California Girl
Page 3
But Ray was still out there, dreaming up ways to settle the score. She was sure of it. When their ten-year marriage had finally come to an end—after she’d caught him in a compromising situation for the umpteenth time—things got a little nasty during the divorce proceedings.
As payback for his disregard for their marriage vows, Veronica had taken the bulk of their community property, including everything that Ray held dear—especially his collection of guitars—and sold it all for a nominal fee.
Her share of the earnings left her with more than enough money to pay off her condo in Malibu; and then she got the brilliant idea—thanks to LA Afternoon’s summer hiatus—to use the rest to flee to Europe until the dust settled. Veronica knew how to live on a budget, but Ray—a guy with extravagant rock-star tastes—had been backed into a corner while he tried to figure out how to recover from his massive financial loss.
“Apparently,” Veronica said into the phone, “he has more money than we thought.” She blew out an exasperated sigh, rolled her eyes and thought of Niko. “Casey, he’s trying to set me up. I think. Well, he’s definitely up to something. He hired some guy to get me drunk, and then the next morning pretend we’d gotten married.” That must have been how it happened. Niko had to have had an agenda, one that read something like that.
“Holy shit!” Rosanna said.
“Is the guy still hanging around?” Casey asked.
“Yes. He followed me to Monaco.”
“Why’d you tell him where you were going?”
“I didn’t.”
There was a pause on the line, until Casey finally said, “Well shit, if Ray’s carried it that far, he must really be pissed about the money thing.”
Of course, he’s pissed. He retaliated, and she almost fell into his trap. Veronica’s eyes fluttered shut for a second. She was thankful her best friends couldn’t see how foolish she felt. “Casey, can you talk to him for me? Tell him to do that cease and desist thing you do so well.” It paid to have friends in high places, or at least one who was a hot shot attorney.
“Sure. I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow.” Casey’s tone had turned serious. When she got started, Veronica sometimes thought the opposing council gave in just to get Casey to shut up. “In the meantime, maybe you’d better play along and see if you can dig up details on what Ray hopes to accomplish with this scheme.”
Veronica let out a soft groan. Playing along meant spending time with Niko, and spending time with him was dangerous. Normally, she’d be all for the company of a guy like Niko. Normally. But not when he’d been hired by her ex-husband to seduce her.
Veronica shook her head. Ray had stooped pretty low during the course of their ten-year marriage, but this, this definitely took the cake.
CHAPTER 3
VERONICA PUSHED THE half-empty salad plate toward the center of the table and reached for her goblet. How had Niko found her so easily? Ray must be on to her every move. Times like this, she needed a much stronger drink than wine.
“You seem...” Niko hesitated, eyeing her with an examining stare. “A bit anxious.”
Veronica snorted.
“And evasive.”
She looked at him with what she hoped was a hard glare. “Why did you come looking for me?”
“I told you.”
“Oh, yeah.” She smirked. “That business about us being married.” She stopped and studied him again. “How did you find me?”
Niko reached for his glass. “If you know the right people, it’s easy to track down just about anyone.”
The right people? Apparently, Ray knew the right people. Not only were they efficient, but they worked for peanuts. After all, Ray was short on cash. How long could this continue?
Veronica propped an elbow on the arm of her chair and clinched her hand into a loose fist. “Look...” She unfolded her fingers and pointed one at him. “You can tell Ray the gig is up. I’m on to your little game.” Her head wobbled as her declaration wound down. She tightened her lips, trying to settle her head.
Niko rolled his eyes and inched his chair closer to her. He smiled at her, with that same cocky arrogance he’d used to disarm her in Saint Tropez.
Stay focused. Don’t fall back into Ray’s trap. A gorgeous trap, but nonetheless a trap.
“Who is Ray?” His voice grew stern as he leaned in toward her.
“The guy that hired you,” she said with some bitterness.
Niko’s brow furrowed, as if he was genuinely confused. That bothered her. But not as much as the mere inches that separated them. His leg brushed against hers, probably on purpose.
“What do you want?” She was tiring of this game, and now she just wanted it to stop.
“To get an annulment,” he said. “Not that being married to you hasn’t been a pleasurable experience, but I’d prefer to end our marriage before you run away again.”
Yeah, okay. Whatever. If Ray really wanted to carry it that far, Veronica was willing to help him spend what little money he had left at his disposal. She wasn’t sure what Ray was up to, but she was going to teach him a thing or two about revenge.
“Okay.” She propped her elbow on the table, laid her chin in her palm, and gave Niko a smile. “Where do we go from here?”
“Any preferences for a divorce locale?”
“Hey...” She swung one knee over the other and kicked her top leg back and forth. “Europe is your playground, not mine.”
He chuckled and tossed his napkin onto the table. “Well, if it makes no difference to you...I’m sure we can do it here.”
“Here?” She snapped. “You promised me a trip to Nice!” Hell, if Ray was willing to perpetrate such an elaborate hoax—it was just like him to get some guy to pretend to sweep her off her feet and then lower the boom just as she was about to fall—then she was willing to turn into a gold digger.
Niko straightened in his chair. “Well, then...Nice it is.” He paused, studying her. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
“How are we going to get there?”
“We’ll take a car. The drive isn’t far.”
* * *
Niko held the door open for Veronica as they left the restaurant and stepped out into the evening. The sun had set and street lamps illuminated the walkway.
Veronica looked at him as they strolled along. “Where will you stay tonight?”
“With my wife.”
“No, no, no.” She shook her head. “You cannot stay in my room.” She blushed, and that amused Niko.
He glanced at her, wondering what had changed her mind, if she had indeed done as much. But in case this was another ploy so she could run, he’d left Christos behind to secure the second floor of the inn where Veronica was staying. If he was in control of the entire floor, he would know immediately if she headed for the elevator or the stairs, attempting another escape.
The inn was a bit rustic, and far less grand than anything he was used to, but it wasn’t bad, just middle class. Maybe once they got to Nice, he’d find another quiet, out of the way place like this one. She seemed to prefer low-key accommodations, and perhaps it was best to comply. If they stayed at a place like the Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice, her settlement price just might rise right along with the grandeur of the five-star hotel.
CHAPTER 4
THE LIMO ROLLED TO A STOP at the entrance of a coastal inn overlooking the Mediterranean. “Ah, here we are,” Niko said, turning to Veronica. “Do you approve?”
She gave him a turned up expression. “You promised me that palace ala Mediterranean place!”
“You would like to go to the Palais de la Mediterranee?” He gave her a somber look. “That is where we will go.”
He was getting annoyed. Good. By the time Veronica was done, this guy would be the one running away, kicking and screaming and charging Ray double for getting him mixed up in this mess.
“Nah, this is fine.” She shrugged, and added a bit of disappointment to her tone, for good measure. “We’ll stay here.”
>
Ray had this guy talking a big game, the Palais de la Mediterranee. Yeah, right. But look where they’d ended up. She guessed the Palais was a little outside Ray’s budget for his plot for revenge—thanks to her.
All things aside, it was a beautiful inn, and she looked forward to spending a couple days there while she drove Ray’s plant nuts. Poor guy. It wasn’t exactly his fault, but that was beside the point. He was going to be, regrettably, a casualty of war.
She glanced around the inn’s lobby as Niko escorted her toward the elevator. Even though she liked the place, she wasn’t going to let him know that. “Well,” she said in a bitter tone, “since we’re staying here, I hope we’ll be dining at the best restaurants.”
The porter accompanied the party to the third floor, bringing up their luggage. Once her bags were deposited inside her doorway, Veronica stepped inside her room and held onto the door as she glanced at Niko. “Let me know when it’s time for lunch.” She didn’t wait for him to respond, she simply swung the door shut.
Inside, she lounged against the door and sucked in a breath. Veronica didn’t like acting this way, but what other option did she have? She couldn’t let Ray get the best of her. She had to keep telling herself that it was either her or Ray. Somebody had to lose.
* * *
Niko took one last look at her door, then stepped across the hall and opened his. He entered the room, kicked the door closed and tossed the card key onto the dresser.
She’d grown a little harder, crasser since she’d left St. Tropez, but still, he welcomed the diversion. Even with her new attitude, hanging out with her was better than going home and dealing with the family’s attempts to get him to forgive Thad. The odd thing was, he’d forgotten when the last time was that he’d thought about Thad and Angelique, and actually cared about what they’d done. He couldn’t be completely certain, but he thought it was probably before he’d met Veronica. One thing he did know, he’d thought of nothing else since she’d walked out on him in St. Tropez.
He tossed his suitcase onto the stand in the closet and unzipped it. He rifled through the contents until he found a pair of slacks and a short-sleeved shirt, both meant for casual wear. Niko thought that’d be best for warming her up so he could figure out exactly how much it was going to cost him to get out of this marriage.
After dressing, he headed across the hall and knocked on her door. Nothing. He knocked three more times, but still, nothing. Niko looked up and down the empty hallway and then pulled his cell out of his pocket. He hit the speed dial and waited for Christos to answer.
After hearing his voice, Niko said, “Where is she?”
“We’re sunning by the pool,” Christos said calmly.
“Can she hear you?”
“No. I’m sitting on the side opposite from her.”
“Good. Keep an eye on her.” Niko headed down the hall. “I’m on my way.” He disconnected the call and hit the elevator’s down button. He’d better find out what she wanted and quick, before she disappeared again.
Downstairs, Niko hurried through the open archway leading out onto the patio. Spotting Veronica was easy. She was in the third lounge chair on the left side. She had an e-reader in hand and she looked amazing in her blue bikini. It almost made him forget why they were actually together.
* * *
Veronica lifted her gaze from the Kindle without raising her head, and sneaked a peek at Niko as he strolled toward her. Damn, he was good looking. Too bad he’d come her way via Ray.
“Enjoying the Mediterranean sun?” he asked, sinking into the empty lounge chair at her side.
She looked up at the sky and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
He looked around the patio and pretty much grazed over his friend Christos, before settling his sights back on her. It miffed Veronica that Ray had enough money to waste on this dumb game. Really...his actor came with a valet, too?
“So...” She shot him a twisted smile. “About this annulment.” She stopped and waited until he looked at her, before saying, “Are we going to do that here?”
“Since you have a propensity for disappearing without warning,” he said. “I think it’s probably best that we take care of it directly.”
Veronica shrugged, hoping to hide the smirk trying hard to make the great escape in the form of laughter, or at least a sneer. “You seem to have put a lot of forethought into it.”
“We do need to discuss a settlement,” he said uneasily.
“Well...” Veronica shook her head. She should’ve known there was a catch, but honestly, the thought that Ray was trying to scam her for money hadn’t crossed her mind. Until now. “I’m not paying for it.”
Niko chuckled, as if that was truly funny. “I may be a lot of things, but a charlatan isn’t one of them.” His expression grew hard and indignant. “I would never dream of asking you for money.”
Veronica had had enough. She sat up and slammed her sandaled feet onto the concrete. “Then what the hell do you want?” She looked at him, and she could see he was about to come back with the annulment crap. “Oh, yeah...we need to take care of our marriage.” Skepticism and mockery flooded out with her words. How far was Ray willing to take his stupid scheme?
“Funny you should bring up money,” he said carefully. “I wanted to ask you—” She raised her hand, as if trying to cut him off. He grabbed her wrist and continued on, “I’ve been wondering how much I’m going to have to pay you to end the marriage?”
Pay me? Ray had lost his mind. She pointed to herself. Me? This had to be a setup. Obviously, Ray was trying to make her look bad. She could see it now...Ray had set this whole thing up, telling her she was married and expecting her to ask for some elaborate settlement, at which time he’d spill her bamboozling conduct to the press. Well, she had news for Ray—she wasn’t born yesterday.
“What makes you think I want something from you?” A chill hung on the edge of her words.
“Most people do.”
Playing along and leaving Monaco with him had been a bad idea. One she bitterly regretted now. She’d kidded herself that she might have some fun with Niko—at Ray’s expense—but if Veronica wasn’t careful, she’d be the only one who’d end up paying. “I don’t want anything from you.”
He looked wounded, hurt almost at the harshness in her tone. That she regretted. It wasn’t this guy’s fault that her ex was trying to trap her. Niko was a hired gun, so to speak. Probably just a struggling actor trying to make a living.
Veronica really needed to get a grip.
“Look,” she said, feeling bad about the way she’d been treating Niko, but not enough to let Ray get the upper hand. “I’m sure you’re a great guy and all, but don’t you think it’s time we called it a day?”
CHAPTER 5
YESTERDAY, IT HAD BECOME painfully clear to Niko that he and Veronica weren’t going to enjoy a fun tryst on their journey to ending their impromptu marriage. In light of this, today he’d gone ahead and had the annulment papers delivered. At times like this, he especially appreciated the benefit of having enough money and power to get things done quickly.
While this wasn’t exactly the ending he’d imagined, it did appear that this was the only one he was going to get. But Niko knew when to cut his losses and move on. This was one of those times, because apparently his wife was immune to his charms.
He had hopes though that he’d come out of this unscathed, financially anyway. She’d been adamant yesterday when she said she didn’t want anything from him. Not money, not companionship, and definitely not sex.
Perhaps it was time to go home—where he’d be expected to settle his dispute with Thad.
On second thought, maybe Niko would go to New York or Los Angeles instead. He wondered where in America Veronica was from?
He scooped up the papers off the table and headed for the door. She was across the hall, waiting to sign them. Once they’d both signed, he’d give them to his attorney here in Nice, and that would be it.
All things considered, that could be good or bad, and he was about to find out if this was going to turn into a last minute larceny.
“May I...” He glanced over her shoulder, preferring not to conduct business out in the hallway. She stepped aside, without a word, and let him enter. “I wish I knew what happened to the fun-loving girl I met on the beach in St. Tropez.” He sat down in one of the two chairs at the small table. “But if getting rid of me is what you really want...” He laid a pen on top of the papers. “All you have to do is sign these.”
She picked up the papers, and as she scanned them she let out a sarcastic chuckle. She glanced up at Niko and began shaking her head. “Ray’s more thorough than I thought.” Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Unless...you’re the one who dreamed up this scheme.”
The girl was talking nonsense. “What?” Niko didn’t hide his confusion.
“I’m not signing this,” she said with a hard-nosed expression, still holding onto the papers.
“But you have too.” A troubling feeling sank into Niko’s gut. “If we’re to annul the marriage.”
* * *
Veronica’s first inkling was to refuse to sign the document. As real as it looked, she was sure it was a fake—anything associated with Ray that involved her had to be a sham. This was just a ploy to get something in writing that would ultimately bite her on the butt.
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m not signing it. You can tell Ray the gig is up. I didn’t fall for it.” She laid out her most forceful tone and pushed Niko easily toward the door.
“I’ve said it before...” Niko argued as she moved him backward. “I don’t know who Ray is.”