Page 1 of Peyton's Price

Chapter 1

Peyton Carson craned her neck over the crowd, lifting her arms so she could pretend to be stretching.

I am not searching for Liam Tyler, she told herself. He was out of the country for the rest of the week, and he’d sent a card with his regrets. But she looked anyway. Some habits were hard to break.

But you will…any day now.Her childhood crush on him was over. Peyton had been telling herself that for a couple of years now. Someday, she was going to believe it…

“Here!” Maggie, Liam’s sister and Peyton’s best friend, thrust an ornately garnished cocktail glass into her hand. They were in the Caislean’s exclusive Camelot bar, a hidden speakeasy within the hotel. It had been designed by Calen MacLachlan, and it was opened as a special joint venture between him and the Tylers, the owners of the exclusive hotel chain where she’d worked most of her adult life.

Maggie had commandeered the hotspot for a surprise graduation party, inviting everyone they knew—literally. Peyton had even spotted their seventh grade English teacher dancing with one of the hotel’s concierge staff.

Her friend took a big sip of her own glass before standing on a chair. She lifted her glass in a toast. “To the hardest-working woman in town and my very best friend in the world—congratulations on your Ph.D.!”

Peyton had delivered her magnum opus to the computer science department yesterday. After sleeping twelve hours, she’d woken to the hotel’s masseuse waiting to give her the works. Once he’d finished, he’d said Maggie had organized an intimate dinner for the two of them to celebrate. Instead, she’d found the party of the year.

Feeling loved, Peyton laughed, standing and holding her own glass high. “Thanks. And to all of you, I can’t tell you how much it means you’re here—I’m done, bitches!”

There was laughter all around. Peyton chugged her drink, then held out her empty glass for a refill. Patrick, Maggie’s other brother, laughed and replaced it with an equally artful glass—a gin-based drink this time. Peyton didn’t even bother to ask for one with her preferred rum instead.

Forget that Liam’s not here.After four long years, she’d finally completed her dissertation in computer science, a Ph.D. she’d earned while working full time in the IT department of the hotel.

Calen and his wife Maia had set up an elaborate private party in the VIP room of the Camelot, one complete with a private bar and a mustachioed hipster mixologist. Some of her other girlfriends were here as well—Elynn and Sophia had flown in from the UK where they both lived with their doting husbands. Both were here at Maggie’s behest, with their men in tow, to help Peyton celebrate.

“I can’t believe you guys came all this way,” she’d cried when she saw them. Sergei Damov was also here, but he made his home in Manhattan, which was just a short helicopter ride away—a viable travel option for a billionaire.

The music was just loud enough, and the alcohol flowed. Peyton felt great as she danced and drank with her best friends.

“I can’t believe I’m finished,” she shouted from her spot in the middle of the dance floor, holding up her cocktail like a torch. Whoops and cheers came back from all directions. Maggie threw her arms around Peyton, almost sliding to the floor as her stilettos lost purchase on the tiles. Laughing their heads off, Peyton and Elynn caught her, helping her up so they could keep dancing their butts off.

Sometime after Peyton’s third cocktail, she took a break from dancing, collapsing in her seat at the head table. A hush fell over the room as someone come inside. When the music was turned down, Peyton twisted her head to see Sabrina, the hotel’s pastry chef, holding a cake lit by sparklers.

A chorus of ‘For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ broke out as Sabrina set the cake in front of Peyton.

“It’s chocolate and sweet cream—your favorite,” the chef said, before leaning over to give her a hug.

Peyton almost squealed. “I don’t care what flavor it is! Everything you bake is amazing.”

The Caislean only hired the crème de la creme. Everyone in the kitchen was the best at what they did, but Sabrina was exceptional. People from all over the East Coast came to the Caislean just to eat her desserts. The Tyler brothers had fended off more than one attempt to poach her.

Peyton had just finished cutting the cake when she felthispresence. Peering over Maggie’s head, Peyton spotted Liam. He walked up behind his sister, clapping with the rest of the crowd. Peyton’s heart stuttered and she flushed, beaming with joy. She should have been more circumspect, but she couldn’t help herself. He had come.

Liam spent most of his days out of the country, overseeing the construction of a brand-new hotel in Australia. The local government had been giving him trouble, and she’d resigned herself to the fact he wouldn’t be here for this—the most important day of her life.

“Congratulations,” he called over his sibling’s head as Alex patted him on the back. Calen came up on his left, greeting him as if he hadn’t seen him in years instead of days.

“Thank you,” Peyton said, a bit too softly for him to hear. Her hungry eyes drank in the sight of him as he leaned over and dropped a small box tied with ribbon in front of her.

She took the box, but she didn’t open it. That would happen later, in private.

Every time Liam left town, Peyton ordered herself not to miss him, but her heart still dipped and soared whenever he returned.

The low light obscured the rich mahogany of his hair, which he wore just a bit longer than was fashionable. His broad shoulders filled out his navy Brioni blue suit to perfection, but it was a tad rumpled. Peyton smiled as she realized that mean he’d come straight from the plane instead of stopping to shower and change like he usually did when he arrived home.

Appearances were important to Liam. He always said presentation was everything in the hotel business, so she was pleased he’d been willing to forsake his image to be here sooner.

Peyton’s smile turned brittle as Caroline Wentworth, Liam’s on-again/off-again girlfriend, appeared at his arm. “Did you tell them?” the woman asked, tipping her perfectly coiffed head at Liam.

Peyton’s stomach churned as Liam dipped to murmur something in his girlfriend’s ear.Why did he have to bring her?No sooner had Peyton had the thought, she regretted it. This was Liam’s hotel. He could bring whoever he wanted to the party.

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