Chapter 1
It had been one week since Mallory had run away from Jake, fleeing Venice. One miserable week. She had returned to their hotel alone, hastily packing her bag before Jake could catch up with her and stop her. With difficulty, she had unlaced herself from her corset and scraped the wax off her chest and thighs with her fingernails, turning her pale skin red.
As she was half-running through the entranceway, the concierge had stopped her, telling her that a first class ticket back to Charleston had been reserved for her. Part of her was pissed, not wanting to accept anything else from Jake; he had accused her of being a “gold-digger,” after all. But she reluctantly accepted, knowing that her bank account couldn’t fund a last-minute flight.
And now she was back at her humble apartment, moping. At times she thought of their time together in Venice and wondered if it had all been a surreal dream. And she wished it had been a dream. Then Jake Cleary wouldn’t be real, and he wouldn’t have hurt her with his harsh words.
Gold-digger. Slut. Mallory tried to shake off the insults that were burned into her brain.
She knew that she should be happy, ecstatic even; after months of agonizing waiting, she had been offered a teaching job at a prestigious prep school just outside of Charleston. The pay was good, and she was thrilled to have something productive to look forward to in a month’s time when term started.
Only she wasn’t very thrilled. In the free time that she had before her job started, she had had nothing to occupy her thoughts but Jake: his gorgeous, easy smile, the fabulous sex, his arrogance, and his insults. Her emotions were tangled when it came to thinking about him. One moment she would yearn for his company, and the next anger would boil up in her. But the worst was when tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. At those times, her fury would be directed at herself, angry that she was allowing him to affect her so deeply. They had only known each other for a few days, for god’s sake.
Two days after she had arrived back at home, Sally called her in a panic, worried because she hadn’t gotten in touch after the four days that she had said she would spend in Venice. Mallory assured her that she was okay, but her voice had been hollow, dejected. Her friend had come over to her place immediately, demanding to know what was wrong. She pulled the truth from Mallory bit by bit, until she found herself shamefully sobbing on her friend’s shoulder, her heart twisting painfully at the loss, at Jake’s betrayal.
But now she was done crying, she told herself sternly. She had almost broken down when Jake had called her the first time. Not recognizing his number, she had answered. As soon as he said her name, her heart leapt, but she had hung up on him before his rich, deep voice could pull her in. He had called her every day since then, but she refused to answer, deleting his messages immediately; she couldn’t handle hearing his voice without ripping the wound back open again.
Today Sally had taken her to Marble Stone Creamery, her favorite ice cream place. Mallory hated that she was falling back on the old cliché of eating ice cream when she was depressed over a man, but at this point she was beyond caring. They didn’t leave until she had polished off an entire extra-large chocolate peanut butter explosion.
But as she stepped outside of the creamery, she spotted a sleek black Jaguar waiting by the curb. A sharply-dressed man was standing formally beside the back door. Mallory’s stomach dropped as he approached her.
“Miss Williams?” He asked.
“Yes?” Her answer was questioning.
“Would you come with me please.” Although it was worded as a question, his answer was a statement.
Mallory crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d rather not.” She knew whose car that was, and she knew where it would take her.
“I would advise that you come along,” he said, more insistently. “I’ve been instructed to tail you wherever you go until you agree to come with me.”
Mallory was angry, but she couldn’t help the flutter that stirred in her loins. Damn dominant ass**le, she thought, annoyed at her reaction. “I always get what I want, Mallory.” Hadn’t he told her that several times?
She gave an exasperated sigh. “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice then, do I?”
The man gave her a solemn look. “No ma’am.”
Mallory looked back at Sally. “Well, apparently I’m being kidnapped. I’ll call you later.”
Sally narrowed her eyes at the man. “You had better,” she replied, a threat in her tone.
The driver opened the back door for Mallory, and she reluctantly slid onto the leather seat. As they drove through downtown Charleston, her nerves became more and more frayed. She didn’t know if she could handle seeing Jake again; she was worried that she would dissolve into a puddle of tears as soon as she laid eyes on him. Taking several deep breaths, she clung tightly to her anger to hold the tears at bay.
When the car stopped fifteen agonizingly long minutes later, Mallory was surprised to find that they were parked in front of a huge office building, all blocky lines and large windows that gleamed in the sun. She had been bracing herself for the long ride to Jake’s mansion, but apparently he was at work. Mallory felt a pang as she remembered his hurt look when she accused him of never working; it seemed he hadn’t been lying about the time he spent at the office.
The driver opened her door for her and took her hand, helping her step out of the car. As if I couldn’t manage on my own, she thought scathingly. But refusing his hand would have been rude, so she took it, her lips pressed firmly together to hold back her retort.
“This way please, Miss Williams.” Releasing her hand, he walked toward the entrance to the building, and she followed him in when the glass doors slid open to admit them. Moments later, she was in the elevator, where the driver had pressed the button for the top floor.
The elevator finally stopped with a pinging noise, and Mallory stepped out. There was a large, curved desk before her with a pretty redhead sitting behind it. Another hot employee, she thought disparagingly. The woman gave her a smile and gestured down the long hallway.
“You can go right in, Miss Williams.”
God, did everyone know who she was? Had Jake circulated her picture to his staff or something? She wouldn’t put it past him to have had people spying on her.