Love Unbound: A Valentine's Day Romance Anthology

by Dee, Cassandra

Katrina shrugged, totally unconcerned.

  “Honestly, I have no idea what Nick does for a living. That’s the beauty of life,” she trilled. “He makes the money and I spend it. But Nick is a bigwig,” she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “He gets invites to every event, and I’m sure he knows Thorn,” she boasted proudly. “After all, billionaires always know other billionaires. There aren’t that many in the city.”

  A sick feeling of dread filled my stomach, nausea making it churn. But before I could get another word out, Katrina waltzed around the small room, doing an air dance.

  “Besides,” she added. “I think you should reach out to Thorn. What happened wasn’t so bad, Holly. Every couple fights. So yours was a little dramatic, sure, with you getting kicked off Elite Air and losing your job in one fell swoop. But you should get in touch. Billionaires are in short supply, you know,” she said to me reprovingly. “If you’re not on it, some other girl will be.”

  My heart contracted painfully. Of course, Thorn was highly sought after by all sorts of females. But my mind couldn’t get off its current course, the suspicion of betrayal foremost in my thoughts.

  “Kat,” I said taking a deep breath. “I know I’ve been down in the dumps recently, mooning on about Thorn this and that. But tell me,” I said seriously now. “What were you taking pictures of the plane whenever we we chatted via video? Why were you always clicking away?”

  “Oh that,” laughed Katrina, her giggle a little too high-pitched. “You know the reason. It’s because I want Nick to buy a plane too, so I figured if I showed how nice yours ways, he’d be envious and buy me one too. Keeping up with the Joneses and all that, remember?”

  My head nodded slowly, mind still clicking away.

  “But it was more than that,” came my slow words. “Even when it was just a hotel room, or when I was at Mr. Evans’s apartment, you were always taking pictures. Why? What was so interesting?”

  Katrina grew defensive then.

  “Because his place is so nice!” she insisted. “Thorn Evans lives like a king, and I wanted to show those pictures to my boyfriend.”

  “But even the hotel room?” I pushed, staring at her hard now. “Why would you need pictures of that!”

  “Okay, okay!” my buddy said, holding her hands up in the air. “You got me! Nick Ryver’s not perfect,” she admitted, rolling her eyes. “He should be treating me like a queen, but he doesn’t. Sometimes we stay in four-star hotels, or even three,” she said with a grimace. “I wanted to show him that you always got white glove treatment so that he’d do the same for me. Okay? Does that make you happy?”

  I nodded, but there was more to it than that.

  “It’s Mr. Ryver who wanted you to take those pictures, isn’t it?” I asked slowly. “He asked you to snap the photos whenever you were on video chat with me.”

  Katrina rolled her eyes once more.

  “So?” she asked belligerently. “What’s the big deal? A photo is a photo, who cares if he asked me?”

  And with that admission, the last puzzle piece fell into place.

  “Kat,” I said slowly. “You’ve been used. I’ve been used as well, and we didn’t even know it.”

  “What do you mean?” asked my friend, exasperation in her voice. “Trust me, I haven’t been used. Mr. Ryver has bought me so many things, he even pays the rent on this apartment,” she said, shooting me a pointed glance.

  “Right,” was my acknowledgment. “But Kat, you’ve been paying a price. You just didn’t know it.”

  “Of course I have,” she huffed again. “He’s seventy years old, Holly. You think I love being with wrinkled old dues who smell like moth balls? Of course not. But most billionaires are septuagenarians. You just got lucky, my friend, Thorn Evans is one in a million.”

  I nodded again.

  “But Kat,” I said. “You’ve been used. Me too. We’re just pawns in this awful chess game between powerful men.”

  This time, confusion entered the blonde’s eyes.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she snapped. “What the hell is going on? Are you insane, Holly? Too long indoors has done a number on your brain cells.”

  But I shook my head, refuting the idea.

  “No, it’s not that,” were my slow words. “We’ve been used, Kat. You by your boyfriend, and me by your boyfriend as well, although we didn’t know it.”

  “Please,” sputtered Katrina. “You’ve only met Nick once. How in the world is he using you?”

  I took a deep breath.

  “My guess is that Thorn Evans and Nick Ryver are competitors,” I said in one go. “We have no idea how or in what respect. But they probably have their fingers in a bunch of different industries. And the minute Nick realized that you were my close friend, he began setting you up.”

  “But how?” asked Kat, horror clouding her face. “How? I’ve done nothing.”

  “I know,” was my slow reply. “But that’s the thing. Thorn told me that there have been leaks within his company. Secrets getting out, and each of the leaks were traced to cities he’d been in. Atlanta. Dallas. Boca Raton, Florida. He suspected me of them.”

  “Oh baloney,” said Kat disdainfully. “Millions of people live in those cities. That’s a bunch of hooey he fed you to get you out of his life.” Her voice was cruel this time, slicing into my heart, but I made myself go on.

  “I didn’t understand it either back then. He pointed to my laptop, and specifically, to my laptop camera. Thorn said that I’d been passing secrets, stating outright that I was the leak. I didn’t listen back then,” were my slow words, “because I thought he was pulling reasons out of thin air to get rid of me.”

  “He was!” protested Katrina. “Making like we’re some top secret super spies? Please. We’re working class girls from Queens. How in the world are we on par with the Secret Service or the KGB? Please. This is just pure bullshit. He’s awful, Holly,” she said sympathetically. “You’re better off without Thorn Evans.”

  But I shook my head regretfully, almost unable to look my friend in the eye now.

  “No Kat,” was my quiet voice. “He was right all along. Like I said, we’ve been used by Nick Ryver, you and me both.”

  “What?” she asked, her voice scalding. “Get off your high horse, Holly. It hurts to be dumped, but don’t go around blaming my guy for your problems. He bought you your return ticket, don’t forget that.”

  I nodded.

  “All in the hopes that I’d get back together with Thorn so that he could continue spying.”

  This time, Kat lost it.

  “Whatever it is you want to say, just say it,” she spat. “I’m not afraid. Nick Ryver can handle you.”

  “He can,” I acknowledged with a sad smile. “And you too. Because like I said, we’ve been used. Nick asked you to take those photos when we were on video chat because he realized that Thorn leaves papers everywhere. Personal and confidential items,” I said sadly. “Documents that were stamped in red across the top holding business secrets. And when you had those photos, he probably took them to his tech department, and had the snaps blown up and scrutinized, thereby getting a glimpse into Thorn’s world.”

  “What a load of horse crap,” Katrina scoffed, her expression angry now. “So he asked me to take photos. But you know what? That was a long time ago, and Nick never even asked to see them. I was doing it because Mr. Ryver was thinking of buying a plane, but he forgot about the whole thing. He’s never seen your blasted Elite Air pics.”

  I nodded.

  “But didn’t he buy you a new laptop, Kat?” I asked slowly. “I swear, you told me that on one of your calls.”

  “Of course he did,” she said airily. “Nick wants me to have the best, and a new laptop is part and parcel of his generosity. He got me the best of the best, that’s why our video chats were always in high def.”

  “Did he give it to you wrapped? Still in the box and all that?”

  “Of course!” she huffed.
“Brand new! What, you think he got me a refurbished one? No way.”

  “No, it’s not that,” I continued, my words laced with pain now. “What I mean is that he probably bugged your laptop, Katrina. Every time you called me, he probably had a live video stream straight to his intelligence ops. So whenever there were papers in the background, or even Mr. Evans’s laptop, they were getting feeds of our chats.”

  Katrina exploded again.

  “But why would he ask me to take snaps?” she protested angrily. “If he had a live feed this whole time, why would he want me to take pictures?”

  “It’s just a cover-up,” I said, suddenly tired. “This whole thing about buying a plane was a cover-up for corporate espionage. He fed you that story so that you’d keep on chatting, taking photos while the whole time, you were being used as a mole. I’m sorry, Kat,” was my sorrowful reply. “We’ve been used, you and me both. It’s terrible but true.”

  But my friend wouldn’t hear of it.

  “No,” she said, menace lacing the word. “You’re the one who’s nuts. You’re the one who’s off the reservation, drowning in the deep end. You’ve gone psycho what with getting dumped and not seeing a soul for the last three months. You’re crazy, Holly, and you have two hours to get out of here. Nick pays the rent on this place, and there’s no way he’d let you stay knowing of these baseless accusations.”

  I nodded, but my heart was merely a lump of cold, dead coal in my chest. Because why did I care about Nick Ryver? The truth was I didn’t. These breakthroughs only made me realize what truly mattered – that in fact, Thorn Evans’s accusations had been right. I’d been an unsuspecting honeypot, giving away the billionaire’s secrets without even knowing it.

  And with that, I turned from my friend to pack, her growing hysterics ringing in my ears.

  “Wait until I tell my boyfriend!” she shrieked. “Wait until I tell Nick what you’ve said!”

  “Go ahead,” was my listless reply, throwing a couple shirts and pants into a ratty duffel. “Go ahead. He doesn’t care Katrina. Now that we’re onto him, it just means that this avenue for spying is closed. He’ll find another way. Nick Ryver’s been around for decades, and is an expert at this stuff. You and I just presented a novel opportunity.”

  “You’re saying that he just wanted me for information?” Kat shrieked at the top of her lungs. “You’re no friend of mine!” she hurled. “And after all I’ve done for you.”

  I stopped, looking up at my pretty blonde friend.

  “That’s not what I’m saying,” were my quiet words. “But I can’t be a part of this anymore. I can’t tell you what to do, or not do, but something here is rotted to the core. And I have to get out. Whether you stay is up to you, but for me, this charade is over.”

  And while my friend watched, steam pouring from her ears, I zipped up my duffel, slinging it over one shoulder.

  “Thank you,” I said, stopping by the door and looking into her flickering blue eyes. “I don’t blame you for what’s happened. After all, we’re eighteen year old girls, nothing more than pawns used by powerful men. But for me, this game is over.”

  And without another look, I made my way down the rickety stairs, stepping out onto the crowded, bustling street below. It felt strange, to be sure, once more in the world of people. I’d been sequestered for so long, that even the city air filling my lungs tasted odd, a mixture of steam, sweat and unbridled humanity. But it was worth it. The mystery had been solved and knowing the truth now set me free. Because I wanted to confront Thorn with my findings … and maybe, just maybe, we’d find a way through this.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Thorn

  It’s been a couple of long months, that’s for sure. Without Holly in my life, the world’s grown dim. People come in and out, lackeys reporting on this or that, but I’m not really listening. Instead, my head nods, my eyes focused on something in the distance, and the underlings scurry out once more, mumbling about this or that.

  It doesn’t matter. Gravity Holdings has been around for decades now. I have good people on staff, and they make sure this ship runs even if I’m only nominally at the helm now. Because Holly’s occupied all my thoughts, every waking moment filled with memories of the curvy girl.

  Suddenly, my secretary buzzed from the outside.

  “A woman here to see you,” said Annie in a quiet voice.

  “Who?” I growled, my tone uncompromising. People don’t usually drop in on the CEO unexpectedly.

  “Someone I think you want to see,” Annie said again, her voice insistent despite its low tone.

  And I shrugged because my secretary knows me well. She’s been with me for decades now and despite her busybody ways, I trust Annie’s judgment. So my head nodded curtly.

  “Show her in.”

  And when the door opened, the air in my lungs disappeared within seconds because suddenly, she was here. The beautiful brunette, ripe as ever, stood in my office, those brown eyes searching.

  “Thorn,” came that dulcet voice. “Hello again.”

  I couldn’t speak at first, a million emotions hammering through my soul.

  “Holly,” I finally managed in a choked voice. “What brings you here?”

  The brunette approached my desk, swaying with every step. Oh god, she was gorgeous. Unbelievably so, better than a thousand memories put together.

  “I have news,” she said in a low tone. “And I’m here to apologize.”

  Keeping my breathing even, I looked into those caramel eyes.

  “For what?”

  This time, she looked away, her gaze drifting to the floor to ceiling windows behind my massive frame. The view was amazing for sure, the Freedom Tower rising to the skies with the ribs of the Oculus soaring from left field.

  But Holly was on a mission. Those wide pools turned back to me, determined to be heard.

  “For everything,” she said slowly. “Every word you said that last day was true. The corporate secrets getting out from every location we were at. All that was true. But I didn’t know,” she added in a low tone. “I was being used, as was my friend Katrina.”

  “So you figured it out,” came my gravelly intonation. “You finally figured it out.”

  “It took three months to put things together,” she acknowledged. “And it was my fault. I fell into a deep depression, speaking with no one, shut off from the outside world. It was only when I saw that my plane ticket from Boca was paid for by Nick Ryver’s company, did I realize the scope of the wrongdoing. He set up Kat,” came her grim words. “He set her up so that with every call, we were being recorded. That’s how he got his hands on your business documents, zooming in with the latest technology. And I’m sorry, Thorn,” she said, her words quick now. “I had no idea. If I’d known, I’d never have let it happen.”

  I was silent for a moment, steepling my fingers in thought. But suddenly, Holly interrupted, her gaze shocked.

  “So you knew all this,” she whispered, eyes alight. “You figured this all out.”

  “Of course I did,” came my neutral tone. “We figured you were being manipulated by Nick Ryver. That guy’s a canny fuck, and he’ll go to any lengths, even if it means using two unsuspecting girls.”

  Holly paused, her expression stumped.

  “But if you knew I was being used, why did you blame it on me? If you knew I was an unwitting participant, why didn’t you reach out? Why did you eject me from the plane with nothing but my passport?” she asked in a hoarse, pained voice.

  And this is where it got hard. Because the emotions I’d felt were new to me. The initial suspicion that the curvy brunette had betrayed me cut to the core, making me double over in pain. And that’s what shouldn’t have happened. Corporate espionage? Par for the course. I’ve been at the helm of Gravity Holdings for decades now, growing it from an upstart into the behemoth it is now. We’ve seen everything under the sun, so we were prepared for the leaks. Hell, it’s nothing new.

  But what gripped me by m
y balls were the feelings I had for Holly. At first, pain wracked my very being when she was fingered as the traitor. But it shouldn’t have been like that. I don’t feel for women. I’m the one who uses them, and Holly should have been no exception.

  So her betrayal caught me by surprise. One, because it came from someone close to my heart. And secondly, because the female had somehow wormed her way into a place that hurt. It shouldn’t have been like this. Being a corporate titan meant that I’d insulated myself, and this was a massive breach to the wall around my soul. It meant that I’d failed in a major way, letting emotions tangle with cut and dried business matters.

  So like a robot, I’d excised the woman. I’d thrown her out of my life, unceremoniously booting her from the flight with nary a backwards glance. Except I’d been the one who’d miscalculated. My intentions of being one and done with the situation had gone massively wrong, and I’d thought of nothing but the brunette since that fateful day.

  And here she was now, looking at me with eyes filled with pain.

  “You knew,” she whispered on a choked voice. “You knew I had nothing to do with it.”

  “I knew,” came my low growl. “You’re nothing but a sweet eighteen year old girl. How could you have pulled off something like this, much less acted as mastermind? No, it was Nick Ryver the whole time.”

  And suddenly, the brunette stood, brown eyes flashing, curves quivering with rage.

  “So you knew, and yet you let me hurt,” she whispered, her eyes filled with anguished pain. “All this suffering the past three months. You knew and didn’t do anything about it.”

  Her words caught me by surprise. Yes, I hadn’t contacted her. I hadn’t reached out, that was true. But it was because I’d been grappling with my own emotions the entire time, trying to understand how this situation had gotten so out of control. Because it wasn’t the leaks that troubled my soul. It was the fact that I’d fallen for this girl, head over heels, completely taken unawares. And that’s what made me stop short.

  But it was too late because Holly rushed out of the office, running to the elevator.