Page 17 of How to Avoid a Billionaire

“I’m not sure. I work late so many nights…”

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong? You sound sad.”

She straightened in her chair and pasted a smile on her face although her mother couldn’t see it. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Melanie Song Cai, don’t you lie to your mother!”

Melanie chuckled under her breath. Her mother might spend much of her time speaking in fluent Mandarin to her dad and his friends as well as traveling back and forth to Beijing, but she was still like every other mother, calling her by her full name when exasperated.

The truth was, Melanie had been feeling a little down. Ryder had walked out her door that last morning and she hadn’t heard from him since. Two weeks had passed, and she’d made the stupid choice to visit a financial news website and stumbled across a picture of Ryder and a leggy blonde. Of course the report had named the woman the CFO of some corporation, but there was speculation as to how far the two had gone to settle negotiations. Melanie didn’t regret how she had responded to Ryder’s insistence that she wait on him. He could hold his breath! However, it didn’t change the sadness she felt not seeing him. They’d had a lot of fun together, and sex with the man was explosive.

I guess it’s a good thing I’m not in love with him. The attraction would pass, and she’d find another lover. Simple as that.

“I’ll come to dinner on Friday, Ma.”

“Perfect.”

Melanie and her mother chatted a little longer, and then Melanie rang off with an excuse. Before she had a chance to get back to work, her cell phone rang, and her belly flip-flopped at the display. Of all people, Ryder called. She considered letting it go to voicemail. If she did answer should she mention the blonde? Then again, he didn’t need to know how his treatment affected her. At the last possible minute, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, beautiful. It’s been a while.”

“Oh has it?” She willed herself to lose the attitude. “I’ve been working on a new idea. Hanson has given me the opportunity to present my design to his boss, so I’ve had my nose to the grind. You had that business trip too, didn’t you?”

When he spoke, she heard amusement in his tone. “Yes, I did. I’m free now and I want to see you.”

She hesitated. “Like I said, Ryder, I’m really pulling in long days right now.”

“If you’re concerned about the blonde, it was business. Nothing more.”

She blinked. How would he know she’d seen the picture? “Your personal life isn’t my business.”

“Isn’t it? Weren’t we exclusive? I demanded it of you. Why wouldn’t I do the same?”

The man confused the hell out of her. She wanted to yell at him and hang up, to cut him off for good, but at the same time she wanted to draw him closer and hold on to him. Common sense said run, but a cravin

g to feel his hands on her body, to hear his voice, to lie under him was too strong to deny. She could enjoy him for the time being, couldn’t she?

“Angel?”

She shut her eyes at the endearment and pressed a flat hand on the desktop. When she spoke, she convinced herself she sounded unaffected. “Friday night. It can’t be any sooner. If that doesn’t work…”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Make it five, and bring a fruit basket.”

“Why—”

She disconnected the call and turned to her computer screen, heart racing.

Melanie grinned and reached to the backseat to touch the fruit basket. “You bought it.”

“Of course, although I don’t know why. Do you want to take it upstairs?”

She shook her head. “No. Did you buy it or did your secretary get it?”

He seemed surprised at her question. “Does it matter?”

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