Risking Her Heart: A Contemporary Romance Novel

by Rochelle Katzman

  “Hey, lady, you said his name, not me.”

  “Look, Mitch, one way or the other, you’re not watching me, so either Drake is going to fire you, or I am.” Livvie ran her hands through her hair.

  “You can’t fire me because you didn’t hire me,” Mitch said, sounding a little too cocky.

  “Listen, mister cocky asshole…”

  “Hey, you don’t even know me. Don’t take out your hatred for Mr. Morganthal on me.”

  Livvie looked up at the sky and groaned. Did all of his employees call him Mr. Morganthal? “Look, I don’t want you watching me. I also don’t want to call Drake, but apparently, I have no choice.” Livvie didn’t want to call Drake after what happened at two o’clock in the morning, so she decided to send him a text instead.

  Fire Mitch. Now! She typed.

  No. His response came quickly.

  Livvie groaned again and stomped her foot. YES! I DON’T NEED OR WANT A BODYGUARD! She shouted at him in all caps.

  TOO BAD. WHEN YOU BEHAVE LIKE AN ADULT, I WILL TREAT YOU LIKE ONE. SINCE YOU REFUSE TO COME TO ME, I’VE SENT SOMEONE TO YOU.

  Livvie sighed. She knew she wouldn’t win this battle, so she would have to figure out a way to make Mitch quit. And she hated that Drake kept offering her to return to Napa. It’s not like he was offering her a commitment. What Drake didn’t realize was that she was done listening to men. She was taking charge of her life. In all areas.

  She unlocked the caps button and typed: Fine. Thank you for the bodyguard and for your concern.

  You’re very welcome, he responded.

  Perfect, thought Livvie. What could she say to that? He was probably sitting in his big leather chair in his office, feeling all smug and thinking he had won. Livvie glanced at Mitch, who was shifting on his feet, definitely more arrogant than confident. Besides, how good of a bodyguard was he? She needed to figure out a way to deal with him, but now was not the time. She had a novel to write.

  “Okay, suit yourself. But I’m not inviting you into my house for coffee or even water, for that matter.” Livvie turned around and stormed into her house. “Oh, and Mitch?” she said before she slammed her door shut. “Please call me Olivia. You haven’t earned the right to call me Livvie.”

  Mitch raised his eyebrow. “Oh, and Drake Morganthal has?”

  “No. He calls me Olivia, too.” She slammed the door before he made another snide comment.

  At least she’d had the last word. That was a start. And as far as she was concerned, the game was on. Apparently, Drake didn’t think she could take care of herself. She was sick and tired of men thinking they could control her. When they wanted to spend time with her, they did, and when they didn’t, they ignored her. And they would go on to the next woman, as if she hadn’t given them her heart and soul.

  Livvie grabbed her cell and called Carly, who answered on the first ring.

  “Hey, Carly, meet me at Le Club at nine. We have some work to do.”

  “I can’t wait!” Carly squealed with excitement before hanging up.

  Livvie ran to her closet to look for something sexy to wear for the night. After all, this was the first night of her fresh, new life.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Livvie arrived at Le Club, relieved when she saw Carly waiting.

  “What’s going on, Liv?”

  “Drake hired a fucking bodyguard to watch me after what Zach did. He gave me two choices; either I agreed to the bodyguard or I returned to his winery.” Livvie had called Carly first thing in the morning to tell her what happened with Zach.

  “Drake wanted you to go back to his house?” Carly asked.

  “Yes, until Zach left me alone. But then Drake would want me to leave again. No, thank you. I’m through with men who refuse to commit,” Livvie said. “We need to lose the bodyguard.”

  “Where is he?”

  Livvie half nodded toward the left, and Carly smiled. Livvie had pulled out of her garage and had driven fast down the street before Mitch even knew what she was doing. After their little talk, he had spent the rest of the day in his car. He was super good at following her. She would give him that.

  Livvie and Carly nodded at the bouncer. Livvie knew she looked good in her skintight, off-the-shoulder black mini-dress and high heels. Carly looked beautiful as usual in a white miniskirt and matching white silk shirt. They both wore their hair straight and down. The bouncer instantly let them in, but Mitch had to wait in the long line.

  “He’s hot,” Carly yelled over the music as they were walking to the bar.

  “You think so?”

  Carly winked and then resumed walking. “I know so,” she yelled back.

  When they reached the bar, Carly took out her credit card and handed it to the bartender.

  “Drinks are on me, Livvie. Should I ask to see if they have any Morganthal wines?”

  Livvie’s heart felt as if it stopped beating. Just hearing Morganthal made her edgy. “I’ll have a Stoli Vanil and ginger ale,” she shouted to the bartender.

  “You’ve had the same drink since college. Aren’t you in the mood for something new?”

  Livvie was in the mood for a lot of new things, but drinking one of Drake’s wines was not on that list. At least, not tonight. As she grabbed her glass, she looked around the club. It was crazy tonight. Music pounding, lights flashing on the dance floor, and tons of people dressed to kill. Livvie loved it here. There was something about this place that ignited her soul. She loved the black walls and the white marble floor. The glass chandelier circled above the dance floor, shining lights down on it. And she was dying to dance. It made her feel free, wild, fearless.

  Once Carly had her vodka tonic, Livvie grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. And that’s when she noticed a very pissed off Mitch walking toward them.

  Carly saw him, too. “Hey, Mitchy, drinks are on me.” She nodded toward the bar, winked at him, and resumed walking toward the dance floor.

  She and Livvie both laughed.

  The music sounded amazing. Livvie raised her arms in the air with her drink and her purse in her hands and moved to the music. Carly grabbed Livvie by the waist and swayed with her. But she felt a pair of very pissed-off brown eyes staring at her. He was also looking Carly up and down, and suddenly, he didn’t seem nearly as angry. Livvie wasn’t surprised, as Carly was beautiful.

  Livvie bent down and whispered in Carly’s ear, “I think Mitchy wants you.”

  Carly smiled. “Of course, he wants me. Don’t worry, Liv, I’ll use it to our advantage.”

  Livvie had no doubt. Feeling much better, she closed her eyes and danced to the music. It felt so good to dance and be free. When was the last time she had felt free? Probably at Drake’s house when she’d finally given in to her attraction to him. And she still craved him like crazy.

  As Livvie was dancing, a random man placed his hands around her waist. Normally, she would hate that, but as she was starting her life over, she let him. He grinded his hips into her behind, and Livvie pushed back. With her eyes still closed, she heard Carly laugh. When Livvie opened them, she saw Carly had some guy doing the same thing to her. It felt good to dance like this…at least until Livvie felt the guy’s dick become hard against her ass. She stopped dancing and then realized how silly she was being. It wasn’t as if anything could happen in the middle of the dance floor. She closed her eyes again and began dancing, but at some point, she realized the man behind her had disappeared. She frowned, wondering why he’d left, and turned around to see a very angry Mitch standing next to her.

  “Ladies, we’re leaving now,” Mitch demanded.

  Carly went up to him and began caressing his arm. “Come on, handsome, let’s dance.”

  She smiled up at him so sweetly; Livvie had to hold back her laughter. Mitch stood completely still in the middle of the dance floor while Carly danced around him and caressed a part of his body every so often. Livvie thought Carly even touched his penis. A waitress approached them and
handed her and Carly two more drinks.

  “They’re from the men up there,” the waitress shouted.

  Livvie looked up to see two very good-looking guys smiling at them, and she smiled back.

  “We could get any guy we want tonight,” Carly said in Livvie’s ear.

  She thought about that for a second. She could choose a guy, fuck him, and then never have to talk to him again. All on her terms. But the idea of a man inside her freaked her out. Because he wouldn’t be Drake. She was here on a mission. That mission didn’t include fucking. When Livvie felt another man behind her, Mitch snapped his fingers, and the man left. Mitch was a complete buzz kill. She hated him, and she had a feeling she’d have to do something drastic if she wanted to get rid of him.

  Livvie eyed Carly and nodded. A few years ago, Carly had taught Livvie little ways to silently communicate when they went out to bars and parties. Carly nodded back and laughed. Apparently, she remembered.

  “When?” Carly shouted over the music.

  “Thirty minutes. Let’s make him wait.”

  They both laughed and continued to dance wildly with Mitch staring at them from the side of the dance floor. Livvie turned around and found the guy who Mitch had intimidated moments earlier. She could tell he was debating approaching her again. And that’s when she formed her plan. She slowly and seductively danced up to him and grabbed his shirt.

  “Do you want to dance again?”

  Livvie had to admit, out of all the guys in the club, he wasn’t the best looking, but she had to make her point to both Drake and Mitch.

  The man could barely look her in the eyes. He had probably just turned twenty-one. Funny how he hadn’t seemed this shy when he had grabbed her waist and pushed his pelvis against her.

  “Hey, I don’t wanna make trouble, ya know? I don’t want your boyfriend to slit my throat or nothing.”

  Livvie turned around and saw Carly trying to stop Mitch from coming over, but it didn’t work. Mitch was walking fast and literally pushing aside anyone in his way.

  Well, it’s now or never, thought Livvie. She took her cellphone out of her clutch purse and turned it so she could take a selfie. Then she grabbed the boy from behind his neck and smacked her lips into his while simultaneously taking their picture. She pretended she was really into it when she felt Mitch coming closer. The boy seemed surprised and a little too eager to kiss her back. He tried to stick his tongue in her mouth, but that grossed her out. She finally allowed it only because she knew it would piss off Mitch.

  Then all of a sudden, the music stopped, and the crowd fell silent. She heard Carly say, “Fuck.” And then she heard footsteps. Loud footsteps. She stopped kissing the poor boy, and chills ran up and down her spine. Her heartbeat picked up, and her body went into fight or flight mode. If she turned around, she would know exactly what was causing this, or rather who, so she chose not to look.

  But then everyone cleared the dance floor, including the boy.

  “Don’t let him leave.”

  She recognized that voice well, and she knew she had to turn around. She had no other option. What was she thinking, pissing off a man who had enough power and money to control anyone and everyone?

  “Turn around, Olivia. Playtime is over.”

  Livvie swallowed and then slowly turned. The sight that awaited her almost made her turn around again. But she knew that would be a bad move. Instead, she tried to look Drake in the eye. But that was another bad move. To say he appeared angry would have been putting it mildly. Irate was more like it, but he looked even angrier than that. He was standing with his feet hip-width apart, and his arms were crossed over his chest. He wore black slacks that he looked incredibly hot in and an olive-green, button-down shirt. But it was the look in his eyes that made her want to run. She chose not to, because at the same time, she felt euphoric to see him standing in front of her. And if she hadn’t been drinking, she would be obsessing over why, especially since she hadn’t thought she would ever see him again. She had been devastated about that prospect for the last two days, and that awful feeling alone made her want to rip those angry eyes out.

  “Did you come here to dance?” Livvie asked.

  Drake stared at her, breathing loudly. Livvie could have sworn she saw fumes coming out of his ears. “You’re drunk, Olivia. That’s not an attractive sight.”

  “That’s ironic, coming from a man who owns a vineyard. And since our expiration date is up, it shouldn’t matter how attractive I am.”

  Livvie paused, trying to get a hold of herself. She looked around the club and noticed that everyone was off the dance floor and watching the two of them. She looked at Carly for help, but she was just standing there, mouth wide open as if she were in shock.

  “Olivia, come here,” Drake said through clenched teeth, emphasizing each word.

  “And what are you going to do if I don’t want to?” she asked.

  He nodded at Mitch, and then Drake strode toward Livvie. Without any warning, Drake picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She noticed that Mitch did the same to Carly.

  Livvie and Carly both hit the backs of the man carrying them, all the while screaming to be put down. Livvie also pinched Drake on his backside. He walked up to the poor boy Livvie had been making out with.

  “Would you like me to beat the hell out of him, Mr. Morganthal?” Mitch asked.

  Livvie panicked. She was the one who had put the kid in the middle of this.

  “No,” Livvie yelled from her upside down position.

  Drake slid one of his hands over her ass and moved it in circles. She felt her cheeks flush beet red.

  “Do you want to fuck him?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

  She wished he would put her down.

  “No,” she responded.

  God, she had never been so mortified in her entire life. And what made matters worse was that she saw people taking pictures and videos of them. They probably loved seeing the famous Drake Morganthal carrying some random woman upside down.

  “Are you sure, Olivia? I have no problem watching.”

  Livvie looked at the boy, who was probably redder than she was.

  “No. I’m good.” She really wanted to get out of here.

  Drake stepped closer to the kid—God, she didn’t even know his name… She couldn’t really see his expression from her position, but she noticed his knees trembling.

  “How old are you?” Drake asked in a stern voice.

  The boy cleared his throat. “Twenty-three. I look underage, but I’m not. I swear.”

  Drake nodded. “Then heed my warning. If I ever see you near Olivia again, I’ll do more than watch the two of you fuck.” Drake immediately turned and walked toward the front of the club.

  She mouthed the word “sorry” at the boy, but he wasn’t looking her way.

  Although she was tempted to hit Drake in the behind again, it was no use. Instead, she looked at Carly, who seemed to be massaging in between Mitch’s legs. Only she would think to touch a guy’s penis at a time like this. Livvie laughed and rolled her eyes.

  When they finally reached the front door, Livvie saw the bouncer who’d let her in. Drake handed him a wad of cash and his business card.

  “Thanks, man. And next time you see Olivia at this club, please notify me immediately.”

  “Asshole,” she said under her breath.

  “I heard that,” Drake said back.

  A limo seemed to be waiting for them. Drake opened the back door and literally threw her into the back seat. Then he got inside, closed the door, and slammed the partition shut between them and the driver. Livvie moved to the far end of the seat, away from him.

  “Where’s Carly?”

  “Mitch is taking her home.”

  “Why?” They both had their own cars. Drake had no right to do what he was doing.

  “Because I said so.”

  Livvie groaned. “We both came in our own cars.”

  “And I took care of tha
t.”

  She knew it wasn’t smart to keep pestering him. He had looked angry in the club, but now his anger seemed to be radiating off of him.

  “What the fuck, Drake? Why are you even here?”

  Drake’s gaze remained forward facing, and he was clenching his jaw.

  “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

  “I’m not looking at you when you reek of other men touching you, and your lips are full and red from kissing that boy. And I won’t be looking at you when you’ve had more to drink than you had during an entire week at my winery.” Drake paused. “You misbehaved, Olivia.”

  “Misbehaved?” She looked at him in shock.

  Finally, he looked back.

  “Yes.”

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her over, so she lay facedown over his lap. He pulled up her short black dress and pulled down her black silk thong. He rubbed her ass in circles, making her horny and wet.

  “Did you like all those men touching you and pushing their hard cocks into you on the dance floor?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Louder,” he demanded.

  “Yes,” she said louder.

  “Really?” Drake stopped caressing her backside and moved his hands in between her legs. His fingers touched her clit and then moved back up her vagina toward her hole.

  Livvie instinctively pushed her pelvis against his lap and moaned.

  “Are you horny already, Olivia? Is that why?”

  Drake thrust two fingers inside her, causing her to moan again.

  “You’re sopping wet, Olivia. Were those men making you wet? Did the twenty-three-year-old boy turn you on?” He kept thrusting his fingers. “You haven’t fucked in two days, Olivia. Did you come here to find a man to fuck? Do you need it that badly?”

  Livvie hoped he wasn’t waiting for her to answer. He was making her so crazy that she couldn’t speak. Instead, she spread her legs a little wider, desperately needing to come.

  “No, Olivia. Only good girls get to come. This is what bad girls get.”

  Drake took his fingers out of her and spanked her right cheek hard.

  “Ouch,” Livvie shouted.

  Drake didn’t seem to care. He spanked her left cheek and then her right, alternating back and forth. She was really grateful for the partition between them and the driver. If he saw, she’d be mortified. Drake continued spanking her but not as hard. If anything, it turned her on even more.