HELEN BROOKS - Brides for the Billionaires - The Billionaire's Marriage Bargain / The Billionaire's Marriage Mission / Bedded at the Billionaire's Convenience

Stella’s phone call earlier this morning, when Kenzie had already agreed to meet Jerome this evening, couldn’t have come at a worse time!

Dominick’s lips pinched together. ‘Just a lucky guess,’ he growled, releasing her chin to move back behind his desk. ‘Do you still deny that the two of you are involved?’

‘Yes, of course I deny it!’ Kenzie snapped impatiently. ‘Jerome is coming to England on business, and dinner with me this evening is just incidental.’

Dominick looked at her from behind his hooded eyelids, wondering how anyone so beautiful, so innocently beautiful, could at the same time be so deceitful.

‘Really?’ he questioned scathingly.

‘Yes—really!’ she echoed irritably. ‘Not that I expect you to believe me.’ She shook her head. ‘You seem to take some sort of delight in not believing me!’

‘I don’t take delight in it at all, Kenzie,’ he said bitterly. ‘I had believed there was honesty between us if nothing else. Obviously I was proved wrong,’ he added harshly, very aware of just how wrong he had been.

Kenzie had lied to him, had deceived him with another man—with Jerome Carlton, a man who had taken great delight in not lying to Dominick when he had confronted the other man over the affair. Both of them had made a fool of him. And that was something Dominick simply couldn’t allow to go unchallenged.

He was so hard, so implacable, Kenzie realized achingly as she looked at Dominick’s unyielding expression. Had he always been this way? Possibly. Except in the past that hard implacability hadn’t been directed at her. But now it most assuredly was.

She sighed. ‘I don’t think discussing the past solves anything, Dominick—’

‘I agree,’ he said brusquely, straightening. ‘We should forget dinner this evening and discuss the arrangements for this weekend now.’ His tone was completely businesslike. ‘I’ll call at your apartment for you at three o’clock on Saturday afternoon. You can expect to be away until Sunday.’

Kenzie gave a pained frown. ‘But—I haven’t—exactly where are we going, Dominick?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t think you really need to know that—’

‘Oh, yes, I do,’ she assured him forcefully.

He raised his dark brows. ‘Frightened that I might hide the body where no one can find it?’ he taunted.

Kenzie stood up impatiently. ‘You’re being ridiculous now—’

‘Am I?’ He looked across at her carefully. ‘Haven’t you realized yet, Kenzie, that no one crosses me and just walks away?’

She felt a shiver of apprehension down her spine. ‘It’s been four months, Dominick—’

‘I’m well aware of how long it’s been, Kenzie,’ he said grimly.

Kenzie looked at him in frustration, wishing for just a glimpse of the softer, more indulgent Dominick that she had seen during their marriage, and on occasion during last weekend at her parents’ house. She knew the latter, at least, had all been an act for her family’s benefit, an act that had put her totally in Dominick’s debt. If Dominick felt any emotion towards her at all now, it was hate.

But he had given her a weekend, and now she owed him a weekend in return …

She drew in a determined breath. ‘What sort of clothes will I need to bring with me?’

He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Something to wear for Saturday evening. A swimming costume, perhaps. Or not,’ he added throatily as he moved his gaze deliberately down the length of her body.

Kenzie withstood his examination with a determined rise of her chin, although she was a little puzzled as to where he could be taking her if she was going to need an evening dress and a swimming costume—the two didn’t seem to go together somehow.

‘Dominick, I know you accompanied me to the wedding last weekend, but I really don’t think I’m up to a weekend being social with business acquaintances of yours.’

His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘I assure you, Kenzie, the only person you’re going to be social with this weekend is me.’

Kenzie was more puzzled than ever. But at the same time she could see by his uncompromising expression that Dominick didn’t intend telling her any more than he already had.

‘Okay, Dominick, if that’s the way you want it,’ she agreed abruptly.

‘It is.’ He nodded.

‘I’ll leave you to get back to your—work, then,’ she said dryly, aware that he hadn’t been working at all when she had entered his office uninvited a few minutes ago, but staring out of the window instead.

‘And I’ll leave you to get back to yours.” He gave a mocking inclination of his head. ‘Oh, and, Kenzie …?’ he added as she reached the door.

She turned back reluctantly. ‘Yes?’ she prompted warily.

‘Enjoy your dinner this evening,’ he said softly.

Kenzie searched his face for several long seconds, but once again Dominick made sure she could read nothing from his mocking expression as he steadily returned her gaze.

‘Three o’clock on Saturday,’ she repeated firmly before making good her escape.

All the humour left Dominick’s face once he was alone, his breath leaving him in a shuddering sigh.

Four months since they parted, Kenzie had said.

The same four months it had taken for him to devise a suitable retribution that would include Kenzie as well as her lover. But it was all coming together now, and it would very shortly be over.

The fact that Kenzie had amazingly come to him last week, needing something from him that only he, as her husband, could give, and therefore putting her totally in his debt, only added to his feelings of satisfaction.

He would take settlement this weekend slowly and leisurely, knowing every caress and pleasure that made Kenzie wild and wanton in his arms. It was a pleasure he intended drinking to the full, a pleasure that would be all the sweeter to him when she returned to her lover after the weekend knowing that she had come to him willingly.

Then Jerome would no doubt inform her of exactly what retribution Dominick had taken on both of them.

Now Dominick waited until he was sure Kenzie had passed through the outer office before sitting forward to press the intercom on his desk. ‘Stella, put a call through to Caroline Carlton in New York, will you?’ he instructed before sitting back to wait for the connection, his smile of satisfaction not reaching the hard determination of his eyes as he resumed his sightless staring out of the window.

DOMINICK gave Kenzie a glance from behind dark sunglasses on Saturday afternoon as he drove them to their destination, having picked her up from her apartment almost an hour ago.

As usual Kenzie looked stunningly beautiful as she sat beside him in the car dressed in an emerald-green sundress and high-heeled sandals, the thin straps of the dress showing off her bare shoulders and the creamy swell of her breasts, and her deep green eyes hidden behind the shield of her own sunglasses.

Yes, Kenzie looked stunningly beautiful—and extremely remote, he thought, realizing that since her initial greeting she hadn’t spoken a single word.

Now who was the one playing games? Dominick wondered with a hard grin as he returned his attention to the road in front of him. It felt good knowing how easily he could break her cool control.

He decided to do exactly that. ‘How was your dinner with Carlton on Wednesday evening?’ he enquired mildly, immediately sensing Kenzie’s sudden tension.

Kenzie turned to look at him for several long, probing seconds. ‘Why do you ask, when you can’t possibly be interested?’ she finally sighed.

‘Oh, but I am, Kenzie,’ Dominick assured her lightly. ‘Did you and Carlton have an emotional reunion?’ His voice had hardened perceptibly.