Seduced by the Billionaire: The Complete Collection

by Lee, Nadia

  “What? Seriously? No way!”

  “Oh yeah. Some ethics violation or other. Seems good ol’ Jack touched something he shouldn’t have.”

  “I can’t believe that. I mean, he seemed okay when we were dating.”

  “What can I tell you? I guess getting promoted to VP gave him just a liiiittle too much power. His new nickname around here is Jack-in-the-Box.”

  Natalie shook her head, laughing despite herself. “Thank god I had the good sense to get away from him when I did.”

  “Oh, the touching isn’t all of it. Come on out and I’ll tell you the rest.”

  “Tease.”

  “Always. Hey, look, I know it’s a big decision. Just think about it, okay?”

  Natalie said she would. But more urgent than mulling over a possible move was figuring out how she was going to face Alex tomorrow. She couldn’t believe she’d been so rash. This was one of the biggest reasons why she shouldn’t have gotten involved with the CEO of her company in the first place.

  The wrong timing. The stupid condom. And everything else. She breathed in deeply.

  It won’t happen to me.

  Yeah… Famous last words.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning at DDE, Natalie glanced at Alex’s office on her way back from the bathroom and paused. The door was closed, and it didn’t look like he was in yet. She glanced at her watch. Nine forty-five. Shouldn’t he be there by now? It was the third time she’d gone past his office since nine. A few of her coworkers were giving her looks.

  Ethan walked by with a couple of manila folders stuffed full of documents. “Looking for Alex?”

  She nodded. What was the point of denying it? She bet the entire office knew.

  “He’s not coming in today. He’s probably on his flight to Hong Kong right now.”

  “Hong Kong?” Natalie had a moment of disorientation. Hadn’t Kerri been talking about Hong Kong just last night?

  “Uh-huh. He left early this morning.”

  Don’t freak out. At least not in front of Ethan.

  “Do you know when he’s coming back?” Natalie was pleased at how casual and even she sounded.

  Ethan shrugged. “He said he’d get back when he could.”

  “I see.” Actually, she didn’t. She didn’t know what to think. She’d asked him to leave her alone for a while, not disappear off the continent!

  Had he known about this trip before he came to her condo yesterday? “I hope it’s not an emergency.”

  “Oh no. It’s been on his calendar for weeks.” Ethan handed her one of the folders. “By the way, I want you to work on the new National Security Agency bid,” he said. “I’ll need the final figures by Wednesday morning.”

  Alex knew. And he’d never mentioned he was leaving the country.

  “…Natalie?”

  “Uh…yeah. Got it.” She took the folder from Ethan. “By Wednesday.”

  Several coworkers craned their necks as she returned to her desk. It was the same look they’d given her last week when she’d been called into Alex’s office for the first time. Their nosiness irritated her, but she ignored it. It wasn’t the first time she’d been at the center of speculation. Part and parcel of being an influential politician’s daughter, albeit an adopted one.

  She shut her office door and checked her email. Nothing from Alex, although she had fifty-six new messages, bringing the unread total up to one hundred and nine. She drummed her fingers on her desk.

  Next, she checked her voicemails. There was a new message. Her heart thudded at Alex’s familiar voice.

  “Natalie, it’s me. It’s about seven. I should’ve gotten your number, but I forgot and…damn. I need to go to Hong Kong.”

  And to think Kerri had suggested she move to Hong Kong to get away from him.

  Alex continued. “From what I can tell, the whole thing’s going to take about a week or so. Maybe longer. We need to talk. Call or email me with your cell number, okay?

  “And Natalie, let me know if there’s any…ah…well, you know. If there’s anything you want to tell me.”

  The voicemail prompt asked her to either save or delete. She put the receiver back in its cradle with the utmost care, not giving in to the temptation to slam it down.

  Great. Now that he’d had his fun, he was running off to Asia. For a week for so, maybe longer.

  Given her history with men, she’d bet on longer.

  And he seemed most worried about a possible pregnancy. Was he afraid she would demand child support?

  Her rational side kicked in. Instead of getting angry, she should be grateful he had left before she could become too attached to him. Alex had been honest about what he wanted. He’d never promised her anything except hot sex, and she’d certainly gotten that. Imagine if he’d stuck around and their relationship—did one day of mind-blowing lovemaking qualify as a relationship?—had dragged on for months…even years.

  Maybe Louise was right after all: Blood will out.

  Natalie’s relationship with Jack at Goldreich had been a total mess. Thank god she’d been able to get out gracefully. Leaving Hong Kong to get an MBA would’ve sounded like the lamest of excuses if it weren’t for the fact that she’d been accepted to Wharton, and she would’ve died before asking Brian to pull strings for her. While her next involvement with Marcus had been less than perfect, at least she’d been smart enough to keep her work and personal lives separate. Now she felt like she’d regressed. She’d mixed business with pleasure again, and the result could get really sticky. Far worse than dating an associate at Goldreich.

  Natalie sighed. Alex should’ve told her he was going to Hong Kong face-to-face. Okay, so she’d made it clear that she wanted to be alone, but it wasn’t every day when a man she’d just become intimate with had prior plans to fly halfway around the planet. Even Marcus had stuck around for three years. She didn’t want to admit it, but since Brian’s party she’d been beginning to like Alex. There was something very sweet about him coming to her rescue… No one had done that before. Certainly Marcus never had. He was too caught up in his own political ambitions and wasn’t going to cause a stir on her behalf.

  Regardless, everything that had happened between her and Alex had probably just been a ruse to sleep with her. What a fool she’d been! She needed to stop reacting so emotionally and use the head she had on her shoulders.

  Determined to forget him, Natalie opened the folder from Ethan and looked at the figures. They didn’t seem all that complicated. Maybe Danielle could work on them instead. She was smart and would be an asset to the company with proper on-the-job training. A few more opportunities and projects would be just the thing to bring her along.

  She went to Danielle’s cubicle with the NSA bid folder. It was right across from her office. Ethan was there, leaning over the partition. Danielle was blushing at something he’d said and turned to Natalie with a slightly guilty look.

  “Hi, Natalie. What can I do for you?” Danielle adjusted her glasses and rested her hands on her laptop keyboard.

  “I have a bid for you to work on,” Natalie said, extending the folder.

  Ethan’s gaze dropped to the papers, a frown appearing. “Is that the one I gave you this morning?”

  “Yes.”

  “I prefer that you work on it alone.”

  “Danielle’s very thorough. I think—”

  “Yes, I know. But this is important, and I want your full attention on it.”

  Danielle visibly shrank, trying to make herself invisible. Natalie controlled her anger. Did he realize the implication of what he was saying and how it made Danielle feel?

  “But—”

  “In my office.” He gave her an unreadable look. “Please.”

  She followed him, her lips set. He shut the door and didn’t bother to offer her a seat. She remained standing and would’ve crossed her arms if she hadn’t been carrying the folder.

  “When I ask you to do something, I mean exactly that.”


  “I understand, but Danielle’s at the point in her career where she should—”

  “Natalie, I know. But there’s a reason why I asked you to do it. We have to win this. Rodale International’s bidding too, and it’s going to be competitive. There can’t be any mistakes.”

  She looked at her boss. He seemed tired and irritated, which somehow surprised her. Ethan was the sort of debonair, lazy-mannered man who was difficult to upset.

  “Furthermore, security on the project is very tight. The folder contains several proprietary technology specs we own. Only you and I have seen what’s in that folder. Danielle is too junior, even if she has her security clearance. She’s just not right for this particular job.”

  If he felt this strongly about it, there was nothing Natalie could do. Maybe he was being this controlling because of the way his predecessor had gotten fired. “Okay. Sorry.”

  He relaxed a bit. “Thank you. Let me know if you have any questions.”

  As she was walking back past Danielle’s cubicle, her assistant rose. “Natalie.”

  “Yes?”

  “I…I’m sorry.” Danielle dropped her gaze.

  Natalie smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault, and there will be other projects.”

  “Sure.” Danielle shot her a grateful look. “I appreciate the support.”

  * * *

  Alex collapsed on the king-size bed in his hotel room, loosening his tie and feeling the muscles in his back unkink. Thank god he was done for the day. Since his arrival in Hong Kong, he’d had nothing but endless conference calls and meetings. It was already eight p.m., and he hadn’t had a single break.

  Natalie hadn’t contacted him. He wanted to talk to her, but he hadn’t been able to get a moment alone, especially with all those pesky business dinners to attend. They normally lasted until one or two in the morning and filled his belly with more alcohol than he would have liked. The Chinese drank like fish, especially the older men, their faces shining and laughing.

  Given how they’d parted, Alex wanted to be one hundred percent sober when he spoke with Natalie again. He stared at his cell phone and thought about giving her a ring but gave up on the idea. Maybe she was still upset with the way he’d left…even though she was the one who had made it clear he’d better let her be alone for a while.

  He sighed. Women.

  Two white envelopes on the nightstand caught his eye. He rolled across the mattress and picked one up. The discreetly embossed logo of a famous Hong Kong jeweler was in the upper left corner. Bless the concierges of the world. He always asked them to select and send expensive trinkets to whichever woman he happened to be involved with at the time. Some men liked to travel with their lovers on business. Alex preferred to keep women and work separate.

  Until Natalie. She was beginning to blur some of the internal lines that had always been very clear.

  He opened the envelope. Inside, there was a bill and pictures of a gorgeous ruby choker. It would look spectacular on Natalie’s graceful neck, complement her vivid coloring.

  Vaguely dissatisfied, he shoved everything back into the envelope and tossed it on the nightstand. Although the jewelry cost a fortune, it didn’t seem good enough for her. He’d thought this was an excellent idea when he’d talked to the concierge during check-in, but now he couldn’t remember why. It was too impersonal.

  Still… She would probably like it. Once they saw the expensive, sparkly stones, none of his ex-lovers had complained that his gifts weren’t personal enough, well thought out enough.

  Alex opened the second envelope and read the contents. At last! With the information contained in these investigative reports, he’d be able to squeeze Brian Hall so he’d stop giving the Rodales political support. Hall had helped the Rodales one too many times behind the scenes and spoiled several of Alex’s well-planned moves against them. The only way to stop him was to find something that would ruin him forever if anyone knew about it. And after several months of probing, Alex had what he wanted.

  But mingled with his sense of triumph was one of outrage. The bastard had bought—no, won—Natalie! No wonder Louise and Belle treated her like dirt. Hard to respect something you won in a game of chance.

  Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated. Alex answered it immediately. “Damon.”

  “How’s Hong Kong treating you?” came Ethan’s familiar voice.

  Disappointment deflated him. “It’s all right.”

  “Just all right? I thought you liked it there.”

  “Maybe I’m getting old.”

  “Uh-huh. So it has nothing to do with our newly promoted senior lead analyst?” There was a pause, and Ethan laughed. “You don’t have to pretend. We all know it’s Natalie.”

  “We?” He didn’t believe for a second she’d bragged about dating him. Most likely her sister had spread some vile rumor.

  “It was in the papers. Gossip rags. They also had pictures of her with Charlie Rodale. Are they lovers?”

  “No.” Alex could feel his mood darkening. “I don’t think so.” She’d said they were friends. If they’d been more, she wouldn’t have responded to him like that. Would she? Just thinking about it made his body stir. He shifted uncomfortably.

  “They must have some history. At least it looks that way from the photos.”

  “Why are you so interested in her?” Alex said, getting irritated. Ethan was supposed to be helping him take over Rodale International, not reading the scandal sheets.

  “I think someone’s tipping Rodale off.”

  “But what does this have to do with Natalie?”

  “Because of what Charlie Rodale said to his investors last night. He specifically mentioned the Hong Kong consortium. How could he have got wind of it unless someone tipped him off about our plans?”

  That was a blow. In order to start buying up Rodale stock without alerting the management, Alex had set up ten separate companies, all of them private, all of them small, spread out over seven different countries. They were unofficially coordinated through a Hong Kong consulting firm, but he’d paid a lot of money to make sure the companies’ activities were kept absolutely secret. But now it seemed the secret was out. “That’s not good. Still, it doesn’t have to be Natalie. As a matter of fact, nobody at DDE knows about it.”

  “Natalie might. Her senator father and all. Besides, she worked for Goldreich in Hong Kong and more than half her MBA class went into consulting or investment banking. She’s got the connections to get whatever the Rodales need.”

  Alex found he was holding his breath. “Is she the only one? There could be others—”

  “She’s the only one besides me who has access to the information. And she’s close to the Rodales.” Ethan’s voice cooled. “If she’s the leak, we can’t let her get away with it.”

  Alex gripped the phone. Natalie couldn’t be the betrayer. There were other people who were capable of accessing information about Alex’s plans. For all he knew, the Rodales could’ve hired someone to hack into his personal computer.

  “Also, the Rodale BOD just approved a flip-in,” Ethan said, dragging Alex’s attention back to the conversation.

  Alex swore. A flip-in was an effective poison pill. There wasn’t any good way to fight back unless he wanted to start a proxy battle and put his people on Rodale’s board of directors.

  Ethan continued. “I know you want to get Rodale, but it doesn’t make sense to force it. It’s going to cost too much and take too long.”

  Alex closed his eyes and thought. Finally, he said, “Agreed. I’ll have to come up with a countermove. Find out who the mole is, if you’re so sure it’s someone in DDE. And I don’t want you focusing your investigation just on Natalie. It could be anyone.”

  There was a pause. Then Ethan said, “Will do.”

  Now in a foul mood, Alex changed shirts and stalked out of the hotel. The weather was unusually hot and muggy. Still, the crowd bustled, merchants showing their wares to everyone who walked by
. The smell of freshly baked bread drifted from a small shop packed with people. Garish neon signs flashed on tall buildings, and with each burst of light, shadows jumped out in the corners and alleys.

  Natalie wasn’t like that conniving, family-rending bitch Emily Rodale. She wasn’t.

  He stopped in front of a store display. In the window was a silk robe of the fieriest crimson. On its back a golden embroidered fènhuáng spread its wings. The workmanship was extraordinary. The mythical bird looked as if it would soar into the sky at any moment. It reminded him of how Natalie had seemed to soar when they were making love. Usually, she was somewhat guarded, but he had seen her spirit, joyous and giving, unleashed in bed.

  A dragon and fènhuáng set represents a harmonious relationship between a man and a woman… I thought I would give the dragon to a man I lov—a worthy man.

  But who would give Natalie a fènhuáng?

  Alex stood, gazing at the robe. After several moments, he walked inside. A clerk wearing metallic green eye shadow greeted him in British-accented English. He told her what he wanted.

  The robe came in one size, and there was only one left. Each design on the back was one of a kind, handmade by a local artisan. The store didn’t give refunds or exchanges. Would he take it?

  He nodded and handed over his credit card. The clerk wrapped the robe in gorgeous gold and red paper and tied a silk bow around it. The package was light but beautiful and somehow seemed like exactly the perfect gift for Natalie.

  His mood vastly improved, Alex returned to his hotel.

  * * *

  It was already Thursday, and still there was no word. Natalie hadn’t asked Ethan directly again, but it looked like even he didn’t know when Alex would be back.

  Fool, fool, fool!

  Finished with work and back inside her condo, she kicked off her shoes and let her feet sink into the thick carpet. Matto came out to greet her—or, more accurately, to demand a fresh serving of his favorite treat.

  “Not right now.” She tossed her purse on the couch and was heading to the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Her heart leapt.

  “Who is it?” she said, walking quickly to the door.