothing less than what I deserved.

  Ian’s face twisted in disgust. “Don’t say that word. You...you lied to me. For what? A story?” He said it as though he had tasted something bitter, unpleasant.

  “At first, but then I got to know you, Ian, and it changed. I fell in love with you,” I said.

  “Stop saying that!” Ian howled.

  “No, please, just listen.” I moved to him.

  “Don’t touch me!” Ian said, recoiling.

  “Ian, stop, I love you,” I said.

  “I don’t even know who you are,” Ian said.

  It was then that I thought I might fall apart, just unravel like so much yarn. I didn’t though, I just stood there, sobbing like a child. “Fine. I deserve that. But I was going to tell you. I swear,” I said.

  “When? When it was already posted on CNN?” Ian roared.

  “Whatever! Hate me if you want. I deserve it, I even understand it. But you have to listen to me. Logan is trying to steal your company!” I shouted.

  Ian stopped dead in his tracks. “What?” he asked.

  Logan scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. This is obviously some pathetic ploy to take the attention off of her,” Logan said.

  Ian turned back to Logan, then me. He looked torn.

  “It’s true, Ian. You have to believe me,” I said.

  “Why should I? You’ve lied about everything else,” he said.

  I shook my head. “You may not have known my real name, Ian, but you know me. I wouldn’t make this up. It’s true. Logan was the one who employed me. He wanted me to ruin your reputation so that he could declare you incompetent and take over the company. But I wouldn’t do it, Ian, I loved you too much. You have to believe me. I wouldn’t make this up, you know that!” I pleaded.

  Ian watched me for a long time. Finally, he spoke. “Logan, please tell me she’s lying.”

  Logan frowned, patting Ian on the back sympathetically. “I know it’s hard, kid, I really do. But liars and thieves will say and do whatever it takes to get what they want. They always do.”

  “I just, I thought this one was different,” Ian said, casting his gaze to the ground. I was already losing him.

  Then, Logan grabbed a piece of paper out of my purse, the schematic to the Genesis Reactor. Then, my heart did explode, shatter into a thousand pieces when I saw Ian’s eyes deaden at the sight of the schematic. There was a long silence. It was the most agonizing silence of my life.

  “Leave,” Ian said finally. “And don’t ever come back.”

  “I-I thought we had something,” I choked out. I didn’t know what else to say.

  “That’s the only reason I’m not having you arrested. Now go,” Ian said, pointing towards the door. The whole time, his eyes never met mine.

  * * *

  Renly was silent. He began wiping at his eye. “Sorry, something in my eye,” he mumbled. After that he grabbed a tissue and blew his nose. “What happened next?” he asked.

  I breathed deeply. “Nothing. That was it. I went back to the magazine, and they fired me on the spot. They said I was too hot, too much trouble. That was over a month ago,” I said. I felt lighter now that the truth was out, more complete. Even the dried tears on my cheeks felt more like badges of bravery than shame. I had done it, I had finished my journey.

  “So you haven’t spoken to Ian since?” Renly asked.

  I shook my head. “Not a word.”

  “So what is going to happen to his company? Is Logan going to betray him still?” Renly asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s out of my hands now.”

  “Where will you go? Once this airs, you can’t stay in the city. They’ll tear you apart,” Renly said, the first hint of real sympathy in his voice.

  I nodded. “I’m going to go home. I booked a flight to Ohio for tomorrow, bought the ticket last night,” I said.

  Mr. Renly nodded. “I’m sorry things turned out the way they did. It really is a beautiful story.”

  “It’s not over yet,” a voice said.

  I looked up. I had to be hallucinating. Ian Payne was standing in the doorway, smiling that thousand-watt smile. “Ian!?”

  The Spy’s Redemption

  I couldn't believe it. My mind could hardly even register it. It refused to. I kept looking at Ian, watching him across the room with his thousand-watt smile. I watched it like a deer in the headlights. Truthfully, I never thought I would get the privilege of seeing that beautiful smile again, not in person anyway.

  It was funny. For days now I had been telling myself to hate Ian Payne, the billionaire who stole my heart, who ruined my life. Instead, my heart was hammering in my chest, my stomach fluttering and flopping like I was a giddy schoolgirl. I wanted to reach out and touch him, to break down and embrace him. My insides were ablaze at the thought of it. Trying to contain the compulsion was agony, and ecstasy, but he was no longer mine to hold. Perhaps he never had been...

  “M-M-Mr. Payne!” Renly stammered, scrambling to his feet. He almost looked like he was going to kneel. “I, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Payne. How did you find us?” Renly finally asked.

  Ian was grinning from ear to ear, that boyish glint in his ice-blue eyes, the same glint that made it so easy to fall in love with him. “You know what they say. Ian Payne has ears in every office in the city,” Ian said, still beaming at me. My face felt hot. What was the matter with me? This man had taken everything from me, everything I worked for, gone in an instant. I
guess I couldn't blame him though, not after what I had done. I mean, had the shoe been on the other foot, would I have been as forgiving? Ian could have had me arrested for what I did, in all reality. So I suppose I didn't lose everything. I may have lost my job, my dignity, and the man I loved, but at least I still had my freedom, for now.

  Mr. Renly thought about Ian's statement for a moment. He looked unsettled, more so than I had ever seen before. I had to admit, watching him squirm under Ian's aura was deeply satisfying.

  Mr. Renly cleared his throat. “Well that explains how you are here, but I would not be much of a reporter if I didn't ask why you were here,” Renly said.

  Suddenly, a flash of anger broke over me. Why had he returned exactly? To confuse me? So many emotions were welling inside me that I felt as if I would be torn into a thousand little pieces, shattering like glass. Hadn't he taken enough from me already? Did he want my sanity too? It was infuriating. I wanted to scream, but instead the noise died in the back of my throat, coming out as nothing more than a squeak.

  The room had fallen silent the same moment that I had squeaked, making it practically echo through the room. It wasn't until I realized that Ian and Renly were both giving me wary stares that I wished I could turn invisible, or crawl into a hole and die. That was when Ian looked at me directly for the first time. The look made my heart stop dead in my chest.

  Ian's face went solemn. “I'm here because I owe someone an apology,” he said, his eyes locking with mine. Then came the tears. I felt the heat of them building behind my eyes. Come on Rachel, pull it together.

  Renly looked from Ian to me, suddenly understanding. “An apology...” Renly muttered, still considering the scene.

  Ian looked at me again, his eyes deep sapphire pools, shimmering in the afternoon light. “Can you ever forgive me?” Ian asked, his eyes pleading. He was looking right at me, his eyes drilling into mine.