The Billionaire's Runaway Fiancé (Invested in Love) Read online

  Did he have to say proposition like he was about to ask her for the real thing? Gadzooks, her hormones were out of control today.

  “I overheard you inquiring about an event-planning job, and I know you intended to go into that field. But you are very good at what you do.” His disarming grin softened his features, making him even more handsome than before. “I’d like for you to stay here at Golden and work for me, not the agency. We’ll compensate you for giving up the opportunity, and you’ll be eligible for profit sharing at the end of the year.”

  “That would be nice.” Being hired on by the company meant security, benefits, and not having to worry about making rent. She drew a circle in the lush carpet with the toe of her boot. She considered telling him she’d already extended her assignment with the agency, but she liked being appreciated, noticed by him at all.

  “We’ll double your salary and lease you a car for errands.”

  The shock of his offer hit her full force. She plopped down into the leather chair opposite his desk. “Excuse me?”

  “We couldn’t do the car until you were a Golden employee. It’s an insurance nightmare.” He gave a half shrug as if he hadn’t given her more than she could win on the gameshows her grandmother loved.

  “You’re doubling my salary and buying me a car?” She brushed a wayward wisp of brown hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

  Robyn wore her giddy smile, the one where her tongue poked from between her teeth. Her features seemed too large for her face until she smiled, then everything came together perfectly. She looked like she’d won the lottery.

  “Leasing. I’m sorry you’re so shocked. I must not have done a very good job of communicating how much I recognize the value of what you’ve done these last few months. You’re a fantastic assistant, and I want to make sure you stay with Golden.”

  She blinked, her green eyes glazing over behind her thick glasses. Her nose and mouth wouldn’t seem so large if the lenses didn’t shrink her eyes. Always keeping her long hair pulled back in a barrette at the nape of her neck didn’t help, either.

  Curtis clenched his fists beneath his desk. It did not matter what his assistant looked like, nor what she could look like if she tried. She was terrific at making his life easier, and she was one of the few people who’d earned his trust by passing small tests he’d given her with credit cards and sensitive business information. If he gave her enough, maybe she wouldn’t sell him out the way everyone else did.

  “I know changing your career path wasn’t in your plans, but I am sure working here at Golden offers many opportunities for growth.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” She wore a dazed look as her fingers tapped against her long neck.

  Neither did he, and things were getting a tad uncomfortable. Behind her lenses her green eyes had gone glassy, like she might try to hug him. He couldn’t let that happen. “It’s Friday, so you could say you’ll see me first thing Monday morning.”

  “Except you’ll be in Los Angeles on Monday. You fly out Sunday at two. The tickets are in your portfolio. Your housekeeper has your bag packed, and the town car has been ordered to pick you up.”

  “Is there anything you haven’t thought of?”

  Robyn popped up from her chair, smoothing her hands down her black trousers. She always wore black. Her cheeks tightened as she tried not to smile. “I haven’t thought what kind of car I’ll lease.”

  …

  Curtis set the phone in its cradle and pulled in a deep breath to cool the fire burning in his gut. Omissions were the first sign a person couldn’t be trusted. He needed to confront her, gauge her reaction, and odds were good he needed to find another assistant. Just great.

  He spun his chair to face the bank of windows that made up one wall of his office. Streaks of red traced the rooftops of the buildings as the sun set on a day he wished he could rewind. Hell, he needed to rewind the last eight months.

  Closing his eyes, he let his aching head rest against the chair and gripped the armrests. When he’d overheard Robyn on the phone last week, asking questions about a job the employment agency had for her, panic had iced through him. Not at the thought of having to replace her, but because he didn’t want to.

  He liked her, a little more all the time. More than he should, more than was appropriate for an employee. He thought they were friends, that he could trust her. Apparently not.

  With a shake of his head, he turned back to his desk, not sure where to start. He had to talk to Robyn first thing Monday and find out if he was back on the executive assistant merry-go-round. His meetings next week needed to be rescheduled, his flight and hotel cancelled, both of which Robyn would have handled. Passing the job along to one of the other partners’ assistants on a Friday evening would make him king of all assholes, but he forwarded the request anyway.

  One meeting wasn’t on his Golden City agenda. If it were any other day but Monday, he’d borrow the family jet and make a day trip out of it. He’d known the other men from Professor Gibbon’s Investment Club since grad school, and with as many favors as the others had done for him over the years, he hated to cancel. He pushed a hand through his hair, hating how much Robyn’s betrayal affected him. He should just fire her and move on, but he wanted there to be an explanation so life could stay business as usual.

  Brandon Knight, the financier who’d arranged the meeting, would not understand why he’d cancel a meeting over an assistant. He’d say to replace her and be done with it. In fact, Curtis would bet his share of their next dividend none of them would. Except maybe one.

  Curtis scrolled through the contacts on his personal cell phone until he found who he was looking for. The CEO of Strong Gyms International answered on the third ring.

  “Hey, Curtis. You calling in a favor? I do owe you one for consulting on that real estate acquisition.” The tone of David Strong’s voice had brightened recently, probably the influence of his new fiancée. Which was why David was Curtis’s one shot at understanding his situation with his assistant. Not that he and Robyn were sleeping together.

  He tugged at his shirt collar and cleared his throat. “If we’re counting, you owe me three. But I have a way for you to wipe the slate clean.”

  “Why do you sound like you’re trying to swindle me into something?” He gave a short laugh. David had never really been much of a laugher before.

  “I’m not selling you anything, just asking a favor.” Though even asking did make him feel sneaky. “Are you going to the meeting Brandon’s having in L.A. next week?”

  “Hell no. He knows my opinion on buying that set of hotels.”

  “That it’s a rebranding nightmare? Not to mention the liens from the lawsuits? I can’t understand why he’s so interested in Carlton Hotels. He knows I think it’s a waste of money.”

  “Personally, I think he’s buying them anyway and wants to ask for help in flipping them. He’s still young enough to burn capital, I guess.”

  In any other situation, Curtis would go to the meeting, ready to show Knight how much he stood to lose. Guilt crept in, tightening his shoulders. “You ought to go. Hand him a pepperoni and pineapple pizza and ask what Gibbons would say about the project.”

  David chuckled so long Curtis joined in. It did make quite the image, their laid-back finance professor had a way of breaking things down to the basics, including teaching the men he’d invited into the club how to invest.

  “You know what he’d say?” David asked. “Who’s the girl?”

  “Damn right. Ugh, you don’t think it’s that reality show girl with the naked pictures, do you?” Brandon always steered clear of relationships. They had that in common.

  “Nah. He has that blonde who hovers. The one he swears is just a friend. I’m not saying he’s thinking with the wrong head, but Gibbons would. So, why are you asking me to take your place at this shit show?”

  “I haven’t asked yet.” Was he really that transparent over the phone?

  “It’s al
l over your voice. Why can’t you go?”

  “I have an important meeting on Monday I can’t reschedule.” Completely true. He demanded honesty in all things, of himself most of all.

  “Yeah, I’m not buying that any more than he would. You know the rule, if you say you’re showing up, you show up. What’s the actual reason?”

  In for a penny, in for a pound. “My assistant lied to me. I need to find out why.”

  “The one from the temp agency? Send her back to them and get a new one. It’s not worth the hassle.”

  “It is to me.” He rubbed at the tension on the back of his neck, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Hell, you’re not dipping your pen in company ink, are you? Are you trying to get sued?”

  “No, it’s not like that.” He couldn’t blame his friend for not understanding, he could barely comprehend it. “I just need her to explain why she did it.”

  “It is like that, otherwise why would you care?” David’s tone darkened all the way back to the place it used to live.

  His pulse jumped and took off in a run. “I thought we’d become friends. It’s out of character for her.”

  “You know men and women can’t be friends. Hell, I tried to be Sophie’s friend, and now I’m spending my Friday night looking at wedding invitation samples.”

  “You love it,” a female voice came from somewhere.

  “David, am I on speaker?” Great. Now Sophie would want to talk to him about it the next time he was in Portland.

  “Yeah, be happy about it. She thinks you’re being a good friend, so I’m going to the meeting. For the record, I think this is a horrible idea. Don’t get involved on a personal level with an employee.”

  “I’m not crossing any lines here.” It was the truth. But as he signed off with David, a sliver of doubt slipped into his mind. He couldn’t tamp down the feeling that she’d betrayed his trust. This was business, not personal, and yet he hated thinking he’d been wrong about her. The sooner he found out the truth, the better.

  …

  Acid bit at Robyn’s stomach as the elevator climbed the floors to the office. All weekend she’d felt horrible. The low-level hum of guilt she’d felt when leaving the office on Friday had intensified every hour until she was sure she’d go crazy before Curtis returned on Wednesday.

  She should have told him she’d declined another assignment from the agency and planned to stay on for as long as she could. She’d been caught up in the idea that he wanted her, even if only as an assistant. She had to tell him before the company paid her for choosing a new career path. Accepting it would be akin to stealing. Dishonesty always made her uncomfortable. Her sisters made fun of how even secrets like who was having a party or cheated on a test weren’t safe with her. It hadn’t made her popular in school, which left her planning the dances instead of attending them, but she’d told herself she didn’t mind so long as she was involved. She’d grown up in a small town, where everyone knew everyone else from the sandbox and dating was darned near incestuous anyway, so she’d waited to find her Prince Charming when she made it to college in the city.

  But school had been filled with men prone to taking advantage of her openness, rather than appreciating it. She’d been as lonely there as she’d been at home until she’d moved into an apartment with two culinary students. Fantastic friends, but their companionship showed on her hips. She dressed completely in black, which she hoped was slimming. Keeping her wardrobe monochromatic was cheaper, for sure.

  Robyn took off her glasses and rubbed the tension from her eyes as the elevator dinged. She made her way off and straight into the last person she expected to see.

  “Mr. Frye!” They both froze in a moment of stunned silence.

  “Miss Tindall.” His gaze cut her as sharp as a scalpel.

  “What are you doing here?” Robyn struggled with her glasses, missing her ear the first time.

  “I work here.” The chill in his voice made her shudder.

  “Of course. I meant in the office. You have meetings in Los Angeles.”

  “I moved them. Will you come to my office, please?”

  He knew, she could tell by the cutting tone in his voice, his stiff posture. He knew and was disappointed in her. But he’d never be more disappointed than she was of herself. Head down, she followed him, laying her purse on her desk as she went. Nothing good ever came from lying. Omitting. Whatever. Which was why she never did it. Until Friday, when she’d gotten greedy for his interest. He’d been so charming, so appreciative, that she couldn’t get enough of his attention.

  The tears started before she even sat down. The hot wash of frustration and fear flooded her cheeks, and she couldn’t do anything to make it stop. Some women had a feminine cry, but Robyn had seen herself in a mirror mid-fit, and she knew what she looked like. Red, runny nose, pink, puffy eyes, splotchy face. She took off her glasses and pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes, hoping the pressure would stop the flow like it would on a wound.

  It was no wonder Curtis Frye never saw her, no man ever saw her. She was a mess. An anxious bundle of nerves and rules, and look at that—black smudges on her hands from the mascara she wore to try to make her eyes show up through the distorted curve of her glasses.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to stop crying.” Curtis held out a box of tissues. She plucked a few out, doing her best to clean herself up.

  “I’m sorry.” Her breath hitched, and she pressed her teeth together to stop her chin from trembling.

  “Yes, well. I don’t know what to do with tears. I didn’t—I mean, I only asked you to come to my office.” He grimaced.

  Robyn shook her head. “Good granny, this is not going well.”

  “I agree.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the edge of his desk.

  She looked up at his face, the tense set of his jaw, the worried look in his eye. She should have taken the other job. Staying here was pure torture. Working this closely with a man she’d fallen for more every day, who couldn’t even see her…it was pathetic.

  “I lied to you. On Friday.” She sniffled, trying to get over the tears and through this conversation with some modicum of dignity. “I let you think I was taking the event-planning job when I had already decided to stay on here. I should have told you the moment you said I’d be compensated for changing career paths. I hope you can stop the deposit before they send it to my account. If it’s too late, I’ll pay it right back.” She let out a deep breath, not feeling half as relieved as she expected to.

  He blinked, uncrossing his arms and setting his hands beside him on the desk. “I’m not sure what to say.”

  “I shouldn’t work here.” A lump swelled in her throat, choking her.

  “Excuse me?” He furrowed his brow, the corners of his mouth dropping into a frown.

  “Something’s happened here, something that I can’t seem to get past. I barely recognize myself. It’s best if the agency finds a replacement.” Her stomach ached, and her eyes felt heavy again.

  “Have I done something?” He sat in the chair beside her, leaning close.

  “No, you’re perfect.” I’m the one who is messing everything up.

  “Is this about another employee here? I’ll reassign whoever is upsetting you. Fire them if I need to.”

  “No.” Her words were barely more than a whisper. She could never let him know she’d fallen in love with him. She couldn’t bear for him to look at her with pity, or worse, amusement.

  “I was going to ask you about why you didn’t tell me you’d declined the other job offer, and you outed yourself. I admire that kind of honesty. You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had, and I’ll do anything to keep you with me.”

  If only he meant with me, the way she wanted to be with him. “Still—”

  “Robyn?” He waited for her to look at him, their gazes locking together like the final piece of a puzzle. “Do you like working here with me?”

  “Very much.” Ther
e was that honesty kick again, kicking her in the butt.

  His voice softened, almost intimate. “Then give me his name. It will be handled by the end of the day.”

  “Frye!” A voice boomed from the doorway. “What is wrong with the weather in this town! How can you people claim to live in California when I need a sweater in summer?”

  “Alan, come in.” Curtis ushered in his first meeting while mouthing the words we’re not done to Robyn.

  Chapter Two

  Never had an email made her happier. In the name of keeping her mind off the conversation she’d need to have with Curtis, she’d managed to organize his entire week perfectly, so his note to pick up lunch came as a relief. A grin lifted her cheeks. If he was so busy in his meeting with casino developer Alan Morgan he couldn’t use the intercom, he might not have time to finish what they’d started. Fantastic.

  Calling ahead to the caterer who normally delivered, she ordered six different box lunches. That way they’d have a selection, and she could leave at a decent hour and they’d only have to open the refrigerator in Curtis’s office for their dinner break. The caterer offered to deliver, but Robyn desperately needed to get away from the office to clear her head.

  There was no way out of the hole she’d dug. She couldn’t give Curtis a name. No matter what he said, office romances were never thought of well. Being responsible for a black mark on someone else’s career was simply impossible.

  It wasn’t like she could tell Curtis she had a hopeless crush on him. The reason faced her as she stood waiting for the elevator, her reflection staring at her in the shiny metal. She’d seen the women Curtis dated. In newspapers and magazines. She lived her life trying to avoid being one of those fashion don’ts in magazines. They just didn’t mesh anywhere outside her fantasies.

  Not that she thought herself ugly. She was neat, well put together. There were a lot worse things than having a big nose and full lips. The door dinged, and she stepped into the elevator, the air heavy with the mingling perfumes of the two women already inside.