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

you,” she added.
    “Not at all,” I said, trying to put her at ease. “You’ve met my sister, Helen, right?”
    She nodded her head.
    “She’s ten years younger than me. I was off in college while she was still in elementary school. My parents were both teachers. I grew up in the suburbs, played too many video games, and ate too much junk food. You know…typical stuff.”
    “What do you do for a living? I mean obviously you seem well off.”
    “Thank you for noticing,” I said wryly. “I’m just your average business man.”
    I didn’t know why I was being so vague about my accomplishments. It had taken years of hard work and slugging through the trenches to be where I was at right now. It was something that I was extremely proud of. Unlike other people, I’d actually had to work and hustle for every penny and dollar I earned. Every deal and contract was due to hard work and determination. My parents hardly left anything to my sister or me when they died, not that they had anything to pass down anyway.
    Mel sat back and looked at me shrewdly. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she had her head cocked to the side. I knew she was assessing me and I felt myself squirm under her gaze, though I tried not to show it. Could she tell I still had a chip on my shoulder?
    “I’m sorry but an ‘average businessman’ doesn’t wear bespoke suits or Patek Philippe watches.”
    “And why do you take such an interest in my business?” I asked.
    “I thought we were trying to get to know each other,” she said innocently. “Don’t worry. I’m not a gold digger; I have no intention of sleeping with you.”
    “Is that so?” I asked taking it as a challenge.
    “You know I could just Google you,” she said. “That’d probably be easier. Getting answers from you is like pulling teeth.”
    “Are you really that interested?” I asked.
    Mel shrugged her shoulders casually. “I guess it beats sitting here in awkward silence.”
    “All right then. If you must know, I started a gaming company while I was in college. It was a huge success and I sold it to Eversoft Tech a few years later for an obscene amount of money. Since then I’ve continued to develop games as well as started a new gaming distribution platform, and investing in whatever else tickles my fancy.”
    “Wow, that’s quite impressive,” she said.
    “What about you?” I asked.
    “Oh, there’s not much to tell. I’m not nearly as accomplished or successful,” she said, rather modestly.
    “Well, tell me anyways,” I said. “I’m not letting you off the hook after you badgered me for my story.”
    Mel’s eyes flashed in indignation and I had to hold back a chuckle. It was so easy to rile her up, something that I found I quite enjoyed. “I did not badger you,” she said. “For your information, I’m a junior editorial assistant at Chère magazine. I’ve been there for a couple of months, and before that I was editor at lookbookstyle.com an online fashion blog.
    “That seems like a step down for you,” I mused.
    Her face reddened as she looked at me. I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. “The job at Chère is a great opportunity,” she said.
    It sounded as if she’d spoken those words many times before, as if trying to convince other people or herself that it was true. I could tell it was a sore subject for her so I didn’t pursue it further. Still, it got me wondering why she was wasting her talents as some peon under her mother’s thumb when she was so successful at her previous job. Even I’d heard of Look Book Style, and I wasn’t even interested in the fashion world.
    “I’m sure they’re very lucky to have you,” I said.
    “Thanks. So, let’s talk about the party now.” Mel sounded weary, her mood having done a complete one eighty. I didn’t want to push her or upset her further so I just went along with it. There was something there that was upsetting her, and I found to my surprise that I