Page 68 of Seduced By You

“I told him what Benedict said. He’s looking into it.” He bit the side of his cheek. “We haven’t spoken about that night in years. I think he thought I’d buried it for good, and now, it’s being dragged up again.” He pursed his lips, breathing out slowly. “I’ve kept it hidden how much I’ve struggled, but it all came out, and he was so hurt that I didn’t feel I could talk to him about it.”

“You were trying to protect him.” A shot in the dark, but Kadon’s nod meant I’d guessed correctly.

“Yeah. When it happened, he was awesome while I fell to pieces. He’s been… incredible. I wanted to, oh, I don’t know, reward him in some way for supporting me by pretending I’d gotten over it and was moving on with my life.”

“And you can.”

“Not until I find Samuel.”

“Did you mention him to your dad?”

“Yeah. He’s got a few ideas, a couple of contacts, but even he admitted that if people don’t want to be found, and they have the financial resources necessary to carve out a brand-new life, then they may stay hidden forever. And that’s something I’ll have to deal with, to find a way to cope with the guilt but not let it rule my life.”

“I’m here for you, just like you’re here for me.”

He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “I know.”

The car slowed, then stopped. I peered through the window as a security guard made his way to the driver’s side. From what little vantage point I had, the setup looked similar to the Saint Tropez beach club, but a heck of a lot bigger with four manned gates guarding the entrance rather than only one like in France.

“This is our largest beach club,” Kadon said. “We have the capacity for a thousand guests at any one time. And we’re usually at or near capacity all year round.”

Goodness. A far bigger enterprise than Saint Tropez.Imagine being the VIP Operations Manager here? They must never sit down.

Kadon led me through the club, stopping to talk to a few people. He introduced me to everyone as his girlfriend. That would take some getting used to, but I couldn’t deny the little thrill of excitement that raced through me each time he did. I spotted major Hollywood stars, rock gods, and huge TV personalities lounging around on day beds, sitting at the bar drinking cocktails, and watching sports on the giant TV screens. I wasn’t a stranger to celebrity—some people might have considered me one once—but I’d never felt like a genuine part of that world. I’d hovered around the periphery, waiting for a chance to dart back to my hotel room, change into comfy sweats, and veg out. I’d never gone in for the whole party scene. It’d earned me a reputation as a standoffish bitch when the truth was far from that. Truth didn’t count for much in this world, though. Yet another reason I’d never regretted leaving it behind.

If only I could figure out what Ididwant to do.

I envied those people who had a clear vision from an early age. Like kids who, at five, announced they wanted to be a surgeon, or a teacher, or a lawyer. Okay, maybe not a lawyer. That would be one weird kid who had that as their dream vocation.

One thing I felt fairly certain about was that I wanted to help people. It washowthat had me flummoxed. I kept hoping the answer would appear, like a genie from a bottle.Ta-da!An apparition with the answer to world hunger, global peace,andwhat Annaleesa Sabine Alarie should spend the next seventy years doing.

“Did you always know this was what you wanted to do?” I asked Kadon when he settled us in his office with a cold drink.

“Growing up, it was made clear that my family expected me to play some part in running the Kingcaid empire. I don’t ever remember resenting the path I was born into. Gotta say, though, my dad picked the right business for me. Can you see me sitting behind a desk all day, pushing paper?”

“Um, Kadon, hate to tell you this, but youarebehind a desk, and if I’m not mistaken, that pile of paperwork needs your signature.”

He laughed. “Always a smart-ass. You know as well as I do that this business is about networking, building relationships, customer service, making the VIPs feel like they’re the most important people in the world, even when there’s a far bigger star two bungalows down.” He tapped a fingernail on the desk. “Which, by the way, you’re a natural at.”

The game he was playing stood out like diamonds nestled among coal. He wanted me to stay on as his VIP Ops Manager, yet now that we’d moved from friends to lovers, it was even more important to create a professional distance. We risked disaster by spending twenty-four hours a day with one another. Which made me figuring out what the hell to do with my life even more crucial.

“You don’t have to compliment me. I’m yours.”

“Even more reason to compliment you.”

He always knew the right thing to say. My frustration with myself ebbed away, and I grinned.

“Keep dishing out the good stuff and you’re gonna get laid tonight.”

He stood up, walked around the desk, and locked the office door.

“I never agreed to wait until tonight.”

Chapter22

Leesa

There’s a blast from the past…

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