Read Online Golden Lies by Barbara Freethy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barbara Freethy
Tags: Contemporary
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butt-kicking?"
"Cocky, aren't you?"
"I could take you with my eyes closed."
"What about me?" Riley interrupted. "Could you take me with your eyes closed?"
Paige whirled around in surprise, her jaw dropping when she saw him. "What are you doing here? Oh, my God—did you follow me?"
Ignoring her questions, he said, "How about a game?"
"I don't think so." As she spoke, she stiffened, and there was no sign left of the unrestrained, laughing young woman he'd watched from the doorway. Her face went to stone. Her lips tightened. Her chin lifted in the air. Despite her casual clothes, she now looked exactly like the elegant, reserved businesswoman he'd met hours earlier—untouchable, unreadable, and unlikely to spend more than five minutes in conversation with him. He didn't care for the transformation.
"I have to go," she added.
"So, you're afraid you can't beat me," he drawled. "I can understand that."
"I am not afraid of losing. Tell him I'm not afraid, Jerry."
The bartender laughed. "Why don't you show him, Paige? You like a challenge."
"I'm tired."
"Scared." Riley smiled as a spark of anger flickered in her eyes. He had the urge to provoke her, to do anything to bring down the wall she'd put up when he entered the room.
"Fine. You want a game, I'll give you a game."
"I want a game, Miss Hathaway."
"I should have my head examined," she muttered as she moved to collect the balls.
"What did you say?"
"She said she should have her head examined," Jerry said helpfully, a big grin on his face. "I take it you two know each other."
"Yes," Riley replied.
"Barely," Paige corrected. "Don't be nice to him, Jerry. I think he followed me here."
"You're stalking her?" Jerry asked, his smile vanishing. "Maybe you should get the hell out of my bar, then."
"No, no," Paige said quickly. "It's not that way. It's not personal."
"She's right. It's not at all personal. It's business."
"Mr. McAllister's grandmother is selling a statue to us," Paige added.
" Maybe selling a statue, if it ever shows up again." He gave her a pointed look.
"It will."
"I hope so."
Jerry moved toward the door. "All right then. I'm not getting in the middle of this. But I'm warning you, dude. You mess with her, you mess with me. Let me know if you need anything," Jerry added to Paige.
"Good friend of yours?" Riley asked as Jerry left.
"Yes, he is, as a matter of fact."
"I'm surprised. I didn't figure you for a Fast Willy's kind of girl."
"I don't think you know me well enough to make any assumptions about me. Not that that will stop you. Stereotyping is hardly confined to the rich, is it?"
"At least you admit you're rich."
"It's hardly a secret that my family is wealthy, but believe it or not, I'm nowhere near as rich as they are."
"Maybe not now, but I'll bet there are some hefty inheritances in your future."
"Not that it's any of your business."
"Until you return my grandmother's missing dragon, everything about you is my business."
"It's not exactly missing. It's just unaccounted for at the moment."
"Splitting hairs, don't you think? Why did your father take the dragon out of the store, anyway? I thought you had state-of-the-art testing equipment on the premises. Isn't that what your brochure says?"
"You've read our brochure?"
"I've read a great deal about your company in the past twenty-four hours."
"Then you shouldn't be worried."
"Maybe I wouldn't be—if you weren't worried. But you are, aren't you, Miss Hathaway? This isn't standard operating procedure. This isn't the way things normally go down." She glanced away from him, guiltily he thought. "I can't help wondering what's coming next."
"Nothing is coming next. You just need to be patient."
"I'm not a patient man."
"I can see that." She paused. "Do you actually want to play pool?" She waved her hand toward the table.
"Do you really know how to play, or did the red-haired guy give you a break?"
"Jerry give me a break? Not in this lifetime. And, yes, I do know how to
"Cocky, aren't you?"
"I could take you with my eyes closed."
"What about me?" Riley interrupted. "Could you take me with your eyes closed?"
Paige whirled around in surprise, her jaw dropping when she saw him. "What are you doing here? Oh, my God—did you follow me?"
Ignoring her questions, he said, "How about a game?"
"I don't think so." As she spoke, she stiffened, and there was no sign left of the unrestrained, laughing young woman he'd watched from the doorway. Her face went to stone. Her lips tightened. Her chin lifted in the air. Despite her casual clothes, she now looked exactly like the elegant, reserved businesswoman he'd met hours earlier—untouchable, unreadable, and unlikely to spend more than five minutes in conversation with him. He didn't care for the transformation.
"I have to go," she added.
"So, you're afraid you can't beat me," he drawled. "I can understand that."
"I am not afraid of losing. Tell him I'm not afraid, Jerry."
The bartender laughed. "Why don't you show him, Paige? You like a challenge."
"I'm tired."
"Scared." Riley smiled as a spark of anger flickered in her eyes. He had the urge to provoke her, to do anything to bring down the wall she'd put up when he entered the room.
"Fine. You want a game, I'll give you a game."
"I want a game, Miss Hathaway."
"I should have my head examined," she muttered as she moved to collect the balls.
"What did you say?"
"She said she should have her head examined," Jerry said helpfully, a big grin on his face. "I take it you two know each other."
"Yes," Riley replied.
"Barely," Paige corrected. "Don't be nice to him, Jerry. I think he followed me here."
"You're stalking her?" Jerry asked, his smile vanishing. "Maybe you should get the hell out of my bar, then."
"No, no," Paige said quickly. "It's not that way. It's not personal."
"She's right. It's not at all personal. It's business."
"Mr. McAllister's grandmother is selling a statue to us," Paige added.
" Maybe selling a statue, if it ever shows up again." He gave her a pointed look.
"It will."
"I hope so."
Jerry moved toward the door. "All right then. I'm not getting in the middle of this. But I'm warning you, dude. You mess with her, you mess with me. Let me know if you need anything," Jerry added to Paige.
"Good friend of yours?" Riley asked as Jerry left.
"Yes, he is, as a matter of fact."
"I'm surprised. I didn't figure you for a Fast Willy's kind of girl."
"I don't think you know me well enough to make any assumptions about me. Not that that will stop you. Stereotyping is hardly confined to the rich, is it?"
"At least you admit you're rich."
"It's hardly a secret that my family is wealthy, but believe it or not, I'm nowhere near as rich as they are."
"Maybe not now, but I'll bet there are some hefty inheritances in your future."
"Not that it's any of your business."
"Until you return my grandmother's missing dragon, everything about you is my business."
"It's not exactly missing. It's just unaccounted for at the moment."
"Splitting hairs, don't you think? Why did your father take the dragon out of the store, anyway? I thought you had state-of-the-art testing equipment on the premises. Isn't that what your brochure says?"
"You've read our brochure?"
"I've read a great deal about your company in the past twenty-four hours."
"Then you shouldn't be worried."
"Maybe I wouldn't be—if you weren't worried. But you are, aren't you, Miss Hathaway? This isn't standard operating procedure. This isn't the way things normally go down." She glanced away from him, guiltily he thought. "I can't help wondering what's coming next."
"Nothing is coming next. You just need to be patient."
"I'm not a patient man."
"I can see that." She paused. "Do you actually want to play pool?" She waved her hand toward the table.
"Do you really know how to play, or did the red-haired guy give you a break?"
"Jerry give me a break? Not in this lifetime. And, yes, I do know how to
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