The Corrupt Billionaire COMPLETE Box Set

by Hope, Camilla

  “You sure you want to leave?” he asked. “’Cause I could turn back if…”

  “No, please, keep going.”

  We drove for what felt like hours, and I was grateful for Morgan’s silence. My heart burned in my chest. Pounding hard, it felt like a million tiny claws were tearing it to shreds as I tried to wrap my head around the turn of events. He had seemed so sweet; his body had felt so warm against mine, inside mine. But even if he was trying to break away, it still meant that he had once danced too close to a darkness that I would rather not know. And he said it would take time so that meant he was still involved. Should I ask Morgan to drive on until I was back home? Maybe I could go back into hiding with Sabrina or Danny.

  But I felt certain that he would always find me one way or the other.

  Morgan brought the car to a halt. Stepping from behind the wheel, Morgan took my hand and helped me to my feet.

  “Let’s get you a drink,” Morgan said. “You look as if you could use one.”

  The bar was dim and dark as we stepped into the breach. The chorus of catcalls reverberating off the walls from the other side of the room nearly set me on edge. But Morgan’s arm was light on my arm, and a redhead peeked from behind the bar and poured us two beers. I choked my drink down quickly and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand as I looked into Morgan’s eyes.

  “Did you know?” I asked. “Did you know what he was?”

  Morgan shot up in his seat and shook his head.

  “Told you I was a last minute addition to your flight plan,” he reminded me. “What exactly is he?”

  I just shook my head. He seemed to only have eyes for the bartender as she refreshed our glasses and shot Morgan a smirk. Suddenly feeling protective of him, I laid my hand over his fingers and sighed softly.

  “Want to tell me why you ran out on him like that?” Morgan asked.

  I thought that there was no reason to drag him into something that he didn’t need to know about.

  “We already almost got you killed once,” I muttered as I sipped the cold beer and sighed into my shoulder.

  “No harm, no foul,” he said trying for a joke. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

  “Let’s just say that he has secrets that he didn’t share,” I said.

  I was ready for Morgan to press me for specifics when he simply choked on his beer and smiled at me through the suds dotting his lips.

  “Who doesn’t?” Morgan said. “Look… Miss… Caroline...”

  His hand closed around mine, and I watched him shake his head slowly as he spoke.

  “Maybe I’m like late to the party or whatever. But from where I stood… or should I say from where we crashed…”

  That was dark, but it elicited a laugh from my lips as he patted my arm and kept talking.

  “…it seemed like you guys have been through a lot before you even stepped on that plane.”

  “That’s kind of true,” I said as I took another drink and leaned back in my chair. “I guess I knew he was dangerous before I even agreed to fly with him.”

  “So maybe it’s not as bad as you think,” Morgan suggested. “And if he tried to explain, don’t you want to keep hearing him out?”

  “I don’t…”

  “What if you’re making him into a new man?” he continued. “Even I can see that you’re a good influence. Everyone has secrets. Would you really deny him the chance of a fresh start?”

  And there it was, just the suggestion that it was more than moonlight and Danny’s brushstrokes that turned his head and kept his eyes, his hands coming back for more. In some ways, I needed a fresh start, too; a chance to be someone other than the dumb blonde played for a fool. What if his lies were only ones of omission? Morgan was right. There were things that he didn’t know about me, things that I had never told another living soul.

  “I… I should go back,” I said. “Think he’ll still be there?”

  “Now I can’t speak for sure about that, but we can sure find out,” Morgan said.

  The bartender set a fresh round on the table, and I clenched my fists to my thighs as I watched him down his beer in one gulp before he spoke again.

  “Way I see it, that man is out looking for you and beating his chest right hard,” Morgan continued.

  “You really think so?” I asked.

  “Know so, Caroline.”

  In spite of everything that had happened, just the idea of him searching the streets and never catching sight of me was more than I could stand.

  “I… you think I should go back?” I asked, already hoping for only one answer.

  “I’ll get the car,” he smiled.

  He was nearly on his feet when I saw the bartender flash him a small smile, and I suddenly hated the fact that every move that I made was ripping this sweet boy away from his own chances at something that might make him know what it was to feel only joy coursing through his veins.

  “I can make it back on my own,” I assured him.

  “But Caroline, Miss, I…”

  “Please just call me Caroline,” I implored him. “And go have some fun.”

  Morgan’s eyes sparkled at the possibility of sowing his wild oats in the small town. He seemed pleased at the thought of accepting my offer of release.

  “I would kind of like if to see what this place has to offer,” he said with a wink and then he looked across at the bartender.

  “And you should,” I said. “We’re… we didn’t really drive to the other end of the earth, did we?”

  He shook his head with a grin, and I patted his arm.

  “Didn’t think so,” I chuckled. “It just felt like it.”

  I started to step from his side when Morgan grabbed my wrist. I nearly winced at the feel of his fingers pressing into my flesh, but then he laughed it off as he hung his head.

  “But if he sees you coming back on your own, you think he might be mad with me?”

  “No, you helped me, so I’ll cover for you.”

  Chapter Nine

  The room was exactly as I had left it. Peter was nowhere to be found, and a part of me was ready to turn back on my heel and order Morgan to lead me on a pub crawl when I spied the unopened box resting in the corner of the room. Stepping slowly towards the package, my curiosity got the better of me and I sank to my knees and flipped the lid away.

  “Oh…” I gasped.

  The gown was purple and shimmering. So this was the surprise. Pulling the garment from the box, I held it before my body and admired my reflection in the window. A beam of moonlight was just starting to peer through the pane, and I smiled at the softness, wishing that his arms were back around me. But he would come, he had to. The man had sought me out once before. This time I would be ready, looking like a perfect picture that even Danny couldn’t hope to paint.

  “Clean up first,” I muttered under my breath. “Nothing is going to spoil this.”

  The shower was scalding as I scrubbed fast and felt my damp hair hanging over my shoulders. In the space of the stream, I dared to push my fingers between my legs, my body still burning with the memory of him. Letting my mind wander, I nearly imagined him here right now, no doubt dirty and sweaty after chasing me through unfamiliar streets. But he would come back. He… he just had to. And…

  I slid my fingers into the slick folds of my flesh and groaned under the feel of my own hand as my thumb circled around my clit sending tingles deep inside me. For a split second, I felt sure that I could see him there, feel his breath pouring down my neck as he clasped me closer and surrendered to my touch. Coming without him, my eyes fluttered open, and I had to blink back tears as soon as I realized that I was still alone. It didn’t have to be this way. If only I’d given him a chance to…

  But he would come back. He had to.

  Stepping from the shower, I toweled my hair, my fingers working quickly to tighten it into a chic chignon. Pleased by the image staring at me from behind the glass, I concealed my bruises and coated my lashes with a fresh sh
een. I did nothing else. I felt that he would like me like this, and I covered my body in the purple silk, my eyes continuously moving towards the door. The room was still in something of a shambles, and I started to bow and clean when I suddenly wanted to give him his own surprise. But it would mean leaving the hotel. I would have to hope that he didn’t come back in the few minutes when I was absent.

  Did I dare take the chance?

  Moving to the lobby, I was stopped short by the stout woman with gray hair.

  “You move so fast!” she said as she laughed. “Sure looks like you’re headed to some kind of party.”

  Naturally the woman would leap to that conclusion, but I forgot the need to blush and suddenly seized on an opportunity that might give me the cake that was Peter and a chance to lick him clean, too.

  “Can you help me?” I asked.

  “Honey, you look like you’re doing just fine to me!” the woman laughed.

  “Thanks for that,” I muttered. “But I… what I really need right now…”

  Pressing a few bills into her hands, money that Peter had let fall before he fled, I spoke quickly.

  “My… my friend will be back soon,” I started.

  “Some friend,” the woman said. “He give you that?” she asked as she eyed the rubies and the diamonds around my wrist.

  “Yes,” I continued. “And I want to be waiting for him.”

  “So why run out?” she asked. “Seems to me like your guy wants to see you all tricked out as soon as he gets back.”

  Maybe he did. That had to be the case. And I felt sure that Morgan was right and that Peter’s absence was only on account of him looking for me.

  “Can you… can you bring us some wine?” I asked. “Some ice. I… I think that… I think that he’d like to come home to that.”

  “And you don’t want to take the chance of missing him,” she smiled.

  I nodded at the suggestion, and as soon as the woman promised that she would honor my request, I move back to the room and closed the door. If this was going to work, and it simply had to, my only choice was to wait until he came back. He would talk; I would listen. And my heart skipped a beat when I heard the sound of a key turning in the door.

  “Peter! I’m sorry! I…”

  But it wasn’t him. It was only the stout lady with silver hair as she presented a bottle and a bucket of ice, along with a corkscrew.

  “Here you are, Miss.”

  She set her offerings down, and I started to thank her when I felt tears running down my cheeks. He shouldn’t have lied to me. Maybe I would have run away at the first mention of who and what he was, but he should have known that I would come back.

  “Sweetheart,” the woman started. “Don’t look so sad. I saw that guy tearing out of this joint after you.”

  “You… did you see where he went?” I said, hope springing in my chest.

  “Doesn’t matter,” she continued. “With a look like that in his eyes, I’d bet good money that he’ll be back. My advice?”

  Her hands felt motherly on my shoulders, and I needed that more than anything as she tenderly pinched my cheek.

  “Take a deep breath, and be ready to just listen when he comes back.”

  When, not if. I took some comfort in her words and thanked her softly as a pair of headlights poked through the window.

  Was that him? Please let it be…

  “I’ll leave you to it. Remember, the best part of fighting with the one you love is the makeup sex,” she said with a wicked grin on her face.

  I was hardly able to hide my shock as she waddled away, leaving the door open just a crack. Rubbing my hands together, I held my breath as a tall shadow crept towards the door.

  Chapter Ten

  “Morgan? What are you doing here?” I asked, stunned and disappointed to see him in the space where Peter should stand.

  Morgan frowned as I looked away, and I swallowed my sadness and invited him inside.

  “I thought you were off to see everything that this little place had to offer,” I said as I flounced to the bed, not caring if I was mussing the purple dress if Peter wasn’t here to see it.

  “That was the plan,” he said as his eyes moved up and down my gown and then looked around the room. “Wow! This really was round one through twelve.”

  Not that it mattered. When he came back, I was ready to wreck the room in another way altogether. It suddenly felt as if my time would have better spent cleaning than hoping against hope.

  “But you look nice,” Morgan whispered. “Really fine.”

  Catching his stare again, I wondered if he was trying to test another set of waters. I started to wrap my arms around my chest when he shot me a goofy grin and pressed his hands into his pockets.

  “Tried my luck with the bartender once you took off,” he admitted. “You know, the little redhead?”

  “Oh?” I asked. “Guess it didn’t get you too far.”

  “Who said it didn’t?” Morgan challenged. “Sometimes it only takes a minute to get the job done.”

  I suddenly thought him unbelievably crude as I envisioned him taking the girl in some dark alley beside an overflowing dumpster. Did he find and take his release without so much as a thank you?

  “At least tell me you gave her a decent tip?” I said.

  With a sigh, Morgan scanned the room and caught sight of the wine I had chilling in anticipation of Peter’s return. I watched him carefully as he twirled the neck of the bottle between his fingers, his gaze settling on the procured bottle opener.

  “Just think you can take anything you want tonight?” I asked as I moved to my feet and glared at him hard. “If you’re looking to get drunk, your new friend is probably the better horse to ride. And now I think you should leave.”

  “Kind of liked the idea of pairing a burger with my beer,” Morgan admitted. “But… she was the one who said thanks but no thanks.”

  Cocking my head to the side, I saw his cheeks flush as he lowered his eyes.

  “And here I thought I was so smooth,” he continued. “But she took the tip, patted my head and sent me on my way.”

  He suddenly seemed like the saddest man in the world, and a wave of guilt hit my soul. I should have thought better of him. Should have trusted him when he’d been nothing but nice.

  “Here,” I said. “Take a seat. You look like you need this.”

  I started to pry the cork from the bottle and Morgan thanked me under his breath as he sat on the edge of the bed.

  “So are your plans thwarted, too?” he asked.

  “Well, he’s not here,” I confessed as I poured slowly. “And I have absolutely no idea where he went.”

  “Probably out looking for you. Know I would be, especially in a get-up like that.”

  Without wanting to, I flinched again, but Morgan looked at me like a lost puppy dog. In that instant, he seemed like a little brother working overtime to get on my good side. Or a version of Danny despite escapades that were far from the variety of the artist’s liking. Handing him a glass and topping off one of my own, I offered a weak toast, and we clinked the crystal.

  “To rough nights,” I said.

  “Amen,” he said and slugged back the wine.

  Sitting opposite him in a chair I had cleared of boxes, I sipped slowly, my eyes still on the door. Was Peter looking for me? Maybe, but it wasn’t like Harrison was some sprawling metropolis where a man could get lost in the streets and never find his way back to the source. So where was he now? Had he decided to try his own luck with another bartender who would take the tip and ask for more? I couldn’t quite comprehend the idea that he would be that fickle when the fault was not entirely my own. Polishing off the glass, I started for another when Morgan grabbed my hand.

  “Now don’t go drowning your sorrows, Miss,” he said. “Maybe he’s stuck on a roadside or something.”

  “He landed a plane when the engines were failing,” I said. ‘And what? He’s stuck on the roadside?”

 
“Stranger things,” Morgan said. “Want to go hunting?”

  “Like you should even be driving,” I said. “Maybe this was one drink too many.”

  Plucking the glass from his fingers, I could think of nothing but falling into the sheets. The bed would feel endlessly lonely without Peter, but maybe I could try to sleep it off. Would he appear at first light? Or was he already on his way back home, thinking nothing of leaving me behind?

  “I’m tired now, Morgan. It… it was almost a perfect day. But I think that I need to…”

  “I think you need to listen to me,” Morgan said forcefully.

  His hands were on my shoulders before I hit the bed, and I wilted under his hold as I struggled to meet his eyes. I felt a glimmer of fear creeping up my spine.

  “I saw the way he looked at you,” Morgan started. “Guy’s hooked, so whatever else went down…”

  His phone suddenly chirped in his pants, and I held my breath as Morgan scanned the screen, his lips slowly curling into a smile.

  “Now what did I say!”

  I moved to read the message when Morgan grabbed my arm and smiled.

  “He grabbed a cab,” he said. “Damn thing broke down or something. You want to go get him?”

  Morgan lifted his eyebrows, and I latched onto his glee and grabbed his hands.

  “You can take me to him?” I asked.

  “Nothing would give me more pleasure.”

  The gray-haired lady smiled as soon as she saw me on Morgan’s arm, probably thinking that the boy was my prize. I returned her grin and let Morgan lead me to his car.

  Settled in the backseat, I tried to tell myself that I would see him soon. Not that I needed a chance to explain. But I still wanted to give him my eyes and hope for a chance at tomorrow. Morgan shot me a quick smile, and I tried to relax in the space of his stare when I ran my fingers down my arm. Peter’s gift was still there, and I drew strength from the rubies. It was nearly enough as long as I still had…