Page 24 of Black Tie Billionaire
Nine
“When I agreed to meet you, I assumed we would go to another restaurant, not your home.”
Gideon stepped down into the recessed living room of his downtown Chicago penthouse and slipped his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo pants. Shay hovered at the top of the two steps leading into the room.
He surveyed his home, attempting to view it through her eyes. The dual-level,four-bedroom, three-bath condominium was the epitome of luxury with its airy, open-floor plan, floor-to-ceiling windows, game and media rooms, indoor and outdoor kitchens and private rooftop lounge that boasted its own fireplace. But it’d been the stunning views of the Chicago River and Chicago skyline from every room that had sold him. It was like being a part of the elements while protected fromthem.
He’d left most of the simple, elegant decor to his interior designer, but scattered among the gray, white and black color scheme were pieces of him, if Shay cared to look close enough. Next to the god-awful piece of metallic abstract art on the fireplace mantel that he’d never gotten around to tossing stood a framed photo of him with his family, including his grandparents, at last year’sMid-Autumn Festival in Chinatown.
On top of the white baby grand piano where his sister sometimes plucked out “Mary Had a Little Lamb” sat the guitar pick he’d forgotten to put away the night before.
Peeking from between the couch pillows was the ear of a pair of Bluetooth headphones that he used to listen to music with while working from home.
Yes, if she paid attention, she mightglimpse those hints into him. And part of him tensed with the need to go through the room and remove those clues from her sight. But the other half... That half wanted her to spy them, to ask questions. Which was bullshit, since their arrangement didn’t require that kind of intimacy.
He shouldn’t hunger for that—especially not from her. Not just sister to his enemy, but another beautiful womanwho didn’t want the real him. The last time he’d allowed a woman to enter into the space reserved for family, she’d betrayed that trust. Had left him so disillusioned, he’d vowed to never be that foolhardy, that reckless, again.
Only family could be trusted. Only family deserved his loyalty...his love.
Definitely not Trevor Neal’s sister.
“This kind of conversation deserves more privacythan a crowded restaurant,” he said, finally addressing her complaint. “Would you like a drink? Wine? Champagne? Water?”
“Champagne?” she scoffed, stepping down into the living room. “I guess this would be a victory celebration for you. But no. I’ll take a Scotch. This situation calls for something strong that tastes worse than the deal I’m about to swallow.”
Her acerbic retort had aninappropriate spurt of amusement curling in his chest. He squelched it, turning to fix her a finger of Scotch and a bourbon for him. Moments later, he handed the tumbler to her and silently watched as she sipped the potent liquor. Not even a flinch. His admiration grew.
When she lifted those beautiful hazel eyes to him, that niggling sense of familiarity tugged at him again. He cocked hishead to the side, studying her. What was it...?
“Can we get this started, please?” she asked, setting the glass on the small table flanking the sofa. She rubbed her bare arms, and the sign of nerves pricked a conscience he’d believed to be impervious. “I’m sure you’ve already guessed that I’m going to agree to your ridiculous plan. Or let’s just call it what it is. Extortion.”
“You havea choice, Shay,” he reminded her, sipping his bourbon.
“Yes,” she agreed, bitterness coating the word. “Sacrifice myself or my brother to the beast. That’s a hell of a choice.”
He shrugged. “But one, nonetheless.”
“You’re not really this cold and unfeeling. I know you’re not,” she whispered, her green-and-amber gaze roaming his face as if trying to peer beneath the mask he chose tolet her see.
Unbidden, the night of the blackout wavered in his mind. No. Those dark, hungry hours had proved he wasn’t cold or unfeeling. For a rare instant, he’d lost the control he was much lauded for. But those circumstances had been extreme, and she wasn’t a hardworking, passionate and fiery server named Camille. That woman had disappeared without a trace, filling in for another memberof the waitstaff, and not leaving behind a hint of her identity. She’d seen the man he rarely let anyone see.
One Shay would never witness.
“If you need to make up an idea of who I am in order to fulfill the pretense of falling in love with me, then go ahead. Whatever will allow you to deliver an award-winning performance for your brother and everyone else watching.”
“Everyone elsebeing Madison Reus.”
The accusation punched him in the chest, and he braced himself against the impact. By sheer will he forced himself not to react. But inside...inside he snarled at the mention ofher. The woman who’d taught him that love could be bought by the highest bidder. Who’d knowingly betrayed him with the one man he hated. Who’d shown him that placing his heart and trust in a personoutside of family was a costly mistake—to his bank account and to his soul.
He would never repeat that particular mistake.
“You must have loved her very much to go to such lengths for your revenge,” Shay continued when he remained silent. “That’s what this is all about, right? How dare my brother date the woman you were once engaged to? You’re punishing both of them by flaunting me intheir faces?”
He caught the threads of hurt beneath that calm tone. And in spite of his resolve to maintain his distance, both emotionally and physically, he shifted forward. She didn’t retreat, but instead tilted her head back to meet his gaze. Courageous. He hadn’t been expecting that from her.
Just like he hadn’t been expecting this inconvenient attraction. Even now, her scent—the fresh,wild lushness of rain right before a storm and roses in bloom—called to him like a siren’s lure, urging him closer, until his hard, solid planes pressed against her soft, sensual curves.
Though all common sense railed at him not to touch, he ignored it and reached for the thick strands of hair that fell in a sleek glide behind her shoulders. Pinching a lock between his fingers, he lifted it,indulged himself and brushed it over his lips.
