Instead, she turned around and took in the master suite. It was all very neat. Did Wade have a cleaning service that would come in the bedroom and make sure none of his dirty underwear was piled up on the ground? Or maybe he was just the type of person who kept everything in order and everything in its place? Well, he’d probably be happy that they would have different bedrooms considering her philosophy on cleanliness was a tad different than his.
She wanted to go scope out the other bedrooms so she could see where she’d be sleeping and maybe take a nap, but didn’t want Thomas to see her. Instead, she took a few moments alone to do some snooping. Wade said he’d done a thorough background check on her. Obviously it hadn’t been thorough enough to tell him about what happened with Johnny, but she was sure he’d seen some secrets of her past that she’d rather keep hidden.
She might as well take this opportunity to do some snooping around. The bedspread was a deep navy, and when she ran her fingers along it, she closed her eyes to savor the luxurious softness. She’d never bought a crazy expensive comforter in her life. It was an exorbitant expense she never needed. She wondered how much this cost. She really couldn’t keep living her life trying to put a price tag on everything Wade bought, but the experience of having money was new to her. It would take a while to really get used to this whole thing.
From there, she moved on to the dresser. The only hint of messiness there were a few coins strewn about the dark cherry wood, and a watch was thrown almost carelessly at the bottom of the vanity mirror. She imagined Wade carelessly getting undressed before crawling into bed. What did he wear when he slept? A full set of silk pajamas? No, that didn’t seem right. He was probably a boxers-only kind of guy, if anything at all.
The sudden image of Wade buck-ass naked, crawling between those silk sheets, came to her, and she had to close her eyes. Except that only made the fantasy stronger. Nope. Eyes open was definitely better.
She turned and made her way into the bathroom. The walls were done in a mixture of green and gray tile. There was a standup shower that seem to have jets everywhere. The bathtub next to the shower was almost big enough to be a jacuzzi. She’d be fine sleeping in another room, but she better have bathtub privileges. She wondered whether it was too late to work that into the contract…. She was just about to let her curiosity get the best of her and open up one of the cabinets when she heard motion outside the door. Was Thomas still here? Maybe she should say good-bye to him. Now that they were actually talking, she couldn’t do the ignore thing anymore.
Zoe carefully opened the bedroom door and looked down the hallway. “Thomas!” she called. There was no answer. Maybe she was hearing things. Maybe Wade had gotten home early.
She rolled her neck and jiggled her shoulders. Sure, this was a new place, but it was ridiculous for her to feel as unsettled as she did. If anything, this was the most secure place she’d ever lived. Even with that in her mind, she still stepped very carefully as she moved through the hall and into the living area. Soon enough, she realized she wasn’t alone, and it wasn’t Thomas who was there with her.
A woman stood in the living room, scrolling through her phone. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white, and her perfectly fitted white dress showed off every curve of her slim figure. Oh great. One of Wade’s girlfriends had shown up already?
All of a sudden, something ugly and angry shot through her. How dare Wade have girlfriends over this soon. She knew they had an understanding, but there was also basic etiquette. Especially considering that he was putting the moves on her. How stupid that she ever even considered letting things go further between them. “Can I help you?” she asked tightly.
The woman looked up from her phone, but she didn’t seem threatened at all. “I’m looking for Wade. Do you know when he’ll be home?”
“There was an emergency at the office. I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon. I’ll be more than happy to tell him you stopped by.”
There was a pause and the woman smiled at Zoe. It wasn’t a happy smile. It was the smile a woman gave when she first realized there was a threat. “I don’t need you to give him a message. I have his phone number.”
“Then why didn’t you call to see if he was here before you showed up unannounced?”
The woman set a hand on her hip and glared at Zoe. “You’re in so far over your head. You don’t even know who I am, do you?”
“I know basic manners and I know you weren’t invited in.”
“Listen, I don’t know how Wade found you, but you’re in a world that you can barely comprehend. If you expect to survive, you’re going to have to wisen up.”
“If you’re going to threaten me, you should at least tell me your name,” pointed out Zoe.
“Honey, I’m Sarah Maxium. Wade’s sister. If you expect to keep this sham of a marriage going, you’re going to have to at least pretend you know his family.”
Zoe’s face fell, and a mixture of shock and embarrassment coursed through her. She’d been so comfortable when she knew that Thomas didn’t have any suspicions. She’d let her guard down already, and this was only the second person she made contact with who was in Wade’s circle. What was she supposed to do now? Admit that the marriage was a sham? No. Denial was key. Even if it was Wade’s sister, he would have to be the one to give away any of those secrets.
She decided ignoring it and changing the subject would be the best tactic. “I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you. Please come in. Do you want anything to drink?” She only hoped Sarah said no, considering, except for the sink faucet in the kitchen, she didn’t know where the drinks were.
“How many times have you even been in this apartment?”
Zoe wanted to lie but knew it would be too easy for Sarah to catch her. So she reluctantly stayed quiet instead.
“How about I get you a drink then, Zoe? That’s your name, right?”
“Zoe Young,” she said.
“For now, at least. I’m sure you’re going to change your last name.”
“Of course. I haven’t quite gotten used to the idea yet.”
“That’s totally understandable.” Sarah went to the kitchen.
Zoe followed, unsure about letting the strange woman out of her sight.
“I mean, everything was so sudden. I’m surprised you can even remember Wade’s name.”
Well, this wasn’t going to be a relaxing conversation. “Wade’s a hard man to forget,” said Zoe.
Sarah pulled out a bottle of wine from a wine cooler located beneath the black granite countertop and then collected a few wine glasses and a corkscrew.
“You’re not wrong there. How do you know him exactly?”
“I’m from Birdsville. I was a lot younger than Wade, but we’ve reconnected the past few years when he’d come back home.”
The first time since she met her, Sarah actually seemed surprised. “Birdsville? Well, for starters, don’t call it home. It’s where he grew up. There is a big difference. Secondly, when did he ever go back there? I didn’t think he ever wanted to see that place again.”
“I’m sorry to bring it up,” said Zoe carefully. While Sarah was here and Wade wasn’t, it should be a good time to test the waters. “I know your father and he had a strained relationship.”
Sarah stopped everything she was doing with the wine to stare intently at Zoe. “What exactly do you know about my father?”
Zoe debated how much she should say. She didn’t want to believe that Wade had done anything malicious, but she still had her evidence, and he hadn’t done one thing to defend himself since she’d first accused him. “I don’t think we should talk about what I know,” said Zoe with just a bite of accusation.
Sarah narrowed her eyes at Zoe. “Wade told you?”
Zoe took a nervous gulp. “Wade’s a tough nut to crack. I’m sorry all this had to be a surprise to you. Were you close with Tara?”
Sarah was still looking suspiciously at Zoe, and Zoe could tell she was trying to decide whether
she should allow the changing of subjects or not. Suddenly, she started twisting the corkscrew into the wine bottle. “No one was friends with Tara. I mean, it’s a shame the wedding didn’t go through, but no one is exactly dabbing tears away with their handkerchiefs. The only reason it’s surprising is because they were perfect for each other.”
“Isn’t it kind of an insult to your brother to say that she was a terrible person and perfect for him at the same time?”
“My brother can have his less than pleasant moments too. You know that, don’t you? I mean, you wouldn’t have married him if you didn’t know.”
“Wade can be very… tenacious when he wants to be. It’s one of the things I like about him.” Sure, it scared the hell out of her most of the time, but she’d lived for so long in a state of just going with the flow. It was nice to be around someone who, once they saw something they wanted, would go after it no matter what. Wasn’t that what she was doing now? She could see the future she wanted, and now she was going after it. No matter what normal people thought she should do, or what the right thing would be. She was now a go-getter. It was that easy. In a world of eat or get eaten, she was about to feast.
“But if you’re really a member of the family, we should schedule a girls’ day. Do something fun. Maybe even go shopping or schedule a makeover?”
Abruptly Zoe remembered exactly how tired she must look. “Oh my God, I don’t usually look like this. I swear, we were in a rush and we got on the plane with no warning and—”
“Honey, I’m not judging you.” This time when Sarah smiled, it seemed much more genuine. “I just thought you might want to go shopping. You seem pretty enough now, and I’m sure you’re a knockout when you really want to be.”
Zoe let out a little laugh.
“What’s so funny?” asked Sarah.
“It’s just…. This might be oversharing, but Wade can go so quickly between insulting someone and complimenting them. I can totally see that you’re related.”
Sarah grimaced a little bit. “I’m not sure how to take that, but I do love my brother, so thank you.” Sarah poured one large glass of wine but noticeably left the second one empty. “All right. I can see how it would be rude for me to drop by unannounced. In my defense, I didn’t know you were going to be here. I’ve been calling Wade for days and he’s been ignoring me. I figured if I dropped by unannounced, he would have to at least explain what’s happening. I still want that explanation, but I can wait until Wade is here to defend himself. Will you please tell him to stop screening my calls?”
“Of course. As soon as I see him, I’ll let him know.”
“Thanks, Zoe. Are you close with your family?”
At the very mention of them, her heart squeezed. She wished she had a chance to talk to her mother before she left town. How was she ever going to make things right between them? “We’re very close.”
“That’s good to hear. Well, let me be one of the first to welcome you to the Maxium family. I hope we don’t surprise you too much.”
“Too late,” muttered Zoe.
Sarah didn’t say anything to that, but she smiled knowingly.
Wade stepped inside his apartment and looked around cautiously. This was a new sensation for him. Even when he was hot and heavy with Tara, he’d rarely get home to find her there. She had her own apartment and her own space. They weren’t the lovey-dovey PDA type of couple who needed to be around each other all the time. Now he was home and he knew that somewhere in this space, Zoe was expecting him.
Well, maybe not expecting him. But it’s not as if she had a lot else to do. Now that he thought about it, the idea of her lying naked between the sheets waiting for him to unwrap and devour her as soon as he got home didn’t sound too bad. Although, at this point, he might be more likely to crawl between the covers and fall asleep with her.
His rapidly hardening cock chimed in to let him know just how ridiculous that idea was. He really needed to sleep with her quickly before he was taken over by this silly infatuation.
He expected to find her curled up in one of the spare bedrooms, fast asleep, but when he walked into the living room, he saw her sitting on one of the black leather loveseats, flipping through the many channels on the television. “I hope you’ve made yourself at home.”
She jumped at his presence, and the remote fell out of her hand, tumbling onto the hardwood floor. “Give a girl a heart attack, why don’t you?” she said under her breath as she stood up and smoothed her dress out.
He looked her up and down cautiously. Her hair was pulled back and looked damp. As though she’d recently taken a shower. When they’d been on the plane, her makeup had been smudged and barely there, but now she looked perfectly put together with a fresh face, bright lipstick, and lots of black eyeliner. Now her eyes had that grungy look he was used to, and that dress was a body-hugging dark green that showed him just enough to have him wanting to pull that zipper down so the dress would join the remote on the floor. “You look… nice.”
She frowned. “Don’t sound so surprised. I didn’t want to be caught off guard by anyone else. I can’t keep looking like I just rolled out of bed. It’s kind of my job now, isn’t it? Look nice at all times.”
“It’s not a job if it comes naturally.” He winked.
She smirked and gave him a look of disbelief. “You are a charmer, Wade Maxium.”
“Just calling it like I see it.”
“How was work?” she asked, apparently uncomfortable with so much attention put on her. “Did you figure out the… stuff you needed to figure out?”
Work was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He’d figured out absolutely nothing. The Chinese deal officially wasn’t going to happen, and he still didn’t know who the traitor was. It was pretty much a lose-lose sort of day. The only thing he actually had to look forward to was coming home to Zoe. And considering he wasn’t sure she even liked him, that was a sad state for his life to be in. “Not at all,” he grumbled.
She must’ve picked up on his annoyance and smartly changed topics. “So Thomas said he was going to drop something off in your study. I didn’t ask him what, but I figured I should tell you in case I shouldn’t have let him go off alone. Also, your sister was here, and she seems pretty annoyed that you haven’t been calling her back.”
“Thomas is fine. Sarah was here? Did you talk to her? What did you say? What does she know?”
Zoe held up her hands. “I’m just the messenger. She thinks we’re a sham marriage, but she seems to like me, for what that’s worth. I mostly evaded all of her questions and complimented you a lot. That seemed to win her over.”
“You complimented me? Did you say I was handsome?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I said you are tenacious.”
“Funny. When it comes to you, I feel like I could be a lot worse on that front.”
She rolled her eyes at that. “So what’s the plan tonight? I still have a list a mile long of things I need to get done. I need to go shopping for some essentials since this is the one and only nice dress I have with me. I need to switch all identification over to make this my new address. I need to take your name somehow. I don’t even know which state I’m supposed to do that in. I guess, most importantly, I’m going to need a computer.”
“I have a computer you can use in my study.”
She blinked a few times. “I mean, I don’t want to sound spoiled, but I don’t even get a new computer?”
“It is a new computer. I keep a few spares.”
She scoffed. “Of course. A few spare computers just laying around. That sounds totally normal.”
“You’re judging again.”
“Positively judging. That makes it all better, right?”
It was something. He should leave her alone and head off to bed, but he found himself reluctant to leave her. Not just because she looked so damn delicious right now. But he’d been apart from her for so long now and had no idea how she was handling this. “So how are you….”
Damn, he wasn’t good at this. “How are you doing with everything?”
As uncomfortable as he was with asking the question, she seemed equally uncomfortable as she struggled for an answer. “I’m doing fine. I mean, I miss my mother, but I’m sure I’ll see her soon. So far, I’m just trying not to make an ass of myself in front of all your friends.”
“I’m not worried about you making an ass of yourself.”
“Well, that’s just a sign of how little you know me.”
“I think I know you well enough. Tomorrow night, there’s a birthday party for one of my associates. Ashton Miller. I RSVPed months ago, and since I’m in town, it would be noticeable if I didn’t make an appearance. Will you be okay if that’s our first public outing?”
“Don’t I have to be okay?”
“It’d be rude if I didn’t ask,” he pointed out.
“I’ll be ready. I’ll figure out a way to be ready.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
She frowned at that. “One more sign of how little you know me.”
“Hey. I’d be happy to get to know you a whole lot better.”
An adorable blush crept up her cheeks as she got his drift. “Let’s not and say we did,” she muttered.
“I wish I could take you around tonight, but I’m running on empty. I’m going to try to get some rest in before tomorrow. I’ll have to be in the office early. Care to join me tonight?” He knew she was going to say no, but he wasn’t about to stop trying anytime soon.
“I think I’ll pass for tonight.”
He smiled at the bitter taste of her rejection. “One of these days, you won’t refuse me.”
Zoe took a deep breath and held it a second before she exhaled. “I guess someday we’ll find out.”
Zoe really wished she wasn’t pissed off. On one hand, she had no reason to be. She knew this was going to be her life when she got into it. Wade wasn’t going to be some super-attentive husband. Even though he may be coming on to her on a regular basis, she had no illusion of love from him.
Lucky Liar Page 9