Casual: Part 4 (Power Play Series Book 12)

by Kelly Harper

  I’m usually able to control my urges, but there’s something about Aimee that turns me on in a primal way. There haven’t been many women in my life that could do that to me.

  It’s just one more thing…

  The clap of footsteps in the hallway pulls me back to the real world. I turn to find Mara staring at me from inside the bedroom. She’s wearing her blue bikini with that lacy thing she likes to wrap around her shoulders. There’s no denying she has a nice body, but there’s always been something about her that just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve never been even remotely tempted by her.

  She smirks in a way that doesn’t help my mood.

  “What is it?” I ask, hoping she’ll take the hint.

  She draws her smile out for a moment before responding. Perhaps it’s her way of asserting control.

  “I just had a lovely little chat with Lucas,” she says, finally.

  She makes a show of walking out onto the balcony and sitting in one of the sling lounges across from me.

  “Are we still on schedule?” I ask, refusing to play her game.

  “Everything should be ready next week, just as planned. Lucas isn’t going to be a problem.”

  My brow pulls together.

  “Should?”

  Mara looks out over the sound, taking her sweet time to answer the question.

  “I know you think you know what’s best when it comes to… everything… but I still have my suspicions.”

  “This is about Aimee again?”

  She gives me an amused look.

  “I made sure she won’t be an issue.”

  My gut tightens.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Her mouth gapes in mocked admonishment.

  “There’s no need for that kind of language, Logan. You were delaying the inevitable by keeping her around. So, I…” she flicks her hand, “sped things up.”

  Did she say something to Aimee? Is that why she wasn’t acting like herself?

  “I’m not in the mood for games, Mara. Just tell me what you did.”

  My tone is hard enough to wipe the playfulness off her face.

  “I made her an offer that she can’t refuse.”

  “You threatened her?”

  “Oh, heavens no,” she says, her eyes wide. “There’s no need for anything that drastic.” She tilts her head to the side. “She’s just after some money—like all the rest. Instead of beating around the bush, I just made her an offer.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

  “You paid her off?”

  Her smile spreads even wider.

  “I must admit she surprised me. Turns out that girl can be quite the negotiator…”

  “Negotiated? What are you talking about?”

  Mara flicks her hand, dismissively.

  “She demanded I double my original offer. And I agreed to it immediately. Honestly, I would have paid that much twice over to be done with her…”

  “How much?”

  “Two million.”

  I’m floored.

  “That’s nothing. Why would she agree to that?”

  Mara tilts her head and gives me a patronizing grin.

  “Oh, darling. You’re dreadfully out of touch. Two million might be nothing to us, but to most people it’s life changing.”

  I hold back a wince. Of course it’s a lot of money to most people—I know that. I only meant it’s nothing compared to what I’d lavish her with, just to put a smile on her face.

  “When did you talk to her?”

  “Before dinner. I found her in your kitchen… Really, you need to do a better job of hiding your little trysts.” Mara shrugs a shoulder. “I was honestly surprised she showed up to dinner at all. When I left her, she was so excited I expected her to pack her things and leave straightaway…”

  So that’s why Mara had shown up to the banquet after me. And it’s also why Aimee took longer than I expected. This is all my fault. I never should have left her in there by herself. I never should have put her in that situation.

  “Get out.”

  Mara’s eyes widen in surprise.

  “Oh, come now. Don’t get all bent out of shape. I did it for your own good.”

  I round on her.

  “I said get the fuck out.” My glare is ice-cold. “I don’t want to see your face again until we leave. I don’t want to hear your voice until we’re back in the City. So get… the fuck… out.”

  Mara looks like she’s about to say something, but things better of it. Her nostrils flare and her jaw clenches. With a huff she pulls the lacy thing around herself and storms into the master suite before disappearing into the mansion.

  Chapter 3

  Logan

  I pace back and forth on the balcony, trying to contain the energy boiling inside of me. Trying to make sense of a situation that has gotten way out of control. This is why I stay away from women. This is why I keep to myself.

  I almost can’t believe Mara bribed Aimee to stay out of my life. Almost. Mara can be a sneaky bitch, but she has no reason to lie about this. Why the fuck is Aimee going along with it? Two million dollars? That’s it? For what? I would give her anything she wants.

  If she’d let me…

  That’s the catch, isn’t it? Aimee has already made her choice. She doesn’t want me to lavish her with anything. She doesn’t want me around at all.

  I thought Aimee was different. I didn’t think she was like all the other gold diggers. I thought she was looking for something more meaningful than money. I thought she was the kind of woman I could trust.

  But I was wrong.

  I lean against the marble railing and gaze over the sound. It would be a perfect day if it weren’t for the empty feeling in my gut. Things can turn around so fast. One moment you’re on top of the world and the next you’re standing on a balcony wondering why the world is falling apart around you.

  I want to fight for her. I want to chase her down and ask her what in the hell she’s thinking. But I’m not interested in chasing. I told her how I feel and she’s made her choices.

  The only thing left to do is to put this entire weekend behind me. I need to focus on the other important parts of my life. I can’t have this deal falling apart at the last second because I let some girl distract me.

  The emptiness in my stomach gets worse.

  We’re scheduled to leave in a few hours and then I’ll finally be able to get some distance from her. Maybe when a little physical distance is all it will take to help me forget about everything that’s happened this weekend.

  But, somehow, I doubt it.

  I open my laptop and try to get back to responding to the overwhelming number of emails I received over the last few days. Hopefully they’ll be enough of a distraction to get me through the next few hours.

  Unfortunately, the distraction doesn’t come close to lasting that long…

  As soon as I start responding to the first message in my inbox, I hear the shuffling of movement from within the bedroom. Renewed frustration boils through me.

  “What is it now, Mara?” I ask, spinning to confront her.

  My chest seizes when I see who is standing there…

  Aimee.

  Chapter 4

  Aimee

  I stare at Logan, surprised by the outburst. Why did he think I was Mara? Did she beat me here and talk to him already? She must have come straight from the gym. I didn’t think I spent that much time talking to Bre.

  “Aimee…”

  There’s a lost look on his face. At any other time it would be endearing but after everything that’s gone on I don’t know how to take it.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” I say.

  “I’ve been here.” He glances down at the laptop. “I wanted to get a head start on the week…”

  I nod, trying to ignore the awkward energy surrounding us. Every bone in my body is telling me to rush into his arms, but with the way we left things, earlier, I don’t
know how he’d react. Besides, there’s no way I’m going to make the first move.

  “Look… about what happened,” I begin. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away like that… I’m sorry.”

  Logan’s features harden.

  “You made me feel pretty shitty.”

  Guilt threatens to crush me.

  “I know, it was wrong of me. It’s just… everything has been happening so fast. This weekend has been way more than I expected.”

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” he asks, ignoring the apology all together.

  His tone pushes the guilty feeling far away.

  “That’s how you’re going to treat me?” I say, incredulous. “I apologize and lay myself out for you and you completely ignore it?”

  “We agreed that things between us aren’t going to work out.”

  He sounds emotionless and cold.

  “Right. Of course. What was I thinking?” I shake my head. Unbelievable. “Well, if you must know, I came here to tell you that I overheard something you need to know about. Something that could be really bad for you. But if this is how you’re going to treat me then maybe I should have just stayed away…”

  I hate sounding so petty. Why can’t I seem to act like a civilized adult when I’m around him?

  “What are you talking about?”

  I don’t respond immediately. Instead I fix him with a hard stare, just to make sure he knows I’m under no obligation to be nice to him.

  “I was looking for you earlier but came across Mara and Lucas instead.”

  “And?”

  My eyes flare.

  “And… I think there’s something going on you’re not aware of. I think they’re planning something behind your back.”

  “What did you overhear?” he asks. He’s so casual you’d think we’re just making idle small talk.

  “That they’re planning something! And that they can stop hiding out soon!”

  His brow knits together and he looks like he’s at least considering what I’m saying. But then he shakes his head.

  “You must have misunderstood. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for whatever you heard.”

  My eyes bulge as my rage boils over.

  “Is that how little you think of me? That you won’t even give me the benefit of the doubt?”

  “What? No—”

  “You don’t respect me at all, do you? You think I’m just a simple city girl that you can impress with your mansion and your money so you can get in my pants.”

  “Aimee, that’s not—”

  “Did you know they’re sleeping with each other? Or maybe I just misunderstood her moaning his name…”

  That finally gets his attention.

  “Wait, what? They were having sex?” I give him a that’s what I just said look. He shakes his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. I just spoke with Mara. She would have told me if anything weird was going on.” Something in his expression hardens again. “She did give me some interesting news though…”

  There’s a change in the tone of his voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge. His expression leaves no doubt about what she told him.

  He knows.

  “She told you about the offer, didn’t she?”

  Logan lets the silence draw out before confirming.

  “She even told me about your counter-offer.”

  The pain in his voice punches me right in the stomach.

  “I wasn’t going to take the money.”

  It’s the truth, but the words still feel empty.

  “It’s a lot of money. You’d be crazy to pass it up.”

  “I don’t care about that. It doesn’t matter to me.”

  “That’s easy to say when you’ve got a huge payday coming.”

  My gut twists even harder. I feel like I’m going to get sick right here in front of him.

  “What can I say to make this better?”

  “You’ve already made your choice.”

  I shake my head.

  “This isn’t what I want. The money is meaningless. I only agreed to it because I didn’t know what else to do at the time.”

  “How can I believe you when nothing you’re saying makes sense?” he says, shaking his head. “You were the one that pushed me away. I had no clue why you were doing that until Mara told me what happened.”

  “It’s not that simple. You were acting so dismissive about our situation. The only thing you cared about is this stupid deal. It’s like you weren’t even considering what going back to the City might mean for the both of us.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that she confronted you? You shouldn’t have kept it from me.”

  “I was coming to tell you!” The lump in my throat makes talking difficult. “That’s what I was doing when I found them together.” My brain flashes back to that moment and everything I overheard. “And, besides, it’s not like I’m the only one that has been keeping secrets around here…”

  Logan’s eyes widen.

  “What are you trying to say? I’ve been honest with you from the very beginning.”

  I cock my hips to the side and give him a look.

  “How long were you planning on letting me think you’re going bankrupt?”

  Logan barks out a snide laugh.

  “Well, isn’t that convenient?” he says. “You show up to tell me all about Mara’s offer and how you don’t care about the money just when you find out that I’m not really going broke…”

  My jaw drops. How do I even respond to that? Does he really think I’m here just for the money? I would set all of his money on fire if it meant we’d be happy together.

  “I can’t win with you, can I?”

  Logan looks like he’s about to say something before changing his mind at the last moment.

  “Maybe we crossed some kind of line,” he says. “Maybe it would be best if we just go our separate ways before either of us says something we’ll regret.”

  Unbelievable.

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” I say.

  I turn and walk away, leaving him standing there on the balcony. For the second time this afternoon he doesn’t bother to even try to stop me.

  Chapter 5

  Aimee

  I’ve been doing a lot of this, lately—running away from Logan as fast as I possibly can. In a few hours I’ll be done with him once and all. So I guess I have that to look forward to.

  I can’t even with him anymore. And I hate myself for even thinking something as childish as that!

  How can one man be so damned infuriating? What good did I possibly think would come from trying to talk to him again? Did I really think that I could make things better? There’s no future with him. It’s a simple as that. I need to stop acting so foolish.

  So, why can’t I shake the feeling that we’re supposed to be together? I still want nothing more than to turn around and run back into his arms. It doesn’t even matter that I’m so pissed at him right now. I’d feel better with him wrapped around me.

  Maybe we’re not supposed to have a forever love, but I would feel a lot better if I knew we were at least giving it an honest shot. The whole universe seems to be conspiring to keep us apart. Every time we get close, something happens that gets in the way. Things were going really well until Mara showed up. Ever since it’s been one step forward and three steps back.

  Logan’s been acting like a dick, but I know that’s not how he really feels. He was just pissed because Mara told him that I was taking her offer to go away—so of course he thinks I just want him for his money. Maybe that’s why he lied to me about the bankruptcy thing—to see if I’d stick around even if he was broke. I can only imagine how many women throw themselves at him because he’s rich. Is there a way to prove to him that I couldn’t care less about any of that?

  I need to buy us more time together to figure all of this out. That’s one thing that money can’t purchase. Maybe if I can figure out what Mara is really
up to then he’ll have to believe me about them. And then… Well, I don’t know what will happen after that, but at least it’s a place to start.

  I have to do something.

  I glance at my phone. Crap. I’ve only got a few hours before we leave for the City. How the hell am I going to pull this off?

  Chapter 6

  Logan

  I pace back and forth, barely able to contain the anger going through me.

  What in the world gives Aimee the right to treat me like that? After everything I’ve done for her this weekend the least she could do is have the decency to be honest with me.

  I’d seen it in her eyes right away. She was surprised Mara told me about the offer. Would Aimee really have said anything if I hadn’t brought it up? Doubtful. She knew how bad it would make her look and she had no reason to tell me.

  I slam my hand against the marble railing, growling with frustration.

  Every bone in my body told me she was different than all the other gold diggers out there. How could I have been so wrong? And when she finds out I’m not actually bankrupt she makes up some story about Mara going behind my back? I’ve worked with Mara for years… she’s ruthless but she’s never given me a reason to distrust her.

  I take a deep breath and take in my surroundings. I used to think this was one of the most beautiful views in the entire world. This weekend ruined it. After the last few days I don’t know if I’ll ever want to come back here. I can already feel Aimee haunting this place. There’s no way I can handle that without her by my side.

  My head slumps as the feeling of loss comes over me.

  I want a magical woman that’s going to love me for the person I am and not for the empire I’ve built, but maybe such a woman doesn’t exist. Maybe it’s time for me to settle? I could always look into a strategic partnership that would help me get ahead—not unlike what I have with Mara. If only the thought of something like that didn’t make me so sick to my stomach.

  Did Aimee really catch Mara and Lucas having sex? I played it cool—I doubt she noticed how much it caught me off guard. The two of them have been getting close for a long time, but Mara is a professional. She would have said something if it crossed the line.