Read Online The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) by Calista Kyle - Free Book Online Page A

daughter, I think she was particularly reluctant to show me off in public. She told me once that as her daughter, I was a reflection of her, so she wasn’t going to ‘trot me out’ in front of her friends and colleagues unless she was sure I was not going to embarrass her.
    When I finally got the invitation, I couldn’t believe my eyes. That night was everything I’d ever hoped it would be. It was the night I met Chad. I felt a dull ache in my chest as I thought about it. At the time, I felt like Cinderella, finally being able to attend the ball. Everything was new and exciting and I was ready to take the world by storm. When Chad walked up to me and smiled at me in that disarming way he had, I really thought I’d met my prince charming.
    Lily had warned me at the time to be cautious and take things slow, but I just brushed off her concerns. What did she know? I told myself. I was young, and in love, and I just knew Chad loved me. Why not jump in head first and damn the consequences? As usual, I’d been wrong.
    I was so sure he was the one. We had hit it off right from the start and he even got my mother’s approval. It just seemed meant to be. How could I have been so wrong? I wasn’t even really heartbroken anymore. What really upset me was the thought that my judgment could have been so faulty. Was I destined to always pick the wrong men and end up alone?
    I shook my head trying to brush those thoughts aside. Now was really not the time or place to be reminiscing about my failed relationships. It was only making an already bad situation even worse.
    “How much longer you have to stay out here?” Candace asked as she emerged from the building and walked towards me.
    I glanced at my watch and groaned. I’d already been standing out there for two hours. Most of the guests had already arrived, but there were still some stragglers. I’d been tempted several times to hand the clip board over to James the bouncer and head back into the warmth of the venue, but I knew my mother would blow a gasket if anyone not on her guest list somehow managed to sneak in. That meant I had to personally make sure that didn’t happen.
    Scanning down the list, I cursed these late comers. They’d already sent in their RSVPs, so it would have been the height of rudeness not to show up. My eyes paused on one name in particular. I noticed that Ryan still hadn’t arrived. A part of me had been looking forward to seeing him tonight and was disappointed that he hadn’t showed up yet.
    “Probably until the last guest arrives,” I said.
    She widened her eyes in surprise. “That’s crazy. It’s freezing out here,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest tighter.
    “Tell me about it,” I said.
    “Here, why don’t you let me take over the guest list while you go inside and get warmed up,” she said, reaching over and grabbing the clipboard.
    I didn’t put up any sort of a fight. “You mean it?” I asked.
    “Of course. Fifteen more minutes out here and you might get hypothermia,” she joked.
    “That wouldn’t be a good look,” I laughed. “Here you might need this.” I pulled off my parka and threw it over her shoulders before running into the venue and out of the frigid air. Once inside, I rubbed my hands together to get the circulation going again. It felt so nice to be in a warm heated environment and away from the glaring lights and flashes and inane catcalls from the paparazzi outside.
    The first thing I did once I entered the ballroom was to flag down a server and grab a handful of whatever it was they had on their trays. I didn’t realize how hungry I was standing out in the cold, but now that I was inside, my stomach began to growl. I hadn’t eaten all day.
    Just as I had shoved a couple of small canapés into my mouth, I watched as Ryan entered the room. On his arm was a gorgeous woman, tall and lithe with raven black hair that shone almost blue under the lights. The food suddenly tasted like sandpaper in my