Dangerous Deception (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (13 page)

“Oh, please.  Why would Storm take you to the party
when he’s got me?”  She gave a mocking laugh.  “In fact, we’re all tied up
right now.  Aren’t we, honey?”  There was more laughter then the line went
dead. 

Dani took the phone from her ear and stared at it, not
believing what had just happened.  Storm had actually dialed her number and
given his cell phone to Lola so the woman could insult her?  How could he have
sunk so low?  With trembling fingers she laid the cell phone on the coffee
table, her heart sinking to her toes.  Storm must really hate her to do
something like this.  If only she’d never met him.

******

Dani’s eyes welled up with tears and as they spilled
over onto her cheeks she dabbed at them with a tissue.  It was so sad, oh so
sad.  Why did they even make movies like this?

And yet, Steel Magnolias was one of her favorite
movies.  Each time she’d watched it she’d felt sad but she’d never actually
cried until now.  What was wrong with her?  It was as if now she could cry at
the drop of a hat.

What a way to spend your Saturday - watching old
movies and bawling.  She was reaching for another tissue when she heard the
buzzer.  Now who could that be, buzzing her at seven o’clock on a Saturday
night?

Then she froze.  Surely it wasn't Storm Hunter?  She
prayed someone had simply pressed her buzzer by mistake.  She got up and
pressed the button on the intercom.  “Hello.”

“Are you ready?”  Storm’s voice boomed back at her.

Her heart fluttered in her chest.  “Ready for what?”

“For the party.  I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

“But…I’m not going.” 

That was greeted by silence.  She’d thought he would
shout, she’d thought he would rage.  But when he spoke it was in a voice that was
quiet, firm and ice-cold.  “I’ll give you until seven-thirty.  If you’re not down
here by then you can go your own way and I'll go mine.  But just remember,
you’ll have to pay me back every cent I’ve given you under this contract.”  He
didn’t wait for a reply and Dani was left clutching the phone to her ear, her
body frozen in shock.  Then she sagged in defeat.

She’d wanted to defy Storm.  She’d wanted to hurt him
as badly as he’d hurt her.  But it was no use.  He was too strong.  He knew she
couldn’t pay him back and that was why he’d played that card.

She glanced at the clock.  Two minutes after seven. 
No time to stand there pondering.  She had exactly twenty-eight minutes.

Dani moved at the speed of light.  She grabbed a dress
of burnt gold from the closet, slipped on gold sandals then ran to the bathroom
where she brushed the curls from her hair and fixed it into a sleek chignon. 
Then she applied make-up.  Luckily she’d never been too heavy in this
department so she was done in minutes.  Then she dug in a box in her closet and
pulled out her one elegant purse, a gift from an old family friend.  Now she
was ready and the clock read seven twenty-five.  Just in time.

When Dani stepped out of the elevator she knew she
looked composed and elegant.  No one would have guessed she’d just been
frantically dashing around the apartment.  When Storm came forward to greet her
she gave him a frosty look and a tight-lipped smile that would leave him in no
doubt as to how she felt.  She did not appreciate being bullied.

His greeting was just as cool.  “Dani,” he said with a
nod then gave her his arm.

“Storm,” she replied just as coolly, and slipped her
hand into the crook of his arm.

They turned together and walked out of the lobby and
toward Storm’s waiting limousine, saying not a word until they were seated in
the luxurious car.

Dani had thought that things couldn’t have gotten any
worse than that.  But they did.

In the car there was no need for her to hide her true
feelings.  At the party, it was another matter.  There, Dani was introduced to
friend after friend of Storm’s and each time she’d had to smile brightly and
act happy and in love. 

When they saw his parents the experience was even more
trying.  Whereas the friends merely greeted her, Edgar and Janet questioned
them at length, even on matters that should have been personal.  When were they
going to start a family?  If there were issues would they consider fertility
drugs?  They weren’t married, hadn’t even made the engagement public, and
already they were getting the third degree.

Dani could see that Storm was not comfortable with the
line of questioning.  She was not surprised when he took her hand and asked her
to dance.  She knew exactly how he was feeling.  Like him, she just wanted to
get away.

They excused themselves and walked out onto the dance
floor.  Unfortunately, right at that moment the DJ decided to switch from the
party beat of Rihanna’s ‘Love In A Hopeless place’,” to the slow and sultry 'Crazy
Love' by Brian McKnight.  When Storm reached out to gather her in his arms she
could hardly resist, not in front of all these people.  As much as she wanted
to stay far away from him she had to do her job and play the part of loving
fiancée.  He’d made it clear that shirking her duty was not an option and she
planned on fulfilling her obligations to the letter.

Dani melted against Storm and gave him a look of love
that she was sure could have won her an Academy Award.  His look of surprise
was enough to tell her the act was believable.  And that was all it was - an
act.  Because from here on that was as far as she was going with Storm and not
one step farther.

And so they danced in close embrace like any loving
couple would, and no one could doubt their love.

The song had almost come to an end when they heard a
clapping of hands and Dani, Storm and everyone else turned to see Edgar,
looking grand in his beige suit with gold tie, calling for their attention. 
The DJ lowered the music and Edgar stepped forward, looking flushed and eager.

“Friends, I’d like to make an announcement.”

There was a hush over the crowd as they all paused to
listen.

“I have happy news,” he said with a broad smile.  “I
don’t think it’s a secret that I’ve been hounding my son to settle down for the
last couple of years.  Well, folks, I’m happy to tell you that he has finally
selected his bride-to-be and she is right there by his side tonight, Miss
Danielle Swift.”

A murmur went through the crowd and everyone turned to
stare at the couple who stood frozen on the dance floor.

No one was more surprised than Dani.  What had Edgar
done?  This was supposed to have been a game, nothing more, just something to
keep the overly-eager parents happy for a while.  Now Edgar had gone and made
the whole thing public…without their permission.

Edgar and Janet were beaming proudly at them while
Dani’s heart was sinking into her shoes.  She was not engaged to their son and
never would be, not in this lifetime or ever.  Even if she’d once held out hope
of his ever loving her, she knew now that it was a hopeless dream.  The man had
engaged in the worst deception of all - at the same time he was playing games
with her he was still leading Lola on.  Obviously, he’d made the woman think
she was still in the picture.  What kind of man would do that?  Unless he
really did want Lola?

She had no chance to ponder that question because at
that moment Storm put a firm finger under her chin and lifted her face to his
and before she could react he was kissing her in front of the now cheering
crowd.

It was too much.  The betrayal, the shattered hope,
the pain…and now having him kiss her like he was in love with her when they
both knew it was a lie.

Distraught and furious, Dani pulled out of his arms,
stepped back and slapped him across the cheek.  Then she whirled, hot with
humiliation, and ran across the dance floor and out the door.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Dani had nowhere to run.  She had no car and because
she’d stormed out of the place she had no purse.  She wanted to leave.  She
wanted to get away from the reach of Storm and his friends and family.  But how
could she escape?

She hurried down the driveway, walking as fast as her
high heels would take her.  She would walk all the way home if she had to.

She heard footsteps and she didn’t need to turn around
to know who was following.  She could sense Storm’s presence from a hundred
yards away.

He caught up to her in seconds and grabbed her arm. 
“What kind of stunt was that you pulled in there?  You embarrassed me in front
of everybody.”

Dani jerked her arm away and turned on him.  Even if
she had no right to be furious, she was.  “You deserve it, you beast.  How dare
you kiss me like you mean it when you have Lola waiting in the sidelines?  Why
didn’t you hire her to be your fake fiancée?” 

He frowned.  “Lola?  What the hell does Lola have to
do with any of this?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me, Storm.  I’d respect you
more if you’d just come clean.”

“Come clean with what?”  he almost shouted.  “Will you
stop talking in riddles and tell me what you mean?”

“Well, if you insist," she said sarcastically. 
“You called me Wednesday night and gave Lola the phone.  What did you expect us
to talk about?  You?”  She put her hands on her hips.  “Or were you just trying
to make a point, that if I didn’t want to play the part you still had Lola to
fall back on?  What kind of a sick-”

“Hey, stop.  You just stop right there.”  He put up a
hand, silencing her.  “First of all, I did not call you on Wednesday.  Since
last Saturday the first time I reached out to you was tonight.”  He folded his
arms across his chest.  “And secondly, there is nothing going on between Lola
and me and there never will be.”

He sighed and released his arms.  He looked like he
wanted to hold her but instead he shoved his hands into his pockets.  “I think
I know what happened.  Lola dropped by my place uninvited Wednesday night.  I
left for maybe five minutes and went to the kitchen.  She must have used the
opportunity to find your number in my cell phone and call you.”  He shook his
head.  “You have to understand, Dani.  Even though there was never anything between
us, Lola sees herself as a woman scorned.  She would do anything to destroy
what we have.”

Dani’s heart lurched.  “What we have?”  she whispered,
almost afraid to repeat it.  “But…we have nothing.”

Slowly, Storm shook his head and a smile softened his
lips.  “That’s where you’re wrong, Dani.  We have everything.  I was just too
stubborn to admit it.”

Dani stared up at him, confused.  “I…don’t
understand.”

“I don’t blame you,” he said enigmatically.  “The
truth is, I didn’t understand either, until tonight.”  He took her hands in
his.  “Do you know why I got so angry last Saturday when you told me you were a
virgin?”

“No,” she said, frowning.  She was still lost about
that one.

“I was a coward, Dani, afraid of commitment, afraid of
losing my bachelor lifestyle.  When you told me you’d never made love before I
realized that I couldn’t be with you and walk away.  You’d want more.  And I
was afraid of that.”  He gave a bitter laugh.  “I was so darned stupid.  It
took the time I spent away from you, time I spent in misery, for me to realize
how much I want you in my life.”  Then he gave her a look so open and honest
that she could not doubt his words.  “I’m tired of running, Dani.  I want to
commit and I want that commitment to be with you.”

“And…Lola?”  she whispered, holding her breath.

He laughed out loud.  “And Lola.  This is my
commitment to Lola - to stay as far away from her as I can, so help me God.”

“Oh, Storm,” she said, her voice cracking, “I love you
so much.”

“And I love you, my sweet Dani,” he replied, and put a
finger under her chin to lift her face to his just as he had done before.  He
put his lips to her cheek, kissing away the tears that ran down her face.  “I
thought you said you never cry,” he whispered.

“This time,” she said with a sniff, “it’s because I’m
the happiest girl in the world.”

He kissed her then, full on the lips, and she kissed
him back with all the love she’d stored up in her heart. 

It was several minutes before they stepped back and
out of each other’s arms.  “Come,” Storm said finally, “let’s go back inside
before they send the police to hunt us down.”

She chuckled, took his hand and walked proudly by his
side.  There was nothing anyone could do or say that would make her feel
embarrassed, not as long as she had Storm, her man, by her side.

As they entered the room everyone turned toward them
but they must have seen something special on their faces because first one
person started to clap, then another, until the entire room was clapping,
welcoming them back.

Then, as if she hadn’t had enough shock for one day,
Storm led her to the center of the room and the crowd backed away, clearing a
space for them.

Her heart leaped into her throat when right there, in
front of his friends and family, he went down on one knee and took her hand in
his.

“Danielle Swift,” he said, looking up into her face
with an expression of such devotion that her heart trembled, “will you be my
wife?’