The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) (7 page)

“She’s got a real stick up her butt today,” Candace said, shaking her head in commiseration. “What? It’s true,” she said, after I had shot her an impatient look.

“Why didn’t I know he owned Titan? Ugh, I feel like such an idiot. Did you hear how dumb I sounded? ‘
Why would you be visiting? You own Titan?
’” I said, mimicking myself ruthlessly.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I didn’t know he was a part owner either. Besides, who has time to keep track of all that corporate stuff when our little universe here is ruled with an iron fist by your mother? Actually, I think she’d take offense if you were to even question the fact that she’s not the supreme ruler,” Candace said. I knew she was trying to make me feel better.

“Still, what was he doing here?”

“Why don’t you ask him? He’s coming back round this way,” Candace said, looking over my shoulder.

I turned back around just in time to see Ryan heading our way. Thankfully, my mother was nowhere in sight and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry about earlier,” he said, stopping in front of my cubicle again. “I didn’t mean to drop in on you all so suddenly.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Candace eyeing us with barely concealed interest. “So, what did you think about the tour?” I asked trying to change the subject.

“Oh, it was nice,” he said, shrugging his shoulders blandly.

I had to bite back a smile at his obvious lack of enthusiasm. “That’s high praise coming from you,” I said.

“I try,” he teased back. “So, your mother has been telling me about the big anniversary bash for the magazine. Are you excited?”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started on that,” I groaned. “We’ve been working nonstop on that party and I’m pretty sick of it.”

“Sorry to hear that,” he said. “So, you’re going to be there?”

“Yeah I’ve got to work that night— basically making sure things run smoothly.”

“That’s too bad. I guess I’ll have to find another date to the party,” he said, giving me a wicked smile.

I didn’t even register his words for a moment and stared at him blankly. “Uh, yeah,” I finally managed to say after an awkward silence.

“Well, I’ll let you two get back to work,” he laughed, before walking back towards the elevators.

I sank back into my chair, buried my face in my hands and groaned. “Why do I constantly sound like an idiot around that man?” I asked.

“Because you like him,” Candace said bluntly.

I lifted my head up and looked at her. “Oh God, I think I do.”

Candace patted my back consolingly. “It’s all right. No one can blame you. He’s pretty much perfect and if you hadn’t already staked your claim on him, I’d probably be in danger of it too.”

“What am I going to do?”

“Just go with the flow,” she answered, simply.

I didn’t argue that it was easier said than done. I’d “gone with the flow” too many times before, living recklessly and without a care in the world. After getting burned one too many times, I’d finally learned to hold back when it came to matters of the heart. I’d always considered myself a hopeless romantic, but after Chad left, something in me changed. Maybe it was because I’d invested so much time and effort into the relationship, but to have that one go the way of all the others was like a slap in the face. Maybe there was something wrong with me after all, and my mother was right when she always told me I was a screw up.

“Don’t worry about it now. It’s not like he asked you to marry him,” Candace tried to joke after I’d remained silent.

“You’re right,” I managed to say. “I should be focusing on work anyway. There’s still so much I have to do before the party, and now I have to worry about the photo shoot on top of it all.”

I stood outside in the cold with a clipboard in my hand. My mother was adamant that her party run smoothly and any party crashers were turned away at the door. So there I was in my silk chiffon Givenchy gown wearing my LL Bean parka over it. It was unseasonably cold for April and my teeth chattered as I stood there with that damned guest list in my hand, the bane of my existence for the past several months.

I’d already had to turn away several reality stars and tabloid favorites from the front door. It wasn’t a job I relished, and their loud and angry protests as they were denied entrance only made the situation worse. Paparazzi were lined up right outside of the velvet ropes, gleefully snapping shots and filming video of all the arrivals and denials. I actually felt bad for the people that got turned away. You could see how desperately they wanted to get in and to feel accepted. But having lots of money wasn’t enough.

My mother prided herself on being discriminating and throwing the most exclusive parties for only the best of the best. It was why everyone was so desperate to get in. She had a certain talent for making people either feel like they were on top of the world, or like the shit on the bottom of a shoe. This was just another way for her to wield her power over people.

I remembered back to last year, when I’d finally gotten an invitation to one of her famous parties—the Eichendorf Gala. As a little girl, I had always dreamed of going when I grew up. I begged my mother for years to allow me to go, but she’d always say I was too young or too unsophisticated, and she didn’t want to babysit me all evening.

By the time I graduated college, I had all but given up hope that she’d ever let me attend. Even though I was her only daughter, I think she was particularly reluctant to show me off in public. She told me once that as her daughter, I was a reflection of her, so she wasn’t going to ‘trot me out’ in front of her friends and colleagues unless she was sure I was not going to embarrass her.

When I finally got the invitation, I couldn’t believe my eyes. That night was everything I’d ever hoped it would be. It was the night I met Chad. I felt a dull ache in my chest as I thought about it. At the time, I felt like Cinderella, finally being able to attend the ball. Everything was new and exciting and I was ready to take the world by storm. When Chad walked up to me and smiled at me in that disarming way he had, I really thought I’d met my prince charming.

Lily had warned me at the time to be cautious and take things slow, but I just brushed off her concerns.
What did she know?
I told myself. I was young, and in love, and I just knew Chad loved me. Why not jump in head first and damn the consequences? As usual, I’d been wrong.

I was so sure he was the one. We had hit it off right from the start and he even got my mother’s approval. It just seemed meant to be. How could I have been so wrong? I wasn’t even really heartbroken anymore. What really upset me was the thought that my judgment could have been so faulty. Was I destined to always pick the wrong men and end up alone?

I shook my head trying to brush those thoughts aside. Now was really not the time or place to be reminiscing about my failed relationships. It was only making an already bad situation even worse.

“How much longer you have to stay out here?” Candace asked as she emerged from the building and walked towards me.

I glanced at my watch and groaned. I’d already been standing out there for two hours. Most of the guests had already arrived, but there were still some stragglers. I’d been tempted several times to hand the clip board over to James the bouncer and head back into the warmth of the venue, but I knew my mother would blow a gasket if anyone not on her guest list somehow managed to sneak in. That meant I had to personally make sure that didn’t happen.

Scanning down the list, I cursed these late comers. They’d already sent in their RSVPs, so it would have been the height of rudeness not to show up. My eyes paused on one name in particular. I noticed that Ryan still hadn’t arrived. A part of me had been looking forward to seeing him tonight and was disappointed that he hadn’t showed up yet.

“Probably until the last guest arrives,” I said.

She widened her eyes in surprise. “That’s crazy. It’s freezing out here,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest tighter.

“Tell me about it,” I said.

“Here, why don’t you let me take over the guest list while you go inside and get warmed up,” she said, reaching over and grabbing the clipboard.

I didn’t put up any sort of a fight. “You mean it?” I asked.

“Of course. Fifteen more minutes out here and you might get hypothermia,” she joked.

“That wouldn’t be a good look,” I laughed. “Here you might need this.” I pulled off my parka and threw it over her shoulders before running into the venue and out of the frigid air. Once inside, I rubbed my hands together to get the circulation going again. It felt so nice to be in a warm heated environment and away from the glaring lights and flashes and inane catcalls from the paparazzi outside.

The first thing I did once I entered the ballroom was to flag down a server and grab a handful of whatever it was they had on their trays. I didn’t realize how hungry I was standing out in the cold, but now that I was inside, my stomach began to growl. I hadn’t eaten all day.

Just as I had shoved a couple of small canapés into my mouth, I watched as Ryan entered the room. On his arm was a gorgeous woman, tall and lithe with raven black hair that shone almost blue under the lights. The food suddenly tasted like sandpaper in my mouth and I had to swallow it in a gulp.

I suddenly felt the urge to go hide away. I didn’t want him to see me. He obviously wasn’t kidding when he said he’d find another date for the party. Somewhere deep inside, I thought he had been joking. Maybe it was naive or conceited of me, but I thought he was just trying to make me jealous. If that was his plan, it worked. It surprised me that I even had those feelings. It wasn’t like we were dating.

Ryan was occupied chatting with another couple, which gave me time to discreetly look them over. He looked amazing as usual in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. His hair was combed back and he wore a carefree devilish smile on his face. He looked like a throwback to the days of Clark Gable and Cary Grant—all old school glamour and gentlemanly refinement.

My eyes moved from him to his date. There was something about her that was familiar. Upon further inspection, I realized that I recognized her.
Cara Galanis!
She was exactly one of those people my mother absolutely forbade from attending. She was a famous socialite—her father was the heir to a shipping empire. She’d also been in the tabloids recently for starring in a sex tape. Even though she denied it, everyone knew she’d had a hand in leaking it to the press. I knew if my mother caught sight of her, she’d find a way to blame me for it.

It didn’t matter that there was absolutely nothing I could have done about it. As the date of one of the stakeholders in Titan, even my mother couldn’t deny her entrance. I felt my annoyance at Ryan rise. What was he playing at? Was he just looking to cause a scene?

I racked my brain trying to think of a way to salvage the situation and maybe keep my mother from finding out. That fantasy was shot to hell the moment I saw Jimmy Stone walk over and introduce himself to Cara. Jimmy was the biggest gossip queen in town and once he got done with her there wouldn’t be anyone in the whole building that didn’t know Cara Galanis was here.

Thankfully, my mother was nowhere in sight just yet. That bought me a little bit of time to do damage control. Perhaps if I went out and got Candace she’d be able to come up with a way to get Cara Galanis out of here? I turned around to head towards the exit when I ran smack dab into what felt like a brick wall. Two strong hands grabbed a hold of me to keep me from falling back. When I looked up, I saw a pair of ice blue eyes staring down at me.

“Hello Mel,” he said.

I pulled myself out of his grasp, ignoring his greeting. I was glad to see the smile slip from his face as he stared at me in confusion. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“You could say that again. Where’s your date by the way?” I asked bluntly. I was still annoyed with him.

“Been keeping tabs on me?”

“Hardly.”

“And yet you knew I came with a date?”

“It’s pretty hard to ignore when you show up with Cara
freaking
Galanis,” I snapped, finally losing my patience with him. “It’s probably all anyone is talking about right now. Did you bring her here on purpose, to thumb your nose at my mother? Cause I promise you, you’ve achieved your goal. She’ll do nothing but bitch about it and throw a fit once the party is over. And I’ll be the one who has to deal with it. So thanks for that!”

I looked up to see his stricken face and I instantly regretted my outburst. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I had no right to say that. I didn’t mean to insult you or your date.”

“No, you’ve got nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I’m the one who should apologize. I had no idea—I mean I didn’t think about what it would mean for you if I brought Cara.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, a bit deflated. “I’ll manage. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. I don’t know what’s gotten in to me.”

“Please stop apologizing. You were right. I did bring Cara just to get under your mother’s skin. I knew she’d be upset by it, but I didn’t realize you’d get blamed for it.”

“Why would you want to get under my mother’s skin?” I asked.

He waved his hand in front of him in careless dismissal. “Oh, she just said some things that rubbed me the wrong way and I thought I’d be petty and immature and get her back for it.”

“What did she say?”

“It’s nothing important,” he said.

“Please tell me what she said,” I insisted. I wanted to know what my mother could have possibly said that would get Ryan so riled up. He normally seemed so carefree and unruffled.

“She just made a suggestion about who I could bring as an acceptable date and I didn’t take too kindly to that,” he said.

“Ah, now I can understand,” I said.

“If I knew that she’d go and try to blame you for it, I never would have done it,” he said. He looked at me intently, almost willing me to believe him. And I did. I suddenly felt a little bit of my black mood lift.