The Billionaire Scoop: A BWWM Romance (Secrets & Deception Book 1) (6 page)

“
Y
ou’re
out of your blue-blooded mind,” Mari said once Jim was done updating her.

An amused quirk appeared on his handsome face, the tension previously tightening it disappearing.

She was glad she hadn’t offended him with her words and felt emboldened to continue.

“Is that how things work in the world of the rich? You show up for a private meeting with your fiancée with…”

“
Ex
-fiancée…”

“Not yet officially. Anyway, you show up to meet the girl you were supposed to marry yesterday with another woman and…no big deal? Seriously?”

“She’s not into me like that—it’ll be fine.”

“I don’t believe you. Whether she was into you more than you think remains to be seen. Whether she’ll be bothered by another person present for such a personal thing—let alone another woman—there’s no question about it. This isn’t going to go well. You’ll hurt her more, Jim.”

Why the hell was she yapping her way out of this again?

What if she managed to convince him she was right?

She would lose the opportunity to get more info!

What Jim was proposing had made it even clearer that her best friend had been totally wrong about dropping the story—the path Mari should take was undoubtedly ordained: not only was she getting the inside scoop on Jim’s side of the tale, but direct access to his jilted betrothed.

It just kept getting better.

“She’s not a jealous girl! She was only going along with this to increase her potential net worth.”

“So you’re saying you guys were planning to have an open marriage? She does whoever, you do whoever…”

“Well, not exactly like that—I mean, it’s still a marriage. I don’t want a wife who sleeps around, nor do I want to sleep around. Even if it’s just a business deal, she’d be my wife, and I wouldn’t accept having another man’s hands on her.”

Mari didn’t even try to hide rolling her eyes.

Typical.

“Which means I can’t ask that of her without being faithful myself.”

This time, she tried to hide looking impressed.

“In any case, a moot point since I cannot marry that woman; I can’t imagine being with her another day much less…well, you know.”

Then he looked at her, a subtle change coming over his face, but she couldn’t pinpoint what he might have been thinking.

She let out a dramatic breath.

“I’ll go with you, either way, but I think you need to be prepared to do even more explaining than you already have to do; you can’t just have me there for no reason other than your moral support. I’m a woman, and I’m telling you, no matter what kind of deal you guys had, pride is always at stake. Showing up with a girl she might consider…”

What, competition? What a laugh.

Guys like him didn’t marry all the way down.

This Lucy girl—she was probably very pretty, very rich, and very white. In no other circumstance would Mari be competition, since Lucy obviously had access to lots of powerful people who could influence things in her favor when it came to just about anything.

As she caught a glimpse of a softened look in Jim’s eyes, Mari was reminded of one distinct momentary advantage: Jim was here with her, where he apparently wanted to be. No matter Lucy’s advantages, he plainly wanted nothing more to do with her.

But Mari was no fool—money most certainly could buy that sort of influence as well.

What if Lucy talked sense into him? Reminded him that it was in both their best interest to let their powers combine?

Money was the motivating factor for the marriage in some way anyway, wasn’t it? The rich getting richer?

“Listen, I feel terrible about this whole thing, and I’m not convinced I won’t get swayed into doing the exact same thing—talked into going through it, this time out of massive guilt, then most definitely leaving her at the altar again. I know she’ll try to convince me to go through with it, but with you there, it’ll help keep me strong.”

“She might take things the wrong way, Jim. No matter what, a woman doesn’t like to feel replaced quickly; in fact, tell me more about her and about this deal; I need to be prepared too.”

Not only for more context she could work into her story, but to meet the woman the man who made her stomach flutter almost married.

T
he recording device
caught all of it.

Every detail of the intended merge, every side story about friends and family.

Lucy wasn’t just some girl—she was the daughter of Jim’s dad’s best friend, so more than business relationships were at stake.

The two men wanted to form a conglomerate and wanted to keep it all in the family.

“Why did you change your mind about this all of a sudden? The wedding was in the planning stage for almost a year!”

“It became apparent to me that much better options were out there; I didn’t have to settle. Lucy makes sense on paper, but there are other considerations.”

His voice softened and he glanced at her, almost seeming a bit shy.

“You know I didn’t really think there was anyone out there for me; I didn’t believe the hype about finding ‘the one’ and all that junk. It was almost like believing in Santa. Sure, I’ve met people who seem to fit each other more than others and manage to be totally into each other, but I never believed there was one person on the planet for someone—there’s only
this
person at
this
time. I figured that lovey-dovey feeling could be manufactured if needed.”

“You’re telling me you’ve never been in love?”

“Not quite. In lust for sure. Infatuated, absolutely. That whole true love thing…nonsense, I was sure. Especially seeing things be so one-sided between my parents. Anyway, as the weeks winded down, I started to feel unsettled, like I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life. And not just because things might not work out between Lucy and me, and despite whatever ironclad prenup my dad came up with, she could end up with a chunk of my fortune.

“I realized I didn’t care if she ended up with a heap of my money; I kept feeling like she wasn’t right for me, and I had never been bothered by that thought before. She had always been
good enough
for me, and that’s the type of relationship I witness most—good enough. Sufficient. Tolerable. I started feeling like I wanted more without being able to put into words what it was I wanted. And then…” he glanced at her again, “...and then the night before the wedding, I had a dream. I was getting married, and my bride walked up the aisle, and once I lifted the veil, it sure as hell wasn’t Lucy.”

Mari’s eyebrows raised. “Who was it?”

“It was no one I knew or ever met, so the face is no longer all that clear. But the message was. I don’t really put too much stock into signs, but there was no doubt I was doing the wrong thing—someone else was out there for me and I was doing myself and her a great disservice by just going along with someone else’s plan. It’s still my life; I still have the final say in it, and it’s about time I put my foot down about some things.

“I know I don’t want what my father has served up to me on a silver platter, and I feel guilty about it, but part of the problem with everything has been that I don’t know what I want instead. With no other options to consider, the current offer looks good enough as is. Anyway, I still haven’t exactly figured everything out, but I’m definitely breaking things off with Lucy. For good.”

Mari started feeling a bit guilty. 

She was violating this man in so many ways—his privacy, his trust.

Stop it—it’s necessary for your line of work. Don’t let Annie get in your head! Integrity keeps a lot of people constantly struggling. Exhibit A: your parents. Right now, you’re not dealing with someone who knows what integrity means. How do you think people like him get so rich?

“So how will you explain my presence?”

“I’ll say you’re there on behalf of the company—with PR or something.”

“You better make that clear to her immediately. Anyway, I’m not saying a word while we’re there since it’s not my place in any way to speak—I’ll just be there for you.”

He squeezed her hand and warmth flooded her at his touch, flushing her cheeks.

She wanted to maintain contact, his large masculine hand on hers, but he pulled away.

She tried to hide her disappointment at the broken grip.

“Help me find the right things to say,” he said suddenly.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a woman—what kind of mines should I avoid here?”

Mari let herself laugh.

“Okay, first of all, all women aren’t the same and you know that, because otherwise, you would have just married Lucy. So you need to tell me more about her—about this
particular
woman—and I’ll see what I can do. Although to me, she’s a different breed altogether.”

“Okay, well, here’s the rundown: she’s materialistic, rather shallow, the daughter of a multimillionaire who never had to work for anything. Educated—has a business degree. Planning to get her MBA and find some place in her dad’s company or mine. Or not—maybe she’ll decide being a socialite is a job. I know she got her business degree because her dad insisted, but she’s got him wrapped around her finger, so if she said she wanted to run a bakery, no questions asked, I’m sure—even if it never turned a profit. Then again, less is always expected of women.”

Mari quirked her eyebrow.

She almost argued with him on that point, but ceded it instead; after all, he was right. If a woman married well, nothing more was required of her, except maybe producing a kid or two. A man was always expected to be the provider, no matter how many women’s lib movements and shouts for equality. Most women Mari knew were perfectly happy to let a man ‘be a man.’

The whole point is to have the choice,
her mom had told her once.

“Okay, based on what you’ve told me, it sounds like she’d be happy with a very expensive parting gift and some lip service about how you realized you don’t deserve her just yet—that you need more time to grow into the man she deserves as a husband.”

She detected a slight curl of lips as he said, “but that would imply I’d get back to her someday. I do
not
want to send that message.”

“I’m still thinking.”

She was quiet a moment.

“Somehow, you’ve got to stress that it’s you, not her—without actually saying that, of course; it’s the most cliché thing in the world, despite its truth. Maybe make it clear you don’t want to get married at all, whether true or not; after all, she just needs something for now—something she can tell her friends. If you meet the right girl someday and change your mind, it won’t matter anymore. By that time, Lucy would have moved on, and maybe it’ll sting a little, maybe not, but time heals all wounds. She just needs to be able to save face at
this
time.”

“Okay, so something like this: ‘There’s a better way to do this. The merger, I mean. The symbolic and legal joining between our families. I don’t want to be in your way…’”

“Yes! That’s it—focus on her. Make it all about her and her needs; that’s brilliant, Jim.”

“‘…I realize how hard you’ve worked on creating the perfect fairytale wedding and it’s only fair you marry your prince. We both know I’m not him, and I feel like a frog getting in the way.”

“Wait, is she really that kind of girl? You said she doesn’t care about any of that stuff—just money.”

“I was just trying to find an angle; I can’t exactly say she should hold out for someone richer. I guess it’s possible, but not likely she’ll find a better, easier match than me. I stand to inherit...a lot. Definitely enough for her needs. I’m the right age, decent-looking, and I’m already practically family. It really couldn’t get easier for her, and she likes easy.”

“Well, is there someone else you’ve caught her making eyes at? Someone she might be interested in that she’ll be relieved you’re freeing her up to be with?”

Jim shook his head.

“Other than what I’ve said, all I’ve got is this: ‘I think it’s better we stay friends in that general sort of sense. It’s in the best interest of both of our happiness that we keep our lives separate. Anything that happens between us could affect our fathers and their relationship. Not doing what they want now could be problematic, but not as problematic as things not working out later. Best to nip that in the bud.’”

“I guess that’s as good as it’s gonna get for now. Hopefully, once we’re there, you’ll get inspired.”

She smiled at him, and the way he smiled back made her heart leap unexpectedly once more, and again, she did her best to ignore it.

L
ucy was even prettier
than she’d imagined, and Maribel’s cheeks burned a little with jealousy.

Lucy’s wide blue eyes studied her too, examining her from head to torso.

“Who is this?” the blonde said with a false smile and casual tone as she sat down.

She rested her purse on the table, then, after a quick glance at Maribel, apparently thought better of it and moved the bag out of sight, dropping it next to her feet on the opposite side of Maribel, as if making sure she couldn’t reach it.

Maribel recognized the behavior and fought not to roll her eyes.

To some degree, she didn’t blame Lucy for being wary of a stranger, but she knew that wasn’t all there was to it—not by a mile.

She had learned that no matter how she was dressed, how obviously normal and unthreatening, distrust was buried so deep in some people, they’d never see her as a regular person worthy of the benefit of the doubt.

But even before the typical behavior, the appraisal Lucy had initially given her as she took in her features sent a clear message in woman-speak—Lucy was threatened by her beyond pretending she might be some petty criminal at heart.

This was not going to go well.

“Jim, this is awkward enough without…”

“She’s with the company,” Jim said. “She’s just here to report back to my dad.”

Maribel fought to keep a straight face.

She hadn’t even known Jim that long, but he was a terrible liar.

If Lucy didn’t see through his fib, she really hadn’t bothered to know him well at all.

After a final once-over, Lucy turned her complete attention to Jim.

“Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?”

“I don’t know the extent of it, no; I figure it’s quite deep and there’s no way I can possibly make it up to you. But I want to begin with my sincerest apologies, Lucy; I’m truly sorry for what I did to you.”

His voice sounded genuine, and Maribel believed him, but Lucy let out a dry chuckle.

“Not a bad beginning, I suppose. But you
do
know there’s an easy way to make it up to me, don’t you? Look, we’ll say you found yourself suddenly ill so the wedding’s been postponed, but as long as things end up as planned…”

She smiled, reaching for his hand.

Jim’s hand quickly disappeared from the table, successfully avoiding any physical contact with hers.

Maribel tried not to look at either of them in the aftermath, but she still caught the look of raw hurt on Lucy’s face at the not-so-subtle rejection.

If Maribel was uncomfortable before, she wanted to hide under the table now; she definitely felt like an intruder at the moment.

Lucy fixed her gaze on her, and Maribel felt it burning through her as she kept her eyes averted.

“I’m sorry, what did you say she does again?” Lucy said in a different voice—casual, but in a higher pitch. “I don’t remember seeing her around before. Is she new?”

“Well, you can’t possibly know all of the company’s faces. Like I said, she’s helping me sort things out. She’s a company advisor. And a friend.”

Maribel briefly closed her eyes, ignoring the softened tone Jim’s voice took on when he said the word ’friend’ because James Daniel Craig had just stepped onto mine number one. 

Unfortunately, one mine was usually all it took to blow everything to pieces.

“
Friend?
Really? When did this happen?” Lucy demanded, her voice climbing.

“Lucy, calm down—it’s definitely not like that.”

“Of course not! I know there’s no way you’d want her over me, and I figure a girl like her is low-hanging fruit for a night if you’re not ready to settle down and that’s fine, but how dare you bring some side whore along when you come to see me?”

“Whoa! I told you it’s not like that—now you apologize to her.”

Lucy laughed maniacally. “
I
must apologize now? Me? You think I can’t see with my own two eyes something’s going on between you two? God, I can’t believe you thought you could get away with this. You want to go slumming before we get hitched, fine, but don’t rub my face in it!”

She turned to Maribel, daggers in her eyes.

“Listen, you gold-digging cunt, you might get him for a night but that’s it. You’re not getting your grubby hands on his money—there’s no way I’d let you; what’s his is mine. We belong together and…”

Jim suddenly stood, cutting Lucy’s intended rant short as he surprised them both with the quick movement.

“If it wasn’t already crystal clear, Lucy, it sure as hell couldn’t be clearer now.”

The tone he used made Mari think it was what a dog’s warning growl would sound like in English.

“Tell your dad and friends whatever you have to, but I’m not getting back with you.
Ever
. I’m sure my dad will reimburse yours for the ridiculous wedding expenses somehow. In the meantime, you will not bring Maribel into this; you won’t dare to drag her character into the mud, do you hear me? Or so help me, you will regret it.”

Lucy looked absolutely stunned.

Jim extended his hand to Maribel and she took it as she stood while Jim glared at Lucy.

Suddenly, fire raged in Lucy’s eyes once more.

“You’re actually threatening me?” She laughed again. “That’s rich. A little jungle fever has you feeling like your balls have dropped, has it? What the hell could you do to me? Not a goddamned thing.”

She stood, collecting her purse as she prepared to leave as well.

“Either way, now I don’t feel so bad about sleeping with your dad last night,” she said. “It was nice being with a man who knows what he wants; less talk, more action. And the man sure can fuck.”

She turned on her heel and stormed off, wavy blond hair swishing with her quick steps.

Maribel could tell Jim had tried not to look unaffected, but she had noticed his mouth drop open almost imperceptibly. Clearly, he was shocked by the revelation.

She rubbed his arm soothingly and was about to say, “she only said that to hurt you,” but deep in her gut, she knew Lucy’s parting words were most likely true.

All of a sudden, she knew there was no way she’d use any of the information she had been privy to over the past twenty-four hours.

Maribel started to feel sick as she saw the scope of the story she was giving up.

She felt even sicker after imagining Jim’s face if he found out she had planned to betray him—the hurt, the anger, the disgust.

How much power did he have, really? Could he then go on to destroy her?

But she knew it wasn’t the threat of possible repercussions from the man himself that bothered her most—it was the thought of hurting him after she had seen him at his most vulnerable and he had poured his soul out to her, illogically trusting her.

After all the talks he gave her about being more careful and not trusting anyone, for her to turn out to be the least trustworthy of all—it would be a kick in the gut, no doubt.

What was wrong with her?

Was she cut out for the career she’d chosen after all?

The first opportunity she gets to report on something big, her heart gets in the way? She feels too sorry for the subject?

But she knew actually caring about a thing always made the biggest difference.

Now, instead of watching Jim get torn apart in the media, she had the pleasure of witnessing him build himself into something stronger.

He was slowly figuring out his life and letting her see him at his most unsure moments while he fortified.

She’d love to see more of it.

Maybe she needed to rethink that office position he offered her; she’d get to keep seeing him.

Plus, the job could hold her over until she encountered a better opportunity.

What’s your deal? You’re willing to take some desk job now? No.

No way should she hand over her power like that; she was perfectly capable of sorting out her own situation and getting what she wanted.
She didn’t come all the way to New York to settle.

She knew what she wanted to do, and she was going to do it somehow. Even if she started out all wrong and gave up a scoop that could make her career.

Maribel also realized she needed to tell Jim why she really moved to New York immediately; it was probably better to come clean now that she was no longer doing the story on him.

J
im didn’t let
her hand go.

As they walked away from the meeting spot, Jim held her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.

It felt natural to her too, which was why she regretted having to remind him to drop it; Lucy could be somewhere watching.

“You think I care?”

“But you told her it wasn’t like this, remember?”

“Well, she already made up her mind about it, but I’ll respect your space.”

He dropped her hand and she felt as if her heart had also fallen a bit.

“It’s not that, it’s just that it’s…”

“Too soon, I know. But don’t deny there’s something between us. Lucy saw it within seconds, I’m sure. I felt it the moment I looked at you, and it has only grown stronger.”

Maribel gazed up at him.

“But I don’t want to be anyone’s rebound,” she said, searching his emerald eyes.

Jim’s eyebrows raised a little.

“You were there—there’s no
there-there
, remember? Lucy and I were never serious. I left her; therefore, no rebound.”

“But you were bothered by her sleeping with your dad—I saw it on your face.”

“Not really by the action
per se
. Sure, I’m disappointed and a bit disturbed my father would sleep with someone he had planned to turn into my wife, but I’m not surprised Lucy did it all; in fact, I’m shocked she didn’t throw herself at my best man! That is, if my sister hasn’t firmly staked her claim yet.”

“So you guys
were
going to have an unofficial open marriage then.”

He shook his head.

“As crazy as it might sound, I figured we had an understanding that we were both free agents until we officially tied the knot. So no, even if she had one last hurrah at some bachelorette party the night before, it wouldn’t have bothered me, but anytime after, and we’d have to have a talk.”

This time, Maribel shook her head. 

“Is it always so little talking with you guys? What’s with all the assumptions? I thought you business types got everything in writing, made sure everything was spelled out clearly. You did a lot of hoping and wishing, and had a lot of one-sided understandings, it seemed.”

“And it stops today. Let me be clear with you, Maribel Gibson—I like you a lot. More than I should after only about a day with you. It feels so much longer, actually.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“But in a wonderful way. We haven’t even been intimate—and I think that might have something to do with it; we’ve done far more talking than I’m used to. But even so, I’m already growing attached to parts of you—like that smile of yours. Those searching dark eyes. It was a strange sort of torture waiting for you to come back home today. I suppose it could be that I’m so used to having my time occupied by work and you’ve been distracting me from this whole wedding thing wonderfully, but I know it’s more than that. I want to keep seeing you, Maribel; I want things to be more serious between us. I already miss your hand in mine.”

Maribel’s face burned, but she offered him her hand again since she missed the physical contact with him too.

She knew she was probably getting played—how could a great-looking, filthy-rich guy like him not have his game down and be the ultimate player?

How could he not know which words to say to get her to want to say yes to any of his requests?

“Would you mind if I came home with you again?” he asked softly, but with distinct undertones. “I don’t mean to impose, but I’d like to spend one more night away from the noise. And obviously, I’m nowhere near ready to let go of you just yet.”

Maribel’s heart pounded. 

She heard so much more than he’d actually said.

Her experience may have been limited, but she knew what he really meant—consummation.

At that moment, he wasn’t talking about getting to know her favorite color or food; the heat between them had to be put addressed one way or another.

Well, perhaps just one way. 

They both had a ton of tension to release, and she couldn’t think of a better way to do it.

She put on the most southern accent she could muster, “Why, James Daniel Craig, I am not that kind of girl!” she said, hand on her chest.

His slow, wicked smile told her it didn’t matter what kind of girl he was—that he knew she wanted the same thing he did, and she’d be that girl tonight.