Love & Lies Read online

  Love & Lies

  Jessica Wood

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Jessica Wood

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

  ERH Publishing

  First Edition: May 2017

  Thank you for purchasing this book.

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  ABOUT Love & Lies

  Is it love? Or is it all just a part of his game of lies?

  Sexy billionaire Liam Taylor was not only smooth and irresistible, he was about to save me and my family’s business from the brink of bankruptcy.

  But there was a catch.

  He will help my family business out of its financial crisis under one condition: I had to spend a month with him and obey his every will and command.

  Desperate with no other options, I agreed to his terms and moved in with him. And to my surprise, I quickly fell for him and wanted him for more than just a month.

  But unknown to me, Liam had other plans in store for me. When the secrets and lies began to blur into our reality, was his feelings for me real or was it all just a part of his game?

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Also by Jessica Wood

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  FREE BONUS Complete 4-Book Series: The Chase

  Other Books

  Synopsis of Oblivion

  About the Author

  ALSO BY JESSICA WOOD

  Emma’s Story Series

  A Night to Forget – Book One

  The Day to Remember – Book Two

  A Night to Forget Series Box Set (Emma's Story) – Contains A Night to Forget and The Day to Remember

  The Heartbreaker Series

  This is an Emma’s Story spin-off series featuring Damian Castillo, a supporting character in The Day to Remember. This is a standalone series and does not need to be read with Emma’s Story series.

  Damian – Book One

  The Heartbreaker – Prequel Novella to DAMIAN – can be read before or after Damian.

  Taming Damian – Book Two

  The Heartbreaker Box Set – Contains Damian, The Heartbreaker Prequel, and Taming Damian

  The Chase Series

  This is a standalone series with cameo appearances from Damian Castillo (The Heartbreaker series).

  The Chase, Vol. 1

  The Chase, Vol. 2

  The Chase, Vol. 3

  The Chase, Vol. 4

  The Chase: The Complete Series Box Set – Contains All Four Volumes

  Oblivion

  This is a standalone full-length book unrelated to other series by Jessica Wood.

  Oblivion

  Promises Series

  This is a standalone series unrelated to other series by Jessica Wood.

  Promise to Marry – Book One

  Promise to Keep – Book Two

  Promise of Forever – Book Three

  Promises, Love & Baby – Book Four

  ***

  Pre-Orders Currently Available

  Contracted Love – July 11, 2017

  CHAPTER ONE

  He noticed her right away when she walked into the restaurant—but so did everyone else.

  At the age of twenty-two, Gemma Adams had grown into a woman that demanded attention. Yet, she seemed naïvely unaware of her beauty. Her chestnut hair in large, soft curls all the way down to her slender waist. The v-cut neckline of her little black dress showed just the right amount of cleavage for her full breasts to look sensual but not slutty, and the short hemline made her tanned legs look even longer. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with energy and the delicate features of her face showed that she was in a no-nonsense mood today.

  “Lori, sorry I’m late!” Gemma called out as she spotted her best friend sitting in a booth by the window, mindlessly twirling her fingers through her blonde curls.

  Gemma sat in the seat across from her and let out a heavy groan. “You won’t believe the day I’ve had! Those bastards at the bank turned me down!”

  “Aww, Gemma. I’m so sorry.” Lori’s blue eyes instantly brimmed with tears of sympathy for her best friend, knowing the gravity of this news. She knew how much work Gemma had done in preparation for her meeting with the bank and how much hope Gemma has placed on getting this meeting. Lori reached for her friend’s hands from across the table and gave them a supportive squeeze. “What happened?”

  “It was all bullshit! I just can’t believe it.” Gemma fumed, unable to keep her voice down. “They said a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy like mine was just too high of a risk for a business loan of that size.”

  Gemma bit her lower lip in anger and shook her head as she replayed the events at the bank in her head. “It’s all a load of crap. Someone must be trying to buy the Adams Corporation out from under us and they’ve got a handhold on the banks because I know they’ve loaned to other companies in worse shape than ours. Someone on the inside must be working against us to make sure my family’s business goes under.” Her anger slowly took an emotional turn as her voice began to shake. She struggled to keep her tears at bay. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do now. That bank was my last chance. How am I going to save the company now?”

  Gemma buried her face down into her folded arms. Tears of disappointment and heartbreak began to spill from her eyes. Lori silently handed her a napkin. Instead of wiping her tears with it, Gemma crushed it into an angry ball in her fist. She needed to hang onto her rage if she was going to keep herself from falling apart. Her parents were counting on her to save the family business and she was determined not to let them down. But unfortunately, deep down, Gemma knew she was quickly exhausting all of her options. If something drastic didn’t happen soon, they may lose everything they had.

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, you look great.” Lori smiled, always trying to find the bright side of things.

  “Thanks,” Gemma said ruefully. But despite herself, her lips curved into a small smile. Lori’s bubbly attitude had that affect on people and it was one of the reasons the girls had been best friends since childhood. And at that moment, Gemma really needed some optimism. She was quickly losing faith in her own abilities. She had graduated college less than a year ago and had gone straight to work at Adams Corporation, the business her parents
had worked their entire lives to build.

  Adams Corporation had been a big part of Gemma’s life since before she was even born and every memory she had was associated with it. She had played with her dolls on the lobby floor under the loving watch of Judy, the receptionist, and her birthday parties had been filled with more company employees than school mates. She had spent every summer working as an intern and told her guidance counselor that when she grew up, there was nothing she wanted more than to work at her parents’ company. When she had graduated high school, she hadn’t seen any real need for college, but her father had insisted, telling her that by getting a degree, she would learn new things that could benefit the company.

  But by the time Gemma had earned a degree in business, the family company was already in trouble. When her father reluctantly admitted to her that they might have to file for bankruptcy and were in danger of losing everything they had, Gemma felt naively confident that she alone could save her parents’ business from bankruptcy and rescue her family from financial ruin. Now, that bright-eyed girl she’d once been seemed so very far away.

  “I’ve been turned down by every bank in the country,” Gemma said in despair as she looked into her best friend’s eyes. “If only there was some other way I could get the money to save the company.” She signed. “Lori, I’m beyond desperate. I feel like I'm grasping at straws. At this point, there’s really nothing I wouldn’t do to get us out of this mess.”

  Suddenly, to the girls’ surprise, a man that had been sitting behind Lori in the neighboring booth stood up and turned to them.

  “I couldn't help but overhearing,” he said with a devilishly handsome grin. He pulled something out of the breast pocket of his suit and held it out in front of Gemma. “Here's my card. I think I might have the perfect solution for you.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Excuse me?” Gemma asked with an air of indignation. “We’re having a private conversation here.” She shot him a glare, but there was something in this stranger’s eyes that caused her stomach to flip.

  “Sorry, I don’t usually eavesdrop on private conversations, but I couldn’t help but to over hear that you might be looking for a nontraditional business loan. That happens to be what I do.”

  “It is?” Gemma looked skeptical as she gave him an once over. She couldn’t help noticing how unbelievably gorgeous this stranger was.

  “Allow me to introduce myself,” the man said as he flashed her a sly smile. “I’m Liam Taylor.”

  Gemma gasped at the handsome stranger as she hesitantly took the business card from his well manicured hands. He was easily six feet tall and brimming with confidence and charisma. His muscular build was visible against the expensive, gray tailored suit with a burgundy tie and Italian shoes he had on. Dark wavy hair framed his face. He was classically handsome with a strong jaw line. His cold blue-gray eyes reminded her of a perfectly calm, deep sea.

  Gemma gave the card a quick read. It was embossed on expensive paper. It said Liam Taylor was a financial consultant and investment financier. Still, if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was, and to Gemma, his sudden appearance was too much of a coincidence.

  “Thanks, but no thanks,” she said as she thrust the card back at him.

  “Gemma,” Lori hissed in her friend’s ear so Liam couldn’t hear her. “You should talk to him!”

  Gemma ignored her and jerked her head towards Liam.

  “That’s okay,” Liam said, nonchalantly taking the card back and inserting it into his interior jacket pocket. “I don’t usually work with small family owned businesses, but I’ve been told I need to try and be more philanthropic. So when I overheard your conversation just now, I thought this might be able to count as my good deed for the month. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” He shrugged indifferently. “Good luck and good day.”

  Liam gave a friendly nod and strode from the restaurant, but not before dropping a hundred dollar bill onto his table for the waitress on an order that couldn’t have been more than twenty bucks at the most.

  Lori pulled Gemma from her seat and hissed, “Go after him and talk to him! You need his help! Don’t let him get away!”

  At five feet and two, Lori was no match for Gemma’s voluptuous frame, but Gemma allowed her friend to yank her from the booth.

  Gemma looked at the door where the well-dressed man had exited onto the city streets and then back to Lori. “Do you really think he could help? What if it’s just a scam and he’s looking to rip off me and my parents?”

  “You won’t know if you don’t at least talk to him. Maybe this could be the answer to your prayers. I know you and I know you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t try everything.”

  “Okay, you’re right. I’ll talk to him.”

  Gemma turned and rushed to the door. “Mr. Taylor, wait!” Gemma ran from the restaurant and onto the city sidewalk and looked up and down the crowded streets, but he was nowhere to be seen. Gemma’s shoulders slumped with defeat. It was already too late. She had blown her last chance to help her parents. She was about to turn on her heel to leave when a black Ferrari suddenly pulled up in front of the restaurant.

  Liam Taylor was behind the wheel.

  “Get in,” he said simply. As Gemma climbed into the passenger seat, Liam smiled at her like a cat that had caught it’s pray. Gemma instantly questioned the wisdom of getting into car with a stranger. But it was too late. The car took off as soon as she got into the car and was already driving too fast for her to get out.

  Liam sped through the city streets and onto the highway, taking her far from the urban area where she felt safe and familiar. Within minutes, they’d entered into parts of the city she’d never been to before. Gemma struggled against her panic as they sailed along the road.

  “So, are you going to tell me about it or not?” Liam finally broke the silence, “This is a business meeting, not a free ride in a Ferrari.”

  “What? Oh, sorry!” Gemma blushed. She hadn’t realized he had been waiting for her to speak first and suddenly felt embarrassed for thinking he was trying to kidnap her.

  She spoke hesitantly at first as she made the same sales pitch to him that she’d made to the all the banks, but her voice gained in strength and confidence as she spoke passionately about her family’s company and what it meant to her. She brought the company to life with her words and endowed it with vitality and value to the community.

  “The Adams Corporation was founded on dedication and passion, and we bring that to everything we do,” Gemma as she finished her practiced pitch. She looked at Liam intently, hoping he can sense her seriousness “Take a chance on me,” she plead. “You won’t be disappointed.”

  “That was an impassioned presentation,” Liam said as the car came to a gentle stop right in front of her apartment building.

  Gemma blinked when she realized where she was. She hadn’t even realized that she’d given Liam her address, but clearly she must have. Tigger, her cat, sat in the window meowing down at her as his tail flicked back and forth.

  “So, will you help me get the money I need?” Gemma asked, hating the nervous quiver that had returned to her voice.

  “Yes,” Liam said as he looked her up and down in a very seductive manner that brought a blush to her cheeks. “I’ll loan you what you need. But in order to make the deal complete, you must give me something that I need in return.”

  “Oh, thank you so much Mr. Taylor! I’ll do anything! I’ll sign over any kind of collateral—our company is good for it—just tell me what you need.”

  In a husky voice, Liam leaned a little closer to her and said, “The only thing I need is you.”

  Gemma was so overcome with joy that Adams Corporation was finally about to be saved, she knew she must have misheard his words. Stopping her bubbling cheers, she sat perfectly stunned and silent in her seat and looked him in the eye. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “You heard me.” He paused, his lips curled into a smile. “I sa
id I want you.” His voice didn’t waver as he looked her straight in the eye.

  “What does that mean?” Gemma asked, trying to make sense of his words. Suddenly she was starting to feel very uncomfortable and out of her depth.

  “I want you to stay with me in Taylor Mansion for one month and fulfill my desires. Don’t worry. I’m not a sadist and will do absolutely nothing to harm you. I just simply want you to live with me and keep me company for a month. There is a fire in you that I find irresistible. That passion that you spoke with when you were talking about your company was sexy. If I could experience and possess that passion for just one month, I know I could feel satisfied. That’s all I want in exchange for the money I’d give you to save your parents’ business.”

  “You’re crazy! Forget it,” Gemma said with indignation. She slapped him across the face and leapt from the car. She slammed the door shut and was about to walk away when his next words stopped her at her tracks.

  “You said you would do anything to save your family business. I thought you actually meant it, but I guess that wasn’t true after all.”

  Gemma turned back to Liam, shocked by his words.

  “Think about it,” he continued. “A month living in my lavish mansion with anything and everything you could ever want at your disposal. I can make all your financial worries disappear. The company your parents worked their entire lives to create will be saved, as will the jobs of all the employees who work there. Are you really so selfish that you won’t sacrifice thirty days for all of them? Am I really so hideous looking that spending a month with me is such a disgusting thought to you that you can’t possibly submit yourself to? Trust me, I am not a monster—just a lonely man who knows what he wants when he sees it. You’re a beautiful woman. I want to experience the passion that you clearly have and I’m willing to save the people you love to get it.”

  Gemma was so startled by his words that she didn’t know how to respond. Luckily she didn’t have to.