Page 22 of The Big Scoop

I glanced over my shoulder in case Harrison had come in to be with me, but I was alone.

“Fuck it,” I growled as I clicked the e-mail.

This deal was a pain in the ass, but I closed it. Tha

t Russell guy’s a real prick. We paid a bit more than you wanted, but it should pay off. Looks like we’re in business!

My heart skipped two beats and I clutched my chest as cold anxiety flooded through my body.

It can’t be…can it?

I re-read the e-mail as if somehow that would change things. I even double-checked to make sure it had come from Audrey and this somehow wasn’t about something other than what it appeared.

No…

I started to sweat, and it had nothing to do with the heat.

I glanced back down the hall to see if Harrison had come inside, but I was still alone. Quickly, I closed the e-mail and went back to my e-mail to Jeff, made a quick change, and clicked send.

My chest hurt. How could it be? Had Harrison really lied to me—been lying to me all this time? Was this trip really just an excuse to get me out of New Hampshire while Audrey did his dirty business for him?

He’d assured me that the world would keep spinning and the town wouldn’t fall apart if I took a week off, but really he’d just wanted to get me out of the way so he and Tony could finish their deal without me reporting on it.

Bastard…

I’d fallen for it, hook, line, and sinker. The billionaire playboy had made me feel special, made me feel wanted, and I’d bought right into it. He’d got what he wanted—sex and his business deal—and now he didn’t need me anymore. We’d get back to New Hampshire and he’d make up some excuse as to why we couldn’t be together and that would be it.

I’m done.

Son of a bitch probably had a secret vasectomy too, which was why he was okay coming in me for the last week.

I stormed out of the office and back to the bedroom and started packing.

That’s it, I thought. I’m not waiting until tomorrow. I’m out of here now!

12

Harrison

“You get lost back there, babe?” I called back to Gwen. She’d gone inside at least fifteen minutes ago to send that e-mail to Jeff and hadn’t come back yet. Maybe she fell asleep on the bed or something.

“If I come in there,” I called out as I got to my feet. “And you’re lying on the bed, I’m going to peel those bikini bottoms off you and have my way with you!”

There was no response, so I headed inside and down to my office. I glanced in, but she wasn’t there, so I headed to the bedroom. But she wasn’t there either.

“Hmm,” I muttered as I checked the rest of the rooms of the yacht, but sure enough, Gwen was gone.

“What the hell?”

She couldn’t have gotten off the boat without me noticing. Maybe she’d gone down to the back and gone swimming without saying anything?

I headed down to the makeshift dock at the aft end of the ship, and as I stepped outside, heard the sound of a jet ski starting up and glanced over to my right to see Gwen, one of my gym bags slung over her shoulder, speeding away from me towards shore.

“Gwen!” I called out. She glanced over her shoulder, saw me, and flipped me the bird. For a second I thought she was just joking, but then I saw the look in her eyes and realized that something was very, very wrong.

“What the hell? Gwen!”

I called after her but she wasn’t stopping. I watched as the jet ski grew smaller in the distance, then raced back inside.

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