Condoned (Beauty And The Billionaire Geek Book 3) (3 page)

Okay,
I responded.

See you then,
he sent back.

Saturday night, I swept my hair in a loose up-do with curls framing my face. I applied subtle smoky eyes, a light bronze blush, and glossy peach lips. Years of modeling had taught me to apply makeup and to do hair almost professionally.

I slipped into the dress and shoes, checking my phone every fifteen seconds for the time. A cold shiver of terror lingered just below the surface of my consciousness. The man I longed for all these years had nearly destroyed me. Here I was again, playing right back into his hands.

At exactly eight, the buzzer on my intercom sounded through the apartment. I nearly jumped out of my skin, even though I had been anticipating the sound for the last half hour. I buzzed him up and paced the apartment waiting for him to arrive at my door. Stacy was out on a date with the guy from the charity auction so she couldn’t make fun of my nerves.

There was a knock, and I crossed the room to open the door in two seconds flat. I flung it open and found William standing there in a black suit with a lux black tie. He whipped a bouquet of red roses from behind his back and presented them to me.

My heart pounded against my ribs and thudded in my ears until I was almost deaf. Why was I so affected by him? I was magnetically drawn to him but at the same time repulsed. I knew that if I let myself get close enough, I’d be stuck to him forever. I would never get myself back again.

I took the roses and he followed me inside as I wordlessly stepped into the galley kitchen and put the roses in a vase.

“This place looks almost exactly the same as the last time I was here.”

“Not all of us became billionaires in the last five years,” I said, placing the flowers on the kitchen counter that faced the open living room. “As I recall, you used to live in a basement. My place was a step up.”

“True,” he said with a dismissive tone. “Shall we go?”

He motioned toward the door, and I grabbed my clutch and wrap and led him out to the hallway. In front of the apartment building, a gleaming black town car waited for us. The driver opened the door, and we slid onto the leather upholstered seats. A bottle of champagne waited in an ice tub. William poured two glasses and handed one to me.

“What should we toast to?” he asked, holding his glass at chest height and gazing into my eyes.

“I have no idea.”

“To new beginnings then,” he said, clinking my glass.

“To new beginnings,” I muttered. I felt so divided. I was acting like a surly teenager. This dress didn’t deserve my unenthused attitude. I took a swig of champagne and told myself to lighten up. I’d agreed to the date. There was no point in resenting it.

William smiled at me and sipped from his glass, patting my knee with his other hand. I smiled back, struggling to let myself enjoy the date. He was trying pretty darn hard. I had to give him that.

We arrived at Benaroya Hall — a building with a massive rounded façade of glass that reached from street level to the fourth story roof. After we stepped out onto the sidewalk, we filed toward the door with the rest of the crowd. Everyone was dressed in semi-formal attire for a special event. I wondered what was happening but didn’t see any signs to tell me who was playing.

Walking into the foyer, I looked up at the massive glass sculpture that hung from the impossibly high ceiling. As I gazed up at the blue and gold lights reflecting off the twists and turns of the blown glass sculpture, William handed me another glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

I took the fluted glass as I was offered oeuvres from another waiter. I plucked the salmon and goat cheese on a cracker and popped it in my mouth. Another waiter offered me a delicate mini quiche.

By the time we made it up the stairs and into the private booth overlooking the stage, I felt warm and satiated from delicious food and expensive champagne. A smile curved on my lips and when William reached to take my hand, I let him hold it. His hand was smooth and strong, sending a tugging feeling throughout my body.

The rows of descending seats below us filled, and a low hum of talking filled the air with electric excitement. The orchestra began to warm up and a hush fell over the audience as the lights went down.

“What is this?” I finally asked, leaning in to speak in his ear. I could smell the spice of his cologne. The energy coming off his body made me want to fling my arms around him and sink inside him forever. He turned his head to speak in my ear, his breath tingling on my skin.

“Just wait,” he said.

The curtain rose and a lone black grand piano graced the stage. A woman, dressed in a red evening gown that made her brilliantly red hair look even redder walked on stage, took a short bow, and sat at the piano.

Recognition swirled in my brain as the first ferocious notes were struck. Memories of her frenetic piano playing flashed before my eyes. My sister Regan’s expert rendition of some classical composition I had no clue about filled the hall.

“It’s my sister,” I said, leaning into Williams shoulder.

“I know, silly. Why do you think I brought you here?”

“To give me a Pretty Woman moment?” I said sarcastically.

I’d thought Regan was a lost cause five years ago. Knowing she was doing so well cut me to the core for some reason. Why did sibling rivalry have to last for so long? Her success seemed to make my failures come into focused detail. Her playing had become profound and heart wrenching. The melody haunted me as the vibration of the notes and cords pounded against my chest.

After the concert, we moved through the foyer and around to the back stage where we were allowed through. My heart beat wildly, knowing I was about to see my sister. She knew what I did for a living and as far as I knew, she knew about the fiasco with my ex. No one knew about Billy.

We were led to a dressing room where William knocked on the door. A familiar voice from within, beckoned us inside. I held my breath as the door opened. Regan’s bright green eyes widened when she saw me, and I knew I probably looked just as shocked.

She swept me up in a hug, and I could smell the powdery perfume on her pale skin. Regan was as tall as me. Claire had been the short one in our family, but Regan’s bust was substantially larger than mine, and it crushed into me as she hugged me.

Letting me go, she said, “Zoe! I’m so glad you made it. I meant to tell you I’d be in Seattle, but the tour has been so hectic. Thank you for coming. I’ve missed you so much. Introduce me to your friend.” Her voice was high with excitement but the manic extremes I’d been so used to with her were not there.

“This is William Black…”

“William Black of OpenPortal? Oh my God. No wonder you look so familiar. How in the world did you two meet?” she asked, shaking his hand.

“William and I have known each other a long time,” I interjected before he could say anything.

Regan introduced William to her husband Ian. We all chatted for an hour and promised to visit each other and Claire soon.

As we left the opera house, I felt over excited and restless. The town car drove us to a high rise building and we got out.

“This is where I live,” he said, taking my hand and leading me into the lobby. We took an elevator up to the top floor and entered a foyer before he opened the huge French doors that led to his penthouse.

Inside, I took in the massive space. Everything was perfectly designed in masculine, modern furniture in steel and glass with hints of old world traditional throughout with dark woods and dark leather.

He led me into his gleaming kitchen full of professional grade appliances and cookware. It could fit my entire apartment inside it. I sat at the counter while he checked hot plates of food from a warmer.

“My cook leaves me dinner. I asked him to make two tonight.”

“Convenient.”

“It’s better than microwave burritos,” he said, smiling.

He pulled a summer salad with strawberries from the fridge and set it in front of me. He let the main course stay in the warmer and he sat down beside me with his salad and a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Whoever his cook was could make a damn good salad. And after three glasses of champagne, I was glad we moved to something nonalcoholic.

When we finished the salad, he served me the main course, which was just as delicious. After dinner, we shared a slice of chocolate cake and he opened a bottle of chardonnay. I sipped on the chilled wine while he gave me a tour of his massive penthouse.

Every room had a full wall of windows looking out on one of the landmarks of the Seattle area. From the huge living room I could see Mount Rainier. From the dining room, I could see the Space Needle. And from the bedroom, I could see Puget Sound.

I was transfixed by the view of the dark water until I turned around and looked up at the wall across from his king-sized, four-poster bed.  There I was, nude as the day I was born, on display in William Black’s bedroom.

A wave of nausea hit my stomach hard, and I almost dropped my wine glass. I turned to leave the room, marching toward the door without a word. William caught my arm, stopping me from escaping.

“What’s wrong?”

I felt panic prick my entire being. I looked up at his handsome face, and his hazel eyes drew me into him. I placed my palm on my forehead and looked to the ground, pointing toward the painting with the hand that held my wine glass.

“You knew I had it. What’s the matter?”

I felt like I might puke on his shoes. I was so exposed. I felt like an object on display, not a human being. Why didn’t he see it? Why didn’t he see how him having this photograph made me feel? I gulped air, trying to regain my self-control. I looked up at him, my face burning red.

“Don’t you get it?” I said, disgusted. The truth was, I couldn’t even articulate how violated it made me feel that he had that picture of me in his bedroom. “Do you, like, masturbate to me at night or something? Do your lovers see me when you fuck them?”

“I haven’t had anyone up here since I bought it.”

I made a disgusted noise and broke away from his grip, stomping toward the entrance. I slammed the wine glass onto an expensive looking side table and grabbed my clutch and wrap.

“I’ve got to go.” I said, reaching for the door knob.

“Wait, Zoe. I didn’t know that photo would upset you so much. If I’d known, I never would have bought it. The truth is, I’ve missed you a great deal. All this time. I think about you almost every day. When I got the chance to have a piece of you in my life, I took it.”

“Well, you could have just called.”

He stepped into me and put his hands on either side of my face, drawing me up into a kiss. His body pressed me against the door while his tongue dipped into my open mouth. Sweet surges of desire shot through me, rendering me instantly turned on. I melted into him. The champagne and wine had lowered my inhibitions and opened me up.

He held me tight, his hardness pressing against my stomach. I gasped in his mouth, feeling his longing against me. My nipples pricked, and I reached around his shoulders to hold him all that much tighter.

His hands roved my body and under my skirt, caressing up my thigh and between my legs. His fingers grazed over my panties, sending a jolt of electricity through me. I pushed him back, regaining control. I couldn’t do this now. It was too much, too fast.

“Wait,” I said. Sneaking around him and walking toward the living room. “I’m not ready for this.”

He followed me into the living room where I collapsed onto an armless black sofa, folding my hands in my lap. He stood across the room looking at me with hungry eyes.

“What did that ex of yours do to you, Zoe?”

“Who? Andy?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you asking me that now?”

“I know he hurt you. I assure you, I’m not him.”

“No Billy, you aren’t him. You are you,” I said, looking down at the floor. “But if you must know. I’ll tell you what happened. Andy and I had been together for two years when we bought a townhouse together on Queen Anne. We’d even talked about getting married. I loved him. At least I thought I did.” I still didn’t look William in the eye. “Six months ago, he cleaned out my savings account and skipped town. I guess he was in some serious trouble with the mob for gambling debts. He went down to South America or something. I have no idea.

“After he left, I found out he’d taken out massive mortgages on the house and opened credit cards in my name. I lost the house and had to pay off all the debt. I had to sell my BMW. I’d been sitting pretty on a nice nest egg and a beautiful house; then suddenly, it was all gone. I had to move back in with Stacy. Luckily her roommate had just moved out so I had somewhere to go. I’ve been behind on rent since I moved in. I finally got most of the debt paid off so that I can actually breathe a little. I’ve been living hand to mouth the last few months. Every time I got a tiny bit of money, the creditors snatched it away.”

“Couldn’t you fight that? It sounds like identity theft.”

“Sure. But that takes time. The banks want their blood. They don’t wait. They froze all my accounts and garnished my wages. It was a lot of debt, and I couldn’t hide from it.”

He swooped into the seat next to me, so close I could feel his breath on my hair. He took my hand and held it to his chest before he raised it to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.