Free The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) by Calista Kyle Page A

can’t even get that right!”
    Before I could reply, I heard Ryan clear his throat. “It wasn’t her fault,” he said. My mother turned back to face him looking as surprised as her botoxed face would let her.
    “Pardon?” she said, her voice dripping with ice.
    “Cara came tonight as my date,” he explained. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault since not even you, Cora, could have kept us from attending.”
    I shot Ryan a worried glance, but I couldn’t help but feel a growing respect for him. I’d never seen someone stand up to my mother and put her in her place.
    “I see,” my mother said through thinned lips. If it were possible to kill someone with looks alone, I was sure Ryan would drop dead at any minute. I held my breath, watching the scene unfold with grim fascination. After a moment of charged silence, my mother finally decided to walk off, taking all her impotent rage with her. Once she was gone, I let out a loud breath.
    “Holy shit, that was sexy,” I blurted. I felt my face flush in embarrassment and hurried to explain myself. “I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever stood up to her. People usually cower in fear.”
    “I’m not afraid of your mother,” he said.
    “I can see that. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. She’s a nasty enemy to have.”
    “So, she’ll ban me from some of her overrated parties,” he scoffed. “That doesn’t mean anything to me.”
    “It’s more than that. She’s got the dirt on pretty much every person worth knowing. Why do you think everyone scrapes down to her? Twenty years in the magazine industry and you learn a few things,” I said.
    “I’ve got no skeletons in my closet. Let her do her worst,” he challenged.
    “I hope you’re right about that. Anyways, thanks for coming to my defense,” I said.
    “Don’t mention it. It was the least I could do after instigating the situation.”
    “Yes, yes it was,” I laughed.
    “Why do you put up with it?” he asked, suddenly sounding serious.
    It wasn’t the first time someone had asked me that question. People looking in on the outside probably thought I was a glutton for punishment. And maybe I was. All they saw was an overbearing, hypercritical mother picking apart everything her daughter did. I couldn’t look at it like that.
    I’d always believed that deep down my mother wanted the best for me and was only hard on me because she expected better of me. She was never one to settle for less than perfection and that was what I strived for. Once I looked at it from that perspective, I could overlook her more hurtful comments and seemingly frigid attitude.
    “It’s just a part of the job,” I finally answered. “She’s never been the easiest person to work with, it’s not just with me that she can get so…” I paused trying to find the right word.
    “Bitchy?” Ryan supplied.
    “Yeah, that among other things.”
    “But she’s your mother. Shouldn’t she be a little bit more…oh I don’t know…nurturing?”
    “That’s just not in her nature. Besides, Chère is the premiere fashion and entertainment magazine in the country. You said so yourself and that’s all thanks to her. She’s the best at what she does. I just have to separate my expectations and feelings as a daughter and just look at her as a boss.”
    Ryan remained silent and stood there pinning me with an unfathomable expression. I didn’t know why I’d told him half the things I did, but it was just so easy to open up to him. Even when I was with Chad, I had never felt as comfortable talking about my past or my relationship with my mother. It was a startling realization and I didn’t know what to make of it.
    Looking at Ryan now, I almost regretted blurting out my feelings. He looked almost stricken with some undefined emotion. Was it pity? I shuddered to think about that. The last thing I wanted or needed was pity. I wasn’t a victim and I didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for me.
    “Well I