a pig.
Alexa’s arms dropped to her sides, a flicker of compassion in her eyes. “I’m sorry about your loss. But I don’t have anything to do with it.”
“Then prove it. Let me talk to people who worked for you back then. Let me check your files or interviews with my sister. Maybe she got involved with someone from your staff, and that person didn’t want her to go to the auction. Maybe she had a change of heart like you said, and a faithful employee of yours got mad at her, and things got out of hand.”
She lifted her chin. “My people would never kill anyone. I’m not the mafia, no matter how little you obviously think of my business.”
“That’s beside the point. I need to have access to information. I need to find out the truth, if that’s the last thing I do for her.”
She lifted her hand in denial. “Don’t drag me into whatever mistakes you made in the past. Truth is, you seduced me and created this bullshit idea of a male virgin auction to get close to me. You lied to me. I bet that guy we signed a contract with today is a paid actor.”
He paced the room, agitated. Calm down, man. The initial suspicion he’d had about her and her business warred against the woman he’d come to know in the past few days. A woman who had been hurt and had overcome a terrible past. She hadn’t, at any point, forced Scott into joining the auction. His blood pressure spiked. “He is not. I promise you that.”
“Too bad, because that deal is off. I’m leaving for Vegas and hope to never hear from you again.” She moved to walk past him, but he outsmarted her and blocked her way out of his room, standing in front of the door.
“Nope. I’m going with you,” he said.
“No way.”
Say it, a voice inside him shouted. Or he’d lose his chance to learn the truth about Pamela’s death. “Yes way. Otherwise, I’ll go to the police, and will have to tell them everything—including my ludicrous attempt to get information from you,” he said, his gut contracting. The fear in her eyes almost made him change his mind. “How long do you think it’ll take them to dig up your real identity? Allison?” He only hoped in doing right by his sister, he didn’t ruin Alexa’s life.
…
Alexa grabbed a small decorative vase, the sweat in her palm slicking the smooth surface. She lifted it, every fiber of her demanding she throw it at Brooks Taylor. The man who could bring to light who she’d once been—who she’d spent her entire life trying to forget. The tabloids would love to expose her story, and she’d never be able to reinvent herself. Not even in another country.
She bit her inner cheeks, angry and betrayed. He’d used her—how come I didn’t see this coming? Her chest tightened so hard, she let the vase escape her hold and fall on the carpet.
Hands at her waist, gathering her wits, she was unwilling to give him the upper hand. “Fine, I’ll help you,” she said through her clenched teeth. “But I’m going ahead with the male virgin auction. You’re not taking that away from me.” Why should she give up on that excellent idea to make money? She needed financial security now more than ever. “And after you get whatever you need from me, you disappear from my life. Are we clear?”
“Clear.”
“Good. Well, since there’s nothing else to do here—”
“I’ll call the pilot and have him start the inspection.”
“I know you said you wanted to come, but there’s no need. I can get back to Nevada, take a look at whatever information I have, then send it to you or call you and have you come, if that’s the case,” she said, slipping on her work mask and managing to sound level headed.
A chill rolled down her spine and into her stomach. Spending time with him would remind her of how stupid she’d been to trust a man again. What an idiot she’d been. She’d trusted her hormones and not common sense. She’d told him about her life, details she had never shared with another soul. Why? For him to use it for his own gain. Sorrow filled her heart, squeezing it again. All those years she’d avoided relationships, thinking she didn’t have anything to add to them. But now, the truth made her head dizzy—relationships could also take away everything she’d built.
He texted