Seduced by the CEO

by Barbara Dunlop

  “She’s been wanting a spa day,” said Riley, wondering why he was bothering to make small talk.

  “You mind if I come in?” asked Shane.

  The answer was yes. But fighting with Shane seemed like a reasonable distraction. So he stepped back. “Why not.”

  Shane entered, and Riley closed the door behind him.

  “Drink?” asked Riley, holding up his glass.

  “Yeah.”

  Riley headed for the kitchen, and Shane followed.

  He poured another whisky, not particularly caring if it was Shane’s preference or not. Then he handed Shane the glass.

  “Why are you here?”

  “Right to the point,” said Shane. He took a swallow.

  “No reason to beat around the bush. Do you want me to close my company? Leave the state? Have you changed your mind about fighting dirty?”

  “I didn’t know,” said Shane.

  “Didn’t know what?”

  “That Dalton was your father. That you were my brother.”

  “The hell you didn’t,” said Riley. “We talked about it.”

  Shane drew back, showing an admirable display of amazement. “When?”

  “Freshman year, high school baseball tournament. We were on opposite teams.”

  Shane’s gaze went off into space. “I have no recollection of anything like that.”

  “I called you brother and said we should talk. You called me a loser and a twerp and told me to get lost.”

  Shane seemed speechless.

  Riley finished his drink and poured another.

  “I couldn’t have understood,” said Shane.

  “Right,” said Riley. “It’s your story. Tell it however you want.”

  “Honestly,” said Shane. “I didn’t understand. I didn’t know. You think I’d ignore that all these years?”

  “You did.”

  Shane paced across the kitchen. “I didn’t. I don’t know what else to say. Did my dad know?”

  Riley set the bottle down with a crack. “She begged him to help her. He agreed not to fire her.”

  Shane swore angrily. He swallowed the whisky then marched over and poured himself another. “That’s why Ellis Aviation.”

  Riley didn’t argue the point.

  “I can’t say I blame you,” said Shane. “Have you done DNA? Why didn’t you come after some of his money? Even Darci came after his money.”

  “I’m not Darci.”

  “Fair enough. So, what do you want?”

  Riley didn’t even have to think about that. “Kalissa.”

  “I mean from me.”

  “You’ve got her right now.”

  Shane seemed to ponder. “I don’t see that happening.”

  “I don’t see me giving up.”

  “I don’t think I can let you hurt her anymore.”

  Riley set down the new drink. He really wasn’t thirsty anymore. “I never wanted to hurt her.”

  “So you keep claiming. Yet, it keeps on happening.” Shane snagged a kitchen chair, setting it backward and straddling it. “I have a proposition for you.”

  Riley folded his arms over his chest and braced himself against the counter.

  “Half,” said Shane. “Right down the middle. The DNA checks out, you get half of my interest in Colborn Aerospace, half ownership of the mansion. I’m keeping the penthouse, but I’m sure you can afford your own. And I’ll publicly acknowledge you, tell the world you’re Dalton’s son.”

  “Very funny,” said Riley, battling to keep his emotions in check. He couldn’t afford to take Shane seriously on this.

  “It’s not a joke,” said Shane.

  “What’s the catch?”

  “Catch is...”

  Riley waited for it.

  “You leave Kalissa alone.”

  “No.” The word all but leapt from Riley’s soul.

  “That’s my condition.”

  “The answer is no.”

  Shane rested his arm on the back of the chair. “Whether you mean to or not, you hurt her. Hurting her, hurts Darci, and I will do anything to protect Darci.”

  “Including buying off your illegitimate brother?”

  Riley’s emotions settled to normal levels. Yeah, this was Shane’s idea of a joke all right, toss him an offer he couldn’t accept.

  “Including that,” said Shane.

  “Forget it.”

  “You’re saying no to a quarter billion?”

  “The price is too high.”

  Shane came to his feet. “For Kalissa.”

  “I want her back.”

  Shane returned the chair and moved to stand in front of Riley. “I’ll hire an army.”

  “I know you will.”

  The two men stared at each other.

  “You know,” said Shane. “You look a little like him.”

  “I don’t take that as a compliment.”

  Shane squinted. “I think we both know what the DNA is going to say.”

  “It’s irrelevant.”

  “Maybe.” Shane stepped back and started out of the kitchen. In the doorway, he turned back. “For the record, that was a good answer.”

  “For the record,” Riley called to Shane’s retreating back. “I couldn’t give a crap what any Colborn thinks of me.”

  He reached for the glass and polished off the second drink.

  * * *

  Kalissa followed Darci up the compact staircase into the Colborn jet. They’d spent four days at the Glimmer Mist Falls spa, and she told herself she felt better. Megan had returned to Chicago after the first day to finish up Mosaic’s final jobs, but Darci had insisted Kalissa stay.

  Kalissa hadn’t been inclined to argue. She was missing Riley every minute, and she hadn’t been able to bear the thought of returning to the mansion or the penthouse. She wasn’t sure she could do it now, but she knew she couldn’t stay away forever.

  The co-pilot greeted them in the doorway, cheerfully welcoming them on board. Despite several massages and dips in the mineral pool, Kalissa’s muscles felt stiff and sore. She was trying to snap out of it, but her body felt heavy, and her head felt like it was packed in cotton.

  “Darling?” said Darci as she entered the plane, a note of surprise in her voice.

  Kalissa passed by the co-pilot to see Shane standing between the seats in the front row.

  “I came along for the ride,” he said, kissing Darci and giving her a quick squeeze. “Hi, Kalissa.”

  Kalissa mustered a smile. “Hi, Shane.”

  “How are you doing?” he asked, gesturing for Darci to take the window in a grouping of four seats around a small table.

  “I’m fine,” Kalissa automatically answered, moving to the seat facing Darci.

  Shane looked to Darci for confirmation.

  Darci made a rocking motion with the flat of her hand.

  “I’m better than I was,” Kalissa insisted.

  “Marginally,” said Darci. “I seriously thought about staying another day.”

  “We can’t,” said Kalissa.

  “You can if you want,” said Shane. He looked to Darci.

  “I want to get back,” said Kalissa, telling herself she meant it.

  She’d sat around long enough wallowing in self-pity. People got through heartbreak all the time. She’d do it, too.

  “Are you ready, sir?” asked the co-pilot.

  “We’re ready,” said Shane.

  The co-pilot secured the door, and they all buckled up.

  “Thank you for doing this,” Kalissa told Darci. Then her gaze took in Shane as well. “To both of you.”

  “You don’t have to thank us,” said Sha
ne. “The money, this plane, even the mansion are yours now as much as they are ours.”

  She’d heard it from Darci a dozen times. But this time, Kalissa didn’t let herself argue. It was time to accept her new life. In fact, it was time to embrace her new life.

  “I want to know how to help,” she said to Shane. “I can’t just renovate the grounds forever. I want to contribute to the company.”

  Shane smiled. “Good for you.”

  As the plane taxied toward the runway, Kalissa squared her shoulders, feeling ever so slightly lighter.

  “What about interior design?” asked Darci. “You’ve got a flair for color and pattern, and you definitely have an eye for utility.”

  “You mean, pick out upholstery colors and carpets?” asked Kalissa.

  “She means head up the interior design division,” said Shane.

  “She could job shadow Agnes for a few months,” Darci said to Shane. Then she switched to Kalissa. “Agnes is retiring at the beginning of next year. We have to find her a replacement.”

  “Maybe,” said Kalissa, wondering how she could possibly be qualified.

  The engines revved up to full power, and the captain released the brakes, sending them rushing down the runway. The jet was light and powerful, and it took off quickly, climbing up over the small town and banking along the river.

  “I went to see Riley yesterday,” said Shane as they leveled off.

  Darci looked at Shane in surprise, while Kalissa stilled. Her chest tightened up again.

  “Do we need to talk about that right now, sweetheart?” Darci put a wealth of meaning into her tone.

  Shane seemed to ignore his wife. “I have to ask you, Kalissa.”

  “No, you don’t,” said Darci. “You don’t have to ask her anything right now.”

  “What?” asked Kalissa. She was angry and heartsick, but she still found herself thirsty for news of Riley. She was in love with an illusion, and it was pathetic.

  “I made him an offer,” said Shane.

  “Of what?” asked Darci, starting to sound exasperated.

  Shane kept his focus on Kalissa. “Public acknowledgement that he’s my brother and half of my interest in Colborn Aerospace. Plus, rights to the mansion.”

  “What?” Darci all but jumped out of her seat. “Why would you make him part of our lives?”

  Kalissa had the same question, but it was none of her business, and she wasn’t sure she could speak right now anyway. Riley tied up with Colborn? Riley coming and going from the mansion? There was no way she could cope with it.

  But where could she go? Maybe leave Chicago?

  “There was one condition,” said Shane, his voice calm and steady. “He walks away from Kalissa. He doesn’t hurt her by trying to get her back.”

  “You bought him off?” asked Darci. She glanced worriedly at Kalissa.

  If possible, Kalissa felt even sicker. By lying to her and breaking her heart, Riley had convinced Shane to give him everything he ever wanted.

  He’d won, and she’d lost her heart.

  “He turned it down,” said Shane.

  “What part?” asked Darci, clearly confused.

  “All parts,” said Shane. “Everything. He refused to give up Kalissa. He said his birthright and a quarter billion weren’t enough.”

  Darci’s mouth opened, but she didn’t say anything.

  There was a roaring sound in Kalissa’s ears. It seemed like the jet engine was getting louder and louder and louder.

  “Kalissa?” Darci prompted, reaching to take her hand.

  “I don’t—” was all Kalissa managed.

  “He picked you over me. He picked you over Colborn.” Shane broke into a smile and gave what looked like an astonished shake of his head.

  “Did he not understand the offer?”

  “He understood,” said Shane.

  “Then why?” She couldn’t form the right question. But she also couldn’t stop a stubborn glimmer of hope.

  “There’s only one reason he’d do that,” said Shane.

  “Don’t tell me you trust him,” said Darci.

  Kalissa found herself holding her breath.

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far,” said Shane. “But I do know that he’s in love with Kalissa.”

  “You’re on his side?” asked Darci.

  Shane gave an unabashed shrug. “He is my brother.”

  Kalissa’s chest buzzed with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. She knew better than to hope, but she simply couldn’t stop herself.

  * * *

  Riley stayed at the Ellis plant on Sunday until the walls started to close in. Then he headed to the gym, working out until he was exhausted, going home to a very long, hot shower.

  He slipped on a pair of worn, gray sweats and padded barefoot into the kitchen, sticking his head in the fridge. He needed comfort food, maybe pizza or nachos or chocolate cake. He’d get lost in an action flick or three, then fall into bed and try very hard not to dream.

  He knew he had to pick up the pieces of his life, but it wasn’t going to happen tonight.

  His front doorbell rang, and he swung the fridge door shut. He was torn between ignoring the sound and wishing it was something to distract him—maybe one of his neighbors was having a party or a flood.

  It rang again, and he crossed through the living room to the foyer, opening the door.

  His brain staggered to a stop.

  Kalissa stood on his porch in a sophisticated, gold dress with cap sleeves and a short skirt. Her hair was done up in a braid, and her makeup was heavier than usual.

  “I bought this in New York,” she said apologetically. “I’m a princess now, truly part of the Colborn empire.”

  “No. You’re not.” He didn’t know what point she was making, but he knew it wasn’t true.

  “I’ve changed.” There was a challenge in her voice.

  “Not on the inside.” He could see past anything she wore, any hairdo, any amount of makeup. “You’ll always be you.”

  She moved through the doorway. Her expression seemed to relax, and she took in his damp hair, his bare chest and his bare feet.

  He wanted to hope, but he didn’t dare. Past her, he could see Garrison in the driveway. “Kalissa, what are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk.” She put a cool palm on his chest.

  “Sure.” He’d never refuse her, but he could already feel himself careening toward fresh heartbreak.

  “But I don’t want to talk.” She tipped her chin, gazing up at him with the most blatantly sensual expression in her eyes.

  “Kalissa.” He was only going to be able to stand this for about five seconds.

  “If you say the wrong thing.” She brushed her body against his. “Then I’m going to have to walk out.”

  He wouldn’t say the wrong thing. He couldn’t say the wrong thing. He swung the door shut behind her.

  “But if this is going to end,” she said.

  If? She’d said if. He clung to the word.

  “Then I want to make love one more time.”

  She was talking nonsense. But he didn’t care.

  He scooped her into his arms, heading immediately for the bedroom. It was an outrageous suggestion. But he wasn’t about to argue.

  He set her on her feet next to his bed.

  “Kalissa—”

  “Don’t,” she whispered. She stretched up, pressing forward for a kiss.

  He settled his lips on hers, raking his hand through her hair. But before it could get interesting, she broke away.

  His heart sank.

  But she stripped off her panties, tossing them aside. Then she yanked off his sweats and pressed down on his shoulders.

 
He sat on the bed. She slipped onto his lap, straddling his hips.

  “Once fast,” she told him. “Then again, really, really slow.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he whispered, putting reason on hold and taking control of their kiss.

  He made love to her twice over, communicating with nothing but touches, sighs and moans. Then when they were covered in sweat, and neither of them could move, he tucked her head against his shoulder and relaxed in complete satisfaction.

  This had to be good. This couldn’t be bad. Maybe they’d talk now, or maybe they’d wait until morning. Whichever it was, he had to get it right.

  His phone rang.

  He reached out and checked the number. “It’s Garrison.”

  Kalissa smiled.

  Riley answered. “Yeah?”

  “Over to you?” Garrison asked.

  “You can pick her up in the morning.”

  Kalissa stretched her arms above her head to grip the brass rails on his headboard.

  Riley let his gaze scan her tempting body. “Maybe,” he said to Garrison.

  “Talk to you then,” said Garrison.

  “Yeah.” Riley ended the call.

  “This is a nice room,” said Kalissa, gazing around at his furniture.

  “You look very good in it.” He wondered, if he barricaded the doors, how long it would take for someone to break in and rescue her.

  “It’s so normal,” she said with a sigh. “Do you think we could stay here?”

  “Yes.” If he had his way, she was staying here forever.

  She grinned, then sobered. “There’s something I didn’t tell you. And I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  The statement surprised him. “You have a secret?”

  She nodded. “It’s about Colborn.”

  His phone rang again.

  He swore.

  “It could be Garrison.”

  “Don’t move a muscle,” said Riley. “You look perfect exactly the way you are.”

  He put one hand on her smooth stomach and used the other to pick up his phone. The number was blocked.

  “Yeah?” His tone was impatient.

  “Is Kalissa still with you?”

  “Shane?”

  “She’s still there?”

  “Absolutely,” said Riley.

  “Okay, so here’s my new deal.”