Bedding The Billionaire (14 page)

He glanced around the room. It was tiny. A desk was
crammed up against the wall. A metal, three-drawer filing cabinet squatted in a
corner and two chairs sandwiched the desk. A coffee machine was the only other
piece of furniture in the room, and the desk had a small plant and a laptop
computer on it. The office was compact but clean.

Nick sat in one of the chairs, thrust his legs out in
front of him and closed his eyes. He might have to wait a while. But he didn't
care. He wanted some answers and he was damned if he was leaving without them.

Nick opened his eyes and stood. This was frustrating. He
glanced around and his eyes rested on the desk. A large yellow envelope was the
most prominently displayed thing there. There was nothing written on the front.
Nick glanced at the door, then back at the desk. The envelope was unsealed so
he could look at the contents without tampering with it.

He reached across the desk and picked it up, but
paused. Damn it, this was important. He'd been lied to, someone was trying to
set him up for something, and he had a right to know what was going on.

He flipped open the flap and pulled out three large
photographs.

Abbey's naked body was clearly recognizable, even
though her face was hidden in his shoulder. His face, and everything else, was
there to be seen in all its glory.

Nick's face heated up. A flash of red passed before
his eyes and his heart beat trebled. So he was right. He was about to be
blackmailed. But why? Who cared who he slept with?

The only possibility he could think of, was that
someone knew he was posing as Vane and wanted to prove it to ruin his company's
reputation. But why obtain photos of him having sex with a strange woman? That
was odd and didn't add up. It would make more sense to get photos of him at the
seminar wearing his Damien Vane name tag.

Damn. When he found out what was going on, he'd make
the blackmailer pay. But first, he'd start with Abbey and her friend Lucy.

Nick tossed the photos and the envelope back on the
table. He turned to the filing cabinet but it was locked. He rounded the desk
and rifled through the drawers but there were no keys and no papers to indicate
who Lucy's client was.

He turned his attention to the laptop. He switched it
on and waited impatiently for it to boot up. It was password protected. He
tried a couple of words, then realized he didn't have a clue about Lucy so
guessing her password was out of the question.

He let out a low growl and slumped into the chair.

The photos were clearly taken from a building across
the road from his hotel suite. The thought that someone had been watching them
annoyed him.

The thought that Abbey had only had sex with him to
set him up to gain incriminating evidence made his furious.

She may not be a hooker, but she'd still slept with
him to get money. It was all the same.

Nick shifted in the chair, tapped his fingers on the
desk and stood. He paced the room three times, considering what he wanted to
say to Abbey when he saw her, when two shadows darkened the corridor outside
the door.

Then the door rattled.

"Hey," came a female voice, Lucy's,
"someone's been tampering with my door."

***

Tarken put his feet on his desk and sifted through the
brochures he'd received from the software companies. When he came to Software
Solutions' brochure he sat up straight.

Damn that Vane fellow. He had a nerve speaking to him
that way today, as if he was more than just a software salesman. Tarken flipped
open the brochure and scanned it. It was as dull as the demo had been.

He threw it in the trash and returned his feet to the
desk, leaning back in his leather chair. After a moment's thought he picked up
the phone, dialed Abbey's apartment but got her machine. He left a message to
call him. There was a cocktail party he wanted to invite her to tomorrow night
for the seminar attendees. He wanted to get in before Vane did.

Vane. Damn him. Abbey was still
his
girlfriend.
He'd dazzle her tomorrow night, treat her like a princess and show her what a
nobody Vane was. It would drive the salesman insane with jealousy.

He picked the brochure out of the trash, located the
Sydney phone number and dialed. A chirpy receptionist answered.

"This is Tarken Pratt from JJC Pharmaceuticals in
Melbourne. I'd like to speak to your CEO please."

"Mr. Delaware isn't in the office today, can I
take a message?"

"Delaware? Do you mean Nick Delaware?"

"Yes. Is there anyone else here who can help you,
sir?"

Not unless they're high up enough to fire Damien Vane.

"No. When's Delaware back in the office?"

"Monday."

He hung up. So Delaware was the CEO of Software
Solutions. Tarken was impressed. He'd read about Delaware's rise to riches in
Business
Review Weekly
. The article had said he was one of the richest men in
Australia and he'd got there by sheer hard work and impressive financial skill.
There was no doubt about it, Delaware was an investment genius and not someone
to be crossed. The guy was loaded.

Good. Tarken should have no trouble getting Vane fired
if he started a few rumors about him. Something nasty about the salesman's
sexual habits. That ought to do it. Delaware didn't seem like the sort to want
any scandal getting about. It wasn't good for business.

Tarken's phone buzzed. "Mr. Goldstein's for you,
Tark," came Melinda's voice down the line. He'd asked her to temporarily
step in as his P.A. until the employment agency found a replacement. She wasn't
very good.

"You deal with him, I'm busy."

He hung up. Abbey wouldn't have even bothered him when
the boss rang. She always dealt with him. Goldstein liked her and she was good
at soothing his temper. Melinda needed to learn to do that too.

Melinda was going to be another problem. How was he
going to tell her nicely that she was a bad P.A., and that she was lousy in
bed?

***

Lucy shoved the door open, ready to pounce on the
unsuspecting thief on the other side. Abbey hung back to let her friend do her
thing. When she didn't and just shouted, "What the hell is going on
here?" she thought it was safe enough to peer over her shoulder.

"Damien! What are you doing here?"

He looked mad. Abbey could feel the vibrations of
anger emanating from his body. Amazingly, he kept his temper under control and
his face set.

But it didn't bode well.

"What the hell is this?" he waved an
envelope in the air and didn't take his eyes off her.

Lucy stormed into the room and snatched the envelope
from his grasp.

"None of your business," she said. Abbey was
glad her friend still had her wits about her, because she was finding it
difficult to think straight with a very mad, very sexy Damien Vane standing in
front of her.

"I think it is very much my business,"
seethed Vane, "considering I feature very prominently in your little happy
snaps."

"These don't belong to you."

"Let's call the cops and find out, shall
we?"

"Yes, let's. I'm sure they'll like to hear about
how you broke into my office."

His gaze shifted briefly from Abbey to Lucy, then back
again.

"Abbey, I want to discuss this with you."

Lucy stiffened. "I'm not leaving
—
"

"Lucy, it's okay," Abbey said. "I can
deal with him."

Lucy glanced from one to the other and sighed. "I
know you can, but I'll be just outside if you need me." She turned,
squeezed Abbey's arm and left.

Damien's eyes locked with Abbey's for a long moment. She'd
never seen him so angry. There was so much steam rising from his ears it was
amazing his head didn't blow off.

His eyes flashed like black fire at her, and the muscle
in his neck pulsed. He didn't waver, even as he took a step closer to her. Abbey
straightened and remained where she was. If he was trying to intimidate her, it
wasn't going to work.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He sucked in a deep breath. "I came to see
you."

Abbey threw her arms wide. "Well, here I
am."

His hand flew to his hair and he made a grunting sound
at the back of his throat as he ruffled it. "I came to find out what the
hell was going on."

He must be stupid if he hadn't worked that out after
seeing the photos. But she certainly wasn't going to make this easy for him. He
may be good in bed
—
damn good
—
but the bottom line was,
he was a creep who cheated on his wife. She had to remember that. She had to!

"You must have a fair idea since you're here and
saw those photos." She crossed her arms over her chest. He did the same.

"Why did you lie to me?" He nodded at the
photos that Lucy had put back on the desk. "Is it to do with those?"

Abbey swallowed. She could tell him the truth or she
could lie. Again. She didn't like it but the lying option was safest right now.

She couldn't tell him that Lucy was going to send the
photos to his wife so she could finally know for sure that he was cheating on
her. That would only make it awkward for Mrs. Vane and she didn't want to do
that. She was Lucy's client and Lucy had signed a confidentiality agreement. Besides,
Abbey didn't particularly want to unleash this man's anger on someone else, no
matter who she was to him.

So, how the hell was she going to explain this?

Damien's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. He pulled
her to him, her body almost touching his. Something sizzled in the pocket of
air between them. "Tell me," he growled.

Abbey jerked her arm out of his grip. How dare he
think he could push her around!

"Let me go!"

She jerked her arm free. And just because she felt
like it, she reached up to slap him.

But he caught her hand. For one long moment it seemed
he didn't know what to do next. Then his mouth twitched and descended on hers.

His kiss was fierce and hot.

Nick picked Abbey up and placed her on the desk,
sliding her bottom backwards. The envelope with the photos dropped to the floor
unnoticed and she bumped into the laptop. He reached behind her and thrust it
carelessly aside.

She lay down, legs dangling over the side beneath him,
as he bent over her body and continued his ferocious kissing, suddenly unable
to get enough of her.

She tasted good. Too damn good.

Abbey made a small sound of protest but he kissed it
away. Her body certainly wasn't giving him any negative vibes. In fact, her
body was inviting him to go further.

She undid the buttons on his shirt, exposing his chest
and shoulders. She caressed and stroked his chest, pinching his nipples and
rubbing his smooth skin. Her hips gyrated up to meet him, pressing against his
rock hard erection.

She looked tantalizing, spread before him on the desk,
just as hot for him as he was for her.

It took all his self control to hold back and not rip
her skirt off.

Instead, he pushed the skirt over her hips and
fingered the flesh at the edge of her panties. Smooth, warm. Inviting.

He bent to kiss the exposed flesh and she sighed, then
gasped as he moved upwards, thrusting aside the panties. Moments later Abbey
was panting, her arms flailing across the desk, groping. She knocked over a
pencil holder, some files and a bunch of paperclips.

She didn't notice. She was intent on her orgasm. Nick
could feel it rising inside her. Bubbling, ready to explode. Suddenly she went
very still, then her skin puckered into tiny goose bumps as she began to quiver
uncontrollably. She cried out and arched her body up to meet his tongue. He
stopped, unable to resist teasing her, to make the moment last, then as she
thrust herself up again, he brought her home, enjoying the way her body
convulsed in delicious spasms.

"Oh, Abbey," he whispered against her flesh.
He hauled himself up on the desk, straddled her and peered down. Her eyes were
closed tight, savoring the final throes of passion.

He reached down and undid the buttons on her white,
sleeveless shirt. He slipped his hand inside and brushed the warm skin with his
fingertips. When his hand touched a nipple, Abbey sucked in a breath through
her teeth. He smiled. Every pore of her was still sensitive to his touch.

Good. He liked her when she was like this. Lulled, yet
still wanting. He loved the way she melted into him, allowed him to hold her
and touch her as if she trusted him.

Nick's hand delved a little further, sliding under her
bra. He reached behind her and undid the clasp, then returned to her breasts,
the other hand supporting him on the desk as he leaned over her.

He rubbed one red nipple, took it between his lips as
it puckered and softly nibbled. Abbey moaned and arched her back up to him.