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The Executive’s Vengeful Seduction by Maxine Sullivan
“Once my father’s on the mend, I’m going back to Sydney,” Gabrielle said. “Don’t forget that.”
“You’ve already made that clear.” But Damien was more than satisfied.
For the moment.
“I think I’ll go to my room. Goodnight.”
Damien inclined his head. “Goodnight, Gabrielle,” he said, watching her walk away with a sway to her hips that would draw any man’s attention. Yet he wasn’t just any man. He’d been her lover, if not her confidant.
He could feel an odd sort of anger simmering beneath the surface. An anger he wasn’t ready to face. Perhaps he’d never have to face it… once he had enough of her body.
Rich Man’s Revenge by Tessa Radley
“ I want a real marriage .”
Rico wanted to marry her. For real. “Why?”
“Because I want a son. An heir.”
Sick disappointment churned in Danielle’s stomach. “You misled me. Deliberately. Do you know how much that really pains me?”
“Pain?” He spoke so softly she strained to hear him. “I know about real pain. And all because of your father.”
“I can’t give you a real marriage.”
“Because you’re a Sinclair? A princess? And I’m a peasant?”
“No, I don’t want to marry anyone because – ”
She froze as he placed his hands on the sofa back, trapping her between his arms, and lowered his face to hers. “You’re going to give me a son in exchange for all I’ve lost at the hands of your family.”
The Executive’s Vengeful Seduction
MAXINE SULLIVAN
Rich Man’s Revenge
TESSA RADLEY
MILLS & BOON
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THE EXECUTIVE’S VENGEFUL SEDUVUION
by
Maxine Sullivan
MAXINE SULLIVAN
credits her mother for her lifelong love of romance novels, so it was a natural extension to want to write her own romances for her own and others’ enjoyment. She’s very excited about seeing her work in print and is thrilled to be the second Australian to write for the Desire™ line.
Maxine lives in Melbourne, Australia, but over the years has travelled to New Zealand, the UK and the USA. In her own backyard, her husband’s job ensured they saw the diversity of the countryside, including spending many years in Darwin in the tropical north. She is married to Geoff, who has proven his hero status many times over the years. They have two handsome sons and an assortment of much-loved, previously abandoned animals.
Maxine would love to hear from you and can be contacted through her website at www.maxinesullivan.com.
Dear Reader,
This is my third book about Australian millionaires, and I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it’s been to write for the Desire™ line. I love writing stories where the hero is rich and compelling and the heroine gorgeous and feisty.
And like my first two books, this story is set in Darwin, in the torrid zone north of Australia, where I lived for many years. How fitting it seems, then, to have my heroine, Gabrielle, return home to Darwin after a long absence. Despite hiding a tragic secret, Gabrielle falls in love all over again with Damien, and it proves to be just what she needs. She realises she has come home in more ways than one.
I trust you will enjoy this story of a prodigal daughter and a powerful executive, who find each other as difficult to resist as this city in the heart of the tropics. I see it as a fitting end to this set of books and I hope you do, too.
Happy reading!
Maxine
To Kaz Delaney and Sandra Allan
Firm friends, wonderful writers.
Thanks for the laughs, ladies.
One
Damien Trent acknowledged two things when Gabrielle Kane stepped from the elevator and walked along the corridor toward her office.
She was even more gorgeous than he remembered.
And he’d been a fool to let her go.
“Hello, Gabrielle,” he said, straightening away from the wall, his gaze sliding over the soft gray material of her pantsuit that hugged her breasts and clung to her hips, down to the matching strappy sandals. She’d never looked more elegant and feminine than she did right now.
Her blond head shot up from searching through her purse, and her steps faltered. She paled. “My God! Damien?”
“You remembered?” he drawled, then felt something shift inside his chest when those blue eyes met his fullon. For a split second time reversed itself to five years ago. She’d walked into that business function with her father, and their eyes had met across the room, jolting him, making him want her.
Just like they were doing now.
She moistened her mouth, then appeared to pull herself together. “How could I forget?”
“That’s something we have in common, then.” He moved closer, pleased to see two spots of color rush into her smooth cheeks. “You’ve grown very beautiful, Gabrielle.”
Her delicate chin angled. “Is this a social visit, Damien? You’re a long way from home.”
He mentally pulled back from wanting her. He was here for a reason. “We need to talk.”
“After five years?”
His mouth tightened. She’d been the one to leave him. “It’s important, Gabrielle.”
Alarm flashed in her eyes, then was banked. “It’s my father, isn’t it?” she said, her tone without inflection now, but he’d seen her immediate reaction. She still cared for the father who’d cut her off after she’d walked out.
He cupped her elbow. “Let’s go into your office,” he said, feeling the slenderness beneath his palm, conceding that he’d missed touching her.
She turned away and with a shaky hand that was a dead giveaway she unlocked the door to a suite of offices with a sign reading Events by Eileen—The Events Organizer.
He followed her through the main reception area and into another office, taking in the plush carpet and quality furniture and fittings. “You seem to have done well for yourself.”
She walked around the desk and stood with her back to the large glass window, a breathtaking view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House behind her. “Let’s not pretend you don’t already know all about me, Damien. I’m sure whatever report you had done on me must have told you what I do and who I work for.” She crossed her arms, her face closed. “Just say what you have to say.”
So. She was going to play it cool now, was she? It didn’t surprise him. She’d always been a mixture of fire and ice. It was one of the things he’d liked about her—all that passion beneath a cool exterior.
He inclined his head at the high-backed leather chair behind her desk. “You might want to sit.”
“I’d rather stand,” she said, but her shoulders went back, as if preparing for a blow.
There was no easy way to say this. “Your father’s had a stroke, Gabrielle,” he said, hearing her gasp, seeing the shock she couldn’t hide now. “It caused a cerebral hemorrhage in his brain. It was touch-and-go so they had to operate.”
She swallowed hard. “Is he…”
“No, he’s not dead. They’re hopeful he’ll pull through and will recover fully in time.”
“Oh God,” she murmured, all pretence gone now as she finally sank onto her chair.
He watched her, seeing the whiteness of her skin and the way she bit her bottom lip, and he knew he’d done the right thing by coming to get her. “My private jet’s ready when you are.”
She blinked up at him. “What?”
“You’ll be coming home to Darwin to see your father.”
She shook her head. “No…I can’t.”
His mouth thinned. “He’s your father, Gabrielle.”
She made a choking sound. “Obviously that hasn’t worried him too much these past five years.”
It was one thing to ignore your father’s existence when he was in good health, but Russell had come close to death. It was time they sorted things out between them. Damien had told Russell the same thing not long before his stroke, when the other man appeared to be fretting over the loss of his daughter. Perhaps Russell sensed something had been about to happen.
“You were the one who walked out on him,” he pointed out. “Your father found that hard to forgive.”
“Perhaps I find it hard to forgive a few things, too,” she said, remaining firm.
He was instantly alert. “Such as?”
A wary look suddenly entered her eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Obviously it does or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
She looked across the desk at him. “Nothing can change the past now. Let’s just say that when I left home five years ago I never looked back.”
He arched a brow. “Never? I find that hard to believe.”
She shrugged her slim shoulders and leaned back in her chair. “That’s your problem, Damien. Not mine.”
Her comment irritated him. “You walked out on me, too,” he reminded her silkily.
Her chin rose in the air. “And did you find that hard to forgive?”
His jaw clenched. “Your note was sufficient.”
“I’m glad you think so,” she said with a touch of sarcasm.
He scowled as her comment slammed into him. “You said you wanted to end our affair,” he reminded her. “You also said not to try and change your mind.”
“And it suited you to believe me, didn’t it?”
“Are you saying you lied?” he demanded, his stomach knotting.
Her eyelids flickered, as if she knew she was in dangerous waters. She sighed. “No. It was the truth. It was over between us.”
He stared hard for a moment as something centered inside his chest. Things were far from over between them. He’d subconsciously realized that when she’d stepped out of the elevator and walked toward him like a vision from heaven.
“No, I don’t think it was over at all,” he said quietly.
She stiffened. “Really? You obviously didn’t think that at the time.”
“True. But we had other priorities back then.”
She inclined her head but couldn’t hide a hint of relief in her eyes. “Yes, we both had a lot of things going on in our lives.”
“And I let that get in the way of what was important.” He paused. “Things have changed.”
She looked startled. “Changed?”
Now that he’d seen her again, he would have to work her out of his system. In the most pleasurable way, of course.
“It’s time to come home, Gabrielle. Your father needs you.” Hell, he suddenly needed her, too.
Her gaze dropped, and she began to smooth her palms over the front of her silky jacket. Then she looked up as if making a decision. “I’m sorry. Please tell my father I wish him well, but I won’t be coming back.”
That wasn’t acceptable. “And if he dies?”
She winced, then whispered, “Don’t.”
He couldn’t let himself soften toward her. Not right now. He had a job to do. “You have to face facts. Your father is seriously ill. He needs to see you.”
“Damien, I can’t…I…”
“Not even for your mother’s sake?”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widened. “Wh-what? My mother? When did you talk to my mother?”
“Caroline came home a couple of days ago when she heard about your father’s stroke.”
Gabrielle clenched her hands together. “No, she would never forgive him.” Her mother would never have gone back to her father. When Caroline left, she’d sworn the marriage was over forever.
“She did. And I think you should, too.”
“You’re lying. This is a trick.”
“No tricks, I swear. Gabrielle, your mother asked that I come and get you. She needs you right now.”
She flinched. “That’s not fair.”
“I didn’t say it was,” he said as he was jabbed by an old heartache. Despite everything that had gone on, at least Gabrielle had parents who cared about her. She wasn’t totally nonexistent to them, unlike his own parents. She had a second chance with her family. He doubted his parents would have even wanted a second chance. They’d been too involved with themselves…too selfish to consider that their son might just need some of their attention.
Just the thought of it made the muscles at the back of his neck tense. “Look, if you can’t come back for your father, then do it for your mother’s sake.”
She glared at him. “I just can’t walk out of here and leave everything to the others. This is a thriving business. We’ve got some major events coming up.”
“I’m sure they can cope without you.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what is?” he challenged. She was only making excuses and they both knew it.
She held his gaze for a long moment, then her eyes clouded over and she sighed with surrender. “Okay, I’ll come home. But I’m only staying until my father’s out of danger.”
“Deal.” By then he would have her in his bed again and out of his system once and for all.
The thought was completely satisfying.
Long after they were airborne and heading toward Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia, Gabrielle finished making numerous calls to explain the situation to her clients, then turned off her cell phone to take a break from it all. Before the plane had left Sydney, she’d spoken to Eileen, who’d been supportive of her situation and had made her promise to phone as soon as she was settled.
Dear Eileen. If it hadn’t been for the older woman taking her in and treating her like one of her daughters, Gabrielle didn’t think she would be as “together” as she was now. Eileen had helped her through so much.
And so had Lara and Kayla, Eileen’s daughters. Not only had she been homeless on her arrival in Sydney, but if it wasn’t for all three, she would’ve had to swallow her pride and call her father for help when she’d been in that car accident.
Her heart wrapped in pain, she looked over at Damien Trent, sitting opposite her reading some business papers he’d taken out of his briefcase. If he only knew… Oh God. No, she wouldn’t think about that. She’d think about him instead. That would give her something to do.
In his early thirties, he looked as trim and taut as ever, with dark hair and moss-green eyes that always made her catch her breath. He was a lethal combination of manhood.
Her Damien.
The man she’d loved without question five years ago. The man she’d let glimpse her soul. The man she’d have died for. How had she found the courage to walk away from him, knowing she was carrying his child?
Yet how could she have stayed when she’d known he hadn’t loved her? Their relationship had never been about emotional depth. Not on his part, anyway.
Oh, she’d had no doubt he would have married her once he’d known she was pregnant. But she hadn’t wanted that. Not after her father’s drunken rage that night telling her to go, when she’d decided then and there that she’d rather her child not have a father at all, than one who hadn’t loved its mother. She just hadn’t been able to bear the thought of Damien treating her with disdain in front of their child in the years to come. She’d been that child with her own parents, and it wasn’t a nice feeling.
No, it had been better to cut the ties back then. And from that point on she’d decided she had to stand guard and protect herself from hurt. Love brought too much pain, and she’d wanted nothing more to do with letting anyone so deeply into her heart. And she hadn’t.
Until today.
Until Damien had stepped back into her life.
All at once she realized Damien’s eyes were upon her. “Everything okay?” he asked, watching her with a light in his eyes that went beyond the sexual, as if he were trying to decipher her thoughts. It made her uncomfortable.
She nodded and turned away, looking out the small window at the blue sky surrounding them, then down at the unimaginable vastness below. They’d left the red dust of the Outback behind some time ago, and now she could see greenery beneath them, growing increasingly greener with each mile, and the closer they got to the coast.
Then time passed and not far in the distance, she could just catch sight of the ocean at the “Top End” of Australia. She sat there for ages absorbing it all, letting it wash over her. This was where she’d been born… where she’d grown up…been happy and sad…passionate and heartbroken.
“You’re home,” Damien said as the plane swept around over the ocean then banked toward the runway. Beneath them the city of Darwin glistened in the hot tropical sun.
A lump swelled in her throat and she had to blink rapidly. Damien was right, no matter how much she’d denied it to herself all these years. This was home. And home was where her heart was.
It always had been.
Two
Once Damien’s plane landed they stepped straight through the invisible sheet of humidity and into a waiting BMW, before speeding through the Darwin suburbs toward the private hospital.
Gabrielle tried to hold her apprehension and worry at bay, but all she could think about now was her father. All these years she’d believed she’d prepared herself for news like this, but now she knew that wasn’t possible. The emotional distance she’d worked so hard to maintain was going down the drain. No matter what had gone on between them, he was still her father and she loved him despite everything, and the thought of him dead brought a lump to her throat.
As for her mother, she was still amazed Caroline Kane had returned home to be a wife again. Her mother had been a well-paid doormat to her rich husband, but infidelity was the one thing she hadn’t been able to accept. Caroline had been distraught when she’d left the house for good after discovering that Russell had been having an affair with his secretary. She was too upset even to take her teenage daughter with her, even though Gabrielle had begged her.
Repeatedly.
God, did she really have the courage to face them both again? She knew so little about them now. They were her flesh and blood, yet they’d hurt her a great deal. How was she to treat them? Like parents? Like strangers?
Dear God, did any of that matter right now anyway? she wondered as she rode the elevator in silence, her senses conscious of Damien’s strong presence, the scent of aftershave a vivid reminder of being in his arms all those years ago.
But once they stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor on her father’s floor, she shook off her reaction to Damien’s closeness when an attractive woman stepped out of the room ahead of them. As if in slow motion, Gabrielle watched the woman turn toward them. And shock ran through her.
“Mum?” she murmured.
The woman froze. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened, only nothing came out.
Gabrielle stared back. Gone was the pretty but drab woman who’d always worn sedate clothes and her brunette hair in a bun. In her place stood a vibrant fifty-year-old woman with a stylishly cut blond bob and clothes to match.
Suddenly Caroline rushed forward. “Gabrielle!” she cried, and wrapped her arms around her daughter tightly.
Gabrielle couldn’t breathe. She stood stiffly. One part of her wanted to sink into the embrace and acknowledge she’d missed this feeling of belonging that went bone deep. This was her mother after all. The woman who’d given birth to her.
It was also the woman who’d left her teenage daughter to cope alone with an increasingly volatile father, she reminded herself.
Caroline pulled back, tears in her eyes. “Oh, my goodness. I can’t believe it’s you, darling.” She blinked rapidly, not seeming to notice Gabrielle’s lack of response. “Let me look at you. You’re beautiful.” Caroline glanced at Damien with a watery look in her eyes. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she, Damien?”
Gabrielle forced herself to glance at Damien, seeing a hard but admiring look in his eyes before he gave her mother a slight smile.
“Yes, she is, Caroline. Very beautiful.”
Despite the moment, his comment sent a tingle through her that she didn’t appreciate. She’d always known he’d found her attractive. He’d totally swept her off her feet five years ago, but hearing him say it now after so long away from him made her cheeks grow warm.
“Oh, wait until your father knows you’re here,” Caroline said excitedly. “It’ll be the best medicine.”
At the mention of her father, anguish came rushing back. “How is he, Mum? What did the doctors say?”
Caroline squeezed her arm. “Darling, he’s doing better than expected.”
“Thank God.”
“Yes, thank God,” Caroline said in a shaky voice. Then she reached up to Damien and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “And thank you for bringing my daughter home, Damien. I can’t tell you how much this means to me and Russell.”
“She was happy to come.” He turned toward Gabrielle with mocking eyes. “Weren’t you, Gabrielle?”
Gabrielle held his gaze, but her face felt tight. “Yes,” she lied.
For the first time her mother seemed to notice Gabrielle’s lack of warmth. The light in her eyes dimmed. “Darling, I know we have a lot to say to each other,” she said cautiously. “But perhaps that can wait until later? Let’s just get through this first.”
Gabrielle nodded, thankful for her mother’s suggestion. The past didn’t disappear just because her father was so ill, but neither was this the right time to air grievances.
Caroline put on a bright face. “Good. Now let’s go take a peek at your father,” she said, heading back to the room she’d just exited. “He’s not supposed to have any visitors except me, but I’m sure it’s okay for you to just see him for a moment.” At the door she stopped to look at Gabrielle. “Prepare yourself, darling. He’s not his best at the moment.”
Her mother was right, Gabrielle decided, standing beside her father’s hospital bed a little while later. Her eyes misted over as she looked down at his prone body, the white sheets and bandage around his head highlighting his ashen skin, his body thinner than she remembered.
Gently she reached out and touched his cheek. He moved his head slightly but didn’t waken, and she gave a soft cry. It was as if he knew she was there.
Just then the nurse came into the room, and in a compassionate tone advised that there should only be one visitor and perhaps Gabrielle and Damien could come back tomorrow.
Gabrielle nodded, then leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek, whispering, “I love you, Dad.”
Then she felt Damien’s hand on her arm and she looked up at him, surprised by the sympathy in his eyes. She let him lead her from the room, her mother behind them.
Outside, Caroline said regretfully, “Darling, I wish I could come home with you but I need to stay by your father’s side for a day or two, just until he’s out of danger.”
Gabrielle understood. “Mum, it’s okay. I can stay at the house by myself.”
Her mother’s eyes filled with worry. “But that’s the problem. They’d just started major renovations when this happened to your father, so I’ve let them continue while I’m sleeping here at the hospital. But a lot of strange men are working around the place and I don’t want you alone there.”
Gabrielle accepted that. She wasn’t sure she’d even wanted to stay at the house anyway. There were too many bad memories. “Then I’ll stay at a hotel.”
Her mother clicked her tongue. “Oh, but I don’t want you staying in some impersonal hotel room, either.”
“Mum, I have to stay somewhere,” she half joked, then felt a slither of apprehension when she saw Damien’s dark brows jerk together.
He turned to her mother. “Don’t worry, Caroline. Gabrielle can stay at my apartment. I’ll even rent her a car so she can get around town.”
Gabrielle stiffened. “No, that’s not necess—” she began until Damien shot her a dark look silencing her.
Her mother’s face had already filled with relief. “That’s wonderful, Damien. I’ll feel so much better knowing you’re close by.”
He nodded. “You just concentrate on helping Russell get better.”
“But—” Gabrielle began again, not wanting to stay within an inch of this man. They’d been lovers. She was still feeling the pull of his attraction. She couldn’t live with him, not even for a day.
“It’s no trouble, Gabrielle,” Damien said in a tone that brooked no objection.
Caroline gave her daughter a heartfelt hug goodbye. “Darling, let Damien take care of you for a while. Ohh, I’m so glad you’re here. And your father will be, too, once he wakes up.” Gabrielle wanted to say she didn’t need to be taken care of, but Caroline was already kissing Damien on the cheek again. “Look after my baby, Damien. She’s precious to me.”
“I will.”
Just then another nurse went inside the room, and it was obvious her mother was anxious to follow. Gabrielle knew there was nothing for it but to put her own worries aside. “Mum, go back to Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, darling,” Caroline said warmly before she slipped back inside the room.
Then it was just her and Damien again.
Just as it would be at his apartment.
Sharp anxiety twisted inside her, making her testy. “You’ve got a nerve telling my mother I’ll be staying at your place. I’d prefer a hotel.”
Displeasure furrowed his brow as he took her arm and started toward the elevator. “You heard Caroline. She’s worried about you and wants to know you’re safe.”
“With you?” she scoffed.
“You’re always safe with me, Gabrielle.” He captured her eyes with his. “It’s yourself you’re not sure about.”
The breath caught in her lungs, but thankfully the elevator doors slid open and she quickly stepped inside, standing away from him, wishing it wasn’t empty.
The doors slid shut, enclosing them alone together. “It would be easier if I stayed in a hotel,” she insisted stubbornly, knowing she was fighting a losing battle but determined to fight all the same.
He glanced at his Rolex as if he didn’t care one way or the other. “My apartment has a spare bedroom. You may as well use it.” Yet when he looked up, his eyes had darkened to a jungle green, and just as untamed.
A quiver surged through her veins. “You didn’t have a spare bedroom before,” she said stupidly, saying the first thing that came to mind, trying not to let him see her reaction.
“That’s because I didn’t have this apartment before,” he drawled.
She flushed. “Fine,” she said, giving in to stop from blathering like an idiot again. “But it’s only for a few days and that’s all.”
A satisfied looked crossed his face, making her even more tense. “That’s settled then,” he said, just as the elevator stopped and the doors opened so other people could get in with them.
She and Damien moved to the back of the compartment, but she was still very aware of him. She tried to resist the compulsion to look sideways but decided one quick look wouldn’t hurt.
And that was her mistake.
His gaze lingered on her figure, making her nipples tighten beneath the light material of her pantsuit. She’d chosen the outfit because it flattered her moderate bustline and slight swell of her hips, and because she always felt good in it. The last thing she’d expected when she’d dressed this morning was an X-ray treatment from a man who’d been her lover and knew every inch of her body.
Oh God. Her staying at his apartment may have been settled, but she had the uneasy feeling nothing else had been settled at all.
Having Gabrielle in his apartment was more than Damien expected on her first day back in town, but he would take it one step at a time. He wanted her in his bed but he also wanted a willing partner and was prepared to wait until she was ready.
It won’t be a long wait.
She could fight herself all she wanted, but it was obvious she was fighting a losing battle. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He could smell that want in her…that need of desire. He felt the same. Her scent filled his nostrils…filled his apartment even now.
And all she had done was walk through to the spare bedroom, he thought with a wry smile as he remembered her cool comment that she’d see him at dinner. But she hadn’t been cool inside. He knew the two of them struck sparks off each other and that it was only a matter of time before they burst into flames.
In the meantime he didn’t mind playing with matches, he mused as he showered and changed for dinner, then arranged for dinner to be delivered.
Then he sat on the sofa to do some paperwork, though his mind kept flicking to Gabrielle and her parents. He had to admit that Russell hadn’t been the best father in the world after Caroline had left a few years earlier. And what had gone on before that, he didn’t know. He hadn’t known them then, having moved to Melbourne for a few years, building his fortune, only flying back to Darwin every so often to play poker with his best friends, Brant and Flynn.
Then one day he’d decided he missed the tropics and he’d come home for good. Fortuitously, Russell had been looking for a business partner at the time, and he’d been looking to make more money. He’d gone on to forge his own company and make his millions. It had worked out well.
Until now.
Until Gabrielle Kane had walked back into his life.
Just like she was doing this very minute as she made an appearance at the living room doorway. She was worth the wait, dressed in a sleeveless, teal-colored crocheted top and long white pants that clung to her gorgeous figure, making her look casual yet stylish.
“Hungry?” he said, putting the papers aside on the sofa and getting to his feet.
“A little.”
He started across the open-plan apartment toward the dining table nestled over in the corner. “Everything’s ready.”
She slowly followed him, then frowned when she saw the table laden with food. “Are others coming?”
