The Revenge Plan: An Arranged Marriage Billionaire Romance

by Piper Knox

  “Sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night, Caiden.”

  A few minutes later we were in the plane ready to go. Caiden’s private jet was bigger than my family’s. Well, bigger than the one my family used to own. As soon as we were in air Caiden had told one of the attendants that I needed food. A few minutes later I was eating a Michelin star food while Caiden took to his laptop.

  He was engrossed with whatever he was doing. I realized then that this was the first time he had included me in his work stuff. He had made no inclination to invite me to any function of some sort, even the ones that were held in New York. For all his needing me to open the doors to him, he seemed to be doing fine all on his own.

  Personally, I was fine with that. He could leave me out of his work for all I care. But Bryce had been ringing again, asking for more information. Should I take this opportunity to understand what he was doing. I went for it.

  “You never said why you need me on this trip.”

  “I did. My client likes you and he would make it so much better for me if you’re there.”

  “So, I’m to stand there and smile. Is that it? You’re not giving me much to work with.”

  He lifted his head from his laptop and closed the lid, “He’s a new designer. Marco Clies. You must’ve heard about him. His designs have been making noise on the fashion circuit.” I did know about him. Marco was one of the people I used to party with back in the day. He did like my party habits, but I was no longer that person, and I wasn’t sure if the new me could woo him.

  “He’s launching a few stores, and he wanted them to have other lines of products and not just those from his fashion house. Mainly accessories. He likes our brands. Or at least I hope so. But to get him to sign the contract, we might need to sweeten the pot. We aren’t the only one courting him you see.”

  The last time I met Marco, he had been a party animal. When he said he was going to launch his fashion line I had taken it for granted that he was doing the thing a lot of rich kids do, get their parents to launch a shitty fashion line with horrible clothes and ditch it after two seasons when they realize what a tough job working in the industry is. “He specifically asked if you were coming,” Caiden said, “Naturally, I had to say yes.”

  “Wow. I had no idea he had done well for himself,” I said more to myself than to him.

  “Yes. Some people try to work hard for their money.”

  “Careful now. I’m here to help you, not the other way around.” Satisfied at the turn of face he made, I reclined in my seat and closed my eyes. The next time I opened them, we had landed.

  When we got to Paris, Caiden whisked me to a new upscale hotel with modern decor and abstract art and sculptures. It looked like the place that young, rich people would love staying in. I noticed a little later that everyone here knew Caiden and were greeting him at every turn. We didn’t even check in. Instead, they ushered us straight to the elevators as soon as we came in.

  The rooms were a penthouse suite with black and white furnishings. It made you feel more like you were at home than in a hotel. A million-dollar home, that is. There was even a kitchen that I was sure we were never going to put into use.

  After the bellboy had gone, I turned to Caiden, “The staff seems to like you. Do you own this place too?”

  “In a way. Nate’s company owns the place, we own a large part of Nate’s company.”

  “Ah. That would explain the odd reverence.” Caiden clearly was no longer the housekeeper’s kid that I had grown up with. He was a force to be reckoned with.

  11

  I had almost finished taking a bath and was about to order some room service when he knocked on my door. He looked like he had showered as well. His hair was wet and he had changed into slacks and a thin sweater that clung to his muscles. I had to force my gaze to move away from his chest.

  “You must be hungry. Wanna eat?”

  My stomach growled in response.

  A few minutes later we were dining at one of the hotel’s restaurants. It was quieter at this time of the hour and had few patrons left. That didn’t mean the food wasn’t good though, it was superb.

  “Why did you never say anything. I would have thought that you would have made a move back in the day considering how forward you were.” I was in the middle of chewing my lobster when Caiden sprung that on me I almost choked.

  “Where is that coming from?” I watched him as he cut his steak into small cubes. You would think he had asked about the weather; with the way he was so nonchalant about it.

  “Just a thought.”

  “That’s a random thought.”

  “I was thinking of what Liam wrote and wondering if things had been different. If they had worked out differently…”

  “Liam would be alive?”

  A heavy note of silence rang in the air. At last I said, “I was never confident enough.”

  “That’s surprising. Weren’t you with every other boy in school back then?”

  “You were that special Caiden. I wanted you so much that I couldn’t say anything to you.” I hoped he detected the sarcasm. Contrary to popular belief, my sex life was boring, and I never slept with anyone until I was in college. There were people who were more sexually active than I was, and yet everyone branded me the school slut. Hell, the band kids had more sex than I did.

  “I wouldn’t have wanted you, anyway.”

  “Do you have to add salt to the wound? I’m aware of how repulsive you found me. And still do.”

  A memory of him and I in my father’s study flitted across my mind. Truth is, I had been forward. When we were both teenagers, I had kissed him. Then he brutally rejected me. He seemed to have conveniently forgotten about it.

  “I didn’t know he liked me. I never knew he wanted us to be more than friends, I thought he knew that.”

  “But that didn’t stop you from acting the way you did. You led him on. He thought you two would become more than friends. It was so obvious the way he pined over you. Are you telling me you did not know?”

  I didn’t; I had no clue, and that was the truth. Sadly, there was no way of telling him I wasn’t lying. “If I had known I—” I didn’t know what to say. If I had known, what would have I done? Tell Liam that I wanted his brother instead?

  “So that time. In the study. It wasn’t a bet?”

  So, he hadn’t forgotten. Sophie had dared me to share my feelings of Caiden with him. I did, he rejected me and then I tried to kiss him. He rejected me again. I felt so embarrassed that the only way I knew of not looking like a fool was to say that it was because of a bet I had made.

  “Do you know who saw us kissing?”

  Liam had seen us? “I didn’t know.”

  “No. You never do. Do you? You cause chaos without caring about the consequences of your fun.”

  It was hard for the food to go down after that. By the time we got back to the hotel, we were colder to each other than before. It made things awkward the next day which was conveniently Marco’s fashion show. Whoopee.

  I had worn Marco’s clothes in hopes to get in Caiden good graces. Show him I was willing to be part of the team. I had even stayed up all night researching the deal as best as I could so I wouldn’t be a sitting doll next to them whenever they talked business.

  The fashion show was being held at a chateau just outside Paris and when we arrived, Caiden got out of the car and opened the door for me. The happy-married-couple charade had begun. I took his hand as he helped me out of the car and as we walked, he placed it on my back. He was back to his charming self now that there was an audience. The two Caidens could be confusing, I had to admit.

  ◆◆◆

  The show was amazing. Marco was a talented designer. Most of the items were couture and were hand sewn. Some pieces had jewels sewn into them, especially the coats. Suddenly a light bulb clicked. I leaned over to Caiden without thinking, only to hold myself back. He would probably think that it was a foolish idea. But once I had it, I couldn’t let i
t go.

  “Spit it out.”

  “I was thinking about your recent acquisition.”

  “And?”

  “The jewelry on the coats,” I pointed out as one model wearing a coat with a diamond studded collar passed by, “you could have your company provide the jewelry on top of the merchandise deal.” He gave me that look again. The one that said he was seeing something new and unexpected in me.

  “I mean, if you think it’s silly then you can ignore me.”

  “I don’t think it’s silly at all.” He said it so calmly, I couldn’t help but feel encouraged.

  “Okay. You could add that to your deal and make it even more enticing for Marco. I’m sure it would boost Celeste’s sales.”

  “Not bad. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He frowned, “like what?”

  “That look. Like I have two heads.”

  “I never expected this from you. You keep surprising me, that’s all.” He smiled. “I don’t know what to make of you.”

  As soon as the show was over, we went to see Marco backstage.

  “H!” he shouted as soon as he saw us, “What did you think of the show?”

  “Gorgeous. Beautiful.”

  “And–oh my god! Are you wearing my clothes?” Marco turned to Caiden, “Did you put her up to this?” Caiden gave nothing away, but I knew I had surprised him. Here’s some forethought you never thought of.

  “Your clothes are beautiful, Marco, how could I not resist. The coats especially are magnificent.”

  “Thank you.” A light blush spread across his face.

  “We were thinking that since we saw that some of them were jewel studded, that you might want to work with us as your supplier. You would have to talk to my husband about the details, though. But it’s something to think about when you’re thinking of your potential suppliers.”

  “Oh,” he turned to Caiden, “I didn’t know you had a jewelry division.”

  “Recently acquired.”

  “We definitely should talk some more.” Marco said. His face seemed to say that he liked what he was hearing, “Can I borrow your handsome husband for a minute?”

  “Sure,” I said, and I watched them as they went into a corner to discuss. I couldn’t turn my eyes away from them, I was invested in this suddenly. After some talking that involved Caiden making a lot of gestures with his hands, and Marco nodding, they both shook hands, smiling.

  Caiden joined me at my side and we streamed out with the rest of the guests after the show was over. He took my hand and led me to the car. His step had determination and a singular purpose that was such a turn on. When we reached the car, he rapped on the driver’s window and asked him to get out. He opened the door and nudged me in. He had barely closed the door when his mouth took hold of mine and gave me a deep kiss.

  12

  The kiss was intoxicating. One taste and I wanted more. I coaxed her mouth open and groaned when she accepted me so sweetly. It was a heady and passionate kiss that had me feeling dizzy with pleasure. I was lost in it and when we broke off, it took me more than a moment to open my eyes. Hers were filled with a desire that was no doubt reflected in mine.

  She blinked twice then asked, “What was that for?”

  “Thank you.” I said. But that wasn’t all, “And I couldn’t repress myself anymore,” I added.

  “I thought you didn’t want me.”

  “No. I don’t like you. But I do want you.”

  She stiffened and untangled herself from me.

  “It’s the truth. I want you. But I can’t lie to you and say that I like you. I’ve been trying not to feel anything for you for the past three months, but I’ve failed.”

  “Clearly.”

  “Don’t act like you don’t feel the same way.” I pulled her closer to me, took her hand and pressed it on my growing erection, “Tell me you don’t want to feel this inside you.”

  She looked like she was about to slap me; I thought she would. Then I felt her body soften and her hand began stroking my length. I groaned and shifted in my seat. Her movements were achingly slow. I pressed down her hand with mine and increased her strokes. With the other hand, I took her chin and turned her face upwards. “Tell me you don’t want me,” I said.

  Her response? She leaned in and kissed me. I groaned in acceptance. Or was it triumph? It didn’t matter. I pulled her closer to me. My hands roamed over her body like a madman. I wanted to touch her all over. I wanted to remove the barrier of clothes she had on now. Buttons loosened, a bra strap fell. My hand caressed her breast.

  She moaned when I flicked and twisted my nipple. I felt my belt buckle loosen and looked down. She was about to dig into my pants when I removed her hand. I would come in her hand immediately if she touched me.

  Mine dove into her slacks and found her hot, wet pussy. “Fuck,” I muttered against her neck. I unzipped the slacks and pushed them down. The panties followed. I slipped a finger slid inside her while another rubbed her clit. It was her turn to moan.

  “Caiden,” she whispered. Her lips traveled down my neck, giving me little bites as she rode my fingers. I felt her hands on my cock and once again, I pushed them away. “No. Not yet.” I could feel her orgasm approaching and continued torturing her. “Caiden,” she said again and came apart in my arms as my kiss swallowed her screams.

  ◆◆◆

  “I can’t believe we’re still in the parking lot of a fashion show,” Hailey said after a while. Our clothes were still skewed, and our limbs still entangled.

  “I would have thought you’d be experienced in the arena of public sex.” As I said the words, I felt her stiffen on top of me. She pushed herself off and began righting her clothes. I did the same as I felt the mood shift. The session was clearly over.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Did I exaggerate?” Her sudden protests were odd considering her reputation. Not that I cared.

  “If only you knew—” she paused, then shook her head, “you know what? It doesn’t matter.” Once she was certain her clothes were proper, she sat straight and crossed her arms, “Can we go now?”

  “If I knew what?” I was suddenly curious to hear the end of that statement.

  “Doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”

  I knocked on the roof and the driver got in. “Take me to the office,” I said to him, “but first, drop off Mrs. Scott at the hotel.”

  When we got there, and she got out of the car, I felt an odd compulsion to pull her back in. It overwhelmed me so much that I stopped her. She stared back at me with her big beautiful eyes that made her look more innocent than she was. I was so dumbstruck, I said the first thing that came to mind, “Just because I’m leaving you alone doesn’t mean I’ve given you leeway to party up in Paris. I’m only here for business,” she rolled her eyes, “and I don’t want my name linked to anything other than the deal. Is that clear?”

  She glared at me. I could tell she had a thousand retorts on her tongue, but when she spoke, she only said, “Yes, master. Anything else?” The sarcasm didn’t escape me.

  “If you want to go shopping or whatever, you can call the concierge. They can get you a car.”

  “Cool,” she said. Then she extended her palm.

  I frowned. “What?”

  “Credit card. If I’m going to shop, I need money, don’t I?”

  Distaste filled my mouth. She was getting an allowance that should be more than adequate for her needs. I sighed and took out a platinum card and gave it to her.

  She smiled sweetly, though it felt like she was hiding something. “Thank you.” She left me feeling like I had missed an obvious clue. Whatever. I didn’t have time to think about it when I had a deal to push through.

  I went to our Paris offices and got to work immediately to rid her out of my mind. It was a struggle. I attended a few meetings with the regional staff to see how business was doing. It was all a blur. All I co
uld think about was one brunette with the face of an angel. The need to get out of my chair and go back to the hotel and shut us in for the rest of the stay was overwhelming. I was getting hard at the mere thought of our impromptu make-out session, and I was in the middle of a goddamn meeting.

  Even though the feeling was intense, another feeling crept in. Self-loathing. I was lusting after the person who killed my brother. What did that make me? But would he blame me if I enjoyed her just this once?

  As soon as the meeting ended, an assistant of mine came with a tablet in her hand. “Mr. Scott,” she said, “you might want to see this,” and handed me the tablet.