The Billionaire Next Door (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) (19 page)

He smiled.  “So anxious.  Worried about your little
boyfriend?”

She didn’t answer.  She just glared at him, willing him
to speak.

It must have finally dawned on Raul that she was not
amused because his self-satisfied grin faded and his lips tightened.  He leaned
forward and when he spoke his tone was cold and his eyes even colder.  “I know
who Ransom Kent is.  He may be trying to hide, mingling with the common folk
like he’s not loaded, but he can’t hide.  He’s the low-profile type who’s good
at keeping his identity secret but I did some checking around.  He can’t hide
from me.”

That made Solie’s frown deepen.  “So what if you know
who he is?  He’s got nothing to hide.”

“Maybe not, but that could change…real fast.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Solie held her breath. 
Was this man planning to do something crazy?

“It means,” he said, his voice seductively soft, “it
would be so easy to soil his good name.  So easy.”  His eyes took on the
seductive charm of a snake.  “Especially if his name is linked to a drug mule
from Latin America.”

Solie sucked in her breath.  “My God.  Not even you
would be so evil…”

“Oh,
mi amor
, it is so easy.  It is tempting…very
tempting.  Lie or not, the media would pounce on that rumor and then ask
questions much, much later.  But you can prevent all that from happening.  You
can agree never to see him again.”  He smiled.  “And then we can pick up where
we left off.”

That was it.  Solie shot up from her chair and grabbed
her purse off the table.  “You know what?  You’re crazy.  Totally insane.  I
don’t have to sit here and listen to this.  I’m going to do what I should have
done a long time ago.  I’m going to the police.”

And with that she whirled around and marched right out
of there, not caring who heard or who saw her dramatic exit.

She jumped into her car and sped out of the parking lot
and when she pulled into her driveway she was still shaking with anger.  The
nerve of that beast.  Did he think it was that easy to blackmail her?

Now she could see that his threat to Ransom was not
physical.  Thank God for that.  But he wanted to hurt him in another way.  He
wanted to use her to make Ransom look bad.  Damned if she would let that
happen.  First thing in the morning she was going to the police.

Her mind made up, Solie got out of the car and headed
for the front door.  As she fished in her purse for her front door key she was
deep in thought, wondering if she should talk to Ransom before making her
report.

“Forgot something?”

Solie jumped and looked up.  There, at the foot of the
steps, stood Raul.

“You followed me.”  It was a half gasp, half accusation.

“No,” he said as he started to climb the steps, “I was
simply returning something you forgot.”  He held out his hand and on his palm
sat her cell phone.

Solie reached out to snatch it away but he quickly
pulled it back.  “Not so fast,
mi amor
.  You owe me something, too.  You
forgot to give me a proper goodbye.”

And before she could move Raul was at the top of the
steps and by her side.  His hands shot out and he turned her to him and before
she could flee he locked his arms around her.

Solie tried to struggle but he was holding her so tight
all she could do was wriggle.  She lifted her face to glare up at him.  “You
let me go right now, you-”

Raul cut her off, capturing her lips with his, cutting
off her air as he plundered her mouth.

Solie wanted to scream.  She wanted to fight but,
trapped against his body, his big hand holding her head immobile, there was
nothing she could do but suffer the indignity of kissing a snake.  And, like
she knew it would, that kiss left her cold.

When Raul finally released her the haughty smile was
back on his face.  “Brought back some good memories, didn’t it?”

Disgusted by the kiss, Solie stumbled back against the
door.  That only made him smile wider.  He plucked the key from her lifeless
fingers, inserted it into the lock then pushed the door open, almost making her
fall.

“I always knew I was a good kisser,” he said.  “I just
didn’t know I was this good.”

His words shocked Solie out of her trance.  She grabbed
the key from him and then the cell phone.  She backed inside, intent on
slamming the door in his face, but he didn’t allow her the pleasure.

Grasping the knob he stole yet another kiss, this time a
quick peck to her cheek, then pulled the door closed before she’d even regained
her balance.

As soon as Solie righted herself she marched straight to
the bathroom.  She had to get the feel of that man off her.

How she’d ever fallen in love with a man like him she
would never know. 

***

Ransom felt the dagger of betrayal sink deep into his
heart.  So she’d told him to trust her, had she?  And now, not even a day
later, she was wrapped in the arms of another man.

Goddamn.  How could he have been so stupid?  He’d seen
the lights of Solie’s car as she pulled into the driveway and, fool that he
was, he’d immediately left his yard and headed over to her place, eager to make
things up with her.  He’d decided to do just what she’d asked.  He would trust
her.

He was walking up her driveway when he realized that she
wasn’t alone.  There in the shadows on the porch beside her was a man, a pretty
big guy, and he was kissing Solie like he owned her.

Ransom stopped in his tracks and so did his heart.  He
couldn’t believe this was the woman he’d proposed to just the night before.

He felt like tearing up the driveway and ripping them
apart.  But no, he wouldn’t make himself more of a fool than he already was. 
Fists clenched at his sides he backed away, out of her yard and out of her
life.  For good.

When he got back to his house he slammed the door shut
behind him, startling King Tut who dashed away, barking through the house.  He
was heading for the kitchen, intent on pouring himself a stiff drink, when his
cell phone began to ring.  He ignored it.  The last thing he wanted right then
was conversation.  Whoever it was would just have to wait.

He’d just downed a shot of vodka when the phone began to
buzz again.  Annoyed, he shook his head then reached for the bottle and
refilled his glass.  Tonight all he wanted to do was get drunk.  He got a
second then a third shot down but within thirty seconds after that the phone
was ringing again and this time he dragged it out of his pocket ready to bellow
into the ear of whoever dared disturb him while he was wallowing in his misery.

And then he saw who it was.  Solie.

For the second time that night his heart stilled.  Solie
was on the phone and the sight of the name on the screen was enough to make him
want to dash the half empty liquor bottle against the wall.  What was she
trying to do?  Drive him crazy?

He tapped on the screen.  “What?  Calling to rub it
in?”  His voice was a snarl but he wouldn’t apologize for it.  The girl had
some nerve calling him after what she’d just done.  Come to think of it, after
what she’d been doing all along.  She was a liar and a cheat.  That much was
obvious.

“Ransom?  Are you okay?  What are you talking about?”  Consummate
actress that she was, she actually sounded confused.

“I’m talking about the fact that you’re a goddamn liar,
that’s what I’m talking about.  You’ve been cheating on me the whole time. 
Christ, you didn’t even have the decency to take it inside.”

Ransom heard her sharp intake of breath and then she
went silent.

“Oh, so now you don’t need to ask what I’m talking
about.  Didn’t you think I would see you?  You were on the front porch, for God's
sake.”

“Ransom, it’s not what you think.  You don’t understand.” 
She’d found her voice and now she was sounding desperate.

That made him laugh and the sound was bitter even to his
own ears.  “The man had his tongue rammed down your throat.  What’s not to
understand about that?”

“I never wanted him to do that.  He took me by
surprise.”

“Yeah, and I’m really Santa Claus moonlighting in
Florida.”

“Ransom, you have to listen to me.  You have to believe
me.  I’ve got proof.”

He gave a snort.  “Tell that to the girl scouts next
time they come knocking on your door.”

Solie gave a shriek that almost burst his eardrum. 
“Will you listen to me?  I’m innocent and I can prove it.  I’m coming over.”

Before he could answer, the phone went dead in his
hand.  Slowly, his head feeling like it was cracking open, Ransom lowered the
phone to the kitchen counter.  Downing three shots of vodka on an empty stomach
hadn’t been one of his most brilliant moves.

Ransom slumped onto the stool, rested his elbows on the
island’s ceramic top and dropped his face in his hands.  On top of his headache
Solie had talked about giving him an explanation.  He didn’t want to hear it. 
There was nothing she could say to make things right.

He was still mulling over that thought when he heard the
front door open and footsteps marching down the hallway.  That was what he got
for giving her a key to his home.  She could barge in any time she wanted,
including now when he just wanted to be alone.

“Ransom Kent, I have something to tell you and you’re
going to listen.”  She’d started talking before she’d even rounded the corner. 
She burst into the kitchen then pulled up short.  He could hear her come to a
screeching halt.

“Ransom.  What…have you been drinking?”

He didn’t lift his head from his hands.  “What do you
think?” he groaned.

“But you don’t drink.  You know it gives you terrible
headaches.”  She came over and rested a hand on his shoulder.

He knew he should shrug it off but it felt good to have
it there.  He didn’t look up, just continued to sit with his head down, saying
nothing.

Solie heaved a sigh and withdrew her hand then went to
sit on the stool beside him.

He heard the clatter of something she’d dropped on the
counter.  It made him look up for the first time since she’d come into the
room.

“Listen,” she said and pressed the button on the digital
recorder.

Immediately, Ransom heard the rough voice of Raul and he
and Solie were in heated conversation, with Solie demanding to know why he’d
barged into her home and why he’d been threatening her.

She let it run for a minute longer and then she snapped
it off.  She looked at him, her face devoid of emotion.  “He’s my ex,” she
said, her voice leaden.  “I found him in bed with another woman.  I ended the
relationship over a year before I met you.  Then all of a sudden he shows up on
my doorstep, demanding that I take him back.”  She shook her head.  “The man is
crazy.”  Then she looked over at Ransom and that was when he saw that the fire
was back in her eyes.  “I could kick myself.  I had this proof and I threatened
him with it.  I told him if he didn’t leave me alone I was going to the
police.”  Her lips tightened then she dropped her eyes.  “I didn’t.”

“Because you still have feelings for him.”  Ransom’s
heart tightened as he stared at her.

“Are you mad?  Why would I have feelings for him?  It’s
you I love.”  She was glaring at him like he’d said the stupidest thing in the
world. 

“So what was that all about?  Tonight on your
doorstep?”  Ransom never took his eyes off her face.  He had to see if this
time she would tell him the truth.

To his surprise she didn’t drop her eyes.  She didn’t
turn nervously away.  Instead, she reached out and took his hand.  “I love you,
Ransom, more than I’ve loved any man in this world.  And that’s why I hope
you’ll believe me when I say that what you saw looked terrible but it was not of
my doing.”  She squeezed his hand.  “Raul made a threat against you and the
only way I could find out what he was up to was to go out with him.  In the end
I found out it wasn’t a physical threat.  He wanted to use me to mess up your
reputation.  He threatened to spread rumors that I was transporting drugs from
Latin America.  Because of our relationship that would have implicated you.” 
She shook her head.  “When he said that, I knew it was time to go to the
police.  I got out of there real fast.”

“But then you ended up kissing him.”

“No, I didn’t.  He kissed me.  I didn’t know it but he
followed me from the restaurant and grabbed me on my front porch.  He forced
himself on me.  That’s the truth, Ransom.  I’m not lying.”  She stared at him
with earnest eyes and Ransom knew that what she said was true.  He could see it
in her direct, unwavering gaze.  He could feel it in the strength of her
fingers squeezing his.

He drew in his breath then expelled it in a whoosh.  All
of a sudden his headache was gone.  “Then there’s just one thing we need to do
right now.”

“Go to the police?”

He nodded then slid off his stool, pulling her with
him.  “Let’s go stomp that cockroach into oblivion.”