by Tawny Weber
He stared back at her, his eyes steady and furious.
Apparently he found the crap perfectly believable.
Her heart cracked, tiny tentacles of pain radiating through her system. She should have known. She never should have let herself feel anything for him. Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she tried to figure out why Diana would tell such lies. And more important, how Mitch could so easily believe them.
“Since when did you start taking orders from Belle?” Sierra snapped.
Diana gave a helpless little shrug, her gaze locked on her toes. “Since she offered me a job with her father’s hotels.”
Belle’s gasp drowned out Sierra’s hiss at the lie.
Showing the first spark since she’d come slinking into the room, Diana ignored them and threw an accusing look at Mitch before continuing. “She promised me her father runs a normal office. I’d be managing a successful hotel, not ordering disgusting sex toys.”
Belle narrowed her eyes. “The sabotage was happening long before I showed up with my disgusting sex ideas.”
Diana gave a tiny smirk and inclined her head. “That was the plan, wasn’t it? And why I pushed your business so hard when you lured away the last event planner.”
Belle stared in shock. “Oh, my God, you don’t really think they’re going to believe this, do you? You are sitting there telling straight-up lies and you think you can get away with it?”
“Why would I lie?” Diana countered. The look in her eyes made Belle realize that this little mouse had sharp teeth and deadly claws. “I’m already being brought up on charges. I’ve lost my job, my reputation and, since you blew it, I’m sure I’ve lost all the recompense you promised me, too.”
“I didn’t promise you a damned thing,” Belle growled, her hands fisted on her hips.
“Did you have contact with Diana before you came to Lakeside?” Reece asked.
“Of course.” Before she could explain that it had been Diana who’d contacted Eventfully Yours for the job, Reece continued.
“Did you come to Lakeside for any purpose other than to secure a job contract?”
How could she answer that? If she admitted she’d come for her father, they’d only see it as more guilt. But she couldn’t lie, either. Belle wet her lips.
“Did you?” Mitch asked quietly.
“I, well, yes, I had other reasons. Mitch and I had a history. I wanted to see him again.”
Reece’s passive demeanor cracked just a little, showing a hint of derision. “Really? The man you left at the altar? You had a sudden hankering to what? Stroll down memory lane?”
“Of course not,” Belle said with a scowl. “We had unfinished business. I wanted to see Mitch,” she looked at her ex-fiancé and shrugged. “I tried to see you a couple of times before, but never got past first base. We had stuff to talk about, a past to deal with.”
Belle tried to find the words to apologize for running off on him, for the humiliation and devastation of leaving him at the altar. But there were too many people in the room, too much nastiness going on. Instead she just shrugged.
“So you admit it,” Reece said. “You had motive, means and opportunity before you showed up here.”
“Oh. My. God,” Sierra snapped. “What is this, a bad Sherlock Holmes novel? Get a magnifying glass or get over yourself.”
“I had an apology to make,” Belle said softly. She saw Mitch’s eyes widen in surprise and wanted to scream with frustration. What? Did he think her so much a bitch that she’d have no regret about what had happened?
Belle pressed her lips together. With every fiber of her being, she wanted to throw her hands in the air and say screw it. To walk—no run—out of the office and escape this nasty scene. Then her gaze fell on Mitch. Beneath the palpable fury emanating from him she saw something else. Pain.
Tears, so easily held at bay for herself, welled up for him. Regardless of how she felt about the unfounded accusations, the ugly mistrust and rotten character assessment, the bottom line was he was the one being hurt.
And she was the one being used to hurt him. She needed to focus on that, to let it excuse his actions. But as much as she tried, she couldn’t. The truth was he didn’t trust her. And without trust, they were nothing but fuck buddies.
“This is the second accusation thrown at me tonight,” she said quietly through the pain of her realization. “Both of them are complete and total bullshit. If you knew me at all, if the past few weeks we’ve spent together had meant a damned thing to you, you’d know they were bullshit.”
Belle stepped away from the desk and, because she was suddenly freezing, wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head at Mitch. “But you’re too busy worrying about your image. The only thing that matters to you is that people think you’re Mr. Perfect, that your family holds you on some stupid pedestal.”
His fist clenched on the desk, Mitch didn’t say anything.
Fury driving her words, Belle continued to spew uncontrollably. “The fact that it makes no sense doesn’t seem to matter to you and your vigilante cowboy here. If I wanted to screw you over, there are a dozen ways. None of them include busting my butt to create and implement a creative and unique hook to help you succeed.”
Belle shoved a hand through her hair and saw it was shaking. Hell, her entire body was shaking, she was so upset. Her breath came in gasps now, her vision blurred around the edges.
“If you want to blame me, you have a good ol’ time with it. But the person you should be looking at is your sister.” Even through her pain, Belle winced at the raw delivery and its effect on Mitch. His face paled, his mouth dropped open. All in all, he looked as though she’d just kicked him in the ’nads.
Oh, God, look what confrontation got her. A big fat lot of pain and misery. She hadn’t changed their minds about a damned thing, and now she’d hurt him. Belle pressed her hand to her mouth to hold back a scream of frustration and shook her head.
“I can’t do this. You go ahead and believe whatever you want. If it helps to make me the culprit here, go ahead. I’ll send you my lawyer’s name. We’ll deal with it that way.” She had to get out of the room. She could barely breathe through all the tension and pain pounding in her chest.
She felt Sierra’s arm on her shoulder and leaned in, needing the support of at least one person in the room. She drew strength from her friend, then straightened and gave Mitch a long, clear look.
“You’re right, though. I wasn’t completely honest with you. I did show up here hoping for more than a contract from you. I came here hoping you’d talk with my father. Give him some advice and ideas.” She felt like a traitor admitting her self-serving motivation, but figured the truth couldn’t be anywhere near as debilitating as the crap they were making up.
“But once I got here, once I got to know you again— no,” she corrected, “got to know you period, then my reasons changed. All I wanted was to see you succeed, Mitch. To see the resort succeed.”
Behind her, Diana gave a watery snort. Belle spun around, not sure if she was going to scream at the bitch or beat the hell out of her. Before she could do either, though, Sierra launched herself past Belle, claws outstretched.
Diana squealed and jumped back, lifting her feet onto the seat with her as she tried to curl up in a ball.
Reece grabbed Sierra around the waist and swung her away from the whimpering traitor.
Belle’s nerves were jangling and raw at the violence, both in the room, and churning inside her.
Mitch just sat there watching, his face impassive.
“You don’t believe her, do you?” she asked, her words barely discernible as Sierra screamed obscenities at Diana and Reece tried to calm her.
“I don’t like being used,” Mitch finally said as Reece’s and Sierra’s swearing died down.
The implied accusation tore her heart in two.
“You’re one to talk,” Belle sobbed. Finally unable to hold back the one ugly truth that had eaten at her heart for mor
e than six years, she said, “When have you done anything but use me?”
Saying the words aloud was like opening Pandora’s box. Pain, misery and a million and one self-doubts all came flying out at her. Vicious and biting, they ripped at her. The look on Mitch’s face, judgmental and angry, proved that she’d never stood a chance.
Belle tried to speak, but her throat was constricted with tears. She just shook her head and turned away.
It wasn’t until Reece handed her a handkerchief on her way out the door that she realized she had tears dripping off her chin.
14
MITCH WATCHED REECE escort Belle into the foyer of the hotel, his heart stuttering a little at how gorgeous she was in the morning light. Apparently she took the phrase dress to kill seriously. A short, fitted skirt hugged hips his fingers itched to hold and her blouse wrapped around her torso enticingly, highlighting her cleavage. Power heels in a kick-your-ass-red completed the look.
Her face was set, like a beautiful ice carving. Her eyes, though, sparkled with fiery anger. God, he loved her. His gut hurt at the idea of how much pain he’d caused her last night. As soon as she’d left, he’d told Reece it was a setup. He was sure of it. Despite the mountain of proof Diana had offered—emails, faxes, Belle’s signature on everything, he knew she hadn’t done it.
Starting with the papers Belle had left him, they’d spent the entire night digging for the answer. An answer that had hurt like crazy but one that Mitch knew was true.
Now all he had to find out was why. And that, he figured, Belle had a right to know, too.
As they reached him, he murmured his thanks to Reece, who nodded and tilted his head to indicate that he’d be waiting in the restaurant.
“How fun. We’ve gone from unsubstantiated accusations to goon patrol?” Belle commented, giving him a dirty look. “Am I so worthless that you can’t just come talk to me directly? You need to send your big security chief to fetch my criminal butt?”
Mitch opened his mouth to explain, but one of his aunts walked past just then and yelled an enthusiastic hello. He grimaced and shut his mouth again. He’d almost blown it. This was too important to screw up with a lame explanation. He had to show her. To show her and his entire family that Belle was innocent.
Belle frowned in confusion when he didn’t say anything. Then she glanced at his departing aunt and got one of those you-are-such-a-pig looks on her face. “Ooh, I get it. I have cooties. You need to distance yourself from me so you don’t tilt any further off that precarious pedestal you’re perched on.”
Even though he knew he was being a jerk and that she had every right to be angry, Mitch couldn’t stop from giving her a narrow-eyed look and asking, “Alliteration so early in the day?”
Anger spat from her sea-green eyes and her mouth thinned. She looked like she was going to slug him. Mitch realized he was a sick puppy when the idea turned him on. God, he had it bad when any sign of passion from her, even nonsexual, got him all hot and horny.
“Let’s walk,” he suggested.
“Let’s not,” she returned. “You were too rude to talk to me privately before I’m escorted off the premises, so you can tell me what you want right here.”
Mitch grinned and took her arm to pull her to his side. Yeah, she was one helluva turn-on. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”
Her fury was clear in the snap of her heels against the floor and the stiff set of her shoulders. Of course, the sharp elbow in his gut was a good indicator, too.
But she didn’t pull away as he escorted her into the packed restaurant. She hesitated in the entrance, her step hitching just a little. Realizing she must think he was furthering that public-lynching thing she’d accused him of last night, Mitch shifted his hold, releasing her arm to wrap his hand around her waist.
Her accusation about him using her echoed in his head. Had been echoing through the long night. She was right and he hated himself for that. He’d hoped that publicly vindicating her would start to make up for his previous dicklessness, but once again, he’d miscalculated.
“It’ll be fine,” he whispered. He knew Reece wanted the element of surprise on their side. That for the trap to work hinged on Belle’s unscripted reactions. But he couldn’t stand seeing her suffer. If it meant only that he, Reece and the culprit knew the real truth, that was fine. He realized he didn’t want the public vindication at the cost of Belle’s feelings.
“Look, let’s go to my office,” he said softly, watching the nerves play over her features at the sight of his entire clan gathered in the dining room. The need to protect her overwhelmed him. Whispers carried around the room, fingers pointed and angry looks flew at Belle. Mitch shot a blanket glare at everyone.
He’d been a total idiot to give in to Reece’s plan. All he’d thought of was to publicly prove Belle’s innocence. To push Lena to admit in front of everyone here that she was behind the problems. Not to vindicate himself, but so nobody, ever, could doubt Belle again. He hadn’t thought the scheme through enough to realize what she’d have to endure in the process, though.
“Let’s go,” he repeated. “We’ll talk there.”
Some of the tension left her body as she leaned into him just a bit. She started to nod. Then something, or someone, caught her eye and she went steel-straight again and gave a little growl under her breath.
“That bitch is eating my afterglow special?” she asked.
Mitch followed her gaze and pulled a face. He glanced at Reece, seated across the room at the table next to the afterglow special, and grimaced.
Guess the show was still on. Belle pulled away with a hiss and stalked across the dining room. Yep, show on, whether he wanted it to be or not. He shoved his hands into his pockets and, body tensing for battle, followed her across the room.
Belle, apparently the consummate hostess even when blinded by spitting fury, sidestepped his family’s snide comments and rude questions graciously. But she didn’t slow down.
Thankfully his legs were longer, so, by the time she reached Lena’s table, Mitch had caught up. Mitch joined her as she sat, uninvited, at the damask-covered table.
“Lena,” he greeted quietly. He watched his stepsister’s eyes, knowing they gave the only clue to what was really going on behind that wide forehead of hers. They showed curiosity. He had to admire her. She was so damned sure she’d won, she didn’t feel a speck of fear.
“I realize it’s a public restaurant, so to speak,” Lena said in a haughty tone, “but I think I have the right to enjoy my breakfast without being interrupted by a traitorous sex-peddler.”
Mitch glanced out the dining room window at the gorgeous view of his beloved woods. The woods that had made him buy this property. The ones that made him feel like he’d finally made it. The woods where he’d been made to look like a loser idiot. And not, he knew, turning his gaze to Belle, by the woman he loved.
No, he had family to thank for that.
“I’ll give you sex—” Belle started to rage, leaning across the table.
“Really, Lena?” he interrupted, laying a hand on Belle’s knee. She shot him a furious look. Her anger turned to confusion when his eyes asked her to trust him. He was asking for the moon, he knew. That, the sun and a few planets, given that all he’d ever done was betray her.
But damned if she didn’t give it anyway. With a tiny furrow of her brow, she gave an infinitesimal nod and released her breath.
“I’m surprised you can sit there eating like you haven’t a care in the world,” he continued, gesturing to her almost-empty plate as well as the two side dishes she’d apparently enjoyed. “Are you so sure of yourself that you aren’t the least bit worried?”
Lena scooped up a bite of strawberry mousse and gestured with her spoon. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Although I’ve been hearing whispers from your staff, one of your cute security guys to be precise, that the same can’t be said for everyone at this table.”
Belle looked positively feral and Mitch decided he didn’t w
ant to play the game. Unable to keep the hurt and anger from his voice, he leaned across the table and asked quietly, “Why’d you do it, Lena? Why’d you try and sabotage my resort?”
At Belle’s loud gasp, the few people that weren’t already watching the tableau looked their way. Her hand covered his where it lay on her knee and squeezed. Satisfaction and a spark of hope that she might forgive him sprang to life in Mitch’s heart.
“What’d she do, screw you stupid?” Lena shot back.
Belle surged out of her chair so fast, it toppled over. But she wasn’t as fast as Mitch or Reece.
Mitch was around the table before Belle’s chair hit the floor, grabbing his stepsister by the arm and pulling her to her feet. Reece put his hand on Belle’s arm, probably worried she’d resort to the same type of violence Sierra had tried the night before.
“As always, she’s a public embarrassment to you, isn’t she, Mitch?” Lena mocked.
“Kiss my ass,” Belle suggested sweetly. But Mitch could see the pain the comment had caused in Belle’s eyes.
“Oh, please,” Lena snapped. “I don’t know what kind of game she’s playing, but this is ridiculous. She’s making a fool of you with your entire family as witnesses. Again. Keep this up and nobody’s going to have to wonder if they should doubt your judgment or not. They’ll know you’ve let them all down.”
He had to hand it to her, she definitely knew where to twist the knife. Mitch saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and winced when he recognized the straw purse. Grammy Lynn had joined them. Good. He didn’t want one single person missing the proof that Belle was innocent.
“You know, the funny thing about computer messages is that even though you can fake an email address, you can’t fake an IP address,” Mitch said quietly. “And that paparazzi you hired? He’s the kind of guy who ignores orders to delete phone records. You—or Diana—covered your asses when you made the calls from the resort. But those text messages you sent him last night? They traced right back to your cell phone, Lena. It was a clever plan. But not clever enough.”
