by C. A. Mason
Maura glared at me when Jeff wasn’t looking. “Blaise is right, sweetheart. It’s probably going to be a late night.” She walked around the desk to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek before walking him to the door. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay, but don’t forget we have that appointment at the country club in the morning. We really can’t waste any time booking a venue. Your father pulled some strings there to get us—”
“I know,” she said, patting his chest. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget.” Closing the door, she sank against it and flattened her palm against her chest. “What the hell are you doing here?”
I tossed my coat on the guest chair and leaned against her desk, folding my arms over my chest. “Isn’t it obvious? I came to see you.”
“But you can’t be here,” she said, throwing her hands up as she pushed off the door.
“Sure, I can,” I said, watching her cross the room.
She reached for a crystal water pitcher. I watched with satisfaction as her hands shook while she poured two glasses.
She handed me one of the glasses. “Please, just tell me why you’re really here, then leave.”
I unbuttoned my jacket before walking over to the small leather sofa in the corner of the room. “Come here, get comfortable, and I’ll tell you all about my plans.”
She looked at me as if I was the most infuriating man she’d ever met, which I probably was. She finally complied with my demand, but sat as far away from me as the small sofa would allow.
“Come on now. I don’t bite.” I grinned and winked at her. “Unless you want me to.”
Setting her glass on the coffee table, she swiped her palms down her gray straight skirt. “I know you think this is funny—”
“On the contrary,” I said, my smile slipping. “I’m mad as hell.”
Her head shot up. “You are?”
“Yeah, I am.” I dropped my professional façade and inched closer, crowding her against the armrest. “I called and texted you. You didn’t respond. Why?”
“I told you, I can’t see you anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m engaged! Weren’t you listening? We set a wedding date, just like I told you we would.”
“You did that because of what happened between us.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.
She was trying to bury her head in the sand, to pretend that what had happened between us wasn’t one of the most intense sexual experiences of her life. But she was lying to me and herself. I’d been the guy who rocked her world. Every. Fucking. Time.
“No.” She clasped her hands in her lap, obviously going for the prim-and-proper look. “It had nothing to do with you. I just felt it was time. We’ve been engaged for a while and—”
“You’re not going to marry him.”
“Excuse me?” she said, her eyes widening.
“You heard me. You’re not going to marry him. We both know it’s over with him. It’s just a question of when you intend to tell him.”
“Oh my God, you are the most arrogant, condescending—” She took a deep breath. “How dare you tell me how to run my life? We had sex once. One time! That doesn’t give you the right to weigh in on anything.”
“For the record, we had sex more than once,” I said, my eyes flitting over the cowl neck of her sleeveless tank top. “And we both know that night won’t be the last.”
“Yes. It. Will.” Her hands balled into fists, and she spit her words out between clenched teeth.
I found her wilfulness hot. I liked that she made me work for it. “Would you fight this hard for me?” I leaned forward until our knees were touching.
“What?” Her eyes zeroed in on my lips before she dragged them away.
“If you were with me and someone was trying to come between us, would you fight this hard?” When she didn’t respond, I smirked. “That’s right, I forgot. You wouldn’t have to, because you wouldn’t be tempted if this were my ring on your finger.” I lifted her left hand and kissed her palm before I set it against my cheek. “I’m not here to play games, Maura. I’m here because I missed you.”
Anguish flashed in her eyes before she closed them. “You can’t miss me. You barely know me.”
“Does that mean you haven’t thought of me?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ve been too busy.”
“Angel?”
Her head snapped up at my term of endearment. “Why do you call me that?”
Shit. I should have known that would trigger some memories for her, but I couldn’t help myself. She had always been my angel. “I don’t know. Does it bother you?”
“Yes. No.” She sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just… he…” She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter now. Just… stop it. I’m not your angel. I’m not your anything.”
“Look. At. Me.” I was tired of this fucking game. “You wanted me as much as I wanted you. You were begging for me to fuck you, to make you come.” She blushed furiously, but I continued. “Trying to pretend it didn’t happen doesn’t change that it did. I let you go because I assumed you were smart enough to come to your senses without my help. Obviously I gave you too much credit.”
“Get out of my office,” she said, pointing at the door.
I leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “I don’t think so. I kind of like it here. In fact, I like it so much I might buy the whole goddamn building.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you insane? My father owns this building. It isn’t for sale.”
“Really?” I pulled my iPhone out of my pocket. “I’m willing to bet if I called my broker, he’d have a signed offer on my desk by this afternoon. Everything is for sale. Everyone has a price.”
“I don’t.”
I considered her carefully. I hated bullying her this way. I wanted her to welcome me back into her life, but since she seemed so determined to do this the hard way, I had no choice but to beat her at her own game. “I’m willing to bet you do.” I looked around her posh office. “I bet you worked hard to build this business, didn’t you?”
Looking visibly shaken, she said, “Yes. Why?”
“You enjoy what you do?”
“Of course.”
“Hmmm.” I looked out the window, trying to play my hand close to my vest, but it wasn’t easy when I saw the fear in her eyes. She knew I was wealthy, powerful, and that one bad review from me would crush her burgeoning business. She was probably wondering if I could be that spiteful. She had no idea how nasty I could be when crossed, but I had no desire to hurt her.
“What?” she said, her voice trembling. “Are you threatening my livelihood if I don’t sleep with you again? Is that what this is about?” When I simply stared at her instead of responding, her voice broke. “You can’t blackmail me into sleeping with you.”
I laughed. “You think I’m so desperate that I would have to blackmail a woman into sleeping with me?” My eyes traveled over her body, slowly undressing her. “Baby, it was good, but…” It was fanfuckingtastic, and we both knew it.
“Then what do you want from me? Please, just tell me so you can leave me alone.”
“I want you to tell him the truth.”
The color drained from her face. “What?”
“I want you to tell him that you fucked me in New York.”
“Why?”
“Because I have no reason to keep it a secret, and I don’t intend to.” I may have played by her rules years ago because I had been afraid of losing her, but the tables had turned, and she was the one with everything to lose. This time, we were playing by my rules. I handed her my phone. “So you decide, Maura. Are you going to tell him, or shall I do the honors?”
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Now Available
Part One in the Liar Liar Trilogy
Breaking Free
Part Two in the Liar Liar Trilogy
Truth or Dare
Part Three in the Liar Liar Trilogy
Last Chance
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