What the Paparazzi Didn't See

by Nicola Marsh

  ‘I have a fair idea,’ she said, undulating her hips against the evidence of how badly he wanted her.

  He growled. ‘Tease.’

  ‘No, a tease would do this.’ Her hands splayed against his chest, caressed upwards before stroking downwards. Lower. And lower. Stopping short of his belt buckle. ‘A tease would also do this.’

  She slowly slid the leather belt out, toying with the buckle.

  ‘And this.’ She flicked the top button of his trousers open.

  ‘A tease would stop here.’ She inched his zipper down, the sound of grating metal teeth the only sound apart from his ragged breathing.

  ‘But I’m no tease.’ She pushed his trousers down. Slid a hand inside his black boxers. Cupped his erection.

  His groan filled the air and, empowered, she went for broke.

  He let her undress him until he was standing before her, gloriously naked, incredibly beautiful.

  Bronze skin, rippling muscles, hard for her.

  ‘One of us is way overdressed,’ he said, taking a step towards her.

  ‘Wait.’ She braced a hand on his chest. ‘I’m admiring the view.’

  ‘Later,’ he said, bundling her into his arms. ‘Much later.’

  TEN

  LIZA LITHGOW’S STYLE TIPS

  FOR MAXIMUM WAG WOW IMPACT

  The Dream

  WAGs of the New York Yankees may not harbour this same dream, but for WAGs all around the world New York City is the place to be.

  From its iconic Manhattan skyline to its most recognised Statue of Liberty. From the Chrysler Building to the famed Empire State Building.

  From its two most famous streets, Madison and Park Avenues.

  There is so much to tempt a WAG.

  Throw in:

  The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)

  Central Park

  The Flatiron Building

  The Guggenheim

  The Brooklyn Bridge

  Times Square

  Rockefeller Centre

  Broadway

  Carnegie Hall

  Lincoln Centre

  Madison Square Garden

  And it’s little wonder that most WAGs dream of being a part of New York.

  So what are you waiting for? Book that airline ticket now!

  Lucky for Wade, he’d never had much of an ego.

  For if he had it’d be smarting.

  Liza had done it again. Indulged in a wild, passionate, no-holds-barred night of mind-blowing sex. And then nothing.

  The next day at the office she’d reverted to the cool, dedicated woman who’d wowed him with her business ethic that first day she’d presented her marketing ideas like a veteran.

  That had been four weeks ago and nothing had changed.

  Admittedly, they’d been incredibly busy, with her biography having the fastest turnaround he’d ever seen in all his years in publishing.

  To have a book written, copy-edited, line-edited and in ARC format within a month? Unheard of, but he’d made it happen. He owed his dad that much.

  Preserving a family legacy might be the reason everyone assumed was behind his drive to save the company.

  Only he knew the truth. Guilt was a pretty powerful motivator.

  And despite Liza’s encouraging insights that his dad had loved him and that was why Quentin hadn’t shared the truth about his heart condition, Wade knew better.

  His dad had known how much he despised Babs, but he’d been too much of a gentleman to bring it up or let it affect their relationship initially. But with Wade’s continued withdrawal, both physically and emotionally, he’d irrevocably damaged the one relationship he’d ever relied on.

  For his dad not to trust him enough to divulge the truth about his heart condition before it was too late? It hurt, deeper and harder than he’d ever imagined.

  Wade regretted every moment he’d lost with his dad. Regretted all the time they could have spent together if he’d known the truth. Regretted how he’d let his superiority and judgement and distaste ruin their mateship. For that was what they’d had, a real friendship that surpassed a simple father-son bond.

  Most of all, he regretted not having the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to his dad.

  He’d regret his actions and the rift he’d caused until his dying day but for now he’d do everything in his power to ensure Qu thrived, as a token of respect for the man who had given him everything.

  And he had the woman who’d sold her story to him to thank too.

  He’d done as she said over the last few weeks. Remembered the good times with his dad.

  Authors they’d signed together, books they’d published that had gone on to hit best-seller lists.

  A patient Quentin teaching him golf as a teenager and the many hack games that had followed over the years.

  The beers they’d share while watching the AFL Grand Final or the Grand Prix.

  So many more precious memories he’d deliberately locked away because of the hurt. But Liza had been right. Holding on to guilt only made it fester and remembering the good times had gone some way to easing his pain.

  She’d given him a wake-up call he’d needed and he hoped his surprise would help thank her.

  He knocked on Liza’s door, holding the Advanced Reading Copy behind his back. He wanted to surprise her and hoped she’d be as thrilled with how the story had turned out as he was.

  He’d stayed up all night, devouring Liza’s biography from cover to cover. When he’d speed read the first draft in e-format he’d done so with an editor’s eye and hadn’t really had time to absorb the facts beyond she’d delivered the juicy tell-all he’d demanded.

  After reading the ARC last night, holding her life in tree format, he’d felt closer to her somehow, as if learning snippets from her childhood revealed her to him in a way she’d never do herself.

  Of course, he’d hated her dating tales, insanely jealous of the soccer and basketball stars that had wooed her and whisked her to parties and elite functions, living the high life.

  He had no reason to be jealous, for those guys were her past.

  And what? He was her future?

  Damned if he knew. It wasn’t as if they were looking for anything long term. He’d spelled it out at the start and Liza did her best to maintain her distance when they weren’t burning up the sheets those two times.

  So why the intense disappointment she’d been willing to share part of her life with him, but only for the money?

  The door opened and a forty-something woman with spiked blonde hair, no make-up and sporting a frown eyed him up and down. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Hi, Wade Urquart, here to see Liza.’

  The woman’s eyes widened as a sly smile lit her face. ‘Nice to meet you, Wade. I’m Shar. Come on in.’

  Shar ushered him through the door and it took a moment to register two things.

  A pretty young woman bearing a strong resemblance to Liza was engrossed in a jigsaw puzzle alongside Liza.

  The young woman was in a wheelchair.

  Their heads turned as one as he stepped into the room, the young woman’s lopsided welcoming smile indicative of some kind of disability, Liza’s stunned expression a mix of horror and fear.

  It confused the hell out of him.

  Why was she horrified to see him? Was she scared he’d run a mile because she had a disabled relative, probably a sister?

  The possibility that she thought so little of him irked.

  He strode forward, determined to show her he was ten times the man she gave him credit for.

  ‘Hi, I’m Wade.’ He stuck out his hand, waited for the young woman to place her clawed hand in his, and shook it gently.

  ‘Cindy,’
she said, her blue eyes so like Liza’s bright with curiosity and mischief. ‘Are you Liza’s boyfriend?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, simultaneously with Liza’s, ‘No.’

  Shar smothered a laugh from behind. ‘Come on, Cinders, let’s leave these two to sort out their confusion.’

  Cindy giggled and Wade said, ‘Nice meeting you both,’ as they left the room.

  Liza stood, her movements stiff and jerky as she rounded the table, arms folded. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I came to give you this.’

  He handed her the ARC, his excitement at sharing it with her evaporating in a cloud of confusion.

  Why hadn’t she told him about her sister Cindy? Did he mean that little to her?

  They might not have a solid commitment or long-term plans but he’d thought they’d really connected on a deeper level beyond the physical.

  At the very least they were friends, and friends shared stuff like this.

  As her fingers closed around the creased spine from his rapid page-turning the night before, the truth detonated.

  His hand jerked back and the ARC fell to the floor with a loud thud.

  ‘There’s no mention of Cindy in your bio.’

  She glared at him, defiant. ‘’Course not. I don’t want the whole world knowing about my sister—’

  ‘What the—?’ He ran a hand over his face, hoping it would erase his disgust, knowing it wouldn’t. ‘You’re embarrassed by her.’

  She stepped back as if he’d struck her, her mouth a shocked O.

  Anger filled him, ugly and potent. He didn’t know what made him madder: the fact she’d lied in her bio, the fact she was ashamed of her sister or the fact she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him anything.

  He kicked at the ARC. ‘Is any of this true?’

  She flinched. ‘My life is between those pages—’

  ‘Bull.’ He lowered his voice with effort. ‘Leaving your sister out of your bio is a major twisting of the truth. Which makes me wonder, what else have you lied about?’

  He waited for her to deny, wanted her to. But she stood there, staring at him with sorrow and regret, and he had his answer.

  ‘I could lose everything,’ he said, anger making his hands shake. His fingers curled into fists and he shoved them into his pockets. ‘Your advance? Bulk of it came out of my pocket. Three hundred grand’s worth.’

  He should feel more panicky about the precarious position he’d placed his own company in to save his dad’s—the advance was only the start, for he’d poured another half a million into the marketing budget for the bio too—but all he could think about was how Liza had lied to him. How she’d withheld the truth from him.

  Just like his dad.

  He’d told her about Quentin not trusting him enough, about how it affected him. Hell, she’d even given him that pep talk.

  Yet she’d gone and done the same regardless.

  ‘I earned that advance.’ Her flat monotone made him want to shake her to get some kind of reaction. ‘I gave you the story you wanted.’

  ‘So what? I should be grateful?’ His bitterness made her flinch. ‘Should’ve known better than to trust someone like you.’

  She paled but didn’t say anything, her lack of defence riling him further.

  ‘Guess you played me like those other poor suckers in your biography,’ he said, not proud of the low blow but lashing out, needing to hurt her as much as she’d hurt him.

  That was when the real truth detonated.

  He wouldn’t care this much, wouldn’t be hurting this much, if he hadn’t fallen for her.

  A woman who didn’t trust him, a woman who thought nothing of their developing relationship, a woman who’d done all of this clearly for the money only.

  Reeling from the realisation, he did the only thing possible.

  Turned on his heel, strode out of the door and slammed it behind him.

  * * *

  Liza sank onto the nearest chair and clutched her belly, willing the rolling nausea to subside.

  She didn’t know what was worse: feeling as if she was about to hurl or the breath-snatching ache in her chest.

  This was why she never let any guy get too close.

  This was why she never should’ve let Wade into her life.

  And into her heart.

  She had; despite every effort to push him away and keep their relationship strictly business, he’d bustled his way in with charm and panache and flair.

  And she’d let him. She knew why too. Because for the first time in for ever she’d felt cherished. Spoiled. As if someone was looking out for her rather than the other way around.

  She didn’t mind being Cindy’s carer but for a brief interlude in her life Wade had swept her off her feet and taught her what it felt like being on the other side.

  ‘Double mocha or double-choc-fudge brownies?’ Shar bustled into the room, pretending not to look at her while casting concerned glances out of the corner of her eye as she tidied up a stack of magazines.

  ‘Both,’ Liza said, knowing she’d be unable to stomach either but needing a few more minutes alone to reassemble her wits.

  ‘Okay. Back in a sec.’

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Liza eased the grip on her belly and stretched. Rolled out her shoulders. Tipped her neck from side to side.

  Did little for the tension gripping her but at least she wouldn’t get a muscle spasm on top of everything else.

  Wade had ousted her lies. Worse, he thought she was ashamed of Cindy, when nothing could be further from the truth.

  And the fact he hadn’t let her explain, had stood there and hurled accusations at her, hurt.

  Maybe she should’ve told him, should’ve trusted him with the truth. But her motives had been pure. She’d done it all for Cindy. Would do it again if it meant protecting her sister.

  Now he knew the truth, where did that leave them?

  ‘Here you go.’ Shar dumped a plate of brownies and a steaming mocha in front of her. ‘Looks like you could do with a good dose of chocolate.’

  ‘You heard?’ Liza picked at the corner of a brownie, shoved a few crumbs around the plate with her fingertip.

  ‘Enough.’ Shar winced. ‘Didn’t sound good.’

  ‘Is Cindy okay?’

  Shar nodded. ‘Yeah, she was hooked up to the computer playing a game, had her ears plugged.’

  ‘Guess I should be grateful for small mercies,’ Liza said, the severity of her confrontation with Wade hitting home at the thought of Cindy overhearing what he’d accused her of.

  ‘You didn’t tell him about Cindy.’

  It was a statement, not a question, and Liza didn’t know where to begin to rationalise her behaviour.

  ‘He seems like a nice bloke.’ Shar sipped at her mocha. ‘Good looker too.’

  ‘Wade’s...’ What? Incredibly sexy? Persistent? Thoughtful? She settled for the truth. ‘Special.’

  ‘Then why all the secrecy?’

  ‘Because I wanted to protect Cindy.’

  ‘From?’

  ‘Prying. Interference.’

  ‘Ridicule?’ Shar prompted and Liza nodded, biting her bottom lip.

  ‘You’ll probably hate me for saying this, but are you sure it’s Cindy you were protecting and not you?’

  Liza’s head snapped up; she was shocked by Shar’s accusation. ‘What do you mean?’

  Shar screwed up her nose before continuing. ‘You’ve lived your life in the spotlight. TV-hosting gigs. Mingled with A-listers. Best parties. Best of everything.’

  Shar paused, glanced away. ‘Maybe you didn’t want people knowing you had a disabled sister because you thought it would taint how you appeared to others in some way?’

&nbs
p; ‘That’s bull.’ Liza stood so quickly her knee knocked the underside of the table and she swore.

  ‘Then why so defensive?’

  She glared at Shar. ‘Because what you’ve just suggested is hateful and makes me look like a narcissistic bitch.’

  Shar shook her head. ‘No. It makes you human.’

  Shar’s accusation echoed through her head. Had that partially been her motivation? Was Wade right? Was she ashamed to reveal to the world she had a disabled sister?

  Never in a million years would she have thought that, but if the two people in the world she was closest to—discounting Cindy—had jumped to the same conclusion, had she done it on some subconscious level?

  She collapsed back onto the chair and tried to articulate her jumbled feelings. ‘Because of what I’ve faced in the spotlight, I didn’t want Cindy exposed to any of that.’

  Shar pointed at the ARC lying on the floor. ‘So what if you’d mentioned her in the book? Doesn’t mean the media would’ve been beating down your door to interview her.’

  ‘They might’ve.’ Liza rested her feet on the chair and wrapped her arms around her shins. ‘You’ve fielded enough calls to know how persistent they can be. It could’ve turned into a circus.’

  ‘Or they could’ve respected your privacy and hers.’

  Liza blew a raspberry. ‘I hate it when you’re logical.’

  Shar winked. ‘All part of the service.’

  Now that Liza had come this far, she should tell Shar all of it.

  ‘I did it for the money.’

  ‘The biography?’

  Liza nodded. ‘That day I went to Qu Publishing’s offices to tell them to stop harassing us? I had a phone call from my financial adviser’s office.’

  She took a deep breath, blew it out. ‘My investment has gone. He scammed the lot.’

  Shar blanched. ‘Oh hell.’

  ‘I said worse than that.’ Liza hugged her knees tighter. ‘I was still in the office. Wade found me in a crumpled heap. I had to accept his offer. The advance and royalties from the bio were the only way out.’

  ‘Drastic times call for drastic measures.’ Shar picked up the ARC off the floor and laid it on the table. ‘If you didn’t mention Cindy in the bio, did you stretch the truth in general?’