Unbearable Passion - Total Abandonment: Billionaire Erotica Romance (Unbearable Passion series Book 4) (3 page)

My sister is incredibly beautiful. She has the height of a supermodel, the wild curly mane of an exotic beauty and the strength of an athlete, but her sexiest trait is her unshakable self-confidence. I don’t know who she gets it from. Neither of my parents have a shred of the confidence that dictates Ciara’s life. I guess her self-assurance attracts men who have illusions of being able to conquer her. No one conquers Ciara. She’d never allow a man to get that close.

“Sofia has told me a lot about you. I’m sure you must be very busy and I’m happy you could make it tonight,” he says, trying to remain detached.

“I’m lucky to love what I do, Bryce, so this never feels like work for me. Sofia explained what Justin has done and I’m happy to help repair his sins,” Ciara declares.

“Yeah, he’s a bit too arrogant for his own good. He refuses to accept the obvious fact—I’m the one paying the bill and the fixtures he put in our office aren’t the ones we had agreed on. I was willing to try them out and see if I could live with them, but they are butt-ugly.”

My God, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so radiant. Her blouse is incredible. I wonder where she bought it. Oh my God, is she not wearing a bra underneath it?

“Our grandmother would rise from the dead and smack me if I were walking around without a bra in public wearing a white blouse,” she says, as she meets my eyes.

It’s as if she’s read my mind. I’m so embarrassed and I’ve given Bryce another reason to devour her with his eyes.

This is going to be a very long evening.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t have to. I can feel your eyes burning through my blouse to find out if I’m wearing a bra or not.” She looks at me defiantly.

I lower my eyes, realizing I’ve made a big mistake. My insecurities are getting the better part of me and I’m unwillingly screwing things up for myself.

“Both of you look absolutely gorgeous. I’m a lucky guy to be sitting with two of the most beautiful women in the room.” Bryce tries to appease us.

“Bryce, my sister has been so secretive about this, but what kind of work has she been doing for you?”

The question catches both of us off guard, but Bryce is quick on his feet and confirms that I’m doing translation work for him because his French is terrible. “We started on a contractual basis, but I think we both quickly realized there was more than the initial arrangement I had hired her for and it’s far more than a work relationship now.” He places his hands over mine and looks at me with reassuring eyes.

“She’s a cheeky one. I’m her sister and she hasn’t even announced to me she’s seeing someone.”

“I was going to tell you, Ciara, but I just got back a few weeks ago and it’s been crazy helping Bryce get settled in New York.”

I’m stumbling over my words. I really don’t want Ciara to find out the truth—I met Bryce by being an escort at one of the top agencies in the city. She’d most likely never speak to me again and the news would kill both of my parents.

“I’m dying for a drink,” she blurts out, breaking the mood of this tense conversation.

“I agree,” he chimes in.

“I could use a drink myself,” I confess.

The conversation becomes lighter once our drinks and appetizers arrive. Ciara shares the tale of her latest conquest. If she stays with a guy for longer than four months, it’s a huge achievement. Neither my dad nor I have been able to understand why she feels the need to discard men like she does. I know she won’t admit it, but I’m certain she’s never been in love...well, not for a long time anyways. Oh, many men have passionately loved her, but I don’t think she’s ever allowed herself to truly fall in love with a man. My mother is quick to defend Ciara’s cavalier ways every time I broach the subject.

“Ciara, I’m hoping that later this week you could meet Vivian, my assistant, at my office and give her your expert opinion on these hideous light fixtures. If you’re as good as I saw at Betony’s and if you’re nearly as talented as Sofia suggests, I have offices in Silicon Valley, London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Peterborough. Most of the other offices are smaller satellite offices except for London and Dubai, but I’d love to create a better working environment for my employees with your help. I’m also well connected. I have no doubt you have your fair share of clients, but I know some pretty big players who would surely want to meet you.”

Oh, God, this is going from bad to worse. At this rate, she’ll be glued to his side for the next three years as she redecorates all of his offices.

“It’s a tempting proposition, Bryce, but I’m only willing to take on this work here in New York as a favor to my sister. I’m booked solid for the next twelve months. Since I’m travelling frequently to Germany for this new client, I’d have to see if I could get an extra team on board to work with more clients. Since we design most of our light fixtures before sending them off to Italy to get them produced, we can’t move faster than we already are. People who hire us want unique and a one of a kind creation. They don’t want Chinese mass-produced crap and right now, I’m pretty maxed out.”

They both lock eyes and I see how impressed he is at Ciara’s boldness. She has turned him down in such a suave way that even I am taken aback by her audaciousness. He has met his match.

Yeah, that’s how most men feel about her.

“I understand, and thanks for being upfront with me. So why don’t we start with my office? When would be a good time to meet my assistant?”

“I got a cancellation from a client right before leaving my office to meet the two of you. He has to deal with a few personal things and can’t make our eight-thirty tomorrow. Why don’t I buy you breakfast tomorrow morning at seven-thirty? I can have an early meeting with your assistant so I can be back at my office early in the day to start sketching designs for you.”

“Perfect. I don’t have meetings until nine o’clock so I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow,” he says before turning his attention to me. “Thanks, baby. From what I gather, I think Ciara will be able to surpass my expectations.”

“No problem, Bryce. She always does. She’s the best at what she does.”

“Oh, sis. I aim to please.”

I detect the playfulness in her voice as her eyes shift from me to Bryce and my blood freezes.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Chapter 3

The cab ride back to my home is excruciating. Bryce can’t stop thanking me for introducing me to Ciara. He’s talking about how excited he is to be able to sort this situation around his light fixtures. Why is the president of a multi-billion-dollar company concerning himself with lights? It doesn’t make sense. Bryce is simply curious and he wants to spend more time getting to know Ciara.

The minute I close the door to my place, he pounces on me like a tiger ready to rip my clothes off. I’m confused by the desire I read in his eyes and I wonder how much of it has to do with Ciara. For the first time since meeting Bryce I gently push him away.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I have bad stomach cramps. I think it’s that time of the month,” I lie.

“I’m not afraid of a little blood and we can do it in the shower,” he counterattacks.

“It’s not so much the blood. I have a brutal headache, my back is aching and my stomach is killing me. I’m not feeling well at all.”

“Hey, no problem, baby. I didn’t realize you weren’t doing well. You didn’t seem in pain at the restaurant.”

“I didn’t want to rush the meeting, but I’ve been feeling this way for hours.”

“Let’s go to bed and I’ll hold you to make you feel better.”

Having him by my side is the best gift I could have asked for, but it’s unfortunately another sleepless night for me as I count the hours until Ciara has Bryce all to herself.

***

When he gets up, I look at the clock. It’s six in the morning. I must have dozed off at around four fifteen or so, but I spent most of the night worrying and listening to him sleep.

I keep my eyes closed to avoid getting into a conversation about his meeting with my sister. His lips brush my forehead and soon after, the door closes behind him. I can almost count his steps as he makes his way to his chauffeured Benz.

I pull the covers away and slide out of bed, totally drained. I grab a quick breakfast, jump into my gym clothes and decide to forget about my worries by sweating it on a spin bike.

Ninety minutes later, I realize this was exactly what I needed. My worries have faded away and I’m able to believe that Bryce loves me and that love can withstand Ciara’s charms.

After a quick shower and a second breakfast, I spend time looking at a few of the contacts Bryce gave me to help replace my former generous income as an escort. He’s pulled some strings to get me some incredible opportunities and I figure why not get start moving in a new direction now that we’re officially
together?

As I’m doing a few online searches to get a better understanding of some of the companies Bryce has suggested, my phone rings. I check the number and quickly pick up.

“My breakfast with your sister was worth my time. She’s one smart woman. I’m not surprised she’s booked for the next twelve months, but it seems her meeting with my assistant went well and she agreed to take on the contract. Ciara has already appointed a member of her staff who will work closely with one of our office managers to transform the office into something presentable. She’s so sharp. She had her assistant meet Robin, our office manager, and the work starts next week.”

“I’m happy Ciara will be able to help you out. She doesn’t waste people’s time and she’s so precise in her thinking. She sees a room and knows instantly what needs to be done,” I say, relieved to hear Ciara won’t have as much contact as I feared with Bryce.

“How’s your morning so far?”

“Good. I got back from the gym a few hours ago and I’m looking at some of the options you’re suggesting to replace the work I was doing for Todd.”

“Take your time. Don’t rush. Find something you’ll love.”

“To be honest, all of these look exciting, but I really just want my real estate development company back,” I say, as I try to hold back the tears. 

“I’ll order a nice catered dinner for tonight and we’ll sit at your place and you can tell me the story of how you lost your company. I know I said I wasn’t going to pressure you, but I can’t help you if I don’t know the facts. If you want your former company back, let’s build it back from the ground up—after we catch the bad guys who destroyed your company.”

I’m silenced by his words. I’m not quite sure I’m ready to open up, but the alternative is to continue doing work I’m not passionate about.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m here. Okay, let’s do it. I’ll share the tragic story that led me to work for Todd,” I say, swallowing my fear.

Soon after Bryce arrives at my home, the doorbell rings and a deliveryman holding several bags of food greets me.

“Hello. Where can I put these?” he asks, weighted down by our meal.

“Oh, let me help you. The kitchen is over here.”

I wait for the deliveryman to disappear before peeking into the containers. Each container smells more succulent than the last.

“This is quite the spread,” I say, as I take stock of all the food Bryce has ordered.

“I decided to order enough for the next few days. I want you to have time to focus on getting your company back. I don’t want you to worry about feeding me.”

The food is outstanding and I can’t help but compare it to Ciara’s cooking. I’ve always thought she could have been one of the top ten caterers in the city, but she’s always insisted that cooking isn’t challenging enough for her.

We pair our meal with a bottle of wine as we enjoy our time together. I’m about to get up to start tidying the kitchen when he jumps up and declares, “I ordered this catered meal so that you wouldn’t have any work to do. I’ll put the plates in the sink, place the containers of food in the fridge and you can spend more time planning out how we’re going to get your company back.”

“You’re seriously going to put all this away?”

“Of course! I’m not the best cook—well, I really can’t cook and should never be allowed near a kitchen—but I’m an expert at putting containers of food in the fridge and stacking up plates in the sink,” he says, as he makes his way to the kitchen.

He comes back into the room with two glasses and an unopened bottle of red wine. He sits next to me, serves the wine, sinks back into the couch, kicks his feet up on the coffee table and turns his attention to me.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning,” he suggests.

For what seems like an eternity, I pour out my heart to Bryce and tell him everything I can remember about Brad Keller and the demise of my company. I tell him everything—how Brad Keller came into my life at a time when I was desperate, how he seemed to have all the right connections and the answers I needed to hear, how he assured me that within twelve months my company would be one of the leading real estate development firms in Manhattan and how one day I found out it was all a lie. He ran away with my money, my investors, many of my top clients and my dignity. After a while, I stop talking, exhausted by having to relive such a bitter part of my life. Bryce wraps me in his arms, kisses my forehead and then my cheek. He pulls me away from him and surprises me with his suggestion.

“I’m going to grab my phone to record what you’ve just shared, but this time you’ll answer precise questions. This information will be transcribed and I’ll get a few people on my team to start investigating so we can track Brad Keller’s whereabouts.”

“What? You want me to repeat everything I’ve said?”

“Exactly! This will give us the data we need to start tracing this scumbag and retracing the trail of the money he stole from you. Your recording will help us piece together this messy puzzle. We can track anyone down to protect our clients’ security and you’ve just become my client. Now let’s start from the beginning,” he orders before launching the recording app on his phone.