The Billionaire's Secret (22 page)

Tonight he was going to give Lizette what
she needed and deserved: the truth of his feelings for her.

***

Lizette rolled over only to be met by cold
sheets next to her. Had she been dreaming of Jon again? That
wouldn’t surprise her, as he’d visited her in her dreams every
night since they’d met. Afraid to open her eyes and find reality
wasn’t as she hoped, she pulled the pillow over her head, trying to
smother the silence of the room. Her room hadn’t been quiet the
entire time she’d been in Tokyo. Why was it so silent now? Removing
the pillow, she forced her eyes open. A smile crossed her lips as
the realization hit her. It had not been a dream at all.

Throwing back the sheets, she got up and
searched the bathroom for a robe. Hanging by the shower was the
softest robe she’d ever felt—a bit large for her, but a robe
nonetheless. Leaving the bedroom, she was greeted by the wonderful
aroma of freshly brewed coffee. A table held a pot of coffee, one
cup, and fresh fruit. But that wasn’t what she was really looking
for. She had been looking forward to waking up curled next to Jon.
Since he’d risen before her, she’d settle for a kiss to start her
day.

She searched the penthouse and even the
balcony, but he was nowhere to be found. His clothes were still
there so he couldn’t have gone back home. She searched for a note,
but there was none. Obviously, he felt there was something more
important than waking up and spending the day with her. He had not
really explained why he was there in the first place. Yes, he’d
said it was because she was there, but what exactly did that mean?
He missed her physically? It was obvious they had sexual chemistry
off the charts, but for her, their connection was about more than
that. He’d never said he loved her; actually, he’d never said
anything even close. The truth was he had the money to manipulate
situations to get whatever he wanted, and right now that seemed to
be her. But how long would that last? A week, a month, maybe a
year? No, she wasn’t going to be his mistress, waiting around just
to be replaced one day.

She remembered the hotel manager had told
her they were double-booked. Now she was sure there had been no
issue with her room; Jon just wanted her with him. She had been so
happy to see him last night she hadn’t put two and two
together.

Then she remembered the phone call last
night, supposedly from the airlines, informing her the flight had
been canceled. Was that even true? She picked up her purse and
pulled out her plane ticket. She tried several numbers on the
ticket until someone finally answered.

“Hello, I’m trying to confirm my flight
today at one p.m. My name is Lizette Burke.”

“Yes, Miss Burke, we have your flight
leaving at one p.m. today to arrive in Boston, Massachusetts,
tomorrow evening at nine p.m. Is there anything else I can help you
with?”

“No, no thank you.” Anger boiled within her.
Another lie and more manipulation. Did he thrive on deception? Was
he even capable of honesty? How could he play with her feelings
like this? Couldn’t he see how she felt about him? Probably not,
because he didn’t feel the same way about her. The fact that the
connection was only physical on his part hurt deeper than her heart
and soul could take. No matter how sweet their time together was,
she had to end it now before it went any further. She had to take
back control of her life and show him he could not control
everything—not her or her feelings.

The clock read 11:30. She had to rush if she
was going to catch her flight. After a quick shower she threw on
clean clothes, grabbed her suitcases, and flagged a cab. She
arrived at the airport with just enough time to catch her flight.
As the flight attendant closed the plane door behind her, she let
out a long sigh. She made it to her seat and buckled her seat belt
just as the plane began to taxi down the runway. In a few short
moments she would be in the air and on her way home.

Back to . . . what? There was really nothing
to go back to. Yes, she still had her job at Another Chance, but
Jon was the company’s sponsor and was now paying her salary. No,
she could no longer work there. She dreaded having to give the news
to Elaine after all she had done for her, but in time she would
find another accounting manager. What would she do for work? Well,
at least she had a seventeen-hour flight to figure that out. Not to
mention what she would do with the rest of her life now that Jon
wasn’t going to be in it. It wasn’t going to be easy, but her
self-confidence had grown over the last month, and she knew
eventually she would be okay.

***

Jon opened the door to the penthouse
expecting to hear Lizette up and moving about, but the room was
quiet. Maybe she was still in bed. She had been sleeping so soundly
when he woke up he hadn’t want to wake her, even though he’d found
it very difficult to resist continuing where they had left off last
night. If she was still in bed now, he would be more than happy to
join her for a little afternoon delight.

Looking forward to seeing the sweet vision
he had left earlier, he opened the door to the bedroom only to find
it empty.
Maybe she was soaking in the tub.
He checked the
bathroom but found it to be empty as well. His heart began to beat
faster as he searched for her suitcases. His worst fears were
confirmed—the suitcases were gone. Jon went back to the empty bed.
Part of him hoped for a note on his pillow again. Something saying
where she went, why she’d left. After what they’d shared last night
he knew she loved him, so why did she leave?

Frustration built within him as he realized
he let her slip away a second time. Then he recalled what Drew had
said earlier. Women need to hear the words. Strange, because he’d
always thought actions spoke louder than words.
I guess that
doesn’t hold true for all actions.
There is one that must be
spoken as well as shown.
He wouldn’t make that mistake
again.

He looked at his watch and saw it was 1:30.
It was too late to stop her now. He knew exactly where she’d
gone—home. When she got there, she’d find him waiting for her, and
this time he’d make sure he made his feelings clear. He’d be there
for her, for him, for their future, because he loved her and wanted
to spend the rest of his life with her.

Picking up the phone, he called Matt.
“Change of plans. Have the jet ready for takeoff in forty-five
minutes. I want the shortest route back to Rhode Island. I will be
in touch on the plane, regarding further details. You can cancel
the reservation for tonight and compensate them for any
inconvenience. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jon had traveled light, so he was able to
quickly throw his things in his bag. Then he headed for the
airport. There were many things he enjoyed about traveling via
private jet—one was the lack of long layovers as the planes fueled
up. He confirmed Lizette’s flight was scheduled to be back in the
States tomorrow night around nine p.m. He should arrive by four
p.m. if all went well. Though he was tempted to meet her when her
plane landed and tell her exactly how he felt, he knew there were a
few things he needed to address beforehand. The first thing he
needed to do when he landed was see her parents, whom he had not
met, and formally ask for her hand in marriage. While traveling he
could make all the other arrangements he needed for one hell of a
welcome home.

Jon arrived at the Burkes’ home close to
four p.m. There was plenty of time to talk to them before Lizette’s
plane landed.

He normally wasn’t a nervous man. In fact,
he usually made the people around him nervous. It wasn’t the people
he was going to see who were making him nervous; it was what he was
going to say to them, the truth about the last few weeks. These
were things he should have said to Lizette, but that would have to
come later.

Getting out of the car, he went to the porch
and knocked on the door. If Mr. Burke decided to punch his lights
out, who could blame him? If he had a daughter, he’d probably want
to do the same thing.

A woman in her early fifties answered the
door. “May I help you?”

Clearing his throat he said, “I am looking
for Mr. and Mrs. Burke, the parents of Lizette Burke.”

“I’m Pattie Burke, her mother.”

“I was hoping I could have a moment of your
time.”

She looked him over and said, “Won’t you
come in?”

Here goes nothing,
he thought as he
entered. A man who looked to be in his late fifties joined them in
the foyer.

“You must be Mr. Burke.”

“Yes, I am Greg, her father. We’ve been
expecting you. It’s about time you made your way here. Let’s go in
the sitting room; I think we have a lot to talk about, young
man.”

“Yes, sir, I believe we do.” Greg gestured
for him to follow Pattie.

Greg turned to his wife and said, “Maybe you
can give us men a few minutes alone?”

She looked at Jon and then turned to her
husband. “Not on your life. She is my daughter too,” she said
firmly.

It looked like he was going to have to give
the Burkes the long version of what had happened with their
daughter. Mothers never accepted the short version. “Well, it
appears you both know who I am.”

“We do. We just want to know what you did to
Lizette to make her run off like that,” her mother said.

“I’m here to tell you everything and answer
any questions you may have, as long as they’re not too personal,
which I’m hoping you understand.”

“Let’s start with an easy one first,” her
father said. “Why are you here now?”

“Because I love your daughter and wish to
marry her,” he stated.

Pattie reached her hand out to her husband,
who gave it a supportive pat. Jon could tell that wasn’t what
they’d expected to hear. Lizette’s father said, “By the news on the
television and local newspapers, you two are already engaged. But
by my daughter’s actions, you are not. Which is it, Mr.
Vinchi?”

“We are not,” he admitted regretfully. “I
would like to explain the details of how this all came about.”

“Please do, Mr. Vinchi,” her mother
said.

“Please call me Jon.” They nodded and he
began to tell the entire story, from how he met Lizette at the
charity event four weeks ago to how he’d manipulated the details of
his sponsorship of Another Chance to bring her to New York.

“Oh, my, we thought she wasn’t happy about
going because she was nervous about living in such a large city,”
her mother said. “I even encouraged her to go!”

“Jon, I hope this gets better because right
now it sounds a lot like you took advantage of my daughter,” her
father stated sternly. “I’m sure you see how this would not sit
lightly with us.”

“Sir, I know how it looks. It wasn’t my
intention to hurt her. I had feelings for her even then. My mistake
was in not expressing them to her.”

“Can you please explain why my daughter
thought you were engaged?” Greg asked. “Why the world believes you
are engaged? If your engagement wasn’t real, why didn’t you correct
the press at that time? And why didn’t Lizette know it wasn’t
true?”

“Yes, sir, I can.” Jon told them how Lizette
had passed out in his office and what had transpired once she
reached the hospital. “I know it looks bad. Yes, I lied, but only
because I was desperate to get in that hospital room and see for
myself she was okay. They wouldn’t share any information with me,
and all I knew was how she looked when they transported her by
ambulance.” He paused because the memory of her lying on the floor
of his office, unconscious and unresponsive, still shook him. “I
couldn’t even think straight. All I knew was I couldn’t lose her. I
had to do something.”

Her mother sat quietly, watching him for a
moment, before asking, “Does Lizette know everything now?”

“Almost everything.”

“What doesn’t she know?” she asked.

“That I love her,” he said.

“Well, then I guess you’d better tell her,
before it’s too late and you lose her for good,” she said.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Well, she isn’t,” her mother said. “She
left two weeks ago. We don’t even know where she went. All she said
was she needed time. We don’t know when she’ll be back,
either.”

“She went to Japan to fulfill a childhood
dream.”

“Japan?” her father said. “All these years
and she’s still chasing her dream of becoming a Japanese chef?”

“Are you sure she’s there, Jon?” her mother
asked.

“Yes. I was with her a day and a half ago in
Tokyo.”

“Then why didn’t you tell her all this when
you saw her?” she asked.

I had every intention to, but then she
fled.
“It was a mistake I won’t make a second time. Her plane
is scheduled to land in Boston tonight at nine. That is why I’m
here.”

“She doesn’t live here, you know.”

“Yes, I know. I wanted to tell you the truth
about everything myself.”

“Thank you for that,” her father said.

“And I also would like to ask your
permission to marry your daughter.”

Her mother gasped, then began to cry. She
turned to her husband, awaiting his answer.

“You have our permission, Jon, but the final
decision will be Lizette’s.” He extended his hand to Jon, who
happily took it.

Pattie, on the other hand, got out of her
seat and gave him a huge motherly hug. Her approval didn’t mean he
was going to get the answer he wanted when he asked Lizette, but at
least he now knew her family would support her decision if she said
yes.

“I only have one request. Please don’t tell
her I’m in town. I want to surprise her when she gets home.”

“Jon, I hope you know what you’re doing.
Things don’t seem to have gone as you planned so far,” her father
said.