S*x and Secrets: Alpha Billionaire Forbidden Romance (13 page)

“You’ve got that faraway look again,” he scolded after a few minutes.

I shifted in my chair. “Have I? You’re so good at describing the food that it’s made me hungry. Shall we order mains?” Frankly, I wanted to get the evening over with so I could go home and lick my wounds alone in my own bed.

Jake called the waiter over. “Mind if I order for both of us?” he asked, a self-righteous grin on his face.

“Go ahead.” If that made him happy, I was more than okay to let him take over. Anything he ordered would be expensive as hell and top shelf, so he couldn’t go wrong.

After placing our order, he leaned forward and took hold of my hand, turning it over. He ran his index finger down my palm and then met my eyes.

His voice was smooth as silk. “I see a very handsome blond man in your future. He wants to date you and I think he’s a little bit in love with you.”

I took my hand back. “He hardly knows me, so how can he possibly be in love with me?”

Jake went red in the face. “He just does,” he said testily. “Are you turning him down, Montana?”

“Jake, it’s just weird talking about you in the third person. I’m not turning you down; I’m just stating a fact. Anyway, you already know my policy on dating since we’ve been through this before.”

“So you’re only interested in your fuck buddy then? What happens when you’re old and he doesn’t want you any longer because he found someone younger?”

I flinched. “What are you talking about?”

He smacked his lips together and smirked. “I know your dirty little secret, Montana. Wasn’t too hard to piece together either. You’re fucking Levi Sinclair Barrington the Third.”

Heat rose to my chest and face. I swallowed hard to prevent a gasp from escaping my lips.
How the hell was I getting out of this one?

I eyed Jake over the rim of my glass as I took a large sip of my drink. “Jake—”

Jake held up a finger. “Don’t insult me trying to deny it, Montana. I have pictures. I know about the loft, too.”

I shrugged. “So why are you telling me this? Clearly you have an agenda, so let’s get it out on the table.”

“I’d be a lot more worried if I were you. You stand the risk of losing your cushy job and never working in the industry again if this comes out. Everyone would assume you’ve leaked company secrets to your competitor. Industrial espionage is heavily frowned upon.” He had a satisfied grin on his face, as if he derived pleasure from what could be my demise. “In fact, I can’t believe a smart girl like you would be so stupid as to fuck the enemy. And oh my, that sex swing, that’s just priceless.”

“What do you want, Jake?” I gritted out.

Jake sat back in his chair and stared at me. “I want you, Montana. Always have.”

I shook my head. “But why? I don’t get it. We’re . . . we’re so different. And I’m not attracted to you like that, anyway.”

Jake laughed but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just kick a man in the balls then. What does fucking Levi have that I don’t, other than billions in the bank? I never figured you for a gold-digger, Montana, or maybe I’m wrong, considering the way you grew up.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Jake, I’m warning you,” I hissed, my back stiff and my shoulders squared. “Don’t fuck with me. I have my own money, and I don’t need any man’s fortune. Who I see is my business and nobody else’s. And my childhood? You’d never understand, so let it go.”

He threw back his head and laughed in my face. “My sassy Monty is back. I like that. Turns me on like fuck . . . in fact, I’m hard for you right now, babe.”

I lifted my napkin from my lap, folded it neatly, and placed it on the table. I glared at Jake so that he had no doubt about how I felt.

“Save it. I’m not your babe, and I never will be. Leave me the fuck alone, Jake. I’m not interested in a relationship of any kind with you. I’m going to call a taxi and go home and forget this evening ever happened. I suggest you do the same.”

He snatched my hand in his, squeezing the bejesus out of it. “You’re going to be sorry about this, Monty. Very sorry. Nobody says no to Jake Monroe.”

I jerked my hand away and pushed to my feet. “Well, I just did. Deal with it.”

Condescending prick. Who the hell did he think he was?

A small voice in the back of my head answered.
He’s the man who could turn your life upside-down. Ruin everything you’ve worked so hard for.

I was royally screwed, but I wasn’t letting Jake know. The fucking irony was that I’d ended it with Levi, but to the press and the business world that was a moot point. They would crucify me. All my hopes and dreams would come crashing down around my perfectly constructed world.

So Jake knew about me and Levi. How much, if anything, did he know about my past?

––––––––

M
ost of the night I’d tossed and turned so much that my hair was a knotted mess when I got up. I was tempted to stay in bed all day with the covers pulled over my head—all I wanted was to roll into the fetal position and go back to sleep.

I stretched my arms and legs and yawned. How was I going to face the day ahead?

Caffeine.

Caffeine always had been the answer when it wasn’t the right time for something stronger. I stumbled to the kitchen and switched on the coffee machine. A cup or two of an extra-strength brew and maybe I’d be okay to face the world.

Pointing the remote toward the TV, I clicked my way through the channels. Ads and more ads. Grimacing, I was just about to flick the television off when I sucked in a sharp breath.

Oh. My. God.

What the fuck was that?

A picture— larger than life—of myself and Levi. Front and center. Unmistakable. It had to have been taken with a telescopic lens, because I could count the damn freckles on my nose—that was how close-up it was. Levi’s lips were on mine, his hand on my ass. Then another and yet another snapshot.

My stomach turned.

I didn’t even have to guess who was responsible for that. Jake’s face flashed across the screen next.

I could have reached into the television and slapped the smirk from his face.
Bastard.

Jake’s voice was upbeat and chirpy
.  Breaking news
. Ha! The words scandal, industrial espionage, and traitor were thrown around, as well as sexual liaison, affair, and secret rendezvous. Of course Jake made a meal of it, licking his lips as he brought his scoop to light.

With trembling hands, I set my coffee cup down and jolted to the bathroom. The contents of my stomach emptied into the toilet bowl and a cold sweat broke out on my skin.

Had Levi seen this? And the Drake men?

Seconds later my phone went off. I switched it to vibrate only and sat on the edge of the bath with my shoulders slumped and my head hanging. My insides still heaved, although there wasn’t anything more to chuck up.

One of my worst nightmares had become reality. Montana Marx had been found out. She was a fraud, posing as a successful career woman when in fact she was nothing other than damaged goods. Goods nobody wanted.

Now the whole world knew about me and Levi. Our secret was out and all hell was going to break lose.

I’d just been trumped by Jake Monroe. Why did it matter so much to him? Why was he fixated on me? I couldn’t fathom my rotten luck. Of all the women in the country, Jake had decided he wanted me. It didn’t make sense before and it still wasn’t then.

I pushed my hair aside and rinsed my mouth. I hated the sour taste that was still there, so I brushed my teeth and gargled with mouthwash too in order to get rid of it.

Nothing could have prepared me for this. I’d believed Jake was bluffing. Turned out, I’d underestimated the man.
Badly
.

Yet the strangest thing was happening. I felt worse for Levi than for myself. He’d have to face his family about that and I already knew his father and grandfather’s reputations. They didn’t play favorites. If one of their own messed up, they were treated like any other employee who’d screwed them over.

Should I call Levi? Find out if he’s okay?

A part of me was dying to hear his voice and feel his protective arms around me. He’d hush me and rub my back and tell me it was all going to be okay. Wasn’t that what fuck buddies did?

Then I reminded myself that it was over.

I’d not heard from Levi since those text messages. Which could only mean one thing. He agreed that we were done. Hell, he’d probably moved on already, because it was easy enough. There was a bevy of beauties he knew socially who’d be available at the snap of his fingers.

My phone buzzed, and I picked it up with my heart hammering against my ribs.

Levi?

It was Red. Disappointment washed through me as I answered the call.

“Monty, what the fuck? I swear it wasn’t me who leaked anything. I’d never be that low—you know that, right?” She didn’t even draw a breath, and her voice was high-pitched and panicked.

“If you’re still the same girl I knew back in school, I believe you.” 

She let out a hard breath. “Phew. For a few moments I freaked the fuck out. I’d hate for you to think I had something to do with it.”

I sighed. “To be honest, I haven’t even had time to think about where Jake got his information from.” A few seconds of silence fell between us. I tried to keep my voice even when I spoke again. “I broke it off with Levi.”

“You did? Oh, honey, why? He’s so madly in love with you. A blind man could see that.”

Her words sent me reeling. She knew before I did? How could I not have seen it coming?

“The two of you are the perfect match. You had a keeper there, Monty. I don’t understand your decision, because I could sense the insane chemistry between the two of you.”

I laughed but there was no joy in it. “Yeah, that’s why we were fuck buddies. Sexual chemistry. But that’s all it was.”

Why are you lying to your friend and to yourself, Montana?

“Look, I’m sure you have your reasons, although I think you’re bat-shit crazy to let a man like Levi off the hook. But back to those pics on TV and all over social media. Do you realize they were taken the night of your birthday when I was there?”

I sat up straight. “Really? How do you know this?”

“Because I’m fucking smart, that’s how.” She laughed. “Just kidding. Because I know how you’d fastened your hair, and the pretty hairclip is just visible in most of the pictures. You might have taken your clothes off, but at least you kept the hairclip in.”

“Of course. Levi had sent me that earlier in the day as one of my many birthday gifts. It’s diamonds and rubies, and I love it. He never took it out of my hair either when we were fu—um, you know what I mean.”

“I remember thinking how sensational you looked in your red dress, and with only a hairclip to accessorize. I would’ve blinged up from head to toe, but you were always the classy one.” The complement from Red didn’t make me feel any better.

“Ha ha. I learned that less is more by default. There never was money for more.” 

“I know, honey. But look at you now. You’ve done so well; you can be proud of your achievements.”

I sucked in a breath, held it for a few beats, and then let it out slowly. “All of that will be gone by lunchtime. Jake Monroe has just pulled the rug from under me. I’m ruined. I’ll be fired from my job and tarnished forever as a corporate spy and slut. You know how the press will make a meal of this, especially if Jake is driving it and ensuring my demise.”

“Fucker. He’s just sensationalizing something for his own gain. What business is it of his or anyone else, for that matter, who you fuck?”

A dry, bitter laugh escaped my lips. “The whole world sits up and pays attention when somebody fucks up. They love to crucify sinners and blow it up to the scale of a circus show. Poor Levi. He’s going to take a beating from his family.”

“You’re so in love with that man. You can deny it all you want; I know you too well, my friend.”

I grimaced. “Even if I were, he’s going to avoid me after this. It’s all part of damage control. His company will probably put out a statement shortly, and I’ll be portrayed as the evil bitch who sucked him in unknowingly.”

“Fuck. Why is it that men always get away with it? The women get called sluts and whores and branded forever, stoned to death in some countries, while the men get off free.” The anger in her voice startled me, but I had to agree with her. “It’s almost as if guys become damn celebrities after something like this happens. It isn’t fair.”

“Didn’t we establish at the age of thirteen that life wasn’t fair? It is what it is, and I just have to suck it up. Thankfully I saved most of my money instead of splashing out on new stuff. To be perfectly honest, I was too damn busy working to go on shopping sprees. Just as well, huh?”

“Remind me to show you how to shop online. That’s even more fun and you can do it in your pajamas and even when you have a bad hair day.”

“No shopping in my near future, honey. I’m going to have to fight for survival because I won’t get another job easily.” I said it matter-of-factly, because there wasn’t any point in letting it get to me. I’d taken a risk. I’d known what I was doing.

I had to pay the price.

“Sounds like you were expecting it. Tell me, was it worth it?  To lose everything just to be fucked by Levi Barrington?”

I sucked in a harsh breath at her brutal question. Red didn’t mince words, and I loved that about her.

“Yes.” I didn’t even have to think about my answer. “Yes, it was. They were the happiest moments of my life. I’d do it all over again if I had to choose.”

“Jesus. You’ve fallen so fucking hard for that man. He’s a lucky bastard, and he doesn’t even know it.”

I rubbed at my heart with my fist. “Listen, I have to go to the office and face the music. Pack up my belongings and return my company vehicle. Try to explain that Levi and I never talked business, although nobody will believe me. They’ll start digging for dirt and blaming me for all those unexplained failures over the past year because they’ll assume I leaked shit to Levi.”

From my past experience, people always believed the worst. When the nasty side of people came to the surface, they were cruel and mean. In fact, if they could, they’d make up shit so it became even more diabolical. Thank God I at least had Red on my side, otherwise I’d have nobody.