Take me if you dare: Alpha Billionaire Romance (The Secret Matchmaker Book 4)
Read Take me if you dare: Alpha Billionaire Romance (The Secret Matchmaker Book 4) Online
Authors: L.N. Pearl,S.K. Lee
Take me if you dare
The Secret Matchmaker Series Book 4
L.N. Pearl
Copyright © 2015 by L.N. Pearl. All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
***
Book description:
I should be proud. I did a great job and Asher has finally found the perfect woman: gorgeous, wealthy, educated and gifted with a bikini modeling physique. This is by far my best performance, and yet, I never felt so miserable.
I can’t believe I pushed him in the arms of the elegant and sophisticated Sofia. She’s everything I’m not and perfectly suited for him.
I thought things couldn’t get worse, but I was wrong. It was just the beginning.
Note
: this is the fourth book out of five in the series. Contains explicit language for a mature audience only.
I was done. Asher was in Dubai with Sofia, the woman we've pegged as his best match, and my relationship with him was over. Whatever had begun between us in the club more than a week ago had ended without so much as a bang.
"Literally," I grumbled as I tugged my bag over my shoulder at the airport baggage claim. I glanced around at the various passengers, most of them hugging or kissing someone who had come to greet them. But not me. I was standing alone. My life as a loner was back on track.
Having caught an earlier flight, I was back in L.A. several hours before my scheduled arrival and had told Jessie that I would get a taxi ride home.
After grabbing a coffee near the exit, I walked out to the long line of cabs and climbed into the first one I could.
"Where are you headed, Missy?" The cabbie turned and gave me a smile.
Nowhere, apparently.
I gave him my address and turned to look out the window, taking a sip of my coffee, and looking forward to getting home. It would feel good to be back in my own space, with my own things, and spending some time emerged in silence. This would help me to bleed out the sadness that sat so heavily on my heart.
I would get through this. I was tough and this wasn’t the first time I’d been disappointed with men. Not that big of a deal.
Then why do I feel so bad?
My thoughts moved from moments that Asher and I had shared, to the vision of him with Sofia. The woman was incredibly gorgeous and so well suited for him. They had gone to the races that morning, and there was no doubt in my mind that she’d been dressed to impress.
Between her wealth and her perfect bikini modeling physique, Asher was sure to be swept off his feet in no time.
My heart ached and I pressed my hand to it, wanting so badly to push him from my thoughts, but unable to.
"Here we are, madam." The driver turned and held up a small plastic sign. "We take all types of credit cards or cash. What will it be?"
"Visa." I worked to get my card out of my wallet and handed it to him before glancing out my window to watch a lady walking three unruly dogs down the sidewalk.
"Sign here please." He handed me the computerized pad and I signed, remembering my naïve thoughts that I might one day share his name.
Sofia was a jewel, a beautiful addition to Asher's life. I was like a wayward teenager, stuck in the body of a woman who longed for something that would never truly come. Love avoided me like the plague, something about me seemed to repel it. My next course of action would be work on toughening up.
I thanked the cab driver and got out of the car, pausing to shift my bag onto my shoulder before moving to the sidewalk. It was cool, but not cold. Perfect for a long run.
The laugher of a nearby couple caught my attention and I turned, watching them for a second before it was too much to bear. I walked into my apartment building and took the stairs without breaking a sweat.
There was no dog or cat waiting on me, and certainly no significant other or sibling. I was an only child, so being alone had always been okay with me. Until now.
The house was silent... too much so for my liking, but it was home. I dropped my bag on the floor by the front door and slipped my heels off before dropping on the couch.
"Honey... I'm home," I called out to no one. "What are you up to, Asher? Are the races over? Are you snuggled up on the penthouse couch with your new toy? Is she funny like me? Interested in exploring herself with you like I was?"
Tears burned my eyes and I forced my thoughts away. I didn't need this shit.
A soft knock at the door caused me to jump up. My heart raced at the thought of seeing Asher behind the door, flowers in his hand and telling me I was the only one.
Why would it be Asher? He's probably not even back from the races. Besides... He's not going to drop everything and come after you. You're not worth it. You did your job and found him the perfect woman, clearly it wasn’t you.
I opened the door and sighed, pulling Jessie into a warm hug before she could pull me into one. She kissed my forehead and moved back, her concern evident on her face.
"How are you?"
"I've been better, but I'm really glad to be home." I forced a smile and shrugged, before turning and walking back into the apartment. I made my way to the kitchen, flipping on lights as I went. "You want some hot chocolate or coffee?"
"Give me the sweet stuff." She sat at the small dining room table I'd wedged between the kitchen and the living-room. There was no formal dining room in the tiny apartment, but I hadn't rented it for the space. I’d wanted to be in a location that put me right in the heart of the action.
"How are you, Jess? Anything new going on?"
"We're not talking about me, but no, nothing new." She lifted her eyebrow at me and I chuckled. "Flight okay?"
"Yeah, thanks for starting with the easy stuff." I shrugged and worked on making our drinks. I held up a bag of marshmallows. "You want the goods or no?"
"Yes. Extra on yours please. You deserve to be pampered."
"I couldn't agree more." I finished with the drinks and handed her the large mug before sitting down across from her with mine. "I'm okay. I'm not good, and I don't think I'll be
good
for a while, but I'm okay. I made an agreement with Asher and it's my fault I'm sitting in the middle of this mess."
"Why did you set him up with her? You didn't have to go that far, Lila. At least not before you were sure of his feelings." Jessie took a sip of her drink and fussed with her unruly curls with the other hand.
"It was my job, Jess. I was hired to find his best match, and honestly... Sofia is that. She is everything I'm not." I let out a painful sigh and pushed a fluffy white marshmallow around the top of my cup.
"I doubt that. He was interested in you, and while his ways may be disgusting and quite unconventional, I don't think it's as simple as you're making it out to be. If you were just a fuck buddy, then why take you on the trip?"
"He likes to fuck on vacation?" I offered.
She rolled her eyes and gave me a look my mother would be proud of. "Stop it. He did more than most men who
were
in love would do. He took you out and showed you a good time, and cared for you. You said he didn't just screw you, but
made love
to you. Why? Why would he do all of that if he didn't care? Sure he is an asshole at times, but it always seems like that with very rich men, like nine times out of ten."
"Agreed." I took another sip of my drink and tried to think through her questions. "I'm sure he was just lonely. These rich guys are as human as any other dude with needs walking around on the street. It's probably more fun for them to go on an exotic date and treat someone like they matter sometimes. I was there, so I got pulled off the bench and put in as someone special for the evening."
"You're full of shit." She sat back, reaching up and pulling out her hair tie. "He has feelings for you."
"You don’t know anything about that," I snapped.
She paused and bit her lower lip, which made me feel guilty. Jess was just trying to comfort me. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"I… I’m sorry, Jess. I know you’re trying to help. I guess I’m tired from the flight and emotionally drained, so I’m being a bitch to you, the one person in the world I can count on."
She sighed with a smile. I was really lucky to have her as a friend. "It's fine. Let’s move on, okay?"
I nodded and she reached for her purse. "So I have good news, and maybe some bad news too."
"Start with the bad and let's end on a good note, okay?" I picked my drink up again, not really wanting any bad news.
"You’re not going to like this, but you’ll find out anyway. Apparently Asher's found Sofia compatible enough to pay Gisele's invoice."
Sickness rolled through me, but I stifled it. There was no reason to get upset. Asher had to pay Gisele for matching him with Sofia, right? It was part of the contract. I’d worked hard on his account and he owed my boss something for my time.
Much like my former client Craig, Asher could fall out of love or lust with his perfect match and be done with her in a week's time. Either way, the invoice was going to get paid, so it meant nothing.
Or did it?
Jessie cleared her throat. "Lila? Are you okay?"
I shook my head and forced a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I’m happy Asher and Sofia found each other."
She cocked her head to the side. "You don’t have to lie to me, honey…"
I held up my hand in the air. "What about the good news?" My voice was shaky and nearly broke from the tears building up.
Jessie pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. "Your cut is a lovely chunk of change. It should be enough for a deposit on your business location, once we find it."
I opened the envelope and glanced down at the twenty thousand dollar check. Excitement should have been the emotion that overwhelmed me, but numbness settled in instead. Money meant nothing.
Nothing like receiving payment to cover your sacrifice of hope for a future with the man of your dreams.
"Listen, I know the money won’t change how you feel, but it’s going to help you move on. You have to pursue your dream, okay? Don’t give up everything because of one man." Jessie squeezed my hand again and gave me a sad smile.
"Yeah. This is great news. It usually takes forever to get paid by these guys." I stared at the check, knowing full well that even this commission wouldn’t get me far. If someone with Asher’s connections couldn’t secure a good deal around here, how could I ever compete?
I should take myself on a vacation and hire a sexy pool boy to come along.
"I still think that Asher has feelings for you, Lila. He's probably just confused since you went through with setting him up on that first date with Sofia."
I glanced up at her. "I thought you said he wasn't worth my time."
"He's not, but I don't want you moping around here thinking that he doesn't care for you. He told Gisele that he and Sofia are doing well and the match was beautifully done, but he left a lot to be desired in his comments."
"It's none of our business." I touched my fingertips to my lips as another thought hit me. "Please tell me the guys in the office didn't place bets on them getting together. I hate it when they do that."
She blushed and glanced down. Shit. "They already did, right?"
She sighed and lifted a shoulder. "Don’t worry about them."
I shook my head and closed my eyes. "Such a bunch of losers."
"Several of the guys in the office are quite pissy about you getting such an easy client."
"What? Easy? He wasn't easy at all." I sighed and hated the thought of dealing with all of the office drama over Asher. The fact that Gisele actually came up with Asher's best match and I got the commission anyway wouldn't go unnoticed, either. One more thing to deal with.
Jessie glanced at her phone and jumped up. "Oh damn. I'm late. I have a meeting with Gisele. I'll call you tonight."
"Alright. Thanks for coming by and dropping off the check." I got up and walked her to the door.
She turned and pulled me into another quick hug. "It's going to be fine. Everything is. You’ll get past this."
"I know." I smiled and watched her go, hoping for a quiet afternoon and evening. I needed to get my thoughts together and figure out where to go from here. Living life as if everything were on-track and normal would be hard, but I had to.
I walked to my bedroom and changed out of my business clothes and into a pair of sweats and a tank top. I'd go running another day.
Another knock at the door had me smiling and walking back to see what Jessie had forgotten. I pulled the door open and gave a cheeky grin that quickly slid from my face.
"James? What the hell are you doing here?" I kept my voice as neutral as possible, but hate roared to life inside of me. The handsome dark-haired rebel had broken my heart so violently a few months back that just seeing him made my skin crawl.
He smiled, knowing that few girls could resist him when he did. "I wanted to pick up the last of my stuff. You still have two boxes of mine I think. Or did you burn the shit?"
"Get out of here." I started to close the door, but he pressed his hand against it.
"Lila. Let me come in and grab it and I'll be gone. I'm not here to upset you. I just have some personal stuff that I really need."
He lifted his eyebrows and gave me that look. "Please?"
I groaned and rolled my eyes, before letting him in. "Fine, but hurry up. I’m busy."
I walked toward my bedroom and he followed me. I turned around and glared at him. "Hey, where do you think you’re going? Stay here."
He held up his hands in the air. "Okay, chill. I’ll be right here if you need me."
"I won’t. I’ve moved on already."
I got into my room and paused before opening the closet. I waited for the pain of losing him to come back and overwhelm me, to cripple me where I stood. But nothing happened. It was definitely over.