Take me if you dare: Alpha Billionaire Romance (The Secret Matchmaker Book 4) (4 page)

I would talk with Jessie the next day about calling Asher for that follow up conversation. If anyone could talk me out of it, it would be her.

I was counting on her skills.

I felt like a complete zombie from lack of sleep over the last two weeks. I must have acted like one too and was about fed up with people asking if I was alright. I politely nodded most days, trying to get my game face on, but I knew I must be failing miserably.

The next person that asked was likely to get a fist in their face and a 'fuck no, I'm not'.

I pulled up to the country club and parked as far away as possible. I was grateful that I was just golfing with Carl that day. The other two wouldn’t have been able to just shut up and play a round of golf. They’d have drill into me until I spilled my shit, but Carl would just poke around a little and then leave me be.

He was my oldest friend besides Geoff, who I was really missing right now. Carl and I liked to pretend we were only business associates, and maybe we were, but either way, he was the closest thing to a friend that I had. I couldn’t help but think of what a great friend Lila would be—that is if she was speaking to me, and didn’t hate my guts for hurting her.

"Hey buddy." Carl smiled as I walked into the lobby of the club. His expression changed a little as he stood up and walked toward me. "Damn... you look rough."

I chuckled and shook his hand. "Thanks. It's been a long couple of weeks. Between the wife hunting and trying to keep my head above water in this sinking market it’s been—never mind, I'm just tired."

"I get it." He patted my back and nodded toward the green. "I already got us a cart. I was hoping like hell you had that pretty little gal with you again today. What was her name? Lila?"

"Yeah. She's back in her world and I'm in mine." I shrugged and held the door open for him.

The fact that our worlds felt like different planets, different solar systems even, had left me questioning my whole life. Nothing felt right, good or remotely exciting without the possibility of her being a part of it.

Most days it was a struggle to even get myself out of bed. For a while I had assumed that I’d just come down with something, but now I knew the funk I was in was a form of depression. Never in my life had I experienced something so screwed up.

I'd have no choice but to visit with my doctor and get on medication soon if something didn’t change fast. I couldn’t be so mentally absent from my business much longer without consequences. I’d tried just shaking it off, but I was still sinking and the apathy I felt for things once so important scared me a little.

"I thought she was looking for your best match or whatever." He got in the driver's seat of the golf cart and I moved to the passenger's side, plopping down with a loud grunt.

"She found her. The woman was beautiful, classy and smart, but I realized very quickly that I didn't want someone who
fit
into my life. I want someone with passion and fire." I shrugged. "It's all a big fucking waste of time anyway. I'm headed back to my nefarious ways as far as women are concerned."

"Oh no. I see what's going on here." Carl pressed the accelerator and the cart moved from the large building behind us down towards the first hole.

The scene before us was surreal, beautiful and full of serenity. Too bad I felt nothing but emptiness and exhaustion.

"Oh yeah? Share and let's see if you’re even in the ballpark." I got off the cart and grabbed my driver before heading toward the green.

"You fell in love with the matchmaker." He chuckled as I whipped around, shocked that he’d hit the nail on the head without even a clue.

"What? Why would you think that? That's ridiculous."
And spot on.

"We all saw the way you acted with her last time we were here, Asher. You've never once acted jealous over a woman in all the years I’ve known you. Your behavior that day was nuts, you were incredibly possessive...  to the point of fucking up your golf game and quitting early. If I know one thing, I know that Asher Harrington doesn't lose and he never quits, yet you walked off the course. Only a woman could get you twisted up the way you were that day."

I shrugged, not willing to open up just yet. "Shut up and let me hit the ball."

"Yeah. Good luck. I hope you hit it right on the head, just like I just did." He chuckled at his own joke and I gave him a look before hitting the ball with all of my strength. It sailed down the green and I smiled, feeling good about being out there.

I needed to release some of the pressure and stress that had built up inside of me. I wasn't used to feeling out of control and yet here I was, completely lost as to what to do or how to do it.

I hadn't felt something as strong as I did for Lila since I was in my first couple years of college, and even then, it was a silly infatuation, not love.

Never love.

I'd lived for the last fifteen years with a superficial outlook on life. I hadn’t felt the need to hold a woman at night, to protect her, to give her my heart forever. Lila had changed all of that.

Carl was right. I hated to lose and I never, ever gave up. In my current situation those two parts of my persona were in complete conflict. Lila had rejected me on multiple levels and yet I still wanted to persevere, to find her and force her to see how good we could be together.

"Am I right?" Carl walked toward me and gave me a cocky smile.

I sighed and shrugged. I couldn’t keep lying to Carl, or myself. "Yeah. I'm in love with her, and she wants nothing to do with me. I'm depressed and honestly there isn't much else to say about it."

"So go after her. She seemed like the catch of the century and I only got to be around her for a few minutes."

"I can't, Carl. She has someone else, and she lied to me. She made me think something was possible between us and it's not."

"She
made
you do something? I call bullshit. When’s the last time somebody made you do something? You saw what you wanted to see. That's not her fault."

I growled as he started to drive us down the fairway. "You don't even know what you're talking about."

"I believe I do. You're getting defensive already, which means I'm right where I should be. Stop acting like a dick and go after her."

"She has a boyfriend. Did you hear that? She's taken. Word on the street is that she's got a man." I was being a sarcastic ass, but Carl didn't seem fazed.

"Awesome. You love a challenge. Do me a favor. Tell my friend Asher to come out of hiding and go get the girl. This plastic asshole isn't you, and you know it."

I sat in silence as Carl walked toward his ball. He had a point. I felt fake and half put together since giving up on her.

"I don't want to be rejected again. I'm not calling her."

"Pussy." Carl wiped his putter on his shirt and bent over. "Do just what you would do with a client that you want … find a false pretense to get together with her, then make something happen."

I ignored him and waited until he was done to take my turn. It wasn't nearly as easy as Carl made it sound. He was married and divorced. He had checked his pride at the door years ago. Mine was all I had left.

The sound of him talking with someone caused me to turn and see who had joined us. A middle aged Asian man was standing with Carl, the two of them smiling and talking. I bent over and tried to focus, but it was no use.

Carl was right, I needed to see Lila. Badly. I was so scared I’d lost her forever that I was being a total idiot about it and had lost myself in the process.

I had a few leads on spas for her, but none of them would work for the new type of spa she was looking to build. A flare of anger at her for changing her mind roared through me and I forced it back down. I wasn't her man or her daddy. She didn't have to tell me anything.

It made sense in my head, but my heart wouldn't accept it.

I could call her and tell her about the places I had found and have a reason to see her, to check in with her. I needed to hear from her own mouth that she was sleeping with me while in a relationship with James. I needed to verify that she really was an adulteress. Then I could mark her name off my list and get on with my life.

What list? Fuck, she's the only one on it.

I missed the ball and let out an angry sigh before moving closer and swinging again. I missed again as Carl called out to me.

"Hey, take a break from letting me win today and come over here. I want you to meet an old friend of mine."

I forced myself to chill out and turned, putting a tight smile on my lips and walking toward Carl and his friend.

"Asher, this is one of my old friends and a partner in some of the investment properties I have. Kazu, Asher is a friend from a long ways back. He's an incredible real estate businessman and someone to keep your eye on. The man is in the running to rule the world." Carl laughed and gave me a kind smile.

Judging by his name, Kazu had to be Japanese and I made a mental note about it. He’d probably appreciate the fact that I was able to recognize the difference between a Japanese and any other Asian person.

"Asher Harrington. Nice to meet you." I shook his hand and smirked, gesturing at Carl. "What in the world would convince you to partner with this guy? He's as unstable as the current market."

Kazu laughed and shook his head. "You must be as crazy as I am then, to hang out with him." We both chuckled and he nodded toward the cart. "I'm playing alone today, but if you don't mind... I'd love to join the two of you."

"We'd love that as well." Carl motioned for us to come back to the green. "Asher, Kazu has a love of fast cars, collectibles and women as well."

I laughed and got on the back of the cart, offering our guest my spot next to Carl. "That so? If it's not a Ferrari, then I don't want to talk about it."

"Is there any other car to talk about?" Kazu laughed and I liked him immediately.

He had to be in his early-forties. By the looks of things, he prided himself on his physical appearance and had a great personality, unlike most single men his age that I encountered in the business world. Time sucked the life out of you and I was feeling its power too much lately.

"Asher, tell Kazu about your recent experience. He's getting tired of playing the field too." Carl turned to the Japanese entrepreneur and elbowed him. "Asher hired a firm here in town to find him a wife."

"And did they?" He turned to pin me with an inquisitive stare.

"They did. She was everything I asked for her to be."

"Why does this sound as if it didn’t work out in the end?" Kazu's lips lifted in a knowing smile.

"I fell in love with someone else along the way. Too bad she wasn't on the list of available women that fit my profile." I chuckled, trying to look unaffected.

I knew Carl wanted me to share more about Gisele's agency, but I wanted to know Kazu a little better before divulging too much. With my luck he would get assigned to Lila and fall in love with her too.

That was my luck to a T.

Despite our previous night at the club, Jessie and I both managed to get to the office on time the next day. It was almost the weekend anyway and Fridays were usually slow, but we couldn’t afford to be reckless, even though we were both sleep deprived.

After a quick morning meeting, Jess came knocking at my door.

"I had a blast last night."

I smiled, genuinely happy for her. "I saw that. I’m glad you had fun."

"But
you
clearly did not. It was supposed to be for you, Lila. You stayed alone at the bar the whole time."

"I'm completely in love with him, Jess."

She blinked several times, speechless for a moment and gently touched her chest. "Oh. Wow. This is serious."

I shrugged, not feeling down on myself for being in love anymore. I would get over it— eventually. "Yeah. It became really clear last night. I’m not the same person I was before I met him. He changed me. It's liberating in some ways, yet I'm not entirely sure what to do about it, either."

I flipped to my e-mails and pulled up his profile picture from the e-mail Gisele had sent when the contract first started. "I'm almost ready to swallow my fear and contact him."

"Do it. Tell him you want to do the follow up. Do it. Do it right now." She stood, her concentrated look almost intimidating.

"Hey, back off, crazy woman. What, you get
your
confidence back and now you're all aggressive?" I laughed and flipped to my contacts, pulling up his number. "Should I?"

"Yes. Do it. There is nothing to lose at this point, Lila."

"You're right." I hit the number before I decided against it. "Keep quiet."

My stomach soured and a million butterflies moved around in my chest at the thought of hearing his voice. I was going to melt into a puddle that Jessie was going have to clean up after the conversation.

God, I miss him so much.

"Asher Harrington."

I couldn't speak for a minute. Just the sound of his voice left me breathless. I glanced up in a panic as Jessie moved toward me and mouthed, 'What? Talk!'

"Hello? Is someone there?" He was all business, but I loved it.

"Asher. It's Lila. I’m sorry, I didn't hear you pick up." I sucked in a slow breath and fanned myself. It was highly likely that I might pass out.

"Hello, Lila. It's good to hear from you. How are you?" His tone shifted to something more personal.

My blood pressure sky rocketed. "I'm well. I was calling as part of our follow up procedures. If this is a bad time..."

He cut me off. "Not at all, but really, could we do this in person? I’d prefer it. You ran out so fast last time that I didn't get to properly thank you for all you've done for me."

I turned to Jessie and pressed the phone to my chest, whispering roughly. "He wants to meet in person. I think I'm going to be sick."

"No," she whispered back roughly. "You're not going to be sick. Tell him you'll meet him. Get close to him and rip the bandage off. See what's underneath. Maybe something still exists for the two of you. And if there isn’t, at least you’ll know."

"Lila? Did I lose you?" Asher's voice spilled through the ear piece and I jerked the phone back up.

"No. I’m here. I was checking with Jessie to ensure that I didn't have any other appointments this afternoon. I'm free to meet, but it has to be brief."

I rolled my eyes. Why did I say that? Sounding important was stupid and a big fat lie.

"Good. I'll text you the address in the next few minutes. Meet me there at two?"

"Two is perfect. I look forward to it."

"I do as well."

I hung up and let out a long breath I didn't realize I’d been holding onto. "Fuck me. He sounds so damn good. I'm not going to survive this."

"Yes you are. Come on, this is your chance."

"Should I tell Gisele?"

She frowned. "What? I don’t know, who cares? Lila, this is the man you love, not a client. It’s not about the agency; it’s about your happiness."

"You’re right. She doesn’t need to know."

"I’ll cover for you."

I stood up and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Come with me."

"What? No."

"What if he’s there with Sofia? What if they both want to thank me?"

A notification on my phone interrupted us, but instead of looking at it, I just stood there.

"Lila? This is from Asher and you know it."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a breath. I was so excited to see him again that the room was spinning. "Check it for me, please. I’m not feeling well."

Jess took my phone and read out loud. "The address is to a Japanese Onsen in the suburbs. What do you think he's up to?"

"I honestly have no idea, but a Japanese Onsen, it can’t be a coincidence, right? Maybe he's got a good deal on it?"

"There’s only one way to know, honey."

***

I made it to the Onsen ten minutes before two, but Asher's Ferrari was already parked out front. After checking my teeth and applying lipstick for the third time since leaving the office, I got out and walked toward the entrance.

My hair was down and I had on a little makeup, but not too much. 

He got out of the exotic car and walked toward me, his lips curving up in a sexy smile.

My stomach tightened painfully and I forced the sadness of losing him back down. "Mr. Harrington."

"Asher. Please. It’s not like we just met." He stopped in front of me, his beautiful blue eyes moving across my face. "You are breathtaking."

He reached out and started to touch the side of my face and my heart raced, but he suddenly let his hand drop. He averted his eyes to the ground. "I need to tell you that things didn't work out with me and Sofia."

My heart leapt in my chest and I blinked at him. I couldn’t believe it. I reached up and pressed my fingers to my lips as shock, or maybe relief, rolled over me. "What? Why?"

He looked up and smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing even started. I paid Gisele because it was the right thing to do."

"Does Gisele know this?"

"She does, don’t worry about it. I told her you did an amazing job." He slipped his hands into his pockets and his expression changed. "I found your note and I came straight back to L.A. to find you."

He came back to L.A. looking for me? Two weeks ago? What?

I started to feel butterflies in my belly when his next sentence nearly knocked me out.

"Gisele said you were dating someone."

I nearly choked. "What? No, that’s not true."

"I saw James leaving your apartment, Lila."

Horror rolled over me as I tried to stay in control of myself.

"Wait. You're throwing too much at me all at once, Asher." I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair as a hot lump formed in my throat. I was going to cry if I wasn't careful. "It’s not what you think."

"I know what I saw." He took a step toward me and I had to cross my arms over my chest not to reach out and grab him.

"You don’t know anything. And why did you wait so long to say something? Why didn't you come and talk to me right away? You clearly have a problem with communication."

He chuckled. "Me? You’re the one who left me a goddamned note after setting me up with some woman without even asking what I thought."

"You hired me to find her. It was my job."

He raised his voice and glared at me. "Fuck your job, Lila! Why the hell didn't you tell me you were still with your boyfriend? I never pegged you as the type to sleep around on a guy."

"Sleep around? I'm not with James. He slept with ten of my friends, then left town with my
best
friend over six months ago. He was there at my apartment picking up the last box of his shit before I burned it."

"Bullshit."

"Asher, I swear! He doesn’t mean anything to me. Since I’ve met you, I’m…"

I paused, unable to speak.

"You’re what?"

I’m completely obsessed with you. I’m in love.

"I’m a different person. A better person. Thanks to you."

My legs went weak and Asher closed his eyes, before sighing heavily. "Shit. I’m so sorry. I thought—"

"It’s fine."

"No, it’s not. He said—."

“Shh, don’t. It doesn’t matter.”

He reached out and pulled me close to him, making me gasp. Our faces were just inches away and I could feel the warmth of his breath. My eyes filled with tears. "Why did you come back? Why aren’t you with her?"

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine. I pushed at his chest, unable to accept anything from him that might destroy me farther.

"I need to know, Asher. Why are you here, holding me instead of Sofia?"

He whispered in a way that made my knees wobble. "Isn’t it obvious?"

"Just answer me. Please."

"Because she’s not you."

He released me, only to take my face into his hands. My heart melted and tears rolled down my face. "Kiss me."

He pulled me close and crushed his lips to mine, making me moan, releasing all the agonizing tension I’d been accumulating for weeks. After a long and emotional kiss that lasted several minutes, he pulled away and I rested my head against his chest.

"What a nightmare. I've been living in a fog for the last two weeks thinking I'd never see you again."

"Me too. But I’m here. And I’m staying."

I looked up, feeling protected in his strong arms. "Promise?"

He caressed my hair and kissed my forehead. "I promise."