Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) (8 page)

“I admit I
wasn’t always truthful,” he started. “I admit a few wrong things.”

“You
married me to get my inheritance,” I said coldly.

“I can’t
deny that,” he whispered and closed his eyes. “But it needed to be done.”

Tears began
to sting my eyes, and bitterness rose in my chest. Somewhere at the brink of my
mind, I realized that everything I had feared was true. He had been after my
inheritance all along. He had used me. And now he was talking more bullshit.

“Wow.
You’re an asshole.” I almost choked on my voice. “You don’t even try to claim
otherwise.”

“I told you
a few lies, Laurie. But not everything I told you was a lie.” He took a deep
breath. I could see that he was struggling with something.

“Yeah?” My
eyebrows shot up, my voice dripping with bitterness. “Like what?”

“Like the
fact that I’d never harm you.”

“Really?” I
laughed. “Liar.”

He lifted
the glass to his lips, but didn’t take a sip. “It’s not a lie.” He
frowned.
 
“I really like you.”

“Liar.”

He turned
his head to me, his eyes meeting mine. “Not a liar enough to know that I’m
attracted to you. I’m also not afraid to show it, as opposed to you.”

“Liar,” I
whispered again. “And I’m not attracted to you, which is why there’s nothing to
show.”

His eyes
narrowed on me. “Now, who’s the liar here? I know for a fact you’re attracted
to me.”

His ego was
taking new proportions.

“How would
you even know that?” That he thought so made me angry.

“I can feel
it.” His fingers brushed my neck. His touch, warm against my still damp skin,
felt electrifying. “The moment I met you, I knew something would happen between
us. Trust me, I didn’t mean for this to
happen.
I was never supposed to fall for you, Laurie.”

His words
caught me off guard, and my heart gave another almighty thud.

He was
playing with me. He had to be because Chase Wright couldn’t possibly have
feelings for me.

And yet,
for a moment, I wished I could believe him.

“I can’t
say I’m sorry for what I did,” he whispered. “I can’t even say I’m sorry for
being attracted to you or for fucking you. I know you have many questions, and
I’ll be more than happy to explain.”

I closed my
eyes. My head was spinning with the same thought.

He had
married me for my inheritance.

“I can’t,”
I whispered.

“I’m still
the same man, Laurie.”

I let out a
sarcastic laugh. “No, you’re not. You’re someone I don’t know.”

“Meet me in
an hour, and I’ll show you who I really am. I’ll explain everything.”

“Even if I
let you explain, you really think I’d believe you?”

“Yes,” he
said quietly. “You trusted me with your virginity, and now I ask that you trust
me once more.”

“You
compare my virginity to your deception?” I laughed. “Nice try.”

“Please,
Laurie.” He looked at me. “We still have a contract. I know you have feelings
for me.”

I rolled my
eyes. “You should really have been an actor, Chase, or should I call you Kade?”

He gave an
exasperated sigh and stood. “I already told you my name’s Chase.”

“No, it
isn’t.”

He cocked
his head, his tone low and dangerous. “How would you know?”

“Because I
do. I’d rather trust my instincts than you.”

“Well, you
have your information wrong,” Chase said coolly.

My mouth
clamped shut. I eyed him cagily, my thoughts racing.

If Chase
was his real name, then that could mean that things might still be the same
between us. He was still my husband. We were legally married.

“Look,
Laurie. I owe you an explanation,” Chase said, interrupting my disturbing trail
of thoughts. “It’s one of the reasons I came here to see you.”

I shook my
head as I remembered my resolve. “I’m not interested in your reasons. What
matters to me is that you lied to get close to me. That was all I needed to
know.”

He frowned
and something flashed across his handsome face. “Aren’t you the slightest bit
interested?”

“I am. In
fact, I’m very curious,” I said. There was no point in denying the obvious.
“I’m just not interested in hearing more of your lies. Seeing that you lied
once, how can I possibly trust your words again?”

“You have
no guarantees. You’ll just have to believe me.”

Nodding, I
smiled grimly. “That’s true, but I’m not willing to do that. So stop asking me
to meet with you. Because I won’t.” My voice broke and I cleared my throat to
get rid of the lump lodged inside. “I won’t get involved with you again.”

“I don’t
believe you.”

I laughed,
the bitterness creeping into my tone even though I didn’t want him to see just
how affected I was. Somewhere at the back of my mind, countless alarm bells
went off, and bitterness settled in my chest.

I got up,
my thoughts racing, my heart breaking as I spoke the words I had prepared.

 
“It was just sex, Chase,” I whispered. “We fucked. We had a good time.
And then I left. People do it all the time. Get over it. Maybe last night I was
ready to repeat the experience with someone else, and the guy just wasn’t that
into me.” I shrugged as I stared him down.

His blue
eyes turned into icicles. If looks could kill, he’d have me pinned to the
ground fighting for my life.

“I know
you. You might be a lot of things, but you’re not
that.
” His voice came low, definite. I had never seen him so angry.
Then again, his anger was no match for mine.

What the
fuck was ‘a lot of things’ supposed to mean? And why not ‘that?’

How could I
fight against his overconfidence when it became a lost battle the moment I let
him be my first?

How could I
fight with myself when my feelings pushed me to do things my mind didn’t want
to?

“You don’t
know me at all, Chase,” I reminded him.

“I believe
I know you better than anyone else,” he said coldly. “Correct me if I’m wrong,
but when we were stuck in that elevator, you told me secrets you’ve never told
anyone else.”

My jaw
dropped, and then closed again.

My whole
being was on fire, twisting, shaking, as I watched him stand.

“Get
dressed, Laurie. I’ll pick you up for lunch in an hour.”

An order.
Cool. Composed.

Fuck it. He
was hot as hell.

I stared at
him. “Why do you think I’d ever do what you say?”

“Because
you want to get rid of me.” That rendered me silent. “I’ll only leave after
telling you why I did what I did. Beside bailing your pretty little ass out of
jail, it’s the least I can do for you.”

“I didn’t
need your pity. I’d have—”

“Stop being
difficult,” he cut me off and wrapped his arms around me, pressing me against
him, so close I could barely breathe. “I owe you an explanation, okay? So
you’ll get one. And then, only then, I’m going to leave because that’s what you
want. Deal?”

I drew a
sharp breath, ready for another snarky reply, but no words came out.

His words
had affected me in more ways than I cared to admit.

No, scratch
that.

His
presence pulled at all my strings. Everything about him did. His gaze. His
breath on my skin. The way his eyes seemed to brush over my lips, leaving them
tingly and in dire want of his kiss.

Cradled in
his arms, with my head leaned back to glance all the way up into his eyes, I
could feel the heat eradicating from his body. I could feel the layers of my
anger melting and my resolve slowly fading.

His gentle
touch on my arm was a direct opposite to the cold stare he gave me.

“So, I
gather I have no choice?” I asked.

“No.”

I sighed,
my chest strangely heavy, my voice choked. “Just answer me this: Who are you?
Is Chase really your real name?”

Hesitating,
he let go of me, his blue eyes shimmering like an ocean in the morning sun
focused on me. He was fighting with himself, probably wondering whether to
disclose the truth or how much to tell me.

“Not here, Laurie,”
he whispered. “I’ll pick you up at twelve. And wear the red dress.” The tone of
his voice was strangely soothing and built an unnerving contradiction to the
grip he still had on my upper arm. And then he let go of me and walked out,
closing the door behind him.

As if I was
the one intruding on him.

For a long
time, I stood frozen to the spot, my mind processing.

The truth
was, I wanted to know. I wanted more. And yes, my pride and ego were standing
in my way, as well as my fear that giving in could mean I might lose myself
again—that I might get lost in Chase’s eyes, in his being, in everything
he had to offer.

I felt a
strong need to call Jude even though she wouldn’t know what to tell me because
no one could possibly understand just how torn I was. She sure wasn’t the one
fighting the arrays of emotions inside me; she didn’t have to cope with the
fear of being lied to again in the future, or face the risk of believing him in
the knowledge that truth isn’t easily distinguished from a lie.

And most
importantly, the fear of the known.

Once he
explained his motives, would I be strong enough to walk away?

Did I even
want to leave him behind?

Somehow I
sensed that I would have to very soon, but whether I wanted to, whether I was
strong enough to, whether I could do it—that was a different matter.

The moment
Chase was gone, I called Jude with the update.

“I’m so
stupid.” I groaned into the phone. “I’m going to see him again.”

I still
couldn’t believe it.

Less than
thirty-six hours ago, I’d watched the world through pink-colored glasses in the
hope for a great future. Now that they had been ripped off my eyes, I was still
pining for Chase.

Mystery
guy.

Bad boy.

Mr. fucking
liar.

Those were
all the names that came to my mind when thinking of him.

Those and
Mr. Tall, Handsome and Mysterious, even though, if we were absolutely honest,
his tongue deserved a mention, too. The way it could bring me straight to
pleasure heaven, it had been nothing short of a miracle.

Fuck.

Just
thinking about it made me wet.

It was a
god’s gift—and not the good kind—sent into the world to torture and
remind me that I was a weak, gullible woman. And not a woman with a soft spot
for bad boys, but a woman with raging hormones and all that wasn’t holy. Yes,
it was most certainly my frigging hormones that had made me so wildly in lust
for Chase that I switched off all rational thoughts and just let him fuck me.

“I should
call him and tell him our meeting is off,” I continued to rant. “After all he’s
done, it looks like I’m still dating him, or maybe not dating—” I tapped
a finger against my lips in thought. “Anyway, seeing him is the last thing I
should do. I swear it’s a mistake.”

“No doubt
about it,” Jude agreed on the other end of the line. “But maybe just listen to
him. You know, get his side of the story. Maybe it isn’t as bad as you think it
is. Maybe you’re making a big deal out of nothing. Who knows? For all we know,
he wanted to marry you because he’s a collector, and you had an old painting in
your family heritage that he desperately needed to acquire.”

“Which
would be exactly the same thing as marrying me for my money.” I gave a short,
loud snort.
“If that had been the case, he’d
only have had to ask me, and I would have gladly given it to him because you
know how much I hate old stuff.” I looked at the watch again.

Five more
minutes.

I could
feel the onset of a panic.

“Just give
him a chance,” Jude insisted. “Promise me, Laurie. The last thing I want you to
feel is regret. Nothing good ever comes out of it. Trust me on that. I know you
said you don’t have feelings for him, but honestly, I don’t believe you.”

“Is that
why you called him to bail me out? And don’t tell me you didn’t, because I know
you were behind it.”

“I…” She
sighed. “I felt bad for going behind your back. Plus, it was your mom’s
necklace and it was all my fault and—”

“Keep it
short, Jude,” I said impatiently.

“Fine,” she
replied. “I called him.”

“Oh, Jude,”
I exclaimed. “Why can’t you ever listen to me and stay out of my crappy life?”

“I know. I
know. And of course you’re right,” she said, her tone slightly irritated. “But
in my defense I’ll have to stress that it was already out of my hands.”

“How so?” I
asked.

“When I
called him, he already knew you were in jail, and he was on his drive to the
airport.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“How would
he know that?” I asked, agog.

“That’s
what I wanted to know, too,” she said thoughtfully. “He said they called him
because he was listed as your husband. Even if I wanted to, he was the only
person allowed to bail you out. Their words. Not mine. I even called to check
up the fact. So, even if I wanted to, I would not have been able to help you.”

That
sounded like utter bullshit.

I blinked
several times.

“Now I
really do owe him, don’t I?” I said flatly, feeling weak at the thought of
having to repay Chase. It was the last thing I needed when all I wanted was a
clean breakup.

“No,” Jude
added quickly. “Definitely not. I’d say he still owes you for the crap he
pulled on you.”

“You really
mean that?” I asked.

“Of course,
I’m your friend, aren’t I?”

Which was
why her reasoning was biased and couldn’t be applied in real life.

“Thank
you.” I smiled. “That was exactly what I needed to hear.” I glanced at my watch
again.

I only had
four minutes left.

“I’ve got
to go,” I said. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m back. Wish me luck.”

“Laurie?”

“Yeah?”

The line
remained silent for a few moments as I waited for the kind of words I knew
would try to change my mind about him.

“I don’t
expect you to forgive him,” Jude said softly. “Just hear his side of the story,
okay? And don’t run off again and end up God knows where. You scared the hell
out of me. Don’t do that ever again. Yes, it was my idea, but I didn’t think
you’d go for it.”

I let out a
laugh and got off the phone, then leaned back.

Was this a
mistake?

No doubt
about it. But the truth was, Jude was right.

Chase
harbored more secrets than the ancient Druids.

I didn’t
want to be wrong and judge him without hearing his side of the story. And then,
there was my curiosity, my annoying and desperate desire to know what was going
on.

Was it
possibly some harmless misunderstanding?

Were his
parents pushing him for a marriage for a reason unknown to me and he had no
other choice than to wed a stranger?

Even if
Chase wouldn’t explain everything, at least there was the slight chance that
I’d get a few morsels of information. Then I’d do what was
necessary—research, take apart the pieces of information I had, and
decide what to do with them. Leave and forget. Or work with them, and create
something better.

Slipping
into a light blue halter neck dress, definitely not the red one Chase required,
I checked my reflection in the mirror. My hair, which was usually twisted into
a practical, loose side bun, cascaded down my shoulders. Even though I barely
had seen the sun, my skin had a light bronze glow to it. My cheeks were
flushed. If one didn’t dig too deep, but judged from my fake smile, I could
have easily passed as the happy, recently married bride.

Bride.

The word
stung.

I was a
bride, just not a traditional one. Not even a happy one. Even with all the
fluttering in my stomach at the prospect of soon seeing Chase, the situation
was what it was.

“Stupid,” I
muttered and applied another layer of lip gloss, then stood back to inspect the
result.

What was I
doing? Making an effort for a fake husband?

“Just
stupid.” I wiped my thumb over my red lips in an effort to wipe off the color.

A rap at
the door.

My head
snapped toward the hallway.

Someone was
banging at my door. I glanced at the watch.

Chase was
here, though a minute late.

“Coming,” I
called out and retrieved my handbag from a nearby chair.

I reached
the door in a few, hasty strides. My heart was racing but not from the effort.
My stomach twisted slightly at the thought of spending more time with him.

Truth be
told, I was more looking forward to it than I should have been.

Taking a
deep breath to settle my nerves, I swept my hair sideways and grabbed the
doorknob. When I opened the door, my breath caught in my throat.

Standing in
front of me wasn’t Chase. It was the guy I had asked out on a date the night
before.
Dressed in a suit, he looked like he was
headed to an important meeting. He looked serious, completely different. The
change threw me off. It was safe to say I wouldn’t have recognized him if it
weren’t for the stupid black sunglasses he was wearing.

“Oh…Hi?” I
cocked my head in surprise, unsure what else to say.

What do you
say to someone who didn’t turn up to a date?

He nodded
approvingly as he checked me out, or at least that’s what I believe he was
doing.

“You look
nice.” He pushed the glasses to the top of his head, and his warm brown eyes
met mine.

“Thank
you?” I shifted uncomfortably, my hands fiddling with the doorknob. “Did we
arrange something for today?”

“No, that’s
why I’m here.” He smiled. “I wanted to apologize for standing you up.”

“It’s not a
big deal.” I shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I understand you forgot, or
whatever.”

He shook
his head, his eyes penetrating. “No, I didn’t forget. An emergency came up.”

An
emergency during his vacation?

Seriously?

That was
the crappiest excuse I had ever heard.

What the
hell was wrong with my stars? Why did they keep sending me guys who found it so
easy to lie to me, stood me up or deceived me? And most importantly, what the
hell had I been thinking going out on a date with some random guy whose name I
didn’t know?

“It’s
fine.” I said, forcing another smile to my lips. “It can happen to anyone.”

“I would
have called you if I had your number,” he continued.

He even
looked sincere as he said it.

“Honestly,
it’s fine,” I repeated. “I had plans anyway.”

Yeah,
getting locked up.

“I want to
repay you with dinner. What about tonight?” His smile morphed into a grin. “Or
now. Special treat. Best place in town?”

“Um…” My
hand tightened on the doorknob. Obviously, I couldn’t meet him now, even if I
wanted to. Not when Chase could be here any minute, and my trip so far had been
anything but fun. I wet my lips nervously, deciding to stick to the truth.

“Now isn’t
a good time. Maybe another day.”

He got the
hint.

I could tell
from the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but his smile didn’t vanish.

“You know
what? Let me give you my number and you can call me anytime if you have a
change of heart.”

“Um, sure.”
I held up my phone and swiped my thumb over the screen to unlock it.

“What the
fuck!” a male voice boomed behind us. My hand froze. In fact, my whole body
did. I turned my head and saw Chase striding toward us, his face a mask of
fury. Come to think of it, he looked like a raging bull. I frowned.

Whoa!

Was he jealous?
It couldn’t be, and yet, the moment he reached me, his hand went possessively
around my waist, almost cutting off my air supply.

“What are
you doing here?” His voice was so cold every vein in my body froze.

I frowned
at him. “It’s none of your business. I can do whatever I want.”

“I’m not
talking with you,” he mumbled at me as he turned to the other guy. “What are
you
doing here?”

I stared at
Chase, then at the guy who had stood me up, my glance going back and forth
between them. My heartbeat sped up as a sense of dread nestled in my stomach.

Judging
from their tense postures and how close they were standing to each other, I
sensed they knew each other. The other guy’s lips tightened, and his hands
balled to fists, and for a second, I feared a fight would erupt.

“What’s
going on?” I asked warily, even though I couldn’t decide whether it was really
a good idea to get involved and break the icy silence between them.

No one
bothered to reply.

It was as
if I didn’t exist.

At last,
the guy lifted both his hands in mock surrender. “She’s all yours.” He flipped
his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. “Have fun.” And then he started to
walk backwards, arms wide. As he reached the corner, he turned and disappeared
from our line of vision.

I looked at
Chase questioningly, but his expression was stony and icy, his body tense.
Somewhere, a door slammed. The guy had probably returned to his room.

I turned to
Chase, eyeing him inquiringly. A pulse throbbed underneath his eyes, and a
muscle worked in his jaw.

“What was
that?” I asked.

“Nothing,”
Chase said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t
think that was nothing. He brought my bags to my room the day I arrived, and we
had a little chat.”

“Nice. Good
for you.” He turned to me, his tone sarcastic and cold. “Did you go out with
him?”

He sounded
so pissed, I flinched.

Opening my
mouth, I frowned, but my reply came too late. Chase’s gaze hardened, if that
was even possible. “No, don’t.”

“Are you
sure that was nothing?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he
whispered.