The Corrupt Billionaire COMPLETE Box Set Read online

  The Corrupt Billionaire: Romance Box Set

  Camilla Hope

  Caroline Winters just seems to pick the wrong men to share her life with. Her boyfriend, Adam, has cheated on her and she desperately needs to be rid of him. She knows that he is after her father’s money but getting rid of him is proving difficult. Caroline goes to her best friend’s first art exhibition and Adam turns up to persuade her to stay with him. As she struggles to convince him that it is over between them, a tall, dark, handsome stranger, Peter, intervenes and she finds herself charmed by him.

  When her controlling father comes home three days early from a business trip, her new romance is almost over before it began but she promises her father that she won’t be late home and goes to meet her charming new man. But is Peter everything he says he is or is Caroline putting herself in more danger with him than she had ever been with her ex?

  The Corrupt Billionaire Romance

  Part One: Charmed

  Camilla Hope

  Chapter One

  “So what do you think? The red or the green?”

  Glancing up from my cell, hating what I’d just read there, I saw Sabrina swapping one dress for the other and then back again in front of her full length mirror. She kept her eyes on her reflection, and as I made a quick check back at my screen for the time, I rolled my eyes with a soft sigh. She had spent the last ten minutes going from one dress to the other.

  “They both look amazing,” I said. “And they’ll look amazing on you.”

  She would make a splash in a paper bag, I thought. It wasn’t every girl that had violet eyes under a head of natural chocolate brown hair. My skin was good, but Sabrina’s was flawless.

  I relaxed as she turned back to the mirror and, deciding on the red strapless dress, pulled it on, smoothed it over her slim hips and pushed her breasts to attention. Stepping into the shoes, she smiled as the picture started to come together and shot me a sly smile over her shoulder.

  “Now we should really get going,” I said.

  “You know,” she started. “He probably won’t even be there.”

  “Yes he will,” I said.

  “You can’t be sure of that,” she asserted.

  “Yes, I can,” I said “Have a look.”

  I pushed my phone into her hand, and as she scanned through my texts, she scoffed as she found the deadly decree.

  “Hope to see you at Danny’s thing tonight,” she read aloud. “Miss you lots.”

  Sabrina narrowed her eyes as she clicked her tongue.

  “If that prick thinks that he can…” she began.

  “But he obviously does,” I said as I sat on my hands. “I can hear him already. Wasn’t nothing, babe. I was confused. I’ve sure got my head on straight now.”

  I circled my toe across the carpet and bit down on my lip.

  “And just like that, he thinks I’ll fall into his arms like nothing ever happened,” I continued.

  “Well you’re not going to do that!” Sabrina said. “Sweetie, we don’t even have to go if you don’t want to.”

  I didn’t; not really. But it was Danny’s big night. And Danny, Sabrina and I had been the best of friends for forever. Adam might have made me feel a fool, but I’d be damned if he was going to turn me into a lousy friend to boot.

  “We have to, Bree,” I said. “I have to. But can we go now? I just want to get it over with.”

  Sabrina pressed her wrap tighter around her shoulders, and I heaved a sigh of relief as she stood tall and held out her hand.

  “In and out,” she said. “We’ll hit Wally’s for a drink afterwards.”

  She could be a pill, but in spite of everything, Sabrina was true blue.

  Chapter Two

  The Laurel Gallery was awash with activity as soon as we arrived. The room swirled with men and women in tight black slacks carrying trays of pink champagne flutes and cucumber sandwiches. Under each perfectly aimed light fixture, I saw Danny’s handiwork on display. His current collection, his big break if the notices were to be believed, was what he liked to call an ocular explosion. A million or more eyes blazed from the multitude of hanging canvases, some so real that I was sure that they would blink at any second and others a jigsaw of color with no way of discerning the pupil unless a person stood directly before the piece and tilted their head to the side.

  “Do you get this?” Sabrina whispered as she plucked a drink from a passing tray and tugged on my arm.

  “I think he’s trying to see the world through every possible set of eyes,” I said. “I kind of like that. Wouldn’t we all like the chance to do that?”

  Sabrina downed her drink and quickly searched for a refill.

  “I still don’t get it,” Sabrina said.

  I was ready to try and explain to her again, when I spied Danny from across the room. He looked smart and smooth in a lime green shirt and royal blue slacks. Lowering his dark-rimmed glasses to better focus on the potential patron at his side, I had to smile. Maybe Sabrina didn’t get it, but the hushed tones filling the room told me that he was on the verge of the success he wanted most. And Danny more than deserved it.

  “Come on,” I said as I took Sabrina’s wrist, a new drink in her hand, and headed towards Danny.

  “And this one?” the silver-haired woman asked Danny as she pointed to the multi-colored eye.

  Danny straightened his bowtie and smiled proudly.

  “It’s not just about rose-colored glasses anymore,” he said. “Not when there are so many other shades on the spectrum.”

  “Well put, Mr. Horton,” I interrupted.

  Danny’s face brightened as soon as he saw me, but he quickly shifted back into business mode and returned his gaze to the would-be buyer.

  “Interesting,” the woman said. “I can see it in my summer house. We’re always looking for something to talk about.”

  One look at the dumpy man that shambled to her side and pushed his pudgy fingers into the woman’s skinny arm painted its own picture of endless nights of highballs and cursory responses. They simply had to buy this. It seemed like the only way to save whatever there was of their union.

  “Do you like it, Tad?” the woman asked.

  I gripped Sabrina’s arm and watched Danny hold his breath as Tad tilted his head one way then the other before he finally nodded and shifted his stare to Danny.

  “Intriguing in its own way,” Tad said. “I think we should talk to your man.”

  Danny smiled and firmly shook the man’s hand as he pointed him in the direction of his agent. He held his stance as Tad took his wife by her arm and sauntered away to talk price. I could feel Danny wanting to bust through his own skin, and as soon as his agent flashed him the thumbs up sign, I knew that I had to do something to keep him from exploding.

  “Get over here, boy!” I said.

  Pulling Danny into the corner, with Sabrina and her drink at my back, I wrapped Danny into my arms. He hugged me with such force that my feet left the ground, and when he brought me back to earth, I clutched his face and grinned into his eyes.

  “Success looks good on you!” I said.

  “You look better,” Danny said as he kissed both my cheeks and took hold of my hands.

  “I’m so glad that you came,” he said and he looked at Sabrina. “Both of you.”

  Sabrina raised her glass and pinched his cheek.

  “Where else would we be?” Sabrina asked.

  Danny sat us down, and with a snap of his fingers, a tray of shots appeared.

  “Jackpot!” Sabrina cried as she abandoned her flute and went for the tequila. She was about to drink when Danny raised his glass and touched my arm.

&n
bsp; “It’s been a long time coming,” he started. “Lots of long nights.”

  He turned his gaze to me, and his smile softened.

  “Do you remember, Caroline?” he said. “When I ruined that white whatever it was.”

  My mind flashed back to the all-nighter in his studio. He said that he was going to paint me, and the marks that took me hours to scrub off my white broderie anglais dress only proved that more brush strokes hit the dress and my flesh than the canvas. But the end result showed me that he’d done enough to create something close to art.

  “I never could get the stains out,” I said. “And I don’t see that piece here tonight.”

  Danny nuzzled my nose as he tousled my hair.

  “I’m saving the masterpiece for the big buyer,” he said. “Now, here’s to success!”

  We downed our shots in swift gulps, and as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, my heart caught in my chest.

  “Caroline?” Sabrina asked through slightly slurred tones. “What’s up?”

  I stayed silent as I pointed across the room. Danny and Sabrina followed the path of my stare, and Danny was on his feet as Sabrina kept my hand in hers.

  “I never thought that he would fucking dare…” Danny exclaimed.

  “I knew he’d come,” I whispered.

  Finding Sabrina’s abandoned flute, I finished off her champagne and shrugged my shoulders by way of a meager apology.

  “You’ll find another one,” I said.

  Sabrina was never one to miss a chance to get her drink on, but she slapped the glass away from my hand. The flute fell but did not shatter, and I felt Sabrina’s hand tighter in mine as she pulled me to my feet.

  “You don’t have to worry about this,” Danny said as he pushed through the crowd to confront my ex.

  “Wally’s is calling,” Sabrina crooned into my ear. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  “Bree…” I began.

  “You showed your support,” Sabrina continued. “We can just go now.”

  I was about to agree when Danny grabbed Adam by his collar and glared into his blue eyes.

  “You best not be here to make trouble,” Danny hissed.

  The room fell to a hush, and as much as I wanted Danny to pound his face to a pulp, I could already see the scandal that would cloud his sparkling night. Even Tad and his wife seemed to hesitate at the agent’s side, and I knew that I had to do something to salvage this.

  “Caroline!” Sabrina hissed as I stepped away from her towards Danny and Adam. “What do you think you’re…?”

  Moving quickly away from her, I fought to suppress the glare as I looked into Adam’s eyes. He smiled as soon as he saw me, but even as I cringed, I lightly pushed his fingers around mine and managed a smile.

  “Good to see you again,” I lied.

  Adam hoisted his head in satisfaction under the force of my sudden touch. Danny seethed behind my back, and I clutched Adam’s hand closer and swung my head over my shoulder.

  “Thank you, Danny,” I whispered. “But I’ve got this.”

  Danny seemed on the verge of grabbing hold of Adam, but when I looked back at Sabrina, she proved her friendship and tugged on Danny’s sleeve.

  “Clients, Danny!” she chirped. “Buyers galore!”

  Danny was nearly moved, but when he looked back into my eyes, I knew that I had to find a way to seal the deal.

  “It’s your night, Danny,” I said as I patted his cheek. “And you better include my portrait next time.”

  Danny still hesitated, but he relented when I kissed his head and ran my fingers through his hair. I could feel Adam’s breath pouring down my back, and I shivered as I kept my eyes on Danny. He hissed as Adam drew closer to my side, but when I arched my eyebrows, Danny pulled back and stared at me hard.

  “You sure?” he asked me.

  Somehow I nodded, and when Sabrina nearly had him away from my side, Danny turned back.

  “And you’ll find me if you need me?” he asked.

  I nodded silently and forced my eyes to tell Sabrina that I could handle this. Sabrina obviously wasn’t thinking about her shoes or her jewels as she left my line of sight and the crowd spun back around Danny.

  And then I was in Adam’s arms.

  “That’s my girl,” he said. “I knew you’d come back.”

  He pressed me to his chest, and I couldn’t help but wince in under his touch. His hold had felt good. More than good. At one time it had been everything. I closed my eyes as I remembered his touch, the way he could make me scream with pleasure…

  But then…

  “You wanted to talk?” I asked through pressed lips.

  Adam smiled down at me, and he ran his hand across my chin.

  “I want to do a lot more than that,” he said huskily.

  Here was Adam putting on the charm. Even under the dim lights, his slicked backed locks still glistened. I was tempted to fall into his lips, but I shifted back even as I took his hand and dragged him away from the party and towards an open balcony.

  “Didn’t think you’d be this eager!” Adam said. “Come here, honey.”

  Adam pressed me into his arms, and our lips smashed together. The familiarity of his kiss nearly caused me to relax in his arms. He had been sweet when he teased me with proposals that went nowhere. And I had believed him. Believed in him.

  “It’s so good to hold you close again,” he purred.

  I tensed in his arms, and when every hurt flooded back into my brain, I pushed him away and raised my hand.

  “Caroline?” Adam asked. “What’s the matter?”

  He tried to get close to me again, and as soon as his breath hit my eyes, I flattened my palm and slapped his face hard.

  “Fucking hell, Caroline!” he snapped.

  As Adam grabbed his cheek and fell back, I had to smile at his crumbling form.

  “You deserve a lot worse,” I said.

  “Caroline, I just… just made a mistake.”

  “Just left a lot of dirty panties in our… in what was supposed to be our bed, you mean.”

  Adam lifted his head and pressed his palms to the air in a motion of surrender.

  “I know,” he said. “And I get how that must have hurt you. But you… you never really gave me a chance to explain.”

  “To explain what?” I screamed. “To draw me a picture of all the ways you played me for a fool?”

  I bit down on my lip and the thought that a few of the blue hairs and brown nosers fawning over Danny’s work might even pay top dollar for that particular work of art.

  “Caroline…” he wheedled.

  “No need. I got wise real quick when I smelled her in my sheets,” I said. “And you couldn’t even deny it.”

  Adam hung his head.

  “Guilty,” he said, turning on that boyish charm that used to make me forgive him anything. “And I never should have brought her home.”

  “That’s all you have to say?’ I demanded. “How about you shouldn’t have been unfaithful in the first place? What about that?”

  “Agreed, babe,” Adam said reaching for me.

  He pressed his body close to mine, and even as I struggled in the space of his embrace, I couldn’t fight the force of his arms, and I reluctantly lowered my head to his chest.

  “That’s better,” he said. “That’s my good little girl.”

  Adam cradled the nape of my neck in the palm of his hand. I started to sink into his hardness, and I remembered the times when I liked the feel of his hands, his cock. When I drank down the lie that he was my happily ever after and nothing would ever come between us.

  “Remember South Beach?” he asked, his hot lips close to my ear.

  “Adam, don’t…” I said.

  “All those plans,” he continued. “Five star meals and tanning for hours.”

  He pushed me back slightly and cupped my face in his hands.

  “But if memory serves, we never made it out of the hotel room,” he said with a sex
y grin.

  My mind flashed back to the four poster bed and the endless hours tangled in silk sheets. Tangled in each other. Adam’s lips never left mine, and in that moment I couldn’t even comprehend the idea of him straying. And I couldn’t imagine ever wanting anyone else.

  “I remember,” I whispered.

  “It can be like that again, babe,” he promised. “No, no better than that. I’m just asking you to let this go.”

  “Let it… let it go,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

  “You know we’re good together,” he said. “Good for each other. Only you can bring out the best in me.”

  He moved to kiss me again when I drew back and pressed my trembling hands to my hips.

  “But I bring out the cheat, too?” I challenged. “I get you so hot and bothered that I’m not enough for your sublime masculinity.”

  “Oh, come on now,” Adam whined.

  “No!” I cried as I held my hand out to stop him from getting any closer. “You can spin it all you want, but I’m not buying it. Not after what you did. So take a hint. Lose my number, and leave me the hell alone.”

  I started back inside when his fingers surrounded my arm, and Adam spun me back to his side. I winced at the feel of his nails digging into my sleeve, but Adam either didn’t see or didn’t care. He just kept tugging me closer.

  “I want you back, Caroline,” he insisted. “And I know you want me, too.”

  “I don’t!” I protested. “Not any more! I can’t stand the sight of you.”

  “Then keep your eyes closed,” he said with a short laugh.

  He slammed his mouth to mine, and I gagged at the feel of his tongue working its way down my throat. My hands curled into small fists, and I pounded against his chest as he heightened his pursuit.

  “Don’t,” I said when I finally managed to break free, my eyes wide open. “Let me go!”

  I tried to turn from his side, but Adam grabbed me again, and I flinched at the feel of his hand running up my skirt.

  “I don’t want you to!” I protested.

  “Just shut up,” he said. “You know that you do.”

  I wriggled as he curled his fingers up my thigh, and as he pushed past my panties, I gritted my teeth.