Temptation: a billionaire erotic romance by Christine Elliott Read Free Book Online

had said something he shouldn’t have.
    “What?”
    “Nothing.”
    “No, Jacques, seriously, what?”
    Jacques paused, looking Serena up and down.  He tapped his chin for a few moments, considering something.
    “I’ll tell you,” he said, “if you tell me why you chose this job.  I’ve been wondering about you, Screamer, I’ll be honest, and I think you deserve to know about this even if Val doesn’t want you to.  This has to remain completely between us, though.  Deal?”
    Serena considered it.  She hated breaking someone’s confidence, but if she was really going to be Val’s slave, she deserved to at least know this.  Especially if Jacques seemed to consider it something important enough to tell her.
    “Deal.”
    Jacques nodded, then sat back and appraised her.  “So what’s the real reason you’re doing this?  I know it isn’t the money.  You’re not that kind of person, I don’t think.  And I know it’s not the sex, though I can tell you are that kind of person, even if you won’t admit it.”  Serena rolled her eyes, and Jacques grinned.  “So what is it?  Why are you doing this?”
    Serena pursed her lips.  “My brother.”
    “Honey, you’re kinkier than I give you credit for.”
    Serena gagged.  “Please.  Not like that.”
    “So like what?”
    Serena sighed.  “Like he made a bad decision and he’s in trouble.  He’s not a bad kid, but he’s an idiot.  He took a job with a business that turned out to be a gang, and when he lost one of the bags they were smuggling—God knows what it was, I think it was coke—they took him.  And the only way to get him back is to scratch together five hundred grand by the end of the year.”  She rubbed her temples.  “Hell knows how I’m going to do it since I’ve given up this job.  But I have to.”
    “Go on.”
    “No, you go on,” Serena answered, not wanting to keep talking about Harry and be reminded of how much in danger he was.  “Quid pro quo.  I want to know what the Harlow thing is.”
    Jacques smiled.  “Anybody ever tell you you’d do good in business, Screamer?  I think I’m seeing why Val likes you.”
    Jacques leaned forward, pulling out a paper from his briefcase.  He handed it to Serena, who read the top line:
    HARLOW GROUP TO MR. VALENTINE MARQUETTE.—CONCERNING BELLADONNA.
    “Belladonna?”
    “Yes, Belladonna.  And yes, Harlow Group.”
    He studied her expression, as if he was looking for something.  She stared at him blankly, obviously not getting it.  He smirked and leaned back, apparently figuring out that she really had no idea.
    “And why is this so important?  And secret?” she said.
    “Because the Harlow Group isn’t as legitimate as it sounds, and the Belladonna deal is definitely, definitely not legal.  And because Fuck knows why Val’s getting himself into this, because he’s smarter than that.  There’s something going on here, I know it.”
    “But what’s the Harlow Group?”
    Jacques wrestled with a decision in his mind, but then nodded to himself.  “I suppose I can tell you, you’ll find out anyway.  It’s the ‘group’—though ‘gang’ would be more appropriate—let by Ian Harlow.”
    “Val’s old business partner?”
    Jacques paused, his suspicious look back again. 
    “How do you know that?”
    “Google.  I did my research before signing onto this.”
    Jacques grinned again.  “Of course you did.  And so of course you’ll know about Harlow’s fall due to Val’s exposing his criminal empire to the police.  And you’ll know that Harlow would like nothing more than to see Val gutted and hung dead in the public square.  Point is, Harlow recently got out of prison, and word is he’s gunning for Val.”
    “I had figured as much.  But what’s Belladonna?”
     Jacques’ cautious expression came back.  “You don’t need to know about that.  If Val hasn’t told you already, you really don’t need to know.  Can’t say anything more