CHAPTER FOUR
By the time Mallory was stocked with clothes for the summit and ball, darkness had fallen. Her limo slid to a smooth stop in front of the Luxus. A liveried man opened her door and held out his hand. She accepted it and stood up. Her skintight, knee-length red sheath clung to her curves as she walked on five-inch heels into the lobby.
She approached the check-in and set her watch. She wondered how long it would take for someone to approach her to kick her out. She was sure Reid had her flagged at each of his properties.
“Mallory Westin. I’m checking into the Grande Suite.”
“Of course, Ms. Westin. Welcome to Luxus. What can we do to make your stay perfect? Do you need tickets to tonight’s show?” the woman behind the desk asked.
Surprised she wasn’t being barred, Mallory smiled nicely and leaned forward conspiratorially. “Actually, I’m here to surprise an old friend of mine. Is Liam . . . oh, I mean, the prince, hosting any parties tonight? I’d hate to wait until tomorrow to see him.”
The woman smiled. The Playboy Prince was famous for his paramours. “Not tonight, I’m sorry. You’re an American and the embassy is hosting a party at their place. I can try to get you an invitation if you’d like.”
Mallory pouted. “Don’t worry about it. I see those stuffed shirts all the time. I’ll just send a message to Liam and see him tomorrow. Thank you.”
Mallory took her key and headed to her suite. Her luggage was already on its way and some unseen person would be quickly unpacking it for her. By the time she arrived in her suite, her clothes would be in the closet and a bottle of wine would be open and waiting for her.
Ambrose and her father would be at the embassy tonight. She wouldn’t have to worry about seeing them there. She needed to get a feel for the party scene if she was to prepare for tomorrow night. Mallory knew just the person to call to find out. As she rode up the elevator, she called Tilley Vanderfield. The young party girl was in every tabloid imaginable for her wild ways.
“Tilley, darling, it’s Mallory Westin.”
“Oh my! Mallory. It’s been forever.”
Mallory almost laughed. Yes, a couple of months would seem like forever to her. It had to Mallory when she was twenty-one. “St. Barts did seem like forever ago. I’m in Stromia. Are you here, darling?”
“That’s totes fab! I’m here. I’m going out with the girls to Montlark. Meet us there at midnight. We should be done with dinner by then. Hey, come to the embassy with us. Lots of hotties there.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. But I have plans for dinner. I’d love to see you at Montlark, though. Save a spot for me and we’ll split a bottle of champagne while you fill me in on what I’ve missed since St. Barts. You have to give me all the deats on the men. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve decided it’s time to marry.”
“
O-M-G
! Are you for real?”
“Totes.” Mallory rolled her eyes as the elevator door opened. She was too old for this. “I get my trust fund this year, and I just simply have too much money to spend on my own. A husband would be amusing.”
“Oh! Can I tell the girls? We can all give you the inside scoop on everyone in town.”
“Sure, but pinkie promise not to tell anyone else, okay?” Mallory tried not to gag as she opened the door to the suite. Was she really this vapid when she was young? She probably was until Ahmed started training her. Seeing and doing the things she did quickly erased any innocence she had left.
“Of course. See you tonight. We’re going to have so much fun!”
“Toodles, Tilley.” Mallory hung up the phone and tossed back the glass of wine waiting for her on the mahogany table. She walked through the living area, past a sleek couch and two chairs, to a desk next to the wall of windows. Picking up the phone, she ordered room service before kicking off her heels and standing at the bank of windows, overlooking the beautiful ancient downtown. For a split second she felt old. It had been a lifetime since she was last here. The memories of the cobblestone streets, the tiny shops, and sitting on the sidewalk sipping cappuccinos seemed just like yesterday.
There was a knock on the door only a split second before it opened. Mallory didn’t bother turning around. She knew exactly who it was. She just wondered what took him so long. She’d already finished her first glass of wine.
“Hello, Bowie.” Mallory watched in the reflection of the glass as her old handler walked over to the table and poured more wine. Old was just a term for how long they’d known each other. Bowie was anything but old. He hadn’t changed much in the years since she left the CIA. He was still drop-dead gorgeous and had a swagger that suggested he knew it.
“Hey, babe. Long time.”
“Dinner is on the way up, and I’m already a glass of wine ahead of you. What, are you slowing down in your old age?”
“Ouch. I didn’t know thirty-eight was old. You certainly have only gotten better with age.”
Mallory turned around and found him enjoying the view of her in the dress. “Thank you. You too.”
“You know, we’re not really working together anymore,” Bowie winked. This had been their relationship since she was nineteen. Outrageous flirting but no follow-through.
“You’re right. Let’s get naked and have wild sex. How do you feel about whips? I’ve been dying to try them out on someone,” Mallory asked casually as she poured another glass of wine. The shocked look on his face lasted only a blink of a gnat’s eye, but it was enough to make her smile.
“That was good. You had me for a second. So, really, how have you been?”
“As if you haven’t been keeping tabs on me.”
Bowie didn’t look embarrassed. “Once a spy . . . Sorry you broke up with that Secret Service agent. He seemed like a nice guy. It was nice of you to hook him up with that girl from the FBI. They’re a cute couple.”
“Yeah, they are. I think he’s going to propose. What about you, Bowie?”
“You know the game. I have my role to play just like you do. Speaking of which, what’s on the agenda? I’m sure you already have a plan.”
Mallory nodded but didn’t explain further as room service knocked on the door and brought in the romantic dinner for two she had ordered. The waiter lit the candles, uncovered the plates, and quietly exited the room.
“Candles?”
“A bride should have some romance, don’t you think?”
“Bride? Who are you marrying?”
“You.”
Bowie choked on his oyster. “Excuse me. I thought your cover was of a wild child.”
“I changed it. I’m spreading the word that I’m looking for a husband to help me spend my trust fund.”
“And I’m your husband?”
“No, you’re the man I’m going to use to make Liam remember his interest in me,” Mallory said before taking a bite of her steak.
“Ah, jealousy is a wonderful thing.”
“Exactly. I’m meeting with Tilley and her friends tonight at Montlark. They’re going to help me find a husband. I need you to show up around one and fuel some rumors. They need to be outrageous enough that Liam hears about them.”
“Will he really care that much?”
“He did propose to me, Bowie. I turned him down because I wasn’t ready to get married. He needs respectability, and the daughter of the highest-ranking senator can give him that. He’ll be sniffing around in no time.”
Bowie raised his glass. “Together again.”
“For one last time.” Mallory clinked her glass to his and drank the wine. One last time and then she’d finally move on with her life. She’d move away from Georgia and just maybe she could find someone to love beside Reid.
* * *
“
O-M-G!
How did I forget Bowie?” Tilley gasped as she saw him walk into the nightclub with a girl on each arm. “He’d be so much fun to spend your money with.”
The party girl was dressed in a skirt that didn’t hide much and a see-through shirt that let everyone there know she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her dyed blond hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail with extensions making it fall almost to her bottom. Her friends all looked the same in their club gear, and Mallory was thankful for the CIA’s twenty-something attire.
Mallory hadn’t been this undressed in public for a long time. A black lace bustier matched her lace miniskirt and was paired with silver stilettos. Her normally long legs seemed to go on for miles. Her waist was cinched in and her breasts thrust forward. She was sure Bowie was going to love it. She might have too if she weren't so worried her breasts would fall out with a deep breath.
“Hmm. He is sexy. But I wanted to be a duchess or something. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“Oh, I know!” Tilley squealed with excitement. “What about a princess?”
“Like there are any good princes available,” Mallory said sarcastically.
“Prince Liam is. He just broke up with that porn star.”
“Really?” Mallory acted shocked. “Hmm, Bowie or Liam it is. May the best man win.” She winked at the girls as they giggled.
“Mallory Westin? Where have you been? Not in my bed where you belong, that’s for sure,” a deep voice said from behind her. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. The girls at the table all giggled and fanned themselves.
Mallory took her time turning around. “Bowie! If only I’d been in your bed, I wouldn’t be so bored now.”
“Let’s see what we can do to rectify that. Come dance with me. Excuse me, ladies, I have a woman to seduce.” Bowie winked to the girls around the VIP table.
Already they had their phones out and the first time Bowie’s hand slid down to squeeze her bottom as they danced, she heard the social media world explode. Pictures of her and Bowie would be all over the tabloids by morning, and Liam would know she was back in town.
* * *
His hands were on her the second the elevator doors closed. His lips were hard on hers, and she ran her hands roughly through his hair. He shoved her against the wall and devoured her until the doors to the elevator opened. They stumbled out and kissed their way to her room.
“Heaven help me, Mallory, are you sure we can’t continue?” Bowie said out of breath as soon as the door to her room closed.
“Sorry, Bowie. As much fun as it would be, we both know it’s not a good idea. Can you make sure that video footage gets leaked?”
“Yeah. I’m friends with one of the guys in security. He’ll release it for me. Do you think it will work?”
Mallory nodded. “I need to make Liam think I’m not here for him. If he thinks he’s won me, he’s more likely to trust me and not doubt why I’m suddenly back after all these years.”
Bowie walked over to the bedroom and a second later came back with a pillow and blanket. “Sounds like a plan. I have a feeling I’ll get a lot of action after you break my heart and choose Liam. Maybe this will be good for me.”
“And there’s the reason you’re sleeping on the couch tonight. Goodnight, Bowie.”
“Goodnight, Mal.”
Mallory closed the door and let out a deep breath. So far, so good. By the next night, she would have reentered international society with a splash. She just hoped Reid didn’t see it. It shouldn’t matter to her; after all, she’d seen him with models in the papers. He had moved on. She needed to as well. After this assignment, she would. Her phone rang, and she dug it out of her cleavage.
“Hi, Elle. What’s up?” she asked her best friend.
“You’re getting married?” Elle accused.
“Wow, word travels fast.”
“So the tabloids are right; you’re actually getting married?”
“Maybe. I thought it was time to start looking to settle down.” It hurt Mallory to lie, but she had to keep her cover. She couldn’t risk Elle saying anything to anyone.
“What about love? And this guy at the club, do you even know him?” Mallory tried not to cry at the worry in her friend’s voice. Elle had loved her unconditionally, even when it appeared she’d gone buck-wild during college and afterward.
“Bowie? I’ve known him since I was nineteen,” Mallory answered truthfully.
“Well, that’s good. But are you really going to marry him?”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
Mallory pulled up one of the gossip sites and cringed at the picture. It was from the club and her breasts were pressed against Bowie’s chest, and his hands were pulling her bottom against him while he kissed her. The headline read
Wild Heiress Ready to Settle Down?
“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy for you,” Elle said with forced support.
“Thanks, Elle. I just want what you and Drake have,” Mallory said truthfully. Her best friend had married her true love, but Mallory knew she’d never have that. Her true love rightfully hated her. She doubted he’d believe she’d said all those things to protect him.
Mallory had written a letter as soon as Reid had fled her bedroom that night. The next day she had found her own lawyer and finance expert. She began the separation of her life from her parents. She had handed her lawyer the letter addressed to Reid with the instructions to deliver it on her thirty-fifth birthday. Next month, he’d know the truth if he read the letter though he'd probably just burn it before opening it.
“If you need anything, Reid is there, and I’m sure he can help you.”