The Billionaire's Betrayal (Highest Bidder #3) - Carmen Falcone Page 0,1

and was never seen alive again.

She could have been a great musician. A mother. A legend.

Anger clogged his throat—she’d never be any of those things. Why hadn’t he been there for her, tried harder? Maybe he wouldn’t have lost the one person who had mattered, besides his mother.

“Sold!” Madam Alexa hit the gavel, and the crowd applauded. The young woman turned around and disappeared behind the drapes, and so did Madam Alexa.

What kind of woman made a living out of exploiting other women? A scowl formed on his face, but he quickly caught himself and slapped on a neutral expression. He had to think about his end goal and not Madam Alexa’s lack of ethics.

Hhhhmmmm. From what he’d found out, the buyer would have a few minutes alone with the woman to make sure both parties still wanted to go ahead, before signing the contract.

Jazzy music filled the air, and the waitresses reappeared, carrying trays filled with empty glasses. He caught the elbow of a waitress. “I need to talk to Madam Alexa. It’s urgent.”

“That’s not my job.”

He grabbed a few one-hundred bills and put them in her hand. “I know. That’s why I’m so grateful.”

She rolled her eyes, sighed but shoved the money in her pocket. “In about two minutes, take the door to the right,” she said, pointing at the hallway close to the neon EXIT signs. “She’ll be in her office. It’s the first door to the left. Screw it up, I’m calling security.”

“Thanks,” he said, and strode toward the hallway. Maybe she’d guessed the two bulky security guards would be on break or minding the people exiting the room.

When he opened the door, he followed the waitress’s instructions and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Alexa said, her sexy voice sending forbidden ripples through his system. Those reactions had nothing to do with real desire, merely organic responses his body darted at him to mess with his resolve.

He walked in to find her working on her laptop with her attention on the sleek screen. “Madam Alexa?” he said, his voice catching her attention. She lifted her gaze to his and a flicker of annoyance flashed in her eyes. Then, she rocked back in her chair. “I was hoping to talk to you for a moment.”

“Out,” she said.

A sizzling energy swirled between them, encouraging him to follow through. She stared at him like he was nothing special. He held her gaze, inwardly telling himself not to fall into the trap of her fascinating cobalt eyes. Specks of silver flickered around her irises, deepening their alluring effect.

A warm stir worked its way down his body, earning a nod from every fiber. Ignoring her lack of hospitality, he pulled out the chair in front of her seat. “I have a business proposition for you.”

“I’m not for sale.” She neatly stacked some papers on her desk. She opened a folder, retrieved a couple of documents, and then tossed them into a drawer without bothering to look at him. “Out or I’m calling security.”

A smile curled the corner of his lips and a rush of adrenaline bolted through his veins. “I’m not interested in you,” he said evenly. “You’re not my type.”

I don’t date madams. Not unless he wanted to go against every principle his good mother had instilled in him.

Alexa raised her head to stare at him again. A hint of curiosity touched her eyes and she leaned back in the chair, sizing him up. Tension thickened in the air, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He ran every day and practiced tae kwon do often, but no amount of physical endurance had prepared him for a face-to-face with Madam Alexa herself. “I favor petite short blondes. Not that there’s anything wrong with you, of course,” he said casually, knowing pretty damn well he had her attention.

She lifted her eyebrow, and he wasn’t sure if she wanted to throw a vase at him or ignore him. The main vein in her neck pulsed. “Thanks for your reassurance. Looks like I can finally sleep at night,” she said, sarcasm leaking into her voice.

He waved her off. “Anytime. What brings me here is a venture of a professional nature.”

She sighed, folding her arms over her chest. “Amuse me,” she said.

Damn it, he could see why men offered lots of money for the opportunity to fuck her. Unlike those inexperienced virgins she sold, Madam Alexa was all woman and had a veneer of sexy superiority around her most men couldn’t resist. What would it