Susanna Carr - Tycoon's Delicious Debt

Cooper squashed the start of surprise and jutted out his chin. “How do you know about that? It hasn’t been announced.”

“Or that you’re secretly negotiating with the telecommunications conglomerate in Zurich?” Her dark eyelashes fluttered. “It’s a gamble, but I think you will pull it off like you always do.” Cooper’s eyes narrowed. He had just visited Zurich this weekend and both companies had been very careful not to have that information leaked. “Where did you hear that?”

“Around.” She gave a delicate shrug. “And I know you wouldn’t have told me what you won at the Chatsfield poker tournament in Las Vegas last year.”

Cooper frowned. “No one knows…”

“That you won a twenty-five percent stake in The Harrington from John Harrington, Jr.?” she finished for him. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

Cooper stared at Serena. No one knew he had the shares. No one. John Jr. definitely didn’t want anyone to know. How had she found out? And did Serena know why he needed the Harrington shares so badly?

He had underestimated her. The woman had single-handedly uncovered his secrets. How many more did she know? And what did she plan to do with it? “Why have you been acquiring all of this information about me?”

She yawned and stretched, arching her back. He held himself very still as he watched the sensuous roll of her torso and the tantalizing thrust of her breasts. “I guess I just find you so fascinating. Growing up in such wealth and privilege.”

Cooper pulled at his shirt collar. “Serena…”

“After all, you have been living the life I should have had.” Her eyes dulled with cold anger. “You dismissed the opportunities that should have been mine.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ask your father,” Serena said in a hiss as she glared at him. “Ask him about Felipe Dominguez. Fourteen years ago he bankrupted my father’s company. Destroyed it.”

His skin prickled as a cold sensation settled in his chest. The name wasn’t familiar but that sounded like something his father would do. “If that happened, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Right,” she said in a drawl. “You only benefited from it. You lived off the spoils of war. But it has nothing to do with you.”

He raked his fingers through his short hair and gave a huff of frustration. “What does this have to do with the Alves land?”

“Everything,” she replied flatly. “I’ll tell you more tonight. Meet me at the grill for dinner here at The Harrington. Let’s say around eight? Where are you staying?”

Cooper stared at her as he shook his head. No way. He would not let her dangle pieces of information in front of him. Put him off and have him heel to her commands. Cooper swiftly moved forward and clamped his hands on the armrests of her chair.

He reluctantly admired Serena’s composure. She didn’t jump or scream. She didn’t curl into a protective ball or push him away. Serena unflinchingly met his gaze as if she already knew what his next move was going to be.

He leaned in, so close to her that the tropical scent of her suntan lotion hit him in the back of his throat. “Tell me everything now,” he ordered. His voice was harsh as his anger started to slip but Serena obviously didn’t give a damn.

“I wish I could but I’m working right now.” She was such a princess, Cooper thought with disgust. A spoiled socialite who got whatever she wanted the minute the idea popped into her head. She thought the world revolved around her. Cooper fought the urge to grab her out of the chair and toss her into the ocean. “Serena, I swear…”

“You really have no choice in the matter.”

His fingers curled around the armrests until his knuckles whitened. “I always have a choice. What I don’t have is the time for this.”

“Time?” She scoffed at the word. “Cowboy, I’ve been waiting fourteen years for this moment. Of course, I thought it would be with your father, but you’ll do.”

He’ll do? He slowly released the armrests and rose to his full height. He needed to keep his distance before he followed his impulse and wrapped his hands around her slender neck. “I don’t know where you get the audacity…”

“We will discuss the details over dinner.” She waved her hand as if she were dismissing a servant. “It’s the only time I can fit you in but you may not have the stomach for all the gory details. It is Aaron Brock we’re talking about.”

He swore this woman had a death wish. He wouldn’t allow people to talk about his family that way, not even this temptress who had invaded his dreams. “My father is a respected businessman throughout the world. No one has a bad thing to say about him.”

“No one said a bad thing because they feared him,” she said. “I’m happy to tell you all that I know tonight.”

He wrestled with the unfamiliar sense of being backed into a corner. He wanted to claw his way out but he didn’t have enough information to fight with. Did she really know something or was this a fishing expedition for her? Cooper needed to find out what Serena knew. It required him to retreat, which was the most difficult thing to do in the middle of battle.

“I will meet you at the restaurant here at eight,” he said as he reluctantly took a step back. “If you run I will hunt you down.”

“Why would I run when I have everything I want?” she asked as he turned away.

Cooper kept walking as her earthy laugh rang in his ears. He only had a few hours to find out everything about how Aaron Brock had destroyed Serena Dominguez’s life. Dread seeped in his bones as he forced his legs to move. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that his father had shown no mercy.

Serena watched Cooper Brock storm off, a dark and menacing figure surrounded by color and light. She slowly exhaled, her breath stuttering past her lips. The ice in her drink rattled and she gripped the glass tighter, refusing to give in to the case of nerves. Her stomach was still in knots and her skin felt cold. She shivered under the heat of the sun and refrained from rubbing her hands against her arms in case he looked back.

Serena’s tension didn’t evaporate once Cooper was out of view. If anything, his absence made her anxiety coil tighter around her chest. It would be best if she knew where he was at all times. She didn’t like surprises, especially those wrapped in a six-foot-three athletic male body.

She had planned on confronting Cooper but she hadn’t expected him so soon. News traveled fast and Cooper Brock worked even faster. He had caught her at a disadvantage but she had done her best to hide it. Her parents had taught her that image was everything and hiding what she really felt had become second nature to her.

Serena knew her image was that of a spoiled socialite. She allowed the media to perpetuate that myth. The world only saw the glittery jewelry, the standoffish sunglasses and the haughty smiles. It wasn’t who she was but it was her armor. She’d rather people see that than the fear and vulnerability that constantly rolled through her.

And the next time she met Cooper she wouldn’t be half-naked and lying down, Serena decided. She would take charge and wouldn’t let him trap her. Corner her. Next time she would meet him at eye level and stand toe to toe. And at the end of their meeting, she would walk away with a proud swagger.

She heard the buzz of her cell phone. Serena reached for it and saw how her hands still trembled. It was a good thing Cooper didn’t bother noticing the small details. If he had known that his sudden appearance left her unsettled, he would have ruthlessly used that to his advantage.

“ Alô? ” She managed a breezy tone as she answered the call.