Love & Lies

by Jessica Wood

  So she signed the contract.

  Then she wrote Ben a letter telling him that she would make her loan payments directly to the bank. She never wanted to speak to him or see him ever again. She finalized it by putting the emerald pendant necklace he had given her into the envelope and had a courier take the envelope directly to his mansion.

  Her phone hadn’t stopped ringing for the rest of the day. He was trying to talk to her. But Gemma couldn’t bear to talk to him. She instructed Kim to screen all her calls and tell anyone name Liam or Ben that she wasn’t in. The next day she heard security throwing him out of the building, and in the days since, he was caught several times loitering around the building. She finally had the police talk to him and after that, he seemed to have gotten the hint because he hadn’t been around since.

  Gemma realized with chagrin that she was being terribly narcissistic to think he was still following her. A billionaire like Ben Liamsworth must have better things to do with his time than obsess over her.

  He’s probably moved on to some other girl, Gemma thought to herself. The idea put a lump in her throat. As much as she hated him, she knew she still loved him and didn’t want him to move on. Blinking back tears, she stiffened her spine and said firmly

  “It’s time I moved on, too,” she said firmly as she blinked back tears. She called her assistant through the intercom, “Kim, bring me the daily reports.”

  No sooner had Gemma taken her finger off the intercom button, Kim appeared with a detailed analysis on how Adams Corporation was doing financially in the stock market, who was buying shares, and who was selling them.

  All her self-absorbed worries left her mind immediately as she read the reports, immersing herself into her work.

  Then she recognized an alarming trend. Her father was right. Someone was buying up company stock at an alarming rate and soon they would own a controlling interest. Gemma hadn’t gone through everything she had in the last month to save the company from bankruptcy only to lose it in a corporate takeover. The reports didn’t reveal who the buyer was, but she was sure as hell going to find out.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “I’m glad you came to me with this, but I’m surprised you didn’t go to your father,” Clint Carpenter said to Gemma after she shared the report with him. He had been her father’s business partner for as long as she could remember. He had always been in charge of public relations and marketing while Harry Adams, Gemma’s father, had been the finance man.

  “I didn’t want to give Daddy any more cause for worry,” Gemma said. “After we nearly filed bankruptcy, Mom said he nearly suffered a cardiac event and his doctor put him on special medication for his heart. The last thing he needs is any more stress.”

  “I understand,” Clint sympathized.

  “Who do you think could be buying up such large quantities of our stock, and why?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll start asking around. I hear you’re having lunch with Lori today,” Clint smiled, referring to his daughter, Lori, who has been best friends with Gemma since childhood.

  “Yes, in fact, I’m supposed to be with her now,” Gemma said as she checked her watch. “Thanks for looking into this for me. Please don’t tell Daddy about this.”

  With that, Gemma hurried out the door. She was notoriously late to all her lunches with Lori, but somehow her friend always forgave her. Even when they were in college together, she had always been late to every class.

  “It’s about time,” Lori cried out happily as Gemma entered the restaurant, “I was beginning to think you forgot about me.” Lori’s blond curls bobbed with enthusiasm and her bright blue eyes gleamed with girlish glee as she hugged her friend. They squeezed each other tightly and then sat down in their favorite booth.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” Gemma apologized, “I had a quick meeting with your dad, and then on the way here, I thought I saw Liam’s Ferrari behind me, so I circled the block a few times to make sure he wasn’t following me.”

  “I thought you said that asshole wasn’t bothering you anymore.” Lori’s bubbly expression turned into a worried frown.

  “I thought so, too, but maybe he was just keeping away long enough for me to let my guard down. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I thought I saw him yesterday when I went to the bank, and I’m absolutely certain I saw him this morning in the park across from the office, and then again, when I was driving here.”

  The waitress came and took their orders and Lori gossiped happily about all the latest scandals, fashions, and celebrities. Gemma smiled as she listened to her happy chatter. It was nice to feel normal again, without thinking about Liam or her job.

  They were just finishing the last of their French fries when Lori asked idly, “So how’s work? “

  “Not as good as I’d like.” Gemma sighed. “Someone keeps buying Adams Corporation stock every time it goes up for sale on the Exchange.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” Lori asked.

  “I thought so at first, but if one individual acquires too much stock, it could give them a controlling interest in the company and then what happens to the company as a business could be up to them. It’s what I was talking to your father about before I came here and he agreed it’s something to be concerned about.”

  “That’s so creepy.” Lori shuddered with exaggerated horror. “Your Dad and my Dad have been running that company for twenty years. Why would someone want to ruin it?”

  “That’s what I have to find out.”

  Just then, Gemma noticed something from the corner of her yes. “Uh oh. Speaking of creepy, take a look out the window at the black sports car parked on the south-west corner.”

  It was Liam’s black Ferrari.

  Fuming with rage, Gemma got up from the table.

  “What are doing?” Lori grabbed her wrist, concern colored her eyes.

  “I’m sick and tired of feeling like I’m being followed all the time. I’m going out there to tell him what I think of him and put an end to this.”

  “No, Gemma. It could dangerous.” Lori caught her friend by the wrist and stopped her from leaving the table. “You don’t know what a psycho like that might do. If he’s crazy enough to stalk you like this, who knows what else he’s capable of. I don’t want you to end up getting yourself hurt.”

  “He’s not like that,” Gemma insisted. “Even though he lied about his real name, Liam has a good heart.” For reasons she didn’t understand, Gemma felt obligated to defend him. “For the short time we were together, I always felt safe. I know Liam would never hurt me. I’m going to talk to him.”

  Lori watched helplessly from the restaurant window as her friend strode out to the car. A handsome man in his late twenties with wavy, dark hair and stormy blue-gray eyes stepped from the car and greeted her friend with a dazzling smile. He was wearing a designer suit, but it was easy to see he had a muscular physique underneath.

  Wow, he is hot, Lori couldn’t help but think. Even though she’d met him that one day over a month ago at the cafe when he approached her friend, Lori hadn’t gotten a good look at him until now.

  She watched with wide eyes as Gemma slapped him hard across the face, and Lori cheered silently to herself. Get ‘em, girl!

  The hot man held out his hands in a pleading gesture and opened the passenger door of the car. They talked for a moment, then to Lori’s disbelief, Gemma got into the car with him and the Ferrari sped away.

  “Damn it, Gemma,” Lori said aloud. “You better not be getting in over your head.” She shook her head knowing that’s exactly what her friend was doing.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “Haven’t I made myself clear?” Gemma screamed. “Stop following me! If that isn’t clear enough, maybe this is!” She stormed up to Ben and slapped him viciously across the face.

  “You have to hear me out. I won’t stop following you until you listen to what I have to say,” Ben pleaded.

  “Everything you ever told me was a lie, including your name,”
Gemma said. “I loved you and the entire time we were together, you were lying to me, spying on me, and probably getting off on those nude pictures you took of me. I don’t know what kind of sick game you were playing, but it’s over between us.”

  “I’m not trying to justify what I did,” Ben explained. “I don’t deserve to be forgiven, but you need to know the truth about how I got those pictures. Please let me explain. I promise you’ll never have to see me again after you hear my side of the story.”

  Gemma hesitated and Ben stood with the passenger door open, pleading with his eyes. They were the same eyes that had looked at her with such love and tenderness just days before. Her angry resolve cracked and she couldn’t resist his pleading eyes.

  Hating herself for her weakness, she put on her best glare and said, “All right. You can drive me home to my apartment. You have until we get there to say everything you want to say. Once there, I never want to hear from you again.”

  It wasn’t much time, but after all his failed attempts of getting Gemma’s attention, Ben was willing to take it. He drove as slowly as he could and talked as quickly as his mouth would let him.

  “Yes, I lied about my name but it wasn’t a malicious trick. Liam Taylor is a pseudonym I often use during business deals to protect my money. When you’re a billionaire, you can never be too careful.”

  “You were protecting yourself from me?” Gemma asked with indignation. “You’re saying the stalker is actually the victim? Poor baby, no wonder you had to keep a file of nude photos of me.” Gemma scoffed with bitter sarcasm. Her hands were balled into tight fists. Ben wondered if he hadn’t been driving, if she would have punch him. He knew he needed to get to the important part and quick.

  “I never took those photos of you. I bought them.”

  “Oh, that’s so much better. Thanks for the comfort. I can’t hear any more of this.” Gemma was so angry, she motioned for the door handle, ready to jump out of a moving car just as soon as he slowed down.

  “No,” Ben said firmly as he gripped her hand. “No, you don’t understand. The file was sold to me by a private investigator. After I invited you to live in my mansion, I needed to learn as much information about you as I could as a precaution. When I was asking around about you, someone told me that he’d been hired to follow you a few months ago and he still had the file. He offered to sell it to me.”

  “What are you saying?” Gemma’s mind struggled to grasp all the implications. Someone had been paid to follow her months before she moved in with Ben. That would have been the same time her family was struggling to keep out of bankruptcy. “Who told you this?”

  “The private investigator never gave me his name. He just brought me the file and offered to sell it to me. ”

  “Did he say who hired him to follow me?” Gemma asked. She was no longer wanting to flee the car and more anxious to get as much information from him as she could.

  “No, I’m sorry. I was in such a hurry to get the information, I didn’t ask him who had hired him or for any details.”

  The car came to a stop and Gemma realized they were now parked in front of her apartment building.

  “I tried to tell you all this a thousand times,” Ben said as he looked at her with worried, “But I never had the guts.” He bowed his head. “I’m sorry. I wanted you to know the truth, so in the end I sent you the file. But the letter I had written explaining everything accidently got left behind by the courier. When I realized that had happened, I tried to reach out to you. But, you refused to talk to me.”

  He paused and drew in a deep breath before he met Gemma’s gaze with sad eyes. “I didn’t mean to harass you, but I needed you to know the truth. Someone was gathering information on you and you deserved to be warned.”

  Gemma shivered at the thought and suddenly she felt like a thousand eyes were on her. She stepped from the car awkwardly, not knowing what else to do.

  “Thanks for telling me. I’m sorry I was so hard on you.” She paused before suggesting, “Maybe we could still be friends.”

  A smile formed on Ben’s lips. “I’d like that a lot. Can I walk you up to your door? It would make me feel better to know you’d gotten home safely.”

  Gemma’s reflex was to refuse, but she was feeling freaked out by everything she had just learned. It would be nice to have a strong man by her side just until she got inside.

  “Okay. That would be nice.” She smiled at Ben.

  The walk up the flight of stairs was uncomfortably silent. Ben still had so much more he wanted to say to her, but he didn’t want to ruin the progress he’d made by pushing her too far, too fast. Their newfound friendship was extremely fragile and one wrong word from him could ruin it all.

  “Do you want to come in?” Gemma invited when they got to her door and she saw the hope that lit up in his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong,” she warned. “I’m still mad at you for lying to me about who you are, but I do appreciate you going so far out of your way to warn me about the private investigator. So I guess offering you a cup of coffee would only be right.”

  “Yes, coffee sounds terrific.” Ben grasped at the chance to be with her longer.

  Her apartment was neat, but cozy. Modern furniture filled the tiny space, but brightly colored throw pillows and soft rugs made it homey and inviting. Ben sat on the couch while Gemma brewed a pot of coffee and chatted about the weather.

  She looked so beautiful standing in the kitchen with the sunlight shining through the window. The light illuminated her dress so he could see her sexy silhouette through the fabric. He’d missed her so much that being this near to her made his body ache with longing that he didn’t think he could control. He knew he needed to get out of there quickly before he did something rash.

  “Here you go. Sugar and no cream.” Gemma handed him a cup of steaming coffee and when she leaned forward, he could see down the front of her dress. It took all his strength not to dive into those beautiful breasts and engulf them into his mouth.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He set the cup down on a little table covered with magazines and headed for the door. The erection straining in his trousers was painful, making him wince.

  “What’s wrong?” There was a sadness in Gemma’s voice. “Isn’t that the way you like it?” Gemma followed him to the door with a look of utter confusion.

  “No, the coffee is perfect. You’re perfect. It’s just that…” Ben couldn’t think of a plausible excuse and his words trailed.

  “It’s just what?” Gemma asked, staring into his stormy blue-gray eyes that reminded her of the ocean.

  “It’s just that I love you so much,” he admitted slowly, “all I can think about is making love to you.”

  “It’s all I think about, too,” Gemma confessed.

  Then, on impulse, she put her lips to his and kissed him. He had no willpower left to push her away. Slowly and passionately, their lips meshed as one, parting to allow their tongues to intertwine. Ben raked his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her full breasts pressed against his strong chest and it was like electricity shooting between them, igniting their lust for each other.

  Gemma’s fingers worked furiously to undo the buttons of her dress, bearing her naked breasts to him. Ben took them into his hands, cherishing the weight of them as they spilled out from the sides of his hands. He had missed those breasts—perfectly round and deliciously firm—and finally having them in his hands again, it felt like heaven. He worshiped them with his mouth, licking and kissing them and then finally suckling her nipples. Gemma gasped and moaned, pulling her dress off down over her hips and stepping out of it. She grasp at Ben’s clothes, ripping them from his body.

  He carried her into her bedroom and laid her down on the bed covered with a floral bedspread. He peeled the panties off her hips and was delighted to find she was already wet.

  Gemma bent her knees and spread her thighs wide, giving him access to make love to her with
his mouth and tongue. He was more than happy to oblige and still knew how to please her just right. Within minutes, she was writhing on the bed, gasping and moaning as an orgasm overtook her.

  “I’m coming!” she cried out, raking her nails through his wavy hair. “I want you inside me. Please.”

  Ben stripped away his underwear, revealing his engorged cock. It was even bigger than Gemma remembered and she lunged at him hungrily, desperate to have him fuck her.

  “Easy,” Ben said through a groan, “It’s been so long since we’ve made love. I want to savor it.”

  Gemma smiled mischievously. She knew exactly how to get him to fuck her, and without warning, took his manhood into her mouth.

  Ben groaned with pleasure as Gemma’s mouth took him deep into her throat. He sucked in air with rapid breaths as he felt the euphoric sensation of her fingertip caressing the sensitive patch of skin directly between his balls and his anus. It was like a magic button that made him want to come.

  Quickly, before it was too late, he extracted himself from her mouth and flipped her over on the bed so she was lying on her stomach. He grabbed a condom from his pocket and quickly slipped it on his rock, hard cock that was begging for release. He immediately raised up Gemma’s hips and shoved his entire length deeply into her eager warmth, fucking her with everything he had from behind. It was a sensation they had both been longing for and moans of satisfaction escaped both their lips.

  Gemma bent her knees up underneath her body for leverage and rocked back to meet him thrust for thrust, as Ben pumped powerful into her. His hands reached around to massage her clitoris, and almost instantly she climaxed, screaming his name out loudly as she came. It was more than Ben could withstand, and he climaxed with her, the two of them moving in perfect symmetry as their bodies spasmed with ecstasy.

  No sooner they were finished, waves of regret filled Gemma. Feeling like a fool who had traded away all her dignity for a quick fuck, she picked up all his clothes and shoved them into his hands.