Miss Prim and the Maverick Millionaire

by Nina Singh

  He kept on. She heard him calling her name behind her, felt a sharp pang of guilt for ignoring him. But she couldn’t bring herself to stop, couldn’t let Cabe see the tears in her eyes, the anguish that had to be written all over her face.

  Her nerves couldn’t handle the conversation that would ensue if he caught up to her. She’d fallen for him. Cabe was a known playboy who had a new woman on his arm more often than the moon changed phases. She knew she could never be anything more than a flippant affair for him. And yet she’d still gone and risked her professional career.

  For a few moments of pleasure, she’d risked everything.

  * * *

  She figured it would just be a matter of time before he found her, and she was right. When he did, she was sitting on a large boulder on the edge of the beach, her toes submerged in the sand. She didn’t look up at him as he approached.

  “Hey there,” he ventured.

  “Hey.”

  “Mind if I sit?”

  She didn’t respond but shifted slightly to make room for him on the big rock. And instantly regretted it. Hardly a hair separated them, and his warmth seeped through her skin. And brought back unwanted memories of this afternoon, the absolute last thing she needed to be thinking about.

  “I keep saying the wrong thing to you,” he told her, looking straight ahead. She’d inadvertently run toward the casino. They could see its bright and colorful lights in the distance across the water.

  “It’s not you,” she answered.

  He grunted. “I beg to differ.”

  “We both seem to be stumbling here.” She was just so embarrassed. And downright disappointed in herself.

  “So...maybe we just move forward, acknowledge that even the best of us make mistakes?”

  The word made her cringe, but he was right. “I guess we don’t have much choice.”

  They sat in awkward silence, for how long Jenna couldn’t guess. Cabe’s sigh finally broke through it. “Well. There it is. That’s the grand Paraiso Casino,” he said, nodding his head in its direction.

  She followed his gaze across the water. Even from this distance she could tell she had no business there. The place was completely out of her league. A steady stream of sports cars and luxury sedans pulled up the circular driveway. Those cars cost more than she’d hope to make in several years. Much more.

  The people emerging out of those cars looked elegant and regal. Men in tuxedos and women in gowns. She looked down at her simple outfit. She’d been resourceful, finding a fitted black blouse in the boutique this afternoon to match one of her slim business suit skirts. At the time, she’d felt great pride for coming up with the idea and making it work. Now she felt like a lowly pauper who’d thought she could sneak into the prince’s ball.

  Which was exactly who she was.

  “I’ve never been to a casino before,” she admitted.

  “Really? There are quite a few in New England. You haven’t even been to any of those?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not much of a gambler.”

  “Well, if you’d like, I could show you how to play some of the tables.”

  “No, thanks. Gambling’s not really a habit I want to pick up.” She wouldn’t bother to explain that her aversion to gambling was due to another one of her mother’s failings. How many times had Amanda skirted her parental duties to go spend time on the slots? How many times had she gambled away money they could have desperately used for food or rent?

  “I understand,” Cabe told her. And somehow, she knew he did, that he grasped exactly what she was referring to. That was part of the problem. She felt as if Cabe understood her better than anyone else ever had. It was one of the reasons she’d forsaken all sanity earlier and let herself become intimate with him.

  “Well, you get to tour one right now,” he said and clapped his hands in mock excitement. “I guess I better get you over there before Maxim sends out a search party for us. We’re already late.”

  Great. So now she could add tardiness to her list of professional missteps on this trip. She suppressed a groan of irony. In the overall scheme of things, being late to meet her casino tour guide was relatively trivial.

  “We’ll be taking a boat there,” Cabe added.

  “A boat?”

  He nodded in the building’s direction. “The casino is on its own little island, across the water. I’ll drop you off.”

  “You won’t be joining us?”

  He shrugged. “He only mentioned you specifically.”

  “He did?”

  “Uh-huh. And I guess you shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

  She should be relieved, Jenna thought. But instead a dull disappointment settled in her chest. She didn’t want to spend the evening with Maxim. She wanted to spend it with the man right next to her. Laughing with him, enjoying the warm tropical air. But this was for the best. It would give her some time to sort out her thoughts, settle her nerves. Things she had no hope of doing with Cabe anywhere nearby. It made sense. So why did she want to cry? To beg him to stay by her side? She bit her lip to stop herself from doing so.

  They made it to a dock where a small open-air boat waited. A smiling captain took her hand and helped her on board. It appeared no other passengers were embarking for this go-around.

  At her quizzical look Cabe responded, “All the avid gamblers are already at the tables. We’re a little late to the party.”

  Only it wasn’t going to be a party at all. Not if Cabe wasn’t going to be there with her. The boat revved up and started a steady path across the water. The breeze suddenly picked up and made her shiver. Without a word, Cabe slipped off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The warmth of his body against the fabric cocooned her skin. She resisted the urge to snuggle deeply into it. “Thank you.”

  “It can get chilly on the water. I should have warned you.”

  Her heart ached as she thought of the picture they must have made. Alone on a boat on their way to a glamorous casino, his jacket draped over her shoulders to keep her warm. She wanted so much to make believe the idyllic picture could be reality.

  But how could it given who she was and where she came from? How soon would someone like Cabe start noticing similarities between herself and the woman who at this very moment was still texting her? Because that needy woman would always text. Amanda would never be out of her life. And Cabe didn’t need that kind of lowbrow drama in his.

  Jenna knew better. Some things were simply not meant to be.

  * * *

  Maxim stood waiting for them as they disembarked. He greeted her with a warm smile and a barely-there nod to Cabe. Cabe offered a small grunt in response. Any other time, she might have found the competitive aura between the two men humorous and maybe even flattering. But not right now. She had too much on her mind. Too much to deal with. Her pocketbook buzzed yet again with another message on her phone.

  Maxim stood staring at her. Cabe looked at her expectantly. One of them had obviously just asked her a question.

  Jenna forced a smile and nodded, hoping it was an adequate response to whatever may have just been posed to her. Cabe’s eyes grew wide. And clouded with something else she couldn’t name. Hurt? By contrast, Maxim’s grin had grown twofold. Oh, dear, what had she just agreed to?

  “I guess I’ll leave you two to yourselves, then,” Cabe said then turned away. Her heart plummeted. Apparently, she’d just agreed to being alone with Maxim, essentially sending Cabe away. The exact opposite of what she really wanted. For one insane moment, Jenna wanted to yell at him to stop, to run after him and just explain everything. That she was oh, so wrong for him. That she had too much baggage. She’d never be the type of woman Cabe Jordan needed to have on his arm at his swanky social functions and his family gatherings. She wanted to tell him all that. And then beg him to wan
t her anyway.

  But Maxim was speaking to her. She’d better listen this time. Who knew what she would agree to next without meaning to? Besides, Cabe had already walked several feet away. How foolish would it look to chase after him like a silly twit?

  “Let’s go find you a drink, my dear,” Maxim offered. “Then we’ll get the tour started.” Dear heavens. The last thing she needed tonight was another drink.

  What she needed, down to her soul, was to have Cabe back by her side. He was her anchor, a tether in this alien world full of riches and excess. Maxim was nice enough, every inch the attentive gentleman. Any single woman with a pulse would be thrilled to have him as her very own personal guide for the evening. Just not Jenna.

  To top it off, she might have just hurt Cabe. She’d certainly be hurt if he’d dismissed her the same way. To spend time with another man, no less. Professional or not.

  Meanwhile, her phone kept buzzing, buzzing, buzzing... Jenna cursed Amanda under her breath. She’d been cursing her all night. What did her mother want? Maybe ignoring her hadn’t been the wisest decision, because now she could hardly think of anything else. What fresh hell had Amanda created for them all this time?

  They’d made it to the entrance of the grand casino when Maxim turned to her. “Are you all right, dear?” he asked, concern etched in his face. “You look a little pale.”

  Jenna gave her head a shake and placed her hand on her midsection. “I’m afraid something I’ve eaten doesn’t seem to be agreeing with me.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. “I’m not used to such rich food, as delicious as everything is.”

  Maxim gave her a sympathetic nod and pointed behind her. “The ladies’ restroom is down that hallway. Take your time.”

  She gave him a grateful smile and turned on her heel. When she got there, the restroom was blessedly empty. Taking a breath to steady her nerves, she fished her phone out of her small purse. Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she pulled up her brother’s contact file and clicked on it.

  It was time to face the piper. And the harsh reality that was her life.

  He answered on the first ring. “Hey, sis.”

  “Sam, what’s going on back in Boston? Amanda’s calling and texting me relentlessly.”

  Sam sighed deeply before he spoke. “It’s bad, Jen. You should probably sit down.”

  Oh, no. Jenna leaned back against the tiled wall. “Just tell me.”

  By the time he finished, Jenna really was going to be sick. According to Sam, the person who’d robbed Jordan’s Fine Jewelry, committing the crime that had started Jenna on this whole journey, had been discovered.

  That person was her mother.

  * * *

  She’d barely said three words to him last night as he walked her back to her hotel room. Cabe shuffled the papers on the table in the conference room and glanced at the door for the umpteenth time. Jenna hadn’t made her way in yet. They’d agreed to meet here in the morning and get some work done. She still had a few minutes but he couldn’t help but be impatient. There were things he needed to say to her. Questions he needed to ask.

  He hadn’t played his cards right yesterday. When Maxim had asked her if she needed Cabe to come along with them, he should have interjected right then and there. He should have said something along the lines of Of course I’m going with her. It just hadn’t occurred to him that she might actually decline his company on Maxim’s silly little tour.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose and reclined in the plush leather chair. He stared at the door again, willing it to open and for Jenna to walk in. He checked his phone again. No messages from her. It wasn’t that she was late, just that she was usually early to every meeting.

  He wanted to see her, first to make sure she was all right. And secondly to finally clear the air between them. They had to start behaving like adults about what had happened between them. They were attracted to each other and they’d acted on it. He wanted to reassure her that it wouldn’t happen again. She didn’t need to be so skittish around him. He couldn’t wait to explain that to her. In fact, if she didn’t come in within the next couple of minutes, he would walk back to their villa and go knock on her door.

  But then she did walk in, and with one look at her face his resolve faded like a punctured balloon. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, the tip of her nose crimson. Her cheeks held a light sheen. There was no question in his mind—Jenna Townsend had been crying, probably for most of the night.

  Maxim. That son of a bitch! But they’d left Maxim at the casino last night and walked back to their suite together. So what had happened?

  He watched as she pulled out her laptop and took a seat across from him, a tight smile plastered on her face. “Good morning. Where would you like to start?”

  Was she serious? Did she honestly think they were going to simply get to work like it was a typical morning?

  She blinked when he didn’t answer. “If we could get started, there’s something I need to tell you as soon as we’re finished.”

  Yeah, no kidding. He leaned toward her over the table. “Maybe you should just tell me now.”

  She shook her head. “No. It can wait. We should get some work done first.”

  Right. As if that was even a possibility in the state she was in. Not to mention his own. “Jenna. I insist.”

  She looked down, picked at her fingernail. Several beats passed in silence. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t push her. She clearly struggled to blurt out whatever her news was.

  When she looked back up at him, the fake smile was back in place. “Please, Cabe. We need to get through these to-dos.”

  He nodded once. “We have plenty of time.”

  “That’s just it—” She took a deep breath, but apparently couldn’t make herself continue.

  “What?” he prodded.

  Her mouth opened. Then shut again. He waited for her to say something, anything. Nothing but more silence.

  That was it. He’d had it. A man could only muster so much patience in the face of so much left unsaid. Cabe pushed out of his seat, slamming his pen on the table in frustration. The action startled her and she clamped a hand to her mouth.

  “Jenna, I’m trying to understand what’s happening here. Can you help me do that?”

  To his horror, her eyes filled. What had he said to cause that?

  “Are you crying?” he asked, his tone harsher than it probably should have been. He was just at such a loss about what to say or do. His arms ached to hold her, to tell her everything would be all right. But he had no doubt in his mind that any such gesture of comfort or physical closeness would be shunned.

  Suddenly, she stood. “I’m leaving in a couple of hours, Cabe.”

  He couldn’t have heard her right. Surely, whatever was upsetting her couldn’t be that pressing. “You’re leaving? Why in the world are you leaving? Our jet doesn’t even return for another two days.”

  “I understand that,” she told him. “I’ve booked a seat on a commercial flight.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I’m dropping this project. I can no longer work on it. In fact, I can no longer work for you.”

  He couldn’t have heard her right. Was she that regretful about their relationship? “Listen, Jenna. What happened between us will not happen again.”

  She shook her head, her cheeks growing a fiery red. “That’s only part of it, Cabe.”

  “I get that I crossed a line.”

  Anguish flooded her eyes. “No. It’s just—there’s something you should know.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She sucked in a breath before answering. “You’re going to get a call soon from your security personnel. Or maybe it will be Boston PD who notifies you first.”

  Cabe blinked. “Come again
?”

  Whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been anything along these lines. And then he remembered. “Does this have anything to do with the stolen bracelet?”

  She nodded, swallowed hard. “I’m afraid so.”

  “Jenna, what’s going on?”

  Her face visibly crumbled and she held a hand to her midsection. In that instant, Cabe wanted nothing more than to hold her and find a way to alleviate her anguish. Clearly, Jenna thought she was at fault somehow for whatever had happened. Maybe she’d left the jewelry case unlocked and the thief had gotten to the jewelry that way. That certainly wouldn’t be grounds for her dismissal. She had to know he didn’t care. Everyone made mistakes. No bracelet, no matter how costly or valuable, was worth the pain she was clearly burdening herself with right now.

  But he kept himself in check, stood firm where he was. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to interrupt her. She had to continue. Had to get this over with. “See, there was a reason your security head suspected me.”

  He could have sworn the room spun around him. “What exactly are you saying? Did you have something to do with the theft after all? Just tell me, Jenna.” Could she really have been that cunning? Kept it from him all this time?

  He just needed her to come clean. He needed her to be straight with him.

  “Cabe, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. It was my mother.”

  “Your mother? I don’t understand. I thought they were investigating the security guard on duty that night?”

  She pursed her lips, her eyes full of tears. “They are. He stole it with her help. Apparently, she’d been studying my routine. Knew where I kept my keys and told him everything. She gave him hints about what my passcode might be. She also told him to strike while I was away at that conference.” She took another steadying breath. “He pretended to be interested in her in order to get her help.”

  His mouth had gone dry, which didn’t matter. He couldn’t seem to find any words anyway. Questions pummeled at him like a jackhammer in his brain.