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

than that, and you need to keep it a secret that I even let you know the name, alright?  You’d do best to forget it completely.”
    Serena stared at him.  “You’re going to hang this in front of my face and then refuse to say what it is?”
    Jacques laughed.  “True.  But if Val hasn’t told you about it already, you don’t need to know.  And you don’t need to tell him I told you.”
    “What if I do?” she asked, a dangerous note in her voice.  “If you won’t tell me, maybe Val will….”
    Jacques glared at her for a moment, his expression suddenly dangerous.  But then he thought about it and shrugged.  “You could, but he’d send you away in an instant.”
    “What?”
    “If Val doesn’t want you to know, he really doesn’t want you to know.  The second he found out you knew, you’d be gone in an instant.  No money, no chance to see him ever again.  That would be it.  I’m not just saying you should forget it for my sake, I’m saying it’s for your sake too.  If you value your relationship with Val, you need to forget about it all.”
    “He’d leave me forever?” she repeated. The idea of that did something strange to her, made her go cold in the deepest, most private part of her.  It scared her like nothing else.
    Jacques grinned at her.
    “What?” she said.
    “You.  Look at how terrified you are by that.  You run away like you never want to see him again.  But when you actually think of never seeing him again, you hate the idea of it.”  He shook his head.  “I’m telling you, Serena.  You two are far more into each other than either of you admit.”
    Serena frowned, uncomfortable.  “Whatever.  Are you sure there’s nothing more you can tell me?”
    “About Harlow and the Belladonna thing?  No.  You need to forget it.  And I’m not just saying that—everything you know about them is going to put you in danger, and I mean that.  But Val did say I should tell you about this.”  He reached into his briefcase and pulled out the brown paper package that Serena had seen earlier.  It wasn’t very large, but it was well wrapped in string, and Serena began burning with curiosity.
    “This is from Val,” he said, placing it on the table and pushing it over.  “He wants to read it after I’m gone.”
    “He’s not going to come over?”
    Jacques shrugged.  “I think he knows this is an argument you have with yourself, not him.”
    Serena took the package, feeling how light and pliable it was, wondering what it held inside it. 
     “He said it’ll tell you everything you need to know,” said Jacques.  “When you’re ready, he’ll be waiting back at the mansion.  And, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere.”
    Jacques stood and began gathering his papers and suitcase.  Serena continued to examine the package.
    “Jacques?”
    “Hm?”
    “Do you think I should trust Val?”
    Jacques smiled.
    “I’ve always trusted him, just like he always trusts me.  What I think you need to figure out is if you trust yourself.”
    Jacques winked at her and walked out the door.
    Serena ran a hand down the package, trying to discern its contents from feeling.  She slipped a finger under the string that held it together, snapping it against the paper.  Did she really want to open it and see what Val had sent her?  She swallowed hard.  On the one hand, last night had scared her.  No, she had scared herself with the way she had loved it.  But on the other, there was something irresistible about Val, something that drew her to him even when she resisted with all her will.
    Serena took a deep breath, then reached for a knife and began cutting away at the string.
    She unwrapped the first layer of paper, but underneath it was only another layer.  She carefully peeled that one away, only to find another layer underneath it.  Frustrated, Serena began tearing away the layers of crumpled paper, searching for something, anything.  But she found nothing.  By the