Nothing to Tell (Bombshells & Billionaires #14)

Chapter 1

ONE

RUNNING AWAY. Smart. Great, Harper. Real mature.

Alone in the bowels of LA’s Grand Hotel, somewhere in a dark corridor, she shook her hands, her arms, fighting to cast off the indignity.

“No. No. No. No! No!”

Good. ‘Cause berating herself was productive. She did enough of it in her head, did she have to do it out loud too? Was it her fault madness seeped out when it got too much to contain?

“Is there a problem, Miss?”

Oh, shit.

She stopped pacing.

Alone? Maybe not so much.

The whole idea when slipping out of her sister’s engagement party—okay, fleeing like the room was on fire—was to gather herself. Her thoughts. Her courage. Did she have any of that? She couldn’t even get seclusion right.

This spot had people.

Person. Alone? Hopefully. Judging from the pitch, male.

If she stayed quiet and wished herself invisible, would he go away? Probably not. So much for venting in peace.

Broadening a totally fake smile, she spun around. From one indignity to another. Just don’t ramble. No rambling aloud. Allowed? Either worked.

“No, uh, I’m sorry.” Pressing both hands to her abdomen, she held in the proverbial scream. “I thought I was alone.”

Where had he come from? Not behind, the entryway was too narrow. So in front… with him now moving in her direction, she couldn’t see what was there. Or him, as more than an outline.

His form stopped a few feet away. And, yep, expectation, his anticipation hung in the black stagnant air between them. Amazing what a person could decipher with so few visual cues. For her, it was damn near a miracle.

“Evidently.” Oh, a smirk. Great. No, she didn’t see it. His voice didn’t hide it. He dropped his gym bag, startling her. Under the circumstances, edginess was justified. It was justified. “What’s wrong?”

Oh, just absolutely everything with the world, society, her family… her ex-boyfriend.

“Nothing,” she said because what else could she say to a stranger? “Nothing’s wrong.”

Airing dirty laundry wasn’t her style. She wouldn’t share her thoughts with this stranger when she didn’t even share them with her friends. Or she wouldn’t share them with friends, if she had any friends.

Adara was her decompression conduit. Most of the time. This night was an exception. She wouldn’t put her sister in the middle of the mess. The woman’s engagement party was in full swing. A sibling tête-à-tête wasn’t exactly appropriate.

“Are you a guest here at the hotel?”

“No,” Harper said. “My sister’s engagement party is in full swing upstairs.”

“There’s a problem?”

“No.”

Question after question. All the questions. Was this an interrogation? Move along, Quizzy. Her life was so not his business.

She stepped aside, opening up his view.

Hint, hint, that door right there was the exit. Don’t let it hit ya…

“You’re not having fun?”

More questions. Why was her story the scoop of the day? Nosey guests should entertain themselves in the pool or with pay-per-view.

Time to change the subject before the flames of shame engulfed her. Yes, that was a real thing.

“Isn’t this a strange place to be at this time of night?” That was it, good, stem the tidal wave of his curiosity. “It’s almost eleven p.m.”

“Guests can access the fitness suite at any time, day or night. They only have to call the concierge,” he said. “During the day there is a range of personal training facilities—”

Her cough of laughter stalled him. “Sorry,” she said, overjoyed for the distraction from her own shit. “Do you loiter in dark, abandoned areas of the hotel ready to spout the marketing script to anyone you happen upon? Is that your job?”

“No.” The rumble of his deep voice anchored her in the mortifying moment. “Habit.”

“You’re in sales?”

That’s right, Deep Voice, answer the question. Forget her embarrassing outburst. Move along. Move along.

“You could say that,” he replied. “Are you married?”

Or don’t move along… Damnit, apparently his idea of progress was to get super personal, super fast.

Uh… rude. “Excuse me?”

Was she reading this right? They couldn’t see each other’s faces, yet he was hitting on her?

Maybe not. Matter of fact, he’d stated what was apparently obvious within seconds of meeting her. Yes, she was unmarriable. Just what needed to be reinforced. Thanks for that. Don’t worry, she was under no illusions.

“If you’re running from your sister’s engagement party the typical assumption would be that you’re not married and perhaps envious…”

Okay, she’d missed the mark, he wasn’t hitting on her. “I’m not envious of anything.”

Was his casual curiosity a reprieve or should she be offended he was prying without tact again?

“Why did you run from the party?”

Ordinarily, putting words to her shame was difficult. Hence why it was her default to avoid the issue. This entitled stranger wasn’t being subtle, she got the feeling he’d wait all night for an answer.

This could be an opportunity. Yeah, that’s how she should look at it. If she didn’t talk about what brought her there, she’d stay down in the dark forever wallowing in shame.

The gloom, the anonymity, gave her a platform. One use only. Speak now, then forever hold her peace.

“I ran into my ex,” she admitted.

“Ah.”

“I didn’t expect to see him tonight.” Maybe she should have.

“Damon had an affair with my sister’s best friend, Charissa.

They left the country together a year ago, he works for my dad, and they had this opportunity in Australia…

” The stranger didn’t care. “Anyway, they’re back and I think I’d just… ”

Articulating it was tough.

After Damon and Charissa emigrated—for a year as it turned out—the pitying looks did eventually dry up.

Eventually. For months, she’d been living free and easy and hadn’t thought about Damon at all.

She sure didn’t miss him. Then, bam! Him and Charissa show up, right there, celebrating without shame. One helluva gut punch.

“You’re just getting over the betrayal and you didn’t expect them to return?”

The stranger got it. He understood.

Thank God someone did.

Maybe she wasn’t totally insane. “No, I didn’t. My sister, Adara, said nothing about them coming tonight. She and Charissa were best friends. Are best friends. Maybe it’s just a shock response. Adara can’t have known they’d be here or she would’ve told me.” She would’ve. “He looks great.”

“You’re not as over him as you thought?”

“No, it’s not that.” Her muddled thoughts didn’t want to form a line.

“Maybe I… I thought I was going to spend my life with him… When I found out about the affair… it ripped my world apart. For him, it’s like nothing ever happened.

And there he is, just there, back in my social life.

If they’re here to stay, Damon’s going to be at the office.

” And there was the nausea again. “He’ll be everywhere.

How can I pretend nothing happened? He’s up there dancing with her…

he used to dance with me, you know? It’s so normal.

Like I imagined our whole past.” The stranger took a step in her direction, keeping his distance without a word.

“Why do I feel like this?” she whispered, pressing her splayed fingers into her stomach again.

“You’re not over him,” the stranger said.

That explanation was too simple. She didn’t want Damon. Didn’t feel love or lust. No jealousy or envy. She just felt sick.

“When they came off the dance floor, heading in my direction, I ran.” While doing her best to disguise the haste.

“Man, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

I can’t pretend to be happy for them. I can’t.

I’m in the same place, doing the same things I did when Damon and I were together.

I can’t keep a man happy and he knows that.

Charissa will look down her nose with pity.

I don’t want to be pitied. They’ll take one look and know I’m a failure.

I’m at my sister’s engagement party and I couldn’t even find myself a plus one… I’m pathetic. No wonder he left me.”

“Sounds like you’re throwing your own pity party.”

Thanks for the sympathy. Don’t sugarcoat it, will you?

“I don’t pity myself. I disgust myself. If I’d known they were coming I’d have made more of an effort to get a date.

I do not want to be the pitied singleton.

” The only singleton. “Again. If I had someone to dance with… someone to take my hand… let them watch me dance and laugh and be happy.” What a fantasy.

Pathetic didn’t cover it. “If I had that distraction, I could be oblivious instead of drowning in humiliation.”

“You did nothing wrong.”

Ha, that was a joke. “Yeah? Damon’s been my father’s favorite for years. There’s only me and my sister; dad has no son to take the reins of his business. Damon was that man. I caught them cheating at my birthday party last year. My mother was with me and… she said it’s what men do.”

“She expected you to stay with him?”

“Is fidelity too much to ask?” Harper sighed.

“My father expected us to patch it up… Davis Scott is never wrong. My father is used to giving orders and having them obeyed. When I refused to turn a blind eye and put up with the affair… Damon was already in line to set up the Australian partnership, but I was supposed to be the one to go with him. I found out about the affair and Charissa took my place… in every sense.”

“You did the right thing. If he didn’t make you happy—”

“I didn’t make him happy.” That was the embarrassment.

“I didn’t go looking for a better offer.

I didn’t have affairs to quench my un-slaked lust.” Her throat hurt.

“I didn’t keep him happy in life. I didn’t keep him happy in bed, and both of them know that.

Now I have to stand in front of them while none of us state that obvious fact.

Will they be thinking it? I will. Does that sound like a fun way to spend an evening? ”

The impromptu therapy session was helping.

The stranger’s intrusion started as unwelcome, but talking it out provided some perspective.

Kinda. She could do this. She’d have to psyche herself up to return to the party.

She’d be missed eventually and if the partygoers made a big deal about her running away to hide, she’d be even more humiliated.

“Did he make you happy? This Damon guy?”

What did that have to do with anything?

Lifting her head, she wanted to decipher the stranger’s expression because his tone was so… knowing. Darkness liked to be infuriating.

“I hadn’t thought about it. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t sad. I was… indifferent.”

“And you were going to spend your life with the man?”

He didn’t have to sound so incredulous about it. Grown-ups settled all the time. Love, like real love, the movie kind, yeah, she’d never seen evidence that actually existed. This stranger was a romantic… or an idiot.

“We had respect… or at least I thought we did.” The cheating thing sort of flew in the face of that.

“Love is… an anomaly, it’s not as common as people make it out to be.

The majority of us settle with respect, cohabitation.

A partner. That’s what I thought Damon and I had before I found out about him and Charissa. ”

“You were wrong about that, maybe you’re wrong about love too.”

Talk about missing the point. Her turmoil wasn’t related to a delusion about a prince sweeping her off her feet. Ha! Ridiculous! Hilarious!

All she wanted? To be left alone to live her life. Unfortunately, the people in her circle prioritized relationships above everything else.

Well, other than her father, he prioritized business. That was the one thing they had in common. Because, truly, what else was worth the time?

“I don’t care about love,” she said.

“You care about appearances.”

“It’s what I’ve been raised to consider.”

“How things look?”

“Instead of how things actually are? Yeah.”

“So you want it to look good?”

“My relationships?”

“Yeah,” he said. “You said you wanted someone to hold your hand tonight. You want to throw it back at him, have Damon think twice about his behavior.”

“I don’t want everyone to be reminded that I’m the pathetic dumped one. I wish I could just… pretend I didn’t care. Have Damon think he’s not crossed my mind in the year since they left.”

“Cowering isn’t going to achieve that.”

Again, stating the obvious. This guy had a talent for it.

“No,” Harper agreed. “But it’s better than the alternative.”

“Your sister has made a life-changing decision. Hiding down here, you’re missing the chance to celebrate with her. You won’t get that back.”

Her sister had found a secure relationship. A stand-up guy. The couple would look after each other.

“Carnell worships Adara, he’d never hurt her.”

“Sounds like love to me… Get back upstairs, get a drink… you never know what might happen.”

His message? That not everyone settled. Was that his point? Adara and Carnell were in love. Yes, that was true. Harper’s sister adored her fiancé, but not as much as Carnell adored his fiancée.

“I suppose there’s a chance I’ll fall flat on my face in the middle of the room. That would begin a new humiliating chapter.” A little sarcasm was warranted. Okay, maybe a big sarcasm was too. “I wouldn’t want to miss that.”

She hated feeling sorry for herself. Work had been busy and she’d already had a drink or two, could that explain the unexpected wobble? Usually she was happy to tell the world to go to hell. Why was tonight so different?

“Don’t you want to celebrate your sister’s engagement?”

Yes! She did! Missing out on sharing this night with her sibling was heartbreaking. For her, at least. Adara wouldn’t miss a beat, she’d be up there having a ball. At the end of the day, wasn’t that the most important thing?

“Adara is beautiful and poised. Being social, fitting in, it comes naturally to her. Screwing up is what I do best.”

Story of her life.

“No more pity,” he said.

The outside edge of his index finger grazed her temple.

When did he get close enough to touch her? To soothe with such a gentle—

“Go upstairs and hold your head high… We never know which cards our opponents hold. Act like you’ve got it and they’ll believe you do. There’s nothing more powerful than the bluff. When you pull it off, it’s a high.”

The electricity of his departed caress was still warm. It wasn’t intrusive; it was intimate. The zing still fizzled on the path his finger traced.

Sheesh, don’t make it a big thing. It probably only felt that way because they were alone in the dark.

Giving her no chance to speak again, he opened the door that led back to the stairwell. Struck dumb, she followed his unspoken invitation to use it.

Like an apparition, he didn’t follow, he just drifted away.

Okay. Back upstairs.

She could do this.