The Right Mr. Wrong (4 page)

And he’d prove it.

He smiled as he raided a tray of hors d’oeuvres. But it was another appetite he was planning to sate. He hadn’t felt driven to prove a point in a long time. But this was irresistible. He’d play. He’d take such delight in teasing. And in less than a week he’d have Victoria Rutherford begging him to bite her.

* * *

Vivi tried not to watch him from across the room but she was viciously aware of him laughing with Alannah and Gia and everyone else having a jolly good time.

She
wasn’t
anyone’s slave. She was paid a mint and she deserved to be. Gia was lucky to have her. But for once she didn’t want to stay sober and sensible and on the sidelines. She stepped forward, grabbing a glass of champagne from a tray being carried straight past her. She’d participate, she’d prove how she belonged right in the heart of this society.

She took a sip and heard a laugh from nearby. She turned. Nico, one of Gia’s fave photographers, was watching her. ‘You’re in a strange mood tonight, Vivi.’ He stepped closer.

‘You think?’ She took another deep sip of the champagne. She was infuriated with Liam for showing up. As for standing that bit too close, speaking that bit too soft—as if it were yesterday that they’d been shagging as if there were no tomorrow? There hadn’t been a tomorrow, of course. There hadn’t been anything for him but blind lust and she wasn’t falling into that trap again.

Nico nodded, his gaze roaming over her. ‘You have an aura about you.’

‘An aura?’

‘A lot of energy.’ He looked her up and down again.

‘There’s definitely something in the air tonight.’ Nico looked surprised. ‘You really do look different. More liberated.’

‘That would be my lack of bra,’ she said bluntly. ‘Alannah used it in the show and now it’s shredded.’

‘Alannah seems to be interested in another of your possessions at the moment.’

Her
possession
? Vivi followed Nico’s gaze and looked over to where Alannah was hanging on Liam’s every word. ‘She can do what she wants with that.’ Vivi determinedly turned back to Nico. ‘He’s not mine.’

‘Vivi.’ Nico looked amused. ‘You forget I record expressions for a living. I understand every flicker of emotion on someone’s face. My trigger finger knows when to snap that flash of pure, personal honesty. You
own
that guy.’

‘As if.’ Vivi damped down the violent surge of feminine satisfaction at the possibility. It was ludicrous. ‘You don’t understand emotion—you deal with blank canvasses and give the
illusion
of emotion with make-up, staging and lighting.’

‘Vivi—’ Nico put his hand on his chest ‘—you wound me.’

‘It’s true. And then you tweak the fantasy pictures even more on the computer.’ She teased with a smile. ‘You’re not a photographer, you’re a two-bit magician using sleight of hand and trickery to deceive the eye.’

Nico laughed with relish. ‘Definitely a blazing aura. I wonder just what—or
who
—it is that’s set you on fire tonight.’

‘I’ve already told you.’ Vivi shrugged. ‘It’s the lack of bra.’

‘When stripped, Victoria’s a completely different person,’ Liam drawled behind her.

Vivi stiffened and turned.

‘
Victoria
?’ Nico laughed again. ‘Who
is
this woman?’

Liam stepped between her and Nico. ‘The one I want to talk to.’

Brows sky-high, Nico lifted his champagne flute in a silent toast and slinked away.

‘That was classy,’ Vivi admonished Liam lightly, but her fingers were so tight around her glass it was a wonder it didn’t shatter. ‘What if he was my boyfriend?’

‘He’d have stayed,’ Liam answered in a ‘duh’ tone. ‘Anyway, it’s obvious he’s not. The cow-eyes he was giving me...’ He grinned, unabashed.

Everyone in the room was sending that look to Liam. It was grossly unfair of him to be more attractive than all the models in the room. And all the models were looking at him as if he were the predator they hoped to be prey for. They preened and posed, but to no avail. Liam didn’t seem to notice them, certainly didn’t do the same. He’d no need to conform to some code of coolness. He wasn’t afraid to throw his head back and laugh freely. In short, he was so comfortable in his own skin he drew everyone towards him. Which infuriated her—because he affected her most of all.

‘What did you want to talk about?’ she asked, trying to regain her legendary efficiency.

‘I had another thought about the shoot.’

‘We can discuss it at the meeting you scheduled first thing tomorrow.’

But he grabbed her wrist as she turned away—his large hand wrapping around her, branding her skin.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve clocked off for the night? Rumour has it you never stop working. But...’ he leaned closer ‘...I’m happy to go personal if you’d prefer.’

She hoped he couldn’t feel her frantic pulse. She rolled her eyes. ‘See? Some things don’t change.’

‘Such as?’

‘Leopards, spots...’

‘Hmm.’ He nodded. ‘Nor do the laws of physics, right? Magnetic attraction.’

Vivi smiled sweetly. ‘And let’s not forget repulsion.’

He laughed. This time it was a warm burst of infectiousness that lingered a long time after he’d fallen silent. He let her go. Yet she didn’t step away. Didn’t want to. Because there was something about him that called to her—that sensuality, yes. But also that sense of
fun
. So very inviting.

‘You’re even more arrogant.’ She shook her head.

‘I wasn’t arrogant,’ he denied oh-so innocently. ‘I was a callow youth caught in the throes of his first love affair.’

‘First?’ She choked—one quarter outraged, three quarters amused.

His eyes twinkled. ‘The first that counted.’

She let her brows shoot to the ceiling. ‘Have
any
counted?’

‘You’ve changed,’ he mused. ‘You talk back.’

Hell, yeah, she did. ‘Well, I am five years older.’

‘Wiser.’ He nodded. ‘More experienced.’ A whisper of a wink. ‘And at pains to point out how perfect your life is now.’

‘Because it is.’ It was. And, yes, she wanted him to know it.

His eyebrows did a dance then. ‘There’s always room for improvement.’ His voice dropped. ‘A tweak here and there.’

What kind of ‘tweaks’ was he thinking of when he spoke in such a wicked way? ‘Are you flirting with me?’

He spread his hands wide, his shoulders lifting an inch. ‘You have a problem with that?’

‘We now have a business relationship.’

‘What’s with all this emphasis on boundaries? You were happy to ignore other kinds of relationships five years ago.’

Oh, that was low. ‘Well, you can flirt all you like, but I’m not playing.’

‘No?’ He laughed. ‘You challenging me? Don’t you remember I find those hard to resist?’

She swallowed. ‘You’re saying you haven’t changed? You’re not older and wiser and more experienced?’

‘Two out of three isn’t bad.’ He shrugged.

‘No prizes for guessing the two,’ she snapped back.

He smiled—easy, amused. ‘I can’t wait to catch up more at our meeting tomorrow. Seeing you first thing was always a pleasure.’

She suppressed a shiver but there was no hiding the attraction was still there. That chemistry. She had to mentally grip every muscle and
not
move. Not preen or lean towards him. Not lick her lips. Not shift her legs apart.

There was a moment where she just stood before him—her gaze locked in his, her thoughts chaotic. Then, thankfully, he stepped back. She watched him walk away. Then she forced her eyelids to shut and she pivoted—like an owl, to stare in another direction. To her surprise Alannah was standing beside her.

‘What’d you do to get him to look at you like that?’ Alannah’s mouth was hanging open.

For a moment Vivi panicked that the diva model was going to have some kind of petulant fit. But then she realised Alannah was serious—as if genuinely amazed. Vivi grimaced. Was it so far-fetched that a guy might think she was attractive? Well, yeah, this would be the first time in history that a guy had looked at her when Alannah or any of the other models were anywhere in the vicinity.

‘I tied him up and whipped him,’ Vivi quipped, wishing—just for this second—that she really could.

‘He’s submissive?’ Alannah’s eyes went watermelon wide.

The idea of Liam being submissive to anyone was totally laughable.

‘Um...’ Vivi felt a shift in the atmosphere as Alannah gazed at her with a weird intensity.

‘Oh... My...’ A nodding Alannah looked her up and down and spoke in a theatrical whisper. ‘I can see it now. It makes total sense. You’re a domme.’ She paused and actually fanned her face with her fingers. ‘Wow. You know I can be submissive too. I love it when a lover makes me beg.’

‘Uhhh...’ Was Alannah for real?

Alannah giggled so hard she all but doubled over. ‘You should see the look on your face.’

Vivi groaned. ‘You’re a brat.’

‘But such a good one. Dontcha wanna whip me?’

‘Go away. I was kidding.’

‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ Alannah teased. ‘But honestly, Vivi, you should take the boots off and do whatever he tells you to. Let him take the reins—and the whip.’ She winked and sashayed away.

Uh huh. Tried that once already and look where that had got her. Pain so wasn’t her thing.

Back in her hotel room she sat at the desk programming appointments and updating Gia’s schedule. Except Liam’s image kept sliding into her mind.

Damn
.

She’d not thought about him in years. She’d done a brilliantly good job of training her brain not to dwell on men at all. She knew what they were about. And a guy wasn’t part of her life at this point in time. She was all about work this week, this month...this whole year.

She didn’t need a lover and was decades off marriage and kids. Because she’d learned that what
she
wanted was never of importance in a relationship. She always came in second. Always had to be the one to sacrifice and put her wishes behind his. That had been how it was with Oliver. Liam was supposed to have been different, but he’d turned out to be the worst. The few guys she’d dated since had just added a few ditto marks to her scoresheet. So she wasn’t going there for ages yet—not when she had an amazing career to make the most of.

She’d do this meeting, set up this shoot, prove herself to be the professional she was. But as she slipped into bed and switched out the light she had to sternly remind herself. She would not remember. She would
not
.

THREE

His lips brushed
hers. Gentle. The barest rub, back and forth. She tilted her chin and heard approval rumble deep in his throat. The kiss deepened immediately. She opened and he took what she offered—claiming her with his tongue, caressing the roof of her mouth. Startled, she shivered. So quickly seduced.

She’d already been seduced. She’d been his from the first moment she’d seen him in the guest bathroom when she’d been in nothing but a towel and he’d been all steam, strength, sex—and fun. Such fun. That kiss had started with a smile, an intimacy she’d been unable to resist.

With her lips parted, her mouth his to own, his hands roamed, moving in time with the tease of his tongue. He swept a broad palm down her spine, pulling her closer to him while at the same time pushing her against the cool, concrete wall behind her. His other hand teased, feathering strokes against her hip, up her side, feeling out the soft swell of her breast. His thumb scraped over her nipple. This time the moan of approval was hers. She arched into him, rising on tiptoe to get closer.

She wanted more. Needed so much more.

Vivi opened her eyes and stared at the dim ceiling. It was more than a dream. It was a memory.

That first kiss had been outside some motorway services restaurant. She’d been excited but slightly scared at the same time. She’d never kissed anyone but Oliver before. Liam was taller. Broader. Stronger. Liam was more everything.

He’d pressed her up against that wall of the building for what had to have been hours. Until some blushing security guard had interrupted and asked them to move along.

They’d moved to the nearest hotel.

Finally unleashed, the simmering passion between them had meant there was nothing else they could do. They didn’t leave that room for three days. Then it was further south only as far as they could be bothered before falling into bed in another hotel. A few more days. Another hotel. Slowly travelling, hungrily seeking that physical satisfaction.

Frustrated, Vivi threw back the sheet, got out of bed and got some chilled water from the minibar. Her memories were fantasy enhanced, right? Dreams highlighted, magnified...It hadn’t been all that fabulous. Five years was a long time. She was over it.

But now five years didn’t feel like long enough.

She got to sleep ten minutes before her alarm rang. Thank heavens Gia had taken the day off from her usual schedule. The last thing Vivi felt like was managing her as well as Liam.

She stood beneath a cool shower spray and gave herself the pep talk. She
could
handle him—she’d handled way worse with ease. She’d meet him, arrange things beautifully with an utterly businesslike manner. No more laughing and almost flirting. This had to be a quick, efficient strike. It’d all be over in half an hour or less. And she’d be sure to arrange things that meant she didn’t have to see him again. Ever. Piece of cake.

Liam’s hotel was only a short walk from hers but she took a taxi. She didn’t want to be in the least bit flushed when she met him again. Nothing like the blushing schoolgirl she’d been last night.

He was in the hotel restaurant in loose chinos, a white cotton tee and an amused smile—the kind a cat circling a broken-winged bird would wear.

‘You want to eat?’ he asked.

‘No, thanks, but some orange juice would be great.’

As she took her seat he ordered for her. Oh, Lord, the guy was temptation enough without suddenly switching to Italian and sounding all seductive first thing in the morning.

He caught her staring and raised an eyebrow. ‘So how does this work?’ he asked.

‘Basically, you tell me what you want and I arrange it.’ She ignored the widening smile on his mouth. ‘Gia instructed me to do whatever it takes for this to happen.’

‘Whatever it takes?’

She sighed. ‘Your little mind’s still in the gutter.’

‘But I’ve got the rest of me out.’

‘I never thought the rest of you was in it,’ she said simply. ‘Now tell me what you want.’

His smile slowly widened again. ‘So, this is what you do all day? Arrange things for Gia?’

‘That is my job.’

‘It must be exhausting.’ He sat back as the waiter served them both a glass of fresh juice. ‘What are the perks? You obviously don’t get to wear her designs.’ He gave her fresh white shirt and black skirt combo a cursory glance—clearly uninspired.

Good. That was the point. But she couldn’t stop a little defence seeping out. ‘Men wear suits—why not women?’

‘In a creative industry?’

‘It’s not my job to be creative. I need to be efficient.’

‘Why not both?’

She shook her head. ‘Around Gia I need to be unobtrusive.’

He laughed. ‘Doesn’t matter what you wear, darling, you can never fade into the background.’

He was doing it again. Making her laugh. Paying her attention. Making her feel warm and alive and so easily attracted to him.

‘So your life is nothing but work? No boyfriend?’ he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. It was tempting to say there was. To invent a wildly passionate lover. To be as in love as it was possible to be. To be
safe
. But her wayward body dominated. Answering while she was still mulling her options—her head slowly shaking.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve been living like a puritan all these years?’ He chuckled. ‘You still feel guilty about what happened?’

She sharply glanced at him. He’d known she felt guilty?

His smile softened at her expression. ‘You were such a ‘good girl’, Victoria. You’d never gone against your parents’ wishes.’

‘I went against everyone’s expectations that day,’ she pointed out with a touch of heat. She hadn’t been that much of a child.

‘True. But that’s nothing to feel guilty about.’ He paused. ‘You didn’t cheat on him.’

No? Where was the line? Just by looking at Liam she’d been all but cheating.

He shook his head. ‘You broke up with him before anything happened with me. You’d already said no to me before you broke up with him.’

But then it hadn’t taken her long to change her mind. How had this happened? She’d been in his company less than five minutes and already they were talking past and
personal
. ‘Don’t worry, what happened between us hasn’t scarred me for life or anything.’ Vivi laughed lightly. ‘I’m so over it.’

‘So you’ve had other boyfriends since me.’

‘Of course.’ Not a lie this time.

‘But nothing serious?’

She didn’t have to answer that.

‘And no boyfriend now?’

She ran her fingers over the cool glass. ‘Not during the show season.’

‘What, you put relationships on hold for that?’

‘Of course. I can’t be bothered with a man moaning about being neglected.’

He chuckled. ‘Neglected? I can’t imagine you ever neglecting a lover—you were always so generous...’

She chose to ignore
that
reference. ‘Well,
you
know how it is, Liam—people tend to feel ignored when their partner is wholly focused on work. I find it’s easier to be single at the busiest times.’

‘I would have thought a true partner would understand when his lover has a huge crunch on at work. Wouldn’t he be supportive? Offer an end-of-the-day massage?’

‘Is that what your girlfriend does for you?’ Vivi smiled, oh,
so
sweetly.

He chuckled. ‘No, I’m every bit as single as you. I’ve had girlfriends but it never seems to work for long. I guess long-term relationships don’t fit with my personality.’ He sounded careless.

‘It’s not that you’re having too much fun enjoying the
variety
in your high-flying lifestyle?’

‘I know you love to think the worst of me, but I’m actually not a slut.’

‘What?’ She paused for effect. ‘You mean you don’t sleep your way to what you want?’

He bridled. ‘Aren’t you getting a little desperate to score a point?’

‘No point scoring, just an honest assessment. Isn’t it an extension of networking and schmoozing?’

‘I guess it could be but I think you’ve been hanging around the Hollywood types too much. You know, most of the people I need to network with are guys,’ he said dryly. ‘And you know I’m not gay.’

‘So you’re telling me you don’t all get together at lap bars and do your deals amongst breasts and legs?’

‘You’re really trying to have the lowest opinion of me, aren’t you?’ He looked way too amused. ‘Why so determined to talk yourself into disliking me? Dreaming up the worst dirt your mind can dredge? Sorry, darling, but I’m not going to help you out. Fact is I’m an all right guy. That’s not to say I don’t have sex, but it’s always good and it’s always with a woman who’s as happy about it as I am.’

‘I’m sure she is,’ Vivi ground out poisonously.

‘And naturally, any man lucky enough to date you would be very,
very
happy,’ he added.

She bit back a bitchy retort. She really needed to steer them back to business.

‘Or are you holding out for Mr Right?’ he asked with a laugh.

‘There’s no such thing,’ she growled, provoked. ‘No hero on the white charger. No love of your life.’ No grand passion. There was companionship and good sex. Neither of which she had time for right now.

‘No.’ He said it with such finality and, even though she believed it herself, she was somehow wounded.

‘Shall we get back to business?’ Vivi forced herself to back away from the boggy territory they’d wandered into. ‘We have a limited time frame. Alannah has a shoot in Venice today and tomorrow. Gia was supposed to be having a few days at a spa.’ And Vivi had been longing for three days’ solid sleep.

‘You can get Gia into the spa a few days later and I have a plane that can get Alannah from Venice as soon as she’s done.’

‘You want Alannah that much?’

His gaze lifted. ‘I want her in the pictures for my company.’

No man just wanted Alannah on paper.

Liam openly laughed. ‘I don’t think I’m her type anyway. She was looking at me very oddly last night.’

‘You mean not in the usual total adoring way you’re used to? Women just fall at your feet, don’t they? Well, men just fall at hers. So perhaps she’s the perfect challenge for you.’ She glanced at him to see his reaction.

A smile played around his mouth. ‘She’s not a challenge for me.’

‘Oh, please. Every man on the planet sees her as the ultimate score.’

‘Not me. As far as I can see there’s no discernible personality there.’

‘It’s there. She just hides it.’ Vivi reckoned she had to, in order for her to survive the insanity of her life. ‘So you only like women you see as a challenge?’ It was all about the challenge.

‘Not a challenge to get into bed. I like a woman who challenges me on every level. Physically, intellectually.’

‘Emotionally?’ she mocked. ‘You’ll never get me to believe that, Liam.’

He kept looking at her so long she grew uncomfortable with the silence.

‘Maybe Alannah looked at you funny because I told her you like me to tie you up and whip you.’ She cleared her throat and sat back, waiting for the explosion.

But he didn’t blink. ‘Well in one way you did. I was only a toy for you.’ His eyes met hers. ‘You used me.’

‘Excuse me?’ Vivi’s temperature rose so she worked hard to keep her tone calm. ‘
You
used
me
. You wanted in. You wanted acceptance.’

‘Stealing you away from your family and almost-fiancé was hardly going to gain me acceptance,’ he said, equally cool. ‘I was some kind of escapist fantasy—the bit of rough. But once reality hit, you couldn’t wait to get away. You used me, Victoria. Not the other way round.’ He leaned over the table. ‘You wanted to escape the nice middle-class prison you were in. You didn’t want to marry Oliver but you felt trapped. I was your escape route. Nothing more.’

How could he possibly think she’d used him like that? ‘You’ve no idea how hard it was for me to walk out of that house and go with you. I walked away from everything.’

‘Which was exactly what you wanted.’ Obstinately he stuck to his warped view of what had happened.

‘How would you know what I wanted?’ He’d never asked her. ‘You weren’t interested in anything I wanted to do. You just expected me to fall in with your plans. I was supposed to sit on the beach or something while you were out sailing. It was all about
your
dreams. You had no clue what mine were and you didn’t want to know.’ She didn’t want this—to go over what had gone wrong. ‘Look, I’ll rebook Gia’s spa and get her to Genoa and rework Alannah’s schedule. Given your inability to stay on track with any kind of serious planning this morning, and given the pressure on
my
precious time, I’m going to leave now and will keep you updated with plans via email.’ She stood up from the table and looked at him. ‘Anything else you need from me right now?’

‘Just one thing,’ he answered blandly, following her out of the restaurant.

Vivi kept walking. ‘What is it?’

‘A kiss goodbye.’

What? She lurched to a standstill and turned, scraping up a laugh. ‘That’s not appropriate in a professional relationship.’

‘Yeah, well, this relationship was never going to be professional.’ He stepped closer. ‘You’re going to have to get over that.’

She opened her mouth but he put his finger on her lips.

‘A kiss makes for a better goodbye than harsh words, don’t you think?’

Five years ago goodbye had been a doozy of an argument. He’d got wild with her and she equally so. She’d never been so angry in her life. He’d made her lose control of her emotions in more ways than one. She’d lost him. She’d already lost her family. And she’d kept all her emotions under control since.

‘You can’t reheat old soup.’ She tried to ignore the sensations of his finger on her mouth as she spoke.

‘You think? Don’t things taste better when the flavours have had time to infuse or ferment? Isn’t that the difference between grape juice and wine?’

She didn’t need to get drunk on Liam again. ‘You’re incorrigible.’

‘But you know I’m right.’

‘No.’

‘Then prove me wrong.’

‘You can’t tease me into this.’