Billionaire Matchmaker Book Two: Undone (Billionaire BBW Erotic Romance) (3 page)

Allison had booked my flight for the Friday following our
conversation. It wasn’t much time to prepare but that was for the best. I
probably would have second guessed it and ended up cancelling the trip.

I landed in Bangkok after a long flight that was delayed,
and just barely made my connecting flight to Koh Samui. The hotel I was staying
at was supposed to send someone pick me up, but when I landed, there was no one
there. After waiting for what felt like hours in sweltering heat and humidity,
they finally came.

That first night I was so exhausted and worn down, I was
regretting my decision to come and thought Allison had made a mistake picking
this place. After that less than promising start, things really picked up. The
next morning, feeling rested and recharged, I explored the resort on Chaweng
Beach where I was staying. The hotel was located right on the beach. I went out
each morning exploring the area and surrounding islands.

Allison even booked an island tour for me that include an
elephant ride through the jungle. It was probably the highlight of my trip.
Since it was off season, there weren’t as many tourists there, which was
perfectly fine with me. The few tourists that I did see didn’t know me or
recognize me at all.

The locals were so friendly, I felt at home. The time away allowed
me to heal my bruised and battered spirit. All my troubles seemed a million
miles away, as I sat on the beautiful beach, and watched the sun set over the
water.

Jake had crossed my mind several times during my trip. I was
still hurt by what he did, but I think the distance helped me see things more
clearly. I realized things never would have worked out between us anyways. We
were too different, and he never promised me anything more than sex. It was
just my imagination running away with me thinking there could be anything else.

Jake had always been cold and selfish, I just thought he was
different because I wanted to believe it. His actions at the auction weren’t an
aberration of his character. The real aberrations were the rare moments of
thoughtfulness he showed towards me. With this new perspective, I was able to
take the first steps towards healing.

I sat at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the next
day, frowning as I stared out the windows. It was raining outside; the sky was
overcast and gray, reflecting my mood. I had spent two blissful weeks in this
paradise.

The thought of what awaited me back home caused an
involuntary shudder. I was momentarily tempted to rip up my return flight
ticket and stay in Thailand forever, but I knew that was impossible. I hated to
leave, but knew I had to go back. I knew I had to go home and face whatever it
was that awaited me.

Before I came to Thailand, I told Allison I wouldn’t be
turning on my cell phone or laptop for the whole duration of my trip. I really
wanted to unplug from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Besides, I didn’t
want to be tempted to read stories of myself or of Jake. If there were any
emergencies, she could always call the hotel and ask for me. I took it as a
good sign that no one had tried to reach me since I first arrived.

Now that I was headed back home, I decided to turn on my
computer and check my emails. I swallowed the feeling of dread as I stared at
an inbox full of unread messages. Scanning over the emails, I spotted two
messages from Jake.

I was so shocked, I sat there frozen, my hand poised over
the touch pad, not sure what to do. One part of me was screaming to open it and
find out what he said, but the other part of me told me to delete it. It didn’t
matter what he said, it wouldn’t change anything, so there was no use torturing
myself over it.

I sat there, mentally debating with myself the merits of
both choices for what felt like hours. Finally, I gave in to my curiosity.
It
wouldn’t hurt, just this once,
I rationalized. I promised myself I wouldn’t
respond to anything he had to say. Taking a steadying breath, I opened his
message.

Chloe,

You haven’t been returning my calls. I know you’re upset
with me. Please call me back or reply to me. I need to talk to you.

-JP

I frowned down at the screen, not sure what to make of his
message. Why would he be calling me? What could he possibly need to talk to me
about? I opened the next message from him hoping it would shed some more light
on the situation.

Chloe,

Please talk to me.

-JP

That message was even more cryptic than the one before. My
mind was racing with possibilities. I was just about to hit reply when I
remembered my pledge.
I would not contact him
, I reminded myself.
Nothing good could come of it. I quickly signed out of my account and shut off
the laptop so I wouldn’t be tempted to relent.
Jake wanted me to contact
him? Well too bad. That ship has sailed
, I thought spitefully. I tucked my
laptop back into my bag and promptly tried to ignore it.

Allison was waiting for me when I landed at the airport. It
was nice to see a friendly familiar face after two weeks away. I smiled at her
as I saw her standing there with her “boss” sign held up.

“So how was it?” she asked once I had reached her.

“Paradise,” I sighed.

Allison grabbed one of my suitcases and started rolling it
towards the escalators.

“You can tell me all about it in the car,” she said over her
shoulder.

I followed Allison out of the airport towards the parking
garage. A part of me dreaded having to come home to a gaggle of paparazzi
waiting for me to snap pictures. I was pleasantly surprised that no one was
there or seemed to care who I was. My eyes scanned everyone around me,
suspicious of anyone holding a camera, but none of them were pointed at me.

“What’s been going on since I left?” I asked once we were in
the car.

“I don’t even know where to start,” she said. She put the
car in reverse, looking over her shoulder as she backed out of the parking
spot.

“Anything interesting? How’s business?” I asked.

“Business is booming,” she said.

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come back
sooner.”

“Because I didn’t want you to come back early. You needed
that vacation,” she said. “I can already tell its done wonders for you.
Besides, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.”

“Well I thank you for that. It probably was for the best,” I
agreed. “So when you say ‘booming’ what do you mean, exactly?”

“We’ve gotten eight inquiries already and I’ve signed up 3
new clients.”

My eyebrows shot up at her information. Normally we got an
average of one new client every two weeks, so the fact that we tripled that
while I was gone surprised me.

“How come we’re getting so many leads now?” I asked. “Two
weeks ago, our clients couldn’t wait to be rid of us. You sure they’re not
hoaxes?”

“I’m not sure why they’re calling us, but never look a gift
horse in the mouth, I always say. And yes, I did check them out and they are
legit,” she answered.

“That’s weird. Good, but weird.”

“It might have to do with Alyssa Stewart and Rob Peterson,”
Allison said thoughtfully.

I turned my head to look at her. “What do you mean?” I
asked. I wasn’t sure how two Hollywood movie stars would have anything to do
with my business.

“Oh you haven’t heard. The whole Jake Powers saga is old
news now. You’ve been wiped off the front pages by Alyssa Stewart and Rob
Peterson. You’re no longer a hot topic of gossip,” she disclosed.

“What happened?” I asked eagerly.

“What else would make the news? Sex sex sex...and adultery,”
she said. “They were caught cheating on their spouses with each other. Someone
at a hotel they were staying at secretly filmed them together.”

“Oooh that’s too bad,” I said, feeling a little guilty for
being happy about their misfortune.

“Sure it is,” Allison said disbelievingly, quirking an
eyebrow at me. “I’m sure you’re utterly heartbroken.”

“I’m going to ignore that,” I said, pursing my lips to keep
the smile threatening to break free in check.

Allison pulled up to my building moments later and helped
lug my bags up to my apartment. She didn’t stay long, which I was grateful for.
I shut the door behind her and exhaled a long breath. It felt nice to be home
and in familiar surroundings. What made it even better was the news that I just
found out from Allison. I was so pleased to no longer be a topic of gossip or pity.
Even better was the fact that my business was finally picking up again.

Things were finally going back to normal. I smiled at the
thought. I would go back to how things were before Jake Powers came into my
life. I would focus on my work and helping other people.

My time for romance was a failed experiment. Every
relationship I'd ever had had proven that to me over and over again. And yet, I
kept falling for it every time. I guess I wasn't cut out for love. My purpose
in life was to be a matchmaker, a facilitator, not a player.

I’d taken a chance at a relationship and something more, but
got burned badly. This time was the worst, but I learned my lesson. From now
on, I would focus on my business and my clients and put everything I had into
it. Love wasn’t for me.

I settled back into my apartment and began unpacking my
bags. Passing by my phone, I could see the red blinking light of the machine
alerting me to new messages. I was instantly reminded of the emails Jake sent
me. He did say he tried to call and left messages.

My hand was paused over the play button. Did I want to
listen to what he had to say? It only took me a brief moment this time to press
the button. I knew I’d give in to my curiosity, so I didn’t debate too long. I
pressed play and held my breath as the familiar deep voice sounded through my
living room.

“Chloe, It’s Jake Powers. I...I need to talk to you. Can
we meet somewhere and talk? Please call me.” Beep
.

“Chloe, its Jake. I haven’t heard back from you. I know
you have every right to be angry, but I’d really like to see you again. Please
let me explain. Call me back when you get a chance.” Beep.

Jake sounded vulnerable and unsure. I’d never heard him like
that before. He’d always come across as smooth and confident or harsh and mocking.
I wondered what would cause him to sound like that.
Maybe he was calling to
apologize
, I wondered.

As soon as I thought that, I mentally berated myself. I had
to stop that kind of thinking. No good could come of letting Jake Powers back
into my life. I had promised to wash my hands of him and here I was minutes
later tempted to let him weasel his way back in, just like I always did with
Jude.

The thought of Jude hardened my heart and resolve and I
deleted the two messages. Jake was just like Jude, I realized. They were both
users and manipulators, trying to play me for their benefit. I wouldn’t let
that happen anymore. I’d stick to my resolution.

I was excited to be back at work after my vacation. Aside
from Allison, work was the only thing I really missed while I was gone. It made
me happy that things were finally settling back down after the auction
disaster. I was sitting at my desk, reading one of the background check reports
I had run on a new client when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Chloe? You’re back!” I froze. It was one thing to hear it
over my voice mail, but to hear it live was a shock I wasn’t ready for.

“What do you want?” I asked. My voice sounded shaky to my
own ears. I grabbed a pen from off my desk and squeezed it in my hand to
release the tension.

“I want to see you,” he said.

“It’s too late for that.” I hung up the phone, not waiting
for a reply. I took short ragged breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. So
many emotions were running through me, threatening to overwhelm me.

I was annoyed at him casually demanding to see me as if the
auction never happened. I was surprised by his call, and a small part of me
regretted hanging up on him so soon. My traitorous heart was actually a tiny
bit pleased that he wanted to see me so badly, which made me angry at myself
for feeling that way.
What was it about Jake Powers that always got me
so...agitated?

“Who was that?” Allison asked.

“No one.”

She looked at me quizzically, but didn’t pursue the topic.
She must have seen something in my face that made her think twice. The phone
rang again and Allison reached for the handset to answer it but I held up my hand
to stop her.

“I’ll get it,” I said. I had a feeling it was Jake calling
again, and this time I’d finally give him a piece of my mind. Allison wrinkled
her brow in worry as she looked at me, not sure if it was a good idea, but I
gave her a thumbs up and a smile to let her know I had everything under
control.

“Why are you calling?” I whispered angrily.

“Chloe Harper, you bitch!” The voice on the other end
definitely wasn’t Jake.

“Who is this?” I asked, shocked.

“You’ve forgotten me already, Chloe? What? You’ve got your
billionaire boyfriend now and you’re too good for me?”

“Jude? Is that you?”

“Ding ding ding! I guess you’re not as dumb as I thought,”
he slurred.

“Are you drunk? Why are you calling me?” I demanded.

“What? I’m not allowed to call you anymore? You think you’re
better than me?”

“You’re being ridiculous. You have some nerve talking to me
like that after what you did! I should call the cops on you.”

“Hah! Go ahead and try it, I don’t care anymore. You’ve
already ruined my life.”

“What the hell are you talking about Jude? You’re not making
any sense. I’m going to hang up and don’t ever call me again.”

“Fucking bitch I’ll get you back for what you did! You’ll
get what’s coming to you.” Click.

The line went dead. I pulled the receiver away from my ear
and frowned down at it, not sure what just happened.

“What was that about?”Allison asked as I settled the phone
back on the cradle.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “That was weird. I’ve never heard
Jude like that before.”

“Well I always said that guy was off his rocker. I never did
trust him.”

“Mmm, he sounded like he was drunk. Anyway I told him not to
call me again.”

I shook my head trying to clear out the unpleasant phone
conversation I just had. I was confused by Jude’s anger and accusation that I
had ruined his life. Nothing made any sense.

He was the one who ransacked my apartment. I thought I had
let him off lightly by not calling the cops on him, and yet here he was
threatening me. I released an involuntary shudder at the menace that I heard in
Jude’s voice.

“Hopefully once he’s sober, he’ll forget the whole
conversation and leave me alone,” I said.

My thoughts were still on Jude when I heard a loud banging
on the door of our entrance.

“What in the world?” I said. “This morning sure is action
packed. Can you see who it is, Allison?”

“I was just headed that way,” she said getting up from her
chair.

I craned my head to see who it was, but all I could hear was
a low pitched mumble and then I heard Allison say “No, you can’t”. I was
halfway out of my seat when my office door burst open and Jake walked in. I
looked at him in total shock, my eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

He looked more disheveled than I could ever remember him
being. His hair was messy as if he’d been running his hands through it and
tugging at the ends, he had a scruffy five o’clock shadow and his clothes,
normally so pristine and worn with such precision, looked grungy and careless.
His eyes lit up as he saw me and he smiled so brightly, I had to catch my
breath. Even though I had vowed never to speak to him again, that didn’t mean I
still didn’t find him devastatingly handsome.

“Chloe.” He whispered my name as if it were a revelation.

“I told you to get out,” Allison said as she finally caught
up with him. She was out of breath and her face was flushed with anger. “You
shouldn’t have barged in here! I’m calling security.”

“It’s not so pleasant when the shoe is on the other foot, is
it?” Jake asked. He quirked an eyebrow at Allison. She looked sheepish before
narrowing her eyes at him. I was confused by her reaction, but decided now was
not the time to question her about it.

“It’s all right, Allison,” I said turning to her. “I’ll
speak to him. Can you give us a few minutes?”

She looked like that was the last thing she wanted to do as
she eyed me with doubt and concern. She pursed her lips, debating whether or
not she should refuse, but finally gave in with a shrug. “I’ll be back in 10
minutes,” she warned. Allison shut the office door behind her as she left.

“Thank you,” Jake said, his voice full of gratitude and
something else. He had moved closer in the office and looked like he was going
to embrace me when I held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t thank me. I don’t want you in here anymore than
Allison does. What do you want? Why are you here?” I said coldly.

Jake’s eyes lost a little of the brightness at my harsh
tone. His shoulders sagged as he ran his hand through his hair mussing it up
even more.

“I deserve that,” he said. “I know I hurt you and I’m
sorry.”

“Is that what you came to say? Because if it is, you can go
now. I’m not interested in your apology. I’m over it.”

“Chloe you have to understand, I...I’ve made a terrible
mistake. I thought you had betrayed me and that’s why I acted the way I did.
It’s no excuse, I know, but I was so angry and hurt I just lashed out. You
don’t know how hard it’s been for me,” he confessed.

He stood there staring at me with a pleading look. I’d never
seen Jake look so lost or vulnerable before. My hardened resolve began to
soften seeing him like this. I had to look away out the window and remind
myself what he did to me and the nightmare he put me through.

Just thinking over the past few weeks after the auction got
me angry again. I turned back at him, an angry flush spreading over my cheeks
as I sneered at him. “Oh poor you!” I mocked. “Your life must have been so
tough. And here I was thinking I was the one who suffered with the paparazzi
following my every move, vile stories published about me in the press, my past
dug up for all to read about, and my business losing clients left and right.
What was I thinking?”

Jake flinched as I recounted the trials I had to live
through after the auction. His face paled as he gripped the edge of my desk.
His body looked tense.

“I didn’t know it was so bad,” he said so low I had to
strain to hear him.

“Well it was, so excuse me if I don’t accept your apology.”

“Please let me explain myself before you kick me out,” he
pleaded, looking me in the eyes.

I looked at my watch before looking back up at him. “You
have 5 minutes.” I knew Allison would keep her word about coming back in 10
minutes. Jake paced around my cramped office looking agitated before finally
settling down on the chair in front of my desk.

“The day before the auction I got a phone call from the
editor of The Daily Dish,” Jake began. “He told me someone had gone to him with
information about me. More specifically that I was using a matchmaker to find a
wife.”

My eyes widened at his disclosure, but I remained silent as
I waited for him to continue.

“I didn’t know what to think. You know how I value my
privacy. My first thought was that it couldn’t have been you that sold me out.
I thought I knew enough about you to doubt that possibility.”

“And yet—“

“Yes, I know what you’re going to say, but hear me out,”
Jake continued, cutting me off. “I asked him who he got the information from,
but he was very tight lipped about it. He then told me that he had emails and
copies of the contract I had signed with you. I didn’t believe him at first,
but he began reading one of the emails I had sent you about my list of
requirements for a future wife. There was no one else who would have had that
information. It pained me to believe it, but the evidence, it seemed, spoke for
itself.”

“But that’s impossible,” I said. “I never spoke to anybody
at The Daily Dish in my life.”

“I know that now,” he said. “Unfortunately I found out too
late and the damage had been done. I acted like a complete jerk. I don’t know
what came over me or why I did it. Even if you had sold me out, I still
shouldn’t have done what I did. All I can say was that I was upset and
disappointed because I thought I knew you and I felt betrayed.”

I was in total shock at Jake’s disclosure. “How did they
get that information? If I didn’t do it, then who did?” I asked.

The thought briefly crossed my mind that Allison had sold
the story, but it just as quickly went away. Allison would never do that. I
knew it just as I knew my own heart. Allison had a strong sense of right and
wrong, and more importantly, I knew she would never betray my trust.

“It was someone by the name of Jude Marshall.”

My eyes were wide as saucers as I processed everything he
was saying and put two and two together. All the pieces fell into place. The
ransacked apartment, his unexplained departure, my files all over the floor. He
was the one who stole the information and sold it.

I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. Never in a
million years would I have thought Jude capable of that kind of betrayal. He
had always had a selfish streak but he had never done something so intentionally
malicious. I felt the sting of his betrayal powerfully.

“Oh my God! So that’s why my apartment looked like such a
mess. I thought he was only looking for money. But I wonder why he would be
threatening me.” I said more to myself.

“What do you mean?” Jake looked at me keenly, the muscle in
his jaw twitching. “When did he threaten you?”

“Oh just now before you came,” I said distractedly. “He said
something about me ruining his life. It made no sense. I’m pretty sure he was
drunk.”

My attention was recalled by a loud snap and I looked up at
Jake to see a storm brewing in his eyes. I was caught off guard by the utter
look of fury on his face, and involuntarily cringed.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Jake bit out. “Don’t worry about Jude Marshall.
He won’t bother you again.”

“I wasn’t really worried about it. Jude is usually all
talk, so I doubt he’d do anything to hurt me.”

I cocked my head at Jake’s ominous warning. Though he did
threaten me earlier, I wrote it off as Jude being Jude. He would find something
else to distract him and forget the whole incident once he was sober again.
Jake didn’t look convinced and looked like he was making a huge effort to reign
in his temper.

“I think it’d be best to stay away from him,” he cautioned.

My hackles were instantly raised at his presumption. I had
already decided that I’d never speak to Jude again after what he did, but that
didn’t give Jake any right to tell me how to live my life. I had let my guard
down momentarily while the shock of his disclosures threw me of balance, but at
his heavy handedness, it all came back. I was still angry at him.

“First of all, I will do whatever I please. My life does not
concern you, and you do not get to tell me what to do!” I snapped. Jake
flinched at my tone and held up a hand in surrender.

“I just want you to be safe,” he said.

“I can take care of myself.” Jake looked at me with dejected
expression. He heaved a heavy sigh as he ran his hand through his hair.

“You’re right. I—“

“Time’s up,” Allison said, as she barged into my office
without knocking. “It’s been 10 minutes.”

A look of annoyance crossed Jake’s face at Allison’s
entrance.

“I think you should let Chloe decide,” he said peevishly.

She narrowed her eyes at him before they both looked at me.

“I think you should go,” I said.

Jake looked disappointed before he schooled his features to
a more neutral expression. “I see. I’m sorry for bothering you and
for...everything. I’ll get going then.” Jake gave me a last searing look with
something like longing in his eyes before he turned and walked past Allison and
out of my office.

I released the pent up breath I had been holding the whole
time and closed my eyes. I didn’t know how much it would affect me seeing him
again. Allison made her way into my office and was about to sit in the seat
Jake just vacated before I held up my hand to stop her.

“I need to be alone right now,” I said.

She looked at me, concern wrinkling her brow. “You going to
be ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need a moment alone.”

“Ok sure,” she said before stepping out and softly closing
the door behind her.

There was so much I had to process to make any sense of
anything. Not only had Jake dropped a bombshell on me about Jude, but I couldn’t
get over how different he was. The last time I saw him was at the auction where
he was looked so cold and intimidating. Today he looked like a lost man. I’d
never seen him look like that before, and I didn’t know how to feel.