Page 26 of How to Avoid a Billionaire

Her jaw worked, but she spoke no more words. After a few stunned moments, she stood and turned away from the table. Ryder listened while she spoke with someone on the phone. “Yes, this is Shana Lewis. I was wondering if I could start the job sooner than the fifteenth. What do you mean the offer has been rescinded? No, I didn’t get the letter yet. You can’t do this to me!”

Melanie hurried to the front door on the second doorbell ring. She checked the peephole and wondered at the young man she’d never seen before. “Who is it?”

“Delivery for Ms. Melanie Cai.”

She hesitated and then opened the door with the chain on. The man smiled and held up his ID and a small package. She removed the chain. “I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“If you’ll sign here.”

She took the offered package and gasped at seeing Ryder’s name on it. “You’re a private carrier?”

“Yes, ma’am. You have a nice day.”

“Wait, let me tip you.”

“That won’t be necessary. Already taken care of by the Neyland Corporation.” He walked away, and she shut and locked the door, staring down at the package. What could it be? Her weekend with Ryder had been unbelievable. They’d had so much fun and talked about everything. For the fir

st time, she felt like he was opening up and really letting her get to meet the real Ryder. At the end, he had made no promises, but somehow she felt like they had moved to a new level in their relationship. Hell, she had been afraid to call what they had a relationship until that past weekend.

The envelope shredded on the dining room table, she drew out a narrow, black box. Inside was the most amazing necklace she had ever seen. A panther’s head made of diamonds, his nose onyx, his eyes sapphires, and tassels hung from his head, a mixture of diamonds, onyx, and sapphires. She checked the inside silk of the box and choked at the name of the jeweler where the piece originated. This was no department or mall jewelry store.

Melanie’s legs refused to hold her, so she sank into a chair. Her fingers shook as she handled the necklace. Where the heck did he think she would wear this thing and not feel like all the world knew its value? While she contemplated Ryder having too much money and whether she should accept his gift, she noticed the small white envelope in the bigger one. Several thoughts flowed through her mind at what he would say in accompaniment to the gift. She bit her lip to keep control of the happy grin. Platitudes of love? That wasn’t Ryder. Poetry? She almost laughed.

The words that jumped off the sheet were “remember our time together” and “move on.” She couldn’t make a sound. She couldn’t cry or cuss him out. All she did was sit there, for a full hour, staring at the wall while her fingers crumpled the note. He had used her, enjoyed her body. Now she knew his show of honesty was just a part of his game to throw her off and make her love him, because that’s what he’d done. He’d made her fall in love.

At last, tears swelled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She didn’t bother brushing them away but let them flow. A sob or two escaped, and she hiccupped as her frame shook. Time passed, and when the tears stopped but the pain continued, she rose from the chair and went to get dressed. She repacked the necklace and grabbed her purse then left the apartment. Uptown, she found parking and walked the short way to Ryder’s building. Would she still have access or had it been revoked now that he’d dumped her? She imagined he had done countless women the way he had used her, and some of them didn’t take rejection well. All she wanted was to throw his necklace in his face and tell him what she thought of him. Then she would never see him again.

To her surprise, the guard remembered her. He offered to call Jodie, Ryder’s assistant to let her know she was on the way, but Melanie said it was a surprise. She couldn’t believe the phony smile and the airy tone she’d used. On the elevator, she gripped the package in shaking fingers. Each ding of the bell made her wince. Her stomach convulsed, and she shut her eyes.

When the doors opened, she didn’t immediately move. A deep voice, so like Ryder’s, made her jump. “Coming out?”

Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at him. He looked like Ryder, but wasn’t as sexy, and his hair didn’t shine like Ryder’s. In fact, nothing of this man came close to her former lover except his easy smile, the same oily smile that was her undoing.

“Are you Christian?” she asked.

He brightened. “Yes. How do you know me, beautiful lady? Wait, don’t tell me. You’re Melanie. I should have realized.” He reached for her hand before she could respond, and he drew her off the elevator while he held the door open. His gaze slid to her hair, and she reached up to try to tame it. Ryder had claimed to love the texture and the disorderly nature of her mane.

Somehow she managed to chat with Christian as if nothing bothered her. He flirted and teased her, wholly insincere. She saw that now. Blood rushed through her ears, and butterflies held sway in her belly, making it tough to focus on Christian’s words, but she managed to glean that Ryder was out to lunch.

Melanie held out the bag she’d packaged the necklace in. “Please give this to Ryder.”

Christian seemed to get at last that something bothered her. “Do you want to wait for him?”

“No, just give this to him. Thanks.” She jabbed the bag in his hand and turned to leave. A second elevator was just arriving, and she hurried onto it before Christian could say more. Back on the street, she started in the direction of her car and then stopped. Handing over the gift to his cousin didn’t give her satisfaction. She wanted to shout at Ryder, smack his face, and humiliate him in front of whatever client he was seeing.

She marched down the street and soon came to the restaurant where Christian had said Ryder dined. After her eyes adjusted to the dimmer interior, she gazed around, leaning to see around patrons and restaurant staff.

“May I help you find your party, ma’am?”

She was about to answer the host when she spotted Ryder. All thought left her mind, every word she’d intended to say. He held the woman’s wrist and whispered something to her. Even as she bent her head forward, the curtain of silky chestnut hair covering part of her face, Melanie would have recognized Shana anywhere. Of course. That’s the type he’d said he liked at the beginning, didn’t he? The tall, long legged, model-thin type. She was the biggest bai chi of them all.

Ryder decided to return to the office. He wanted to clear his schedule for the rest of the day. When he strode into his office a few minutes later, Christian followed him in. “Well, she’s as beautiful in person as you said. Those eyes are different on a black girl. I see why you’re hooked. Curvy.”

Ryder spun around. “Melanie was here?”

“Yeah. She gave me this.” Christian tossed him a bag. “She seemed a little upset. Did you leave her bed too soon, man?”

Ryder opened the bag and peered inside. He recognized the jewelry box, and dread struck him hard in the chest.

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