The Tycoon's Blondie (The Tycoon Series Book 2) (16 page)

“Yes, Hajae. 
We would like to enroll you in college and offer you an opportunity to live out
your passion as part of Sheppard Holdings.  We will set you up in your own
place, with a car and a monthly allowance for living expenses.”

“Why?  Is this
not a risk? How would I ever repay you?”

“We are first
and foremost businessmen, Hajae and you will sign an agreement that in exchange
for what we offer, you will work for Sheppard Holdings for a minimum of three
years after you graduate.  We daresay however, if you really are the type of
person you say you are, you will be working for us for much longer than that. 
Who knows, you may even be the partner in charge of opening an office for us in
Bali in a few years.”

Excitement
flared through Hajae and he could not contain himself.  He hugged Allison and
shook the three men’s hands around the table.  He jumped up and stared at
Tiaan, then at the food the waiter set down on the table in front of him.  He
waved at it and his voice was visibly emotional.

“I accept.  I
can’t eat now.  I have to go and tell my mother.  She will not believe me, I am
sure.  May I bring her here so she can meet you?”

“Of course. 
We’ll ask them to keep your food warm.”  Tiaan looked at Allison who stared at
Mason and him with tears in her eyes.

“You guys are
the worst frauds I have ever come across!  This is what those tabloid writers
should
report on.  Not all of those…floozies that were stuck to your sides every
night.”

They laughed
and Mason nudged Tiaan in his side.  “She seems to be as fascinated by those
floozies as Brooklyn used to be.”

“Hmm…I have
only seen one woman in all those pictures they placed of you lately, Bro.”

“Yip, Brooke
is the only floozy I want now. For that matter, I have seen a few pictures and
articles of you with the same woman on your arms over the past few weeks too,
Bro.  Are you trying to tell us something?”

“Yeah…I guess
that floozy is the only one I want now too.”

Allison’s eyes
narrowed on Tiaan, trying to recall seeing anything in the tabloids and blushed
when the only photo she could recall was of the two of them together.

“Watch it,
Sheppard.  No matter what you say in the future, you will never get rid of me
again.”

Tiaan winced
and regret flashed in his eyes.  Allison sighed and hugged him close.

“Please,
forget about it.  It is over and we both need to move past it now.  It is the
only way.”

Michael
cleared his throat.  “I guess it is a good thing then that I did not fetch your
stuff from Tiaan’s.”

“As if I would
have allowed you to take anything.”  Tiaan grumbled.  He remember his relief
when he arrived home that Friday afternoon to find that the majority of Allison’s
things were still at his house.

Now he had to
find a way to get over his guilt and start building on their future.

Chapter Fifteen

Tiaan insisted that Allison see a
therapist to help her recover from the ordeal she suffered.  She fully agreed
and did five session with Clarissa Danzig.  By the end of the third session
Allison felt she had achieved what was needed, but Tiaan would not budge and
she grudgingly attended two more.

She was a very
private person as a rule and initially found it hard to talk to Clarissa, but
with patience and perseverance she managed to get Allison to open up. 
Throughout the process, Tiaan carried her on his hands and soon she felt human
again. Within a month the ordeal was pushed to the back of her mind.

Greg had been
locked up immediately following the incident and was awaiting trial. Allison
refused to think about him.  He was transferred to the US prison system by
concession of the Governor in Bali, who did not want to become involved with
two American citizens and their
romantic trysts
as he referred to it. Greg
admitted to having been diagnosed with Bipolar II two years ago and had been on
medication for the condition.  However, he believed he had the disorder under
control and stopped taking his medication four months ago.  This culminated in
his inability to think clearly and rationally since his returned to New York.

Tiaan was
livid that this confession could lead to Greg being released from prison and
prosecution. He appointed the best attorneys to ensure Greg received the
punishment he deserved for what he put Allison through.  He would fight his
release tooth and nail if he had to.  Prison time was all that would drive home
the idea that there were repercussions for ones actions, no matter your mental
affliction.  Greg was lucid when he made the decision to stop taking his
medication.  Nothing was to stop him from doing so again.

Tiaan carried
his guilt with a heavy heart.  So heavy that it took over his common sense.  He
withdrew from Allison.  Every time, over those first months after her
abduction, when he looked into her eyes and saw her haunted look, he cringed. 
Every time he berated himself for his blinding jealously.

Why could he
not have seen what Willow and Savannah saw that day in the restaurant?  Why was
the first thing that flashed through his mind the idea that she had betrayed
him?  That she had chosen her ex over him.  That the love she claimed to have
for him was not real.

Those were the
questions that besieged his mind constantly.  He could not run away from them. 
He could not forget how broken and hurt she looked when he broke through that
door.

“I don’t have
time for breakfast this morning.  I have an early meeting with the Director at
the new trauma unit on Long Island.”  Allison’s soft voice interrupted his
train of thought where he stood, on the patio, looking out to the ocean.

Tiaan turned
and looked at her with hooded eyes. The therapy had done her well.  Her eyes
were clear, she smiled and had her natural exuberance for life back. Except for
the weariness in her eyes whenever theirs met.

And it was his
fault.  He knew she felt his withdrawal.  He held her in his arms every night. 
He could not help himself.  He needed to know she was there and safe.  More
than that he was incapable of offering her at this moment in time.  After that
first night he got her out of Greg Scott’s claws and made love to her, his
guilt started to ride him hollow. Every time he tried making love to her, he
would see Greg standing over her with his hand raised.  If Greg had raped her,
it would have been his fault.

What did he
have to offer her if not trust and he betrayed that when he chased her away. 
How could she not blame him?  Hate him even for what she had to go through.

“As long as
you get something to eat.  You know how I feel about breakfast.” 

He ran his
hands through her hair. They appeared even more luxurious and shiny of late and
he couldn’t keep his hands of it.  His cock twitched in memory of the time she
used her hair to seduce him.

Allison
searched Tiaan’s eyes and sighed.  She was coming to fear that they would never
find the easy comraderie they had before Bali happened.  He had emotionally
withdrawn from her.  He was attentive and cared for her, even held her in his
arms every night.  But he never made love to her anymore.  It had been nearly
four weeks since their return and he barely kissed her.  The pecks he gave her
on her lips in the mornings were more frustrating that pleasing.  She was
slowly reaching the end of her rope with him.

Allison walked
into him and wrapped her arms around his neck.  She pushed up onto her toes and
locked her lips with his.  Her lips burned all the way into his soul and his
fingers dug into her hips.  Allison ignored the pain and kept brushing her lips
back and forth against his, running her tongue into the seam between his lips.

“Please,
honey…let me in,” her husky plea broke through his resolve and his lips
separated to accept her hungry tongue tangling with his. 

His cock
slammed hard against his pants and his hands tightened over her hips again. 
Her soft moan of pain had him release his grip immediately.  Allison stroked
her tongue over his, desperate to convey her need and love to him.  She went
deeper, opening her mouth wider and the passion flared between him.

Tiaan pushed
her away with a hard shove and took a step back.  His voice was harsh.

“You’re going
to be late.”

Allison stared
at him for what felt like hours, then blinked and turned wordlessly away from
him.  He saw her straighten and push her shoulders back and he smiled.  He had
come to understand all her little nuances over the past weeks.

His sweetlips was
annoyed with him. 

Maybe there was hope for them.

Allison arrived home quite early,
and long before Tiaan, that afternoon.  She sat on the patio with a glass of
juice contemplating his actions.  She missed him.  She missed their closeness.

Yes, he held
her in his arms at night, but they were worlds apart.  She thought back and
with a frown remembered him blaming himself for what happened to her.  Was that
what it was? 

Oh,
you silly man!

The longer she
thought about it, the more she realized that it must be the reason for his
withdrawal.  He believed her when she told him Greg had not touched her, so it
could not be that he believed her to be contaminated…
ewh
...and that would
be what she would feel like.  Now that she’s had the attention of one of the
most eligible bachelors in the US, just thinking of Greg touching her disgusted
her.

A slow smile formed
around Allison’s mouth.  This she could work with.  She could feel the battle
he had with himself when she kissed him that morning.  She even realized the
effort it took him to push her away… but not anymore.  Tonight, she planned to
yank Tiaan Sheppard out of his guilt with a vengeance.

Tiaan had a
slight headache when he arrived home, relieved to find that Allison was already
there.  He had become a real worrywart and was constantly checking to see where
she was, only relaxing when she was with him and under his protection.

He went to
change before looking for her and frowned when she was nowhere in the house or
by the pool.  Dolores looked up when he charged into the kitchen and she smiled
widely.

“Oh good,
you’re early.”

“Where is
Allison?”

“Well, she
arranged a little something special for you and has asked me to direct you to
the jetty where the yacht is usually moored.”

“
Usually?
”

“Well, by the
time you get there, it might be a tad further out at sea, rather than being
moored at the jetty.”

“Are you
telling me she is out there on her own?  Do you have any idea how dangerous
that is?”

“Relax, my
boy.  Billy helped her and I made him promise to stay close by until you
arrived.  I know how much you worry over her nowadays.”

Tiaan got into
the beach buggy he used to drive around the Estate and sped to the jetty.  He
cursed when he saw his yacht moored a few miles away.  Grumbling as he went, he
got onto the jet ski waiting for him by the jetty and, with a wide curve, sprayed
water high behind him as headed toward the yacht.

Tonight that
delectable ass of hers was going to burn.

He noticed
Billy waiting for him on the launch pad at the back of the yacht and directed
the jetski toward him.

“What is the
meaning of this, Billy?  You know how I feel about her safety.”

“I know, which
is why I refused to leave until you arrived.  Annoyed her to no end as well. 
That lady of yours knows how to sulk, I’ll tell you.”

“Where is
she?”

Tiaan did not
have the patience to go searching for her around the three-story 150 foot Ocean
Alexander yacht. He bought the yacht a month before they met and had not taken
it out to sea as yet.

“Top level at
the Jacuzzi. Oh, and she asked that you take the yacht deeper to sea before
finding her.”

“Oh, she did,
did she?”

“Yip, she has
been quite demanding, I have to tell you.”

Billy got on
the jetski and Tiaan watched him speed off toward the jetty.  He frowned and
walked toward the operations room to take the yacht out to sea, as requested. 
He was not sure if he liked being alone with Allison in such a secluded
environment.  He still needed to work through his issues and did not wish to
have a fight with her that evening.

Tiaan took the
yacht out to sea until Block Island was on their horizon and released the
anchor to secure it.  He ran up the stairs to the main bedroom to change into a
bathing suit before walking up the stairs to the top level to find Allison.

She was
waiting for him, leaning against the outside bar on the other side of the
Jacuzzi.  Tiaan forgot to breathe.  The moment Allison noticed him, she
straightened and her arms fell to her side.  The white chiffon wrap that
covered her slithered down past her shoulders to pool around her arms.  She
stood framed within the flimsy white of the blowing material and the blue sea
beyond.  She was gloriously naked.