other
exotic location.
With her best friend, and with her money.
Breaking down wasn’t an option, not for Bella. She
could only dust herself off, learn from her mistakes, and move forward. One
thing was for sure though; she’d never allow herself to fall in love
again. Being in love blinded you, and she would never be vulnerable
again.
* * *
Jason Riley felt like he’d been waiting for this
moment for longer than he cared to admit. When he’d seen that all too familiar name
on the file, had read the details of the case; he’d been almost unable to
contain himself. Bella Adler…beautiful, untouchable Bella Adler. The one woman
who’d ever come close to stealing his heart – only to crush it without
hesitation.
Ten years was a long time to hold a grudge –
and Jason normally wasn’t the kind of guy to let anyone get to him. But there
was something about Bella, and the way she had hurt him, that made it all too
hard to forget – or forgive.
And now, she needed his help. Well, at least, the
help of his financial firm. Jason wondered what would happen when she opened
the door, walked in and saw him standing in the office, waiting to tell her
that her fate was sealed. Unless…
He didn’t let himself dwell on the enticing
possibilities. He would savor them later, when he finally had her on her knees.
And he could think of many things she could be made to do for him in that
opportune position…
Shaking the dark thoughts from his mind, he looked
at his watch. She was five minutes late. Was she even going to show up? Had she
somehow found out he was the one handling her case file, and had backed out of
the meeting, knowing she had no hope of assistance?
Jason knew he’d been careful to keep all details
from her and from her secretary. All Bella knew was that the boss was
interested in talking to her regarding the financial relationship between their
businesses. He could imagine how excited she must have been, knowing that
someone from Lincoln Consulting was willing to discuss her business. He
couldn’t wait to see her face when she finally saw who it was that was eager to
talk to her. It may be a long time ago, but it was true what they said about
revenge; it was best served cold…
***
Bella hadn’t been sure what to expect when she
walked into that office, but it wasn’t the dark-haired, tall, striking man that
rose from behind the desk. It took all she had not to rock on her heels as if
struck by a bolt of electricity. Okay, this wasn’t the grey-haired, pot-bellied
financier she’d been looking forward to winning over with her “sensible”
proposition. The man in front of her spelled “dangerous” in every feature,
which seemed as chiseled from marble as his whipcord built looked, even in its
perfectly fitted suit.
“Miss Adler?” he said with a smile, coming forward
and offering his hand, as well as a smile that was more a flash of white
sunshine that did strange things to her belly. She suddenly wondered why
beneath the tan and those devilish good looks, there seemed something very
familiar about him. But Bella knew she’d have remembered if she’d ever met a
man like him before. She’d come across lots of handsome and charming men
in her line of business, and beyond. However, they all paled behind the darkly
striking looks of the man standing before her.
“Jason Riley. It’s nice to see you again, after
all these years.”
The name sunk in like lead in her ears, even as
her hand felt warm and tingly from his brief yet stirring handshake. Bella’s
heart sunk when she realized where she’d seen those deep, grey eyes before, and
that determined square chin.
“Jason?” she asked in disbelief, not able to
relate the image of masculinity that stood in front of her to the guy who’d
crushed on her so deeply in college. Jason Riley…that wasn’t a name she should
have easily forgotten, yet she had.
She shivered slightly at the memory as she slipped
her hand out of