Read Online The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) by Calista Kyle - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Calista Kyle
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mouth and I had to swallow it in a gulp.
I suddenly felt the urge to go hide away. I didn’t want him to see me. He obviously wasn’t kidding when he said he’d find another date for the party. Somewhere deep inside, I thought he had been joking. Maybe it was naive or conceited of me, but I thought he was just trying to make me jealous. If that was his plan, it worked. It surprised me that I even had those feelings. It wasn’t like we were dating.
Ryan was occupied chatting with another couple, which gave me time to discreetly look them over. He looked amazing as usual in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. His hair was combed back and he wore a carefree devilish smile on his face. He looked like a throwback to the days of Clark Gable and Cary Grant—all old school glamour and gentlemanly refinement.
My eyes moved from him to his date. There was something about her that was familiar. Upon further inspection, I realized that I recognized her. Cara Galanis! She was exactly one of those people my mother absolutely forbade from attending. She was a famous socialite—her father was the heir to a shipping empire. She’d also been in the tabloids recently for starring in a sex tape. Even though she denied it, everyone knew she’d had a hand in leaking it to the press. I knew if my mother caught sight of her, she’d find a way to blame me for it.
It didn’t matter that there was absolutely nothing I could have done about it. As the date of one of the stakeholders in Titan, even my mother couldn’t deny her entrance. I felt my annoyance at Ryan rise. What was he playing at? Was he just looking to cause a scene?
I racked my brain trying to think of a way to salvage the situation and maybe keep my mother from finding out. That fantasy was shot to hell the moment I saw Jimmy Stone walk over and introduce himself to Cara. Jimmy was the biggest gossip queen in town and once he got done with her there wouldn’t be anyone in the whole building that didn’t know Cara Galanis was here.
Thankfully, my mother was nowhere in sight just yet. That bought me a little bit of time to do damage control. Perhaps if I went out and got Candace she’d be able to come up with a way to get Cara Galanis out of here? I turned around to head towards the exit when I ran smack dab into what felt like a brick wall. Two strong hands grabbed a hold of me to keep me from falling back. When I looked up, I saw a pair of ice blue eyes staring down at me.
“Hello Mel,” he said.
I pulled myself out of his grasp, ignoring his greeting. I was glad to see the smile slip from his face as he stared at me in confusion. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“You could say that again. Where’s your date by the way?” I asked bluntly. I was still annoyed with him.
“Been keeping tabs on me?”
“Hardly.”
“And yet you knew I came with a date?”
“It’s pretty hard to ignore when you show up with Cara freaking Galanis,” I snapped, finally losing my patience with him. “It’s probably all anyone is talking about right now. Did you bring her here on purpose, to thumb your nose at my mother? Cause I promise you, you’ve achieved your goal. She’ll do nothing but bitch about it and throw a fit once the party is over. And I’ll be the one who has to deal with it. So thanks for that!”
I looked up to see his stricken face and I instantly regretted my outburst. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I had no right to say that. I didn’t mean to insult you or your date.”
“No, you’ve got nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I’m the one who should apologize. I had no idea—I mean I didn’t think about what it would mean for you if I brought Cara.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, a bit deflated. “I’ll manage. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. I don’t know what’s gotten in to me.”
“Please stop apologizing. You were right. I did bring Cara just to get under your mother’s skin. I knew she’d be upset by
I suddenly felt the urge to go hide away. I didn’t want him to see me. He obviously wasn’t kidding when he said he’d find another date for the party. Somewhere deep inside, I thought he had been joking. Maybe it was naive or conceited of me, but I thought he was just trying to make me jealous. If that was his plan, it worked. It surprised me that I even had those feelings. It wasn’t like we were dating.
Ryan was occupied chatting with another couple, which gave me time to discreetly look them over. He looked amazing as usual in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. His hair was combed back and he wore a carefree devilish smile on his face. He looked like a throwback to the days of Clark Gable and Cary Grant—all old school glamour and gentlemanly refinement.
My eyes moved from him to his date. There was something about her that was familiar. Upon further inspection, I realized that I recognized her. Cara Galanis! She was exactly one of those people my mother absolutely forbade from attending. She was a famous socialite—her father was the heir to a shipping empire. She’d also been in the tabloids recently for starring in a sex tape. Even though she denied it, everyone knew she’d had a hand in leaking it to the press. I knew if my mother caught sight of her, she’d find a way to blame me for it.
It didn’t matter that there was absolutely nothing I could have done about it. As the date of one of the stakeholders in Titan, even my mother couldn’t deny her entrance. I felt my annoyance at Ryan rise. What was he playing at? Was he just looking to cause a scene?
I racked my brain trying to think of a way to salvage the situation and maybe keep my mother from finding out. That fantasy was shot to hell the moment I saw Jimmy Stone walk over and introduce himself to Cara. Jimmy was the biggest gossip queen in town and once he got done with her there wouldn’t be anyone in the whole building that didn’t know Cara Galanis was here.
Thankfully, my mother was nowhere in sight just yet. That bought me a little bit of time to do damage control. Perhaps if I went out and got Candace she’d be able to come up with a way to get Cara Galanis out of here? I turned around to head towards the exit when I ran smack dab into what felt like a brick wall. Two strong hands grabbed a hold of me to keep me from falling back. When I looked up, I saw a pair of ice blue eyes staring down at me.
“Hello Mel,” he said.
I pulled myself out of his grasp, ignoring his greeting. I was glad to see the smile slip from his face as he stared at me in confusion. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“You could say that again. Where’s your date by the way?” I asked bluntly. I was still annoyed with him.
“Been keeping tabs on me?”
“Hardly.”
“And yet you knew I came with a date?”
“It’s pretty hard to ignore when you show up with Cara freaking Galanis,” I snapped, finally losing my patience with him. “It’s probably all anyone is talking about right now. Did you bring her here on purpose, to thumb your nose at my mother? Cause I promise you, you’ve achieved your goal. She’ll do nothing but bitch about it and throw a fit once the party is over. And I’ll be the one who has to deal with it. So thanks for that!”
I looked up to see his stricken face and I instantly regretted my outburst. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I had no right to say that. I didn’t mean to insult you or your date.”
“No, you’ve got nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I’m the one who should apologize. I had no idea—I mean I didn’t think about what it would mean for you if I brought Cara.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, a bit deflated. “I’ll manage. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. I don’t know what’s gotten in to me.”
“Please stop apologizing. You were right. I did bring Cara just to get under your mother’s skin. I knew she’d be upset by
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