The PlayLion Billionaire: A Paranormal Billionaire Romance (8 page)

“I would like to discuss the progress you’re making on the project,” Robert said. Olivia could hear the amusement, the desire in his voice.
One good thing about the situation,
she thought wryly.
I have never had better sex in my entire life.

“Should I leave a note for my supervisor that I’ll be in the conference room?” Olivia asked playfully.

“I think this meeting should be brief enough to take place in my office,” Robert replied. “Leave a note that you’ll be with me for about forty minutes.” Olivia smiled to herself, biting her bottom lip.

“I can do that,” she said, taking a breath and putting the handset down. She locked her computer screen and scribbled a quick note, saying she would be away from her desk in a meeting for an hour.

As she made her way to the elevator, Olivia considered the situation once more: the sex was wonderful, and Robert obviously cared for her. A little trickle of heat worked through Olivia’s body as she stepped onto the elevator, pressing the button for Robert’s floor. She blushed, remembering the way it had felt when Robert had pulled her on top of him, pushing her hips down as he thrust up into her.
At least if I’m some kind of freak,
she thought, remembering the sight of Robert transforming from a lion into a human,
I’m getting laid well and frequently.

The elevator chimed, announcing her arrival on the floor she’d selected. Olivia stepped off of the car, her heart beating faster. She knew without even having to ask that her meeting with Robert would have nothing to do with her progress on the project he had given her; she knew that he wanted her.
“Okay, sex at work, but only in your office,”
she had told him when he had suggested she give him a chance to prove that he was her ideal mate.

Olivia stopped at the door to Robert’s office, taking a deep breath. She knew that she wanted to have sex with him again, even with the lingering soreness in her arm and back, she wanted to feel close to him. She just didn’t know if she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. Her body tingled with the knowledge that Robert would likely begin to tease her the moment she walked in. She would have to hold back. Olivia took a deep breath and pushed down the rising sense of lust that coursed through her at the simple invitation Robert had issued. 

She opened the door and stepped through it, closing it firmly behind her. “I know you want to have sex with me,” she said with a little grin, taking another deep breath. “But we need to talk first.” She had to find a way to discuss the situation with him before she lost the ability to think, before she was overwhelmed with the ready lust that seemed only seconds away any time she was around Robert.

“We can talk,” Robert said, smiling slightly.

“I mean really talk,” Olivia told him firmly. “About—all of this. The whole crazy deal: you being a were-lion, me being your mate, me meeting your mom…” Olivia hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Me being abducted.”’

“Have a seat, Olivia,” Robert said, standing up from his desk and walking quickly to the couch.  Olivia followed him, trying to put her thoughts in order.

“Why was I abducted and who did it?” she asked him. It was the question that had been swirling in her mind, one that she hadn’t quite dared to make herself ask, ever since she had awakened in the hospital. Robert took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, holding her gaze in silence for a long moment.

“You were abducted by people who gathered around a man I expelled from the Pride when I became Alpha,” Robert said. “I killed Peter, and the rest of the Pride took care of the others.”

Olivia heard the coldness in Robert’s voice, and shivered. She had known, at least, that Robert had killed the woman who had been guarding her. But the way that he referred to killing the renegades told Olivia that he was not a stranger to killing.

Robert licked his lips before continuing. “They abducted you because Peter—their leader—wanted to take over my Pride. He thought he would ambush me.” Olivia felt a shiver work down through her spine as she heard a growling sound enter Robert’s voice. “He and the others abducted you so that they could draw me to the Pride’s territory and either force me to choose you or the Alpha position…or kill me themselves.”

Olivia pressed her lips together. She swallowed against the tightness she felt in her throat.

“So now they’re all dead,” Olivia said slowly, raising an eyebrow in query. Robert nodded to confirm that she was right. “Now that they’re all dead, everything is… okay, right?”

Robert looked away from her, taking another deep breath and exhaling it on a sigh.

“The people looking to take over my Pride from the outside are all dead,” Robert told her. “However…they found out that you were my mate. They would’ve had to discover that from someone inside my Pride. Someone inside my Pride betrayed me, and I don’t yet know who it was.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even know I was your mate; how could anyone else know?”

Robert shrugged. “They knew I was looking for a mate. They knew I was interested in you. They may have heard something from my mother about having found a potential mate and put everything together. The Pride, as a whole, knows I have someone in mind.”

“But only a few people knew it was me,” Olivia almost asked dully.

“I don’t know who does and doesn’t know. Obviously the ones who sold me out know.” Robert pressed his lips together. “As soon as I have the people involved, I will put them on trial and they will be executed.”

“How can you—I mean—you can’t just kill people and get away with it!” Olivia was shocked at the fact that Robert said nothing about turning them over to the police but then, she thought, her mind spinning, it wasn’t as though he could tell anyone about the circumstances.
“Yes, 911? I need to report that a group of renegade were-lions abducted my mate.” That would go over well.
“Won’t you get caught?”

Robert shook his head. “They simply disappear. Their family is the Pride, and the Pride is their family. No one reports them, or if they do, if it’s a friend outside of the Pride, nothing ever comes of it. It’s a great unsolved mystery.”

“How many people have you killed? How—how is this even okay?” Olivia felt her heart beating in her chest faster and faster as the implications stacked up in her mind.

“We don’t go around killing each other all the time. When I was challenged for the position of Alpha, I exiled the challengers rather than killing them.” Robert reached out and took Olivia’s hands in his. “But I am not about to make that mistake again. People who want to harm you are never going to get that chance, Olivia. You’re too precious to me.”

“You barely even know me!” Olivia protested. “You and I—we had a one-night stand, and then I worked in your company for a few months, but…we barely even know each other. How can I be precious to you when you barely know me?”

Robert smiled slowly. “Because you’re my mate.” He gave her hands a careful squeeze. “I know you’re my mate, and have known it since the first time we had sex. Before that, really—though I didn’t exactly make my decision then and there.”

“How do you know I’m your mate?” Olivia felt as though her heart might beat so rapidly it would come crashing through her ribs. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “How can you know something like that?” Robert sniffed at the air, looking oddly animalistic reminding Olivia of the sight of him in his lion form abruptly, attacking the woman who had been about to kill her.

“It’s part of being a lion,” Robert said. “You’re an intelligent woman. I’m sure you’ve heard of pheromones.”

Olivia felt the blood rush into her face.
Is—oh god, is he saying that I…smell?

“Pheromones?” Olivia asked. “I—pheromones?” She blinked in shock.

“Yes, Olivia, pheromones. From the moment you ran into me in the corridor, I was drawn in by your scent.” Robert brought her hands up to his lips and brushed a kiss against her skin. “You smell like something I want to devour and keep devouring for the rest of my life.”

Olivia felt her blush deepening, spreading down onto her chest.

“I’m not sure whether or not to be flattered. That’s…it’s a little strange.”

Robert chuckled. “Everyone has a scent,” he told her. “I have a scent, you have a scent, the receptionist has a scent—everyone.” Robert brushed his cheek against her hand, not quite nuzzling. Olivia felt an unexpected rush of arousal at the caress and wondered if she was going insane. “Your scent tells me that you’re perfect for me.” Robert pulled back slightly, meeting her gaze. “If you don’t want to be with me forever, that’s something we can discuss. But you did agree to give me a chance.”

“I did,” Olivia conceded.

“And even if you don’t decide to stay with me…” Robert licked his lips, “no one is ever going to hurt you again, Olivia.  I won’t let them.”

Olivia bit her bottom lip. “That’s—quite something,” Olivia said. The import of everything Robert had said suddenly weighed on her; he would kill people for her. He obviously wanted to kill the people responsible for her abduction. What she didn’t know—what she couldn’t decide—was whether she was okay with that. “I know you wanted to have sex,” Olivia said, smiling wryly. “But…I need to go back to work.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Robert paced the floor of his office after Olivia left, feeling the frustration gnawing away at his bones. He wanted nothing more than to go after her, to bring her back into the office and tell her not to be worried. He wanted to seduce her; just being around her alluring pheromones was enough to send a jolt of lust through him.
She talked to you about it,
he thought firmly.
That’s progress. She’s trying to understand. She’s trying to wrap her mind around things.
But there had been no mistaking the fear that had emanated from her in waves when he spoke about killing anyone who threatened to harm her and killing the members of his Pride who were involved in her abduction.

Things had seemed to be progressing well when she had met his mother a few days before. Robert remembered the way Olivia had sat down at the table, the way she and his mother had talked about their lives, their interests. He had hoped Olivia would see that were-lions were normal, that he was normal. Robert turned on his heel and began pacing once more. He could feel the change dancing along his bones, threatening to overtake him the moment he relaxed his self-control.  Robert took deep breaths, forcing himself to slow down in spite of the rage simmering in the back of his mind.

You have to give her time. You can’t expect her to just be okay with everything right away. She has to adjust.
Robert closed his eyes, breathing slowly and steadily. He had spooked her; it was his fault that she had become scared. Robert remembered what the elders had said about the fact that she was an outsider. It was going to be difficult for her, Robert knew. He cringed, remembering the look on her face as she had said, “You can’t just kill people and get away with it!”

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Robert’s thoughts. He strode towards his desk and picked it up, looking at the screen. It was Katarina. “What have you got for me?”

“Starting to track some things down,” Katarina said quickly. “I don’t have any definite leads yet, but I’ve worked out who knew and who didn’t know.”

“That’s good. Who knew?”

“Mostly people inside of the company, some people outside of it. Gossip, you know.”

Robert nodded. “Who didn’t know?”

“Excellent question. Has a complicated answer. Can I meet you for lunch or are you saving that meeting for your mate?”

“I have the feeling she’s not interested in having lunch with me right now. She’s…working some things out.” Robert clenched his free hand into a fist, closing his eyes and breathing slowly. Olivia being afraid—even if it was because of him—was enough to make him nearly lose control. He had to make her understand why she was so precious to him, he had to make her feel safe with him.

“You know where to meet me,” Katarina said. “I’ll bring Lex with me. She’s figured some stuff out too.”

Robert nodded even though he knew that she couldn’t see him. “I’ll be there.”

Robert took a deep breath and exhaled as he hung up. He had to think; what was he going to do to convince Olivia to stay with him? Robert slipped his phone into his pocket and looked around the office. He could understand objectively why she was afraid; what was a fact of life for him, taking care of his Pride, making sure anyone who risked the security of his Pride or his mate was eliminated, would be appalling to someone who hadn’t grown up in the same culture.

The bigger issue, Robert thought as he sent Olivia a text message telling her that he would be out for lunch, but that she could talk to him any time she felt ready, was that Olivia didn’t—couldn’t—understand just how precious she was to him and why. There was no real way for him to explain the pheromone response to her. She could objectively know her pheromones turned him on, but not being a lion, she would never know what that particular reaction felt like, why it was impossible to ignore. He would have to use his human side to appeal to her. He would have to reach her completely as a man and hope that in time she could accept the leonine part of his nature.

Robert got into his car and started out towards the restaurant where he had pre-arranged to meet with Katarina to discuss any leads she might have. He pondered the fact that she had said the people in the Pride who didn’t know were a complicated issue. How could it be complicated? Either someone knew or they didn’t know. He gripped the steering wheel, reviewing names in his mind. The members of the Pride who were his employees were in the easiest position to know about the fact that Olivia was his mate. They would’ve taken his meetings with her as courting behavior right way, particularly if they had smelled his pheromones on her after their fling together.

In fact, it seemed to Robert that for anyone to not know that Olivia was his mate would be strange. Everyone in the Pride talked to everyone else. He growled lowly to himself. People who claimed not to know were suspect, either they were not taking part in the Pride as much, and were therefore potentially aligned with the defeated renegades, or they were kept out of the loop deliberately.

Within minutes of arriving at the restaurant, finding the table where Katarina and Alexis sat, Robert learned that they had come to the same conclusions he had. “There are four people in the Pride who apparently didn’t know,” Katarina told him.

Alexis nodded.

“Alyssa, Matthew, John and Kayla,” Alexis said quietly. Robert exhaled slowly. Alyssa was distantly related to Peter, Matthew and John were brothers, not employees of his. Kayla worked for a subsidiary of Lowe Freight, not for the company proper.

“What’s your instinct on it?” Robert asked.

Katarina shrugged. “Kayla may have legitimately not known. She’s been out of the loop. Alyssa? She had to have known. Matthew and John…” Katarina shrugged again.

“What is your instinct?” Robert repeated. He looked at the two women. Alexis took a deep breath and exhaled.

“I say Alyssa’s the leak.”

“I think it might’ve been Matthew or John. But I don’t have anything on them yet. Just that they didn’t know and I can’t imagine how that’s possible.”

“How soon will you know?” Robert looked around the restaurant, thinking about the ultimatum from the elders. He couldn’t move on the information, couldn’t put whoever had betrayed him on trial, until he formally introduced Olivia to the Pride and incorporated her into the group. He wouldn’t be able to take care of it. “And what about the people in the Pride who did know? One of them could be the leak.”

“We’re still working that out,” Katarina said. “We should have more information—maybe even something definitive—in a couple of days. There are some things I have to wait to get to investigate.”

“Make sure you bill me this time, Kat,” Robert said with a grin. “Just because it’s for the Pride doesn’t mean that you have to absorb the cost. You know that.”

“Don’t worry,” Katarina said, chuckling. “I’ll forward you all the bills for getting the records.”

They ordered their meal and began to talk about the Pride in general. “What’s the situation with your mate?” Alexis asked.

“She’s still trying to adjust to the idea,” Robert admitted. “I know she’s an outsider but do you guys think…”

Katarina shrugged. “My cousin in Talitha’s Pride has an outsider mate, he adjusted to it pretty easily.”

“Yeah, but that’s adjusting to hot feral woman love,” Robert pointed out. “Not an Alpha male lion threatening to kill anyone who even tries to hurt you.”

“Ah, yeah, you would pick a self-determined woman, wouldn’t you?” Alexis grinned. “Can we meet her? Formally, I mean. I’ve seen her a bunch of times.”

“That might be good,” Robert said, considering it. “I need to incorporate her into the Pride before I can bring anyone to trial over this.”

“You saw the elders about it?”

Robert nodded. “It has to be by trial, and it has to be with Olivia a member of the Pride. No other way to do it without having the Pride taken away from me.”

“Hidebound sons of bitches,” Katarina muttered. “I’m also getting reports from different members of the Pride about the showdown, by the way. We’ll find out whose stories check out properly and whose don’t. But I’d like to meet your girl. If she’s turned your head…” Katarina grinned. “Imagine someone convincing Robert Lowe that it’s a good thing to settle down.”

“Yeah, laugh all you want. She may yet reject me.”

Alexis shrugged. “She wouldn’t be your mate if she was going to reject you.”

“Just because she’s my mate doesn’t mean she thinks I’m her mate.”

“Take her out,” Katarina suggested. “Take her out to something real. Let her meet some of the people we know are loyal to you. She’ll come around.”

“I hope you’re right,” Robert said, starting in on his entrée. “Everything is at stake. Not the least of which is my own happiness.”

“What have you told her about the situation?”

Robert looked down at the table. “Not much. I didn’t want to overwhelm her.”

“Get her comfortable, let her recover from being abducted and then give her all the facts. If she loves you, then she’ll know what she needs to do.”

“I can’t blame her if she doesn’t go along with it,” Robert said. “We…had a discussion earlier. She can’t understand why she’s so precious to me already. In her mind, we barely know each other.”

“So show her how well you know her,” Alexis said, smirking. “It can’t be that difficult. Show her how well you know her and let her fall into your arms.”

Robert laughed. “Get me the information I need, and I will figure out how to convince the woman I love that she’s the woman I love. We need to move quickly on this before anyone out to get rid of me decides to make another move.”

The two women held his gaze and nodded. They all knew that if someone within the Pride was disaffected with Robert’s leadership, that the death of all of the renegades who wanted to challenge him wouldn’t stop them.

*

Olivia’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her desk phone chirping. She glanced at the screen to see that it was the receptionist for the floor.  She hit the speaker button. “Yes?” Olivia said, frowning.

“Delivery for you, Liv,” the receptionist said. Olivia looked at the phone blankly.

Her mouth fell open.
Robert. It has to be Robert.
She shook her head. “I’ll be right there,” Olivia said. She bit her bottom lip, smiling in spite of the mixed feelings welling up inside of her: confusion, embarrassment and curiosity. She stood quickly and walked away from her desk, feeling the blood rush to her face and out of it. It was probably flowers, she told herself. She couldn’t imagine anything else Robert would send her, that anyone else would send her. Olivia took a deep breath to steady her nerves and walked out into the lobby for her floor. Looking around, she didn’t see a flower arrangement. Olivia frowned.

“Right here,” the receptionist said, standing up. Olivia forced herself to smile politely, pushing aside the confusion she felt. The receptionist produced a small, flat box with a card taped to it.

“Who delivered this?”

The receptionist shrugged. “One of those personal concierge services. Didn’t say anything other than that it was for you.”

Olivia eyed the flat box speculatively. The only person it could be from was Robert but she had no idea what it could possibly be.

“Thanks,” Olivia said finally, taking the box and retreating back into the office proper. She sat down at her desk, trying to decide how she felt about Robert, about the whole situation. When had he had time to arrange this? She frowned to herself, staring at the box on her desk. He had been out to lunch; she had received his text. Olivia had managed to absently eat something at her desk while pretending to continue to work, although she knew her next real progress report to Robert about the charity outreach program she was putting together would be compromised if she managed to waste any more time than she already was.

Just open the damn box,
she thought, rolling her eyes at her own uncertainty. Olivia carefully tore the paper wrapped around the parcel, extracting the card. If she had had any doubts that it was from Robert, the note on the card sent them completely away.
I know you’re still working on processing everything, but I wanted to do my part to show you I’m right for you,
it read. Olivia smiled to herself, shaking her head again.

She cut through the tape holding the small box closed and pulled open the flaps, taking a deep breath. Olivia looked inside and saw another small card, along with an even smaller box, and a pair of what looked like tickets of some kind. Olivia frowned and took the tickets out: they were for a play she had mentioned in passing to Robert that she wanted to see—it had been on tour when she had first started on the project he had picked her to work on. She laughed lowly to herself, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

The card inside the box was a confirmation of a dinner reservation for that evening, at one of the most expensive restaurants that Olivia knew about in the entire city. She laughed again to herself.
Well, if he is trying to sweeten me up,
she thought wryly,
he certainly has a good idea of how to do it. Geez.
She lingered over the box inside the box for a long moment before opening it. It had to be something small; the box was about the size of her hand. Her heart began to beat faster in her chest as she realized that it had to be a piece of jewelry of some kind. Olivia bit her bottom lip. Was she ready to accept jewelry from Robert? They had only started really seeing each other days before—in spite of what he had said about her being his mate.