Tempted By Scandal. Karen Booth

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СКАЧАТЬ He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Where was Matt? Liam wanted nothing more than to let his best friend know whom he was about to meet with so he could have Teresa escorted from the building and, hopefully, his life.

      “What are you and Mr. Richmond meeting about today?” she asked.

      “Not that I owe you an explanation, but we’re announcing a partnership during his retreat.”

      “Maybe that’s why Matt double-booked his time. I’m organizing the entire event. Perhaps he wanted us to discuss the details.”

      This was not happening. “You can wager as many guesses as you want, but it’s not going to matter. Matt and I have been best friends since college. We are each other’s closest confidants. You won’t be organizing anything I’m involved with. And I also won’t let you take advantage of my best friend.”

      Teresa visibly winced. A part of him was glad he could get to her like this, but he took no real pleasure in making threats. He only knew that he could not work with Teresa. His partnership with Matt’s company on the Sasha artificial-intelligence project had been years and millions of dollars in the making. Plus, he had to let Matt know whom he was dealing with.

      “Is there some sort of jealousy here? Are you upset that your father helped me all those years ago? I realize he went above and beyond what most mentors might do, but we were very close. He believed in me.”

      Jealousy? Teresa had a real talent for twisting things back on other people. “Jealous is the last thing I am. More like disgusted.” Liam turned his back to Teresa and spotted Matt making his way down the hall. Liam met him at the doorway. “We have to talk about her.”

      “Mr. Richmond, whatever he’s about to say, I can explain.” Teresa was right behind Liam, craning her neck over his shoulder to get a glimpse of Matt. The desperation in her voice reeked of false drama. There was no explaining away what she’d done, and she knew it.

      “Matt, you trust me, right?” Liam asked.

      “Of course.” Matt looked beyond bewildered, which wasn’t an expression Liam had seen many times on his friend’s face. Matt was the calm and collected guy with his finger on the pulse of everything. It was impossible to catch him by surprise, which was part of the reason Matt and Liam had hit it off the very first day they met. They both prided themselves on being unflappable. They simply pulled it off in very different ways.

      Liam glanced over at Teresa. Her vivid blue eyes were wide, darting back and forth between Matt and him. It would have been so easy to cut her off at the knees, but Liam wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easy. She could try to explain herself to Matt. “Whatever you’ve hired her to do, whatever business arrangement you two have, you’ll do yourself a favor if you end it right here. She can’t be trusted.”

      “Mr. Richmond, I have no earthly idea what Liam is talking about. And whatever he may think of me, I assure you that has no bearing on my abilities as an event planner.”

      Matt shook his head, still seeming confused. He turned to Liam. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

      “She and I have a history. Or more specifically, she and my father. But I think you should have her explain it.” Every dirty detail.

      Matt sighed and pulled Liam aside. “Look, she and I are weeks into planning the retreat. I’d rather not throw all of that work away. This event is already taking on a life of its own. Give me a chance to meet with her and I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

      Liam knew Matt had a point. Letting business and personal matters intermingle was never a good idea. Matt was a stickler for keeping the two things separate. Liam was as well, but he was apparently having a weak moment. Maybe he simply needed to go outside and clear his head. “Yeah. Of course.” Liam turned to look at Teresa one more time. He expected to see her gloating, but she looked worried. Good. Let her suffer at least a few repercussions. With nothing left to say, he stalked out into the hall.

      He headed for the bar just beyond the lobby. It had a large balcony overlooking the falls. He looked forward to a shot of autumn air to clear his head, but every step away from his altercation with Teresa left him feeling more foolish, and that in turn only made him more angry. He knew he shouldn’t let his emotions get to him, but the matter of Teresa was a complicated one.

      The night Liam had first met Teresa, he couldn’t have been any more entranced and enchanted. His father had asked him to dinner at the house, the Christopher family estate on the west side of Mercer Island. His father hadn’t made note of the occasion, only saying that he had a promising student in the class he was teaching at the University of Washington, his alma mater. Liam hadn’t wanted to attend the dinner. He was twenty-five by then, fully independent and making a name for himself within the family company. Plus, he knew exactly what was going to happen at dinner that night. His father would start to drink too much and would begin regaling their esteemed guest with tales of business conquests and billions made. Liam and his mother, Catherine, would exchange pained smiles and endure it. Liam didn’t begrudge his father his success. He only disliked his obsession with it. Nothing was ever enough.

      Much to Liam’s surprise, that night’s dinner guest was a breath of fresh air. Yes, his father was being a bit of a boastful blowhard during the meal. But Teresa St. Claire was as charming and beautiful a woman as Liam had ever seen. She was smart as a whip, with a wit that made him laugh more than once. She had a broad range of interests, was keenly focused on business and was nothing but eager to take on the world. No wonder his father was so enamored of her. Liam was as well. In fact, he’d never encountered a woman quite like her—an unparalleled beauty, sexy and enticing, but wholly enthralled with the business world. By the time dessert was served, Liam was convinced that meeting Teresa was fate. She was his perfect woman. At the end of the night, he walked her out to her car and made his move.

      “It was so nice to meet you,” she’d said, offering her hand.

      Liam could hardly think straight when her skin touched his—there was an unmistakable zap of electricity between them. He’d gazed down into her deep blue eyes, made even more complex and intriguing in the soft evening light. “I really enjoyed meeting you. I’d love to see you again. Would you like to have dinner next week? Just the two of us? There’s an amazing new seafood place downtown. The St. James?”

      Surprise crossed Teresa’s face. “Oh. Wow. That does sound nice.” She’d looked away, untucking her hair from behind her ear, almost as if she was trying to hide from him. “But my life is crazy right now. I’m working two jobs and going to school. I’m surprised I even had time to come tonight.” Her eyes fell on the house and her expression changed to one of longing. Liam had never regarded his childhood home with the awe and wonder she did in that moment. In many ways, the house had seemed like a prison when he was growing up. But Teresa saw it differently. He could see it on her face—she aspired to a life like the one his family had. She thought it was perfect. If only she knew the truth. “Your father has been so generous with his time and advice. I’m so thankful for his help.” She turned back to him. “And I’m so glad we had a chance to meet. Perhaps we can get a drink sometime. When my life has calmed down a bit.”

      Liam hadn’t needed more explanation than that. He’d been turned down very few times, but he knew the brush-off when he heard it. “Of course. I understand.” Liam had his own craziness, working for the Christopher Corporation and trying to carve out a place for himself while living in the shadow of his dad. It would have been nice to have had a distraction as beautiful as Teresa St. Claire. Maybe even a relationship. There was a huge part of Liam that longed for a connection with a woman, in the same way Teresa seemed СКАЧАТЬ