The Billionaire's Heart (His Submissive, Part Four) Read online

  When Jacob spied me his face ran amuck with emotion. Like he was trying to apologize to me.

  My heart seized in my chest. She hadn't told him anything?

  She turned her head and it was almost as terrifying as that scene from The Exorcist. Her jade eyes filled with delight and two words fell from her scarlet lips: ‘Good job’.

  Jacob was the first to speak, his eyes screaming ‘this isn’t what it looks like’. "Leila was just in the neighborhood." He winced, realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

  Well hold on tight, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet. "Jacob, there's something I need to-"

  "How much did we decide on, Leila?" Rachel interrupted. “One thousand? Two?”

  Jacob looked at her, then looked at me, then back to Rachel. "Decide on?"

  Rachel let out a weary sigh as she reached for her purse and pulled out her check book. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Jacob, but clearly Leila stormed out here to ensure payment."

  "Payment?! We never discussed--" My mouth hung agape as all the pieces fell into place. “You bitch!”

  “Calling names.” She tsked like I was some disobedient child. “That will certainly prove that you have nothing to hide.”

  I didn’t know what to be angry about first. That I was dumb enough to let her bully me at all, or that I played right into her hand. She wasn’t going to tell anyone anything about the contracts--at least not anytime soon. She just wanted to set me up.

  "What the hell is going on here?" Jacob thundered, anger quickly replacing his confusion as he threw his napkin on the table.

  Rachel was as cool as a cucumber as she reached for my glass of wine. "I'm sure she'll have some conspiracy story because she's trying to cover her tracks." She winked at me. "But we both know the truth, don't we, Leila?"

  "She's full of it,” I hissed. I just had to focus on Jacob. Only Jacob. “The truth is--" I stalled when I saw his face harden to stone. "The truth is…I…"

  Now was my chance to set the record straight. The thing was, part of it would exonerate me, but the other part would incriminate me. There was no way I could put Rachel on blast without burning myself. And I just couldn’t get out the words that could destroy everything.

  "The truth is what, Leila?" Jacob said, eyes smoldering. "Spit it out."

  "She came to me at the museum today,” I conceded, hanging my head. “She threatened to go to the press if I didn't give her five minutes with you."

  Jacob frowned. “Go to the press? Go to the press with what?”

  “W-with the contracts.” I sunk my teeth into the inside of my jaw until I taste blood. “She knows about the contracts.”

  Relief flooded me when I saw the pure rage storming when turned on Rachel. “You threatened Leila?”

  Rachel sputtered something about money and I relaxed…until he held up a hand, silencing her. He turned his face from her and lifted his eyes to mine."Wait a minute--so all this morning, this afternoon, when I asked you if something was wrong, you lied to me?"

  "Yes," I said hoarsely. "But I was just trying to-"

  "And that whole bit about your father being sick." His voice was low and dangerous. His eyes were worse. "That was a lie as well."

  "My my," Rachel cackled behind me. "Who knew Miss Montgomery could act as well?"

  I balled my fists at my side, trying to ignore her. She wasn't important. What was important was the fact that every second that passed Jacob could spin all sorts of terrible conclusions. I just had to make him understand.

  I moved forward and put my hand over his, thrusting past the disdain in his glare. He was back to the disguise, the wall he put up to protect himself. I'd finally chipped away at it; I’d seen proof of that all day. Even if he was pissed at me, he was still reachable.

  "I'm sorry I lied, but this isn't what it looks like,” I said forcefully. “Rachel didn't have to pay me-"

  He slid his hand from beneath mine. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

  I reared back in shock. There were a million reasons he should believe me. He knew me, better than anyone. But there was one screeching reason why he shouldn't. If I could lie about my father’s fake illness, what wouldn’t I lie about?

  "Jacob..." Tears sparked in my eyes. “Jacob, please just let me explain.”

  He looked right through me. "You're dismissed, Miss Montgomery."

  Dismissed? I wanted to shake him, force him to listen, but nothing would be gained from making a scene.

  “I’ll wait for you at the hotel,” I murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” he said coldly. “Your services are no longer required.” He reached into his lapel and retrieved his phone. “I’ll have Allegra assist you in packing your things for your departure.”

  I shouldn’t have been able to walk, to move when I felt like someone was jumping up and down on my chest, but I mustered the little dignity I had left and walked away from the man I loved.

  ****

  I used the sleeve of my long sleeved t-shirt to make myself presentable and put on a halfhearted smile as I opened the door. This morning, before Rachel slithered back onto the scene, there’d been one person I’d wanted to confide in about falling for Jacob. Now, that same person would take me away from him.

  "Hi Allegra."

  "Hello Leila." She stepped into the room, glancing around at the sad state of things. You could barely make out the floor through the strips of clothes and underwear that were strewn about. I’d spent a ludicrous amount on overpriced room service chocolate and there was a graveyard of wrappers glittering in the dim light. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of my worn overnight bag sitting on top of the vanity.

  I gestured at it. "I'm pretty much packed." I let out a strangled chuckle. "I figure when Jacob Whitmore ‘dismisses’ you he wants you to leave behind the company supplied wardrobe, huh?"

  “Jacob is not that way,” she reassured me. “Va bene. It will be okay.”

  I had to stop myself from glaring at her. None of this was her fault. But the fact remained that I was being expelled from Jacob’s life, and everything that I’d fought tooth and nail for—my job, some semblance of respect and control, what we could have been—it was all over. Things couldn’t be further from okay.

  “You believe me, yes?” she asked gently.

  I didn’t have the energy to pretend her attempts at making me feel better were doing any good. “No, I don’t believe you.”

  As soon as I felt her hand on my shoulder, I lost it. I didn't bother with words, instead, letting my sobs fill the awkward silence. Allegra stood there and took it, stroking my back like my mother used to when I was a kid. Back then I’d ball my eyes out, complaining about the other girls picking on me for some reason or another. She’d tell me they were just jealous of me, that they had to bring me down to make themselves feel better. She’d kiss my forehead and say that someday I’d meet someone amazing. Some rich businessman or prince. Even then I knew she was living vicariously through me. Wishing for a life that didn’t include living from paycheck to paycheck.

  If she could only see me now, I thought bitterly, a fresh wave of sadness washing over me. There’d be no back stroking or trying to make me feel better— just yelling that I screwed up my ticket to the good life.

  When the well was dry, I gave Allegra a bleary smile. I knew Jacob well enough to know he didn't tell her much more than to pick me up and take me to the airport. Anyone else would have been chomping at the bit to find out what went down. Not Allegra.

  "I really screwed up," I said hoarsely, grabbing a wad of tissue. One swipe and it was a soggy clump. “I’ve ruined everything.”

  "We all make mistakes, Leila."

  "Not like this." I shook my head from side to side. "And after we were so close...so close."

  The quiet rushed back in and I swept a bunch of clothes to the floor and plopped onto the bed. Allegra stood like a sentry a few feet away, w
aiting for me to talk, to cry, to do whatever I needed.

  "Things were so good with us," I said after a minute. "Like we were finally building something together."

  "You were building something,” Allegra said quietly. “When Jacob called me a few days ago, I just knew. I hadn't heard that—something—in his voice in a long time. He was happy." She gave my hand a pat. "And that is because of you."

  "Not anymore," I said weakly. I picked at invisible lint on my skirt. I'd barely taken the tags off it. Not even wrinkles and teardrops could sully the high quality fabric. I glanced at the couture dresses and blouses strewn on the floor and bed, thinking over the lavishness of my beautiful room in this beautiful country. Now that I was losing all of it, it all seemed so pointless. I didn't care about the jets, the clothes, the five star hotel...I cared about him. Losing him felt like I was being split in half. A part of me would do what he wanted and go my way, but the other part would remain, haunting the dream of what we were meant to be.

  A fresh stream of tears unhitched from my eyes and I swept them away, swallowing so I could recount how I’d gotten here.

  "We went to the museum this morning and everything was perfect…right up until Rachel appeared."

  "Oh dear," Allegra groaned, ruffling her dark, choppy hair. "I should have known she was at the center of this."

  It wasn’t quite that simple, but Jacob already hated me. I didn’t want to add Allegra to the list. "She threatened to go public with information that could ruin Jacob, unless I gave her five minutes with him.”

  Allegra frowned. “She has no problem intruding upon Jacob. Why would she-” She stopped, her eyes narrowing as Rachel’s true motives dawned on her. It was funny—if only I’d taken a moment and thought about it myself, I’d be trotting around Venice instead of about to board a jet back home.

  “I lied to Jacob and let her charm her way back into his life.” I dropped my head in my hands, letting out a groan of frustration as I relived it. “You should have seen his face.” Eyes as cold and uncaring as they’d been before I scaled the walls of him to find something more. Lips in a razor thin line, sharp enough to cut. The guy who'd held my hand tight with that devilish grin as we took in the city was replaced by someone who ripped away from my touch. "I lost him, Allegra."

  “Nonsense." Allegra waved a hand through the fog of my sadness. "The changes in him and the happiness he has found is not something easily forgotten." She brushed a bundle of curls from my face then used a hankie from her pocket to mop at my wet cheeks. "This is just the first fight."

  "Our first fight?" I said incredulously. "He banished me from the country!"

  "That is theatre," Allegra replied simply. "His anger is doing the talking instead of his heart." She glanced away, her eyes clouding over. "Just like his father."

  I perked at the mention of his dad. Maybe there was something, anything in their past that would help me get Jacob back. "Could you tell me more about his father?"

  Hesitation flitted across her face and she took a few steps away from me. "No good can come from digging up those skeletons." She glanced at my messy bed. “Let’s get these things hung back up, yes?”

  There was nothing I wanted more than to pretend that what went down between Jacob and I was some sort of lovers spat, but deep down I knew it was more than that. When I let out the lie about my father, something had danced across his face. There was sadness there. But it didn’t take a psychic to know that talking about Jacob’s father was the absolute last thing Allegra wanted to do.

  "I'm just trying to understand," I prodded. "When I was talking about my dad at lunch, I could tell that he was thinking about his own."

  "I find that unlikely unless he was thrashing about and foaming at the mouth."

  I peered over at her, expecting to see a flicker of the joke, but her face was hard as stone. She was smoothing the front of her pants, her fingers shuddering like the wind over water. Allegra had been a force from the moment I met her. Graceful, powerful, formidable. But talking about Jacob’s father had brought out something entirely different in her. Watching the nerves and wariness engulf her was like looking into a mirror.

  "Oh my god," I gasped, the truth smacking me upside the head. "You two were in love!"

  She opened her mouth to protest before she closed it and let out a resigned sigh. “You caught me.”

  When she didn’t offer anything else, I moved closer to her. I was being selfish, not giving her the same courtesy she gave me, but now that I’d glimpsed the truth, I couldn’t stop until I knew more. “I know this is hard-“

  "Hard?” she repeated with a sad chuckle. “It was agony. He was my everything. Everything." She sucked in a lungful of air. “Carlton Whitmore.” After she said the name, she rubbed her bare arms like she caught a chill.

  “He was an actor, right?” I said, remembering the snippet she’d shared about him when we first met. When she was telling me why I shouldn’t judge Jacob by the role he played for the world.

  "Si. He walked around Venice like a king. And every woman worshipped him." She spread her arms wide. "His head was this big!"

  "I guess that runs in the family," I smirked.

  "Oh yes,” she said, twisting her lips into a rueful grin. “Pride is in the Whitmore DNA. And Carlton was stubborn as a mule. Whatever he wanted, he got. I was the only girl in Venice that showed no interest."

  "Out of principle?"

  "Out of respect," she said wryly. "Respect to his wife."

  My eyes widened. "He was married when he pursued you?"

  She nodded. "He was relentless. Swore that he was unhappy. That he wanted to leave her." She cut her eyes at me. "I do not have some fancy US education, but I wasn't stupid. I kept at him, telling him if he wasn't happy he should leave her. He said he couldn't but would not explain why."

  I bit my lip. It was the age old crutch. Stay together for the kids. "Because of Jacob."

  "Yes. Eventually the truth of his hesitation came out." She let out a groan, massaging the bridge of her nose. "But it was too late. Instead of being horrified, I accepted it. I accepted it because I fell in love." She paused, her eyes glazing over. "For three years, he came in the summer and we played house. He even brought Jacob with him. I was 'Aunt Allegra'."

  I winced at that. “Just three years?"

  "I grew tired." Her voice wavered. "Lonely. A summer just was not enough." She rose from the bed. "I gave him an ultimatum." She paced back and forth and with every circuit, my heart broke for her. I could practically see her decades younger, swooning after him. Loving him. Needing him.

  "I was young and foolish. A part of me actually thought he would leave her." Her eyes glittered with tears. “I thought he would choose me, as selfish as that was.

  "I'm so sorry." I meant it. I wasn’t even on a plane yet and I felt the devastation of losing Jacob. If we’d had all the time that she and his father had, it really would have destroyed me.

  She flashed a smile that lit up her face. "Do not feel sorry for me. I had a good life once I stopped waiting. I married a good man. We had beautiful children.” She looked at the floor. “It wasn't until Jacob became a man and found me that I learned that his father never got over me. And turned that anger, that loss, toward his family."

  No wonder he doesn't get attached, I thought, crossing my arms. Cold, calculated contracts that rule out emotion--because his own flesh and blood hurt him so deeply. It all made sense now.

  "His father lived a lie and all the money in the world couldn't save Jacob and his mother from emotional hell," Allegra tried to clear the emotion from her face but I caught a sliver of guilt before it disappeared. “It's why your lie hurt Jacob."

  I thought back to the company stairwell after I let him touch me for the first time.

  I lost myself, Leila. It won't happen again.

  I'd thought he was just sorry that he came off as a carbon copy of the playboy that was slathered on magazines. Now that I knew he grew up with a father that wished f
or another life altogether, no wonder he kept me at arm's length. No wonder he was hesitant to let me in. A lie defined his childhood. I couldn't let a lie define our future.

  I turned to Allegra, ready to fight for him. "I have to get him back."

  She brought me in for a hug, holding tight. I felt her blessing radiating in her smile when she pulled back. "I was hoping you would say that."

  She reached in her pocket and pulled out a blackberry. "Jacob scheduled a last minute meeting at Bella Monica, but it smacks of Rachel. You will go and get your time with him."

  My mind jolted me back to standing awkwardly at the table at lunch, nerves eating me alive. I hadn’t been able to get through to him before. I had to do something different this time or it would just be a repeat horror show. "How do I make him listen?"

  Allegra's heels clicked on the floor as she moved to the closet. She reappeared with the deep red dress I’d worn back in the boutique when I began this crazy journey. In that dress, I’d had my epiphany—the moment that I believed that I actually belonged in Jacob’s world.

  "In this dress," Allegra said with a mischievous smile, "how could he not?"

  ****

  When Allegra slid behind the wheel of the town car, she had a twinkle in her eye. We had to make one last stop on the way to the restaurant. That stop included picking up an olive skinned man with silky black hair, angular features, and a thick accent that stroked my eardrums. His name was Silvio De Luca, Allegra’s nephew. Who just happened to be a professional model.

  I’d bypassed nervousness and headed straight for terrified.

  I teetered on my heels while every move my impromptu date made was suave and graceful. He gave me a dizzying smile as I brought us to a stop a few feet from the cobblestone steps in front of the restaurant.

  "Everything is fine?" he asked, his voice sending goose bumps over my bare arms.

  "Y-yes," I lied. "I just need a minute." At least that was a bit of the truth. I needed time to digest what was about to go down. Time to believe that Jacob would even notice or care if I strut into the restaurant with some sexy guy at my side.