Lorelei James - Bound

“Like I mentioned previously, I haven’t actually spoken to Ronin about this. He instructed Maggie to find a project for your company and hire you outright. She contacted me, letting me know what my brother had demanded. I decided to intervene.”

“So you came to Denver to see if I was some gold-digging hustler.”

She lifted a slim shoulder. “It’s happened before.”

Amery frowned. “To Ronin?”

“No. To me.”

Why was she being so forthright? Because it sure as fuck didn’t run in the family.

“You seem surprised I’d tell you that.”

“I’m used to your brother’s nondisclosure.”

“I’d point out it’s a Japanese thing. But it’s mostly a Ronin thing.”

“Didn’t you do a background check on me?” Amery demanded.

“I didn’t need to.” She nonchalantly sipped her tea. “Ronin had you checked out shortly after you two met.”

“Checked out how?” And how had Ronin’s sister found out about it?

“Having the investigative company Okada keeps on retainer call your known associates, your customers, your neighbors, your friends, and your family.”

That bastard. It hadn’t been the insurance company after all. Another wave of anger rolled over her.

“So you know nothing of our family’s background?” Shiori asked.

“None,” she said flatly.

“Our grandfather married an English nurse who treated his injuries after World War Two. She was assigned to Japan during the allied occupation. She was quite a bit older than him, but they married anyway. Evidently my grandmother had been exposed to chemicals during the war and with a weakened immune system, she died during an influenza outbreak a few years later, leaving my grandfather a widower at age twenty-two with a year-old daughter. In his grief he threw himself into his food supply business and ended up building an empire.

“Our mother fled his control and married an American soldier. After our father’s death, our mother chose to bring us to Japan. I was five and Ronin was eight.”

While Amery appreciated the family history, she wasn’t sure why Shiori felt the need to tell her. Simply because Ronin hadn’t? Nothing she’d said had helped Amery understand why Ronin had kept so much from her.

“Earlier when I asked you who you thought I was, why did you hesitate?”

“I wondered if you were Ronin’s ex, Naomi. I don’t know much about her beyond that she’s Japanese. Someone told Ronin a few weeks ago she planned to visit Denver. I imagine since she and Ronin were together for a while you knew her.”

“I was at the club when Ronin met Naomi. In fact, the only reason he went there that night was me. Did he tell you about it?”

Ronin’s sister was aware of his club activities? Or maybe she was fishing for information. For some stupid reason Amery wanted to protect Ronin’s secrets.

Because you’re in love with him.

And right about now that made her the biggest idiot on the planet—how could she possibly love someone she didn’t know?

When she realized Shiori was still waiting for her response, she shook her head.

“I’d just been granted a divorce and I came to the U.S. with a friend. She wanted to go to the Denver Japanese Social Club and I was afraid she’d hook up with her old boyfriend and ditch me, so I begged Ronin to accompany me. He hates those places, but he agreed and that’s where he met Naomi. She was involved in international finance and was in the U.S. to oversee her father’s business interests. They hit it off. For a while anyway. Until Ronin found out . . .” Shiori looked uncomfortable for the first time. “Sorry. I talk too much.”

But Amery’s mind had already latched onto the fact that Ronin hadn’t met Naomi at a sex club as he’d led her to believe, but at a social club.

Was there anything he hadn’t lied to her about?

His lust for her.

“So knowing all this . . . what are you going to do with the information I gave you today?”

Something in Shiori’s tone seemed off. Amery turned the question back on her. “What did you hope to gain from telling me this?”

“An insight into my brother’s frame of mind.”

“Through me?”

“Yes. And I’m afraid I can’t say any more than that.”

“You don’t have to.” Amery stood. “You’ve said plenty.”

A panicked look flashed across Shiori’s face. “Wait. You’re leaving?”

“No point in staying here and listening to more of the Okada/Black/Hirano saga since it no longer affects me.”

Shiori’s eyes narrowed. In that moment she looked so much like Ronin that Amery’s chest tightened. “How does this not affect you?”

“Okada Foods dangled the carrot and I bit. Shame on me for being hungry. But now that I found out it wasn’t a real carrot, I won’t make that judgment error again. You got the answers you wanted and so did I.”

“You’re not pitching the project?”

No fucking way. “No.”

That shocked Shiori, but she recovered quickly and tossed off, “Petulance doesn’t make good business, Ms. Hardwick.”

“Neither do lies.” Amery picked up her portfolio and dumped all of the design work on the conference table. As she reached inside for her keys, her fingers brushed crinkly wrapping paper. She pulled out the package and all but threw it on the table. “Oh, I almost forgot to give you this.”

“What is it?”

“A parting gift, a cheap token of my affection, a meaningless gesture I’d brought in good faith. Take your pick.”

Amery walked out with her head held high.

AFTER the meeting with Ronin’s sister, Amery found herself at loose ends. She drove aimlessly for an hour, knowing once the shock wore off, her wrath would kick in again—full force this time—and she’d go off the rails.

She had no one to talk to. Although she and Emmylou had mended fences, her friend hadn’t revised her opinion on Ronin Black. She’d just accepted that the man would be in Amery’s life. So showing up to cry on Emmylou’s shoulder, about Ronin’s lies, and deliberate omissions, would make Amery look like a naive idiot for blindly trusting him and not heeding any of her friends’ concerns about him.

Was saving face really more important than unloading all the heartache that was threatening to choke her?

Yes.

She couldn’t go to Chaz either. He’d been marginally more supportive about Ronin than Emmylou, but Chaz defined materialistic. He’d be wowed by Ronin’s status as a billionaire heir. He’d encourage her to forgive Ronin for misleading her about his true colors—which were apparently green, the color of money. Then he’d toss off a comment that he could think of a billion reasons why she should just let this issue go.

Yeah, it sucks to be involved with a gorgeous sex-god billionaire.

But Amery wasn’t that shallow. And she couldn’t give a damn about Ronin’s financial status—until she’d learned that he’d withheld the truth about it.

What burned her ass, scarred her soul, and shredded her heart was that Ronin hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her anything about who he really was. But he’d demanded full disclosure, body and soul, from her.

A sick feeling started to take root.

That wasn’t really true. Ronin had never demanded anything from her. She’d just been so crazy about him, so happy that he’d helped free her from some of the moral confines that’d held her back her entire life, that she’d given him every part of herself without question. She’d willingly handed herself over to him physically, emotionally, sexually because she’d trusted him, because she’d believed he was being equally honest with her.

Not so.

Even after his rope proclivities came to light, he’d basically said take me as I am.

She had.

But that wasn’t who he really was.

And that made her question who she was.

AMERY showed up at the dojo and rode the elevator to the second floor. Not many classes were held this time of day, but she didn’t give a damn if the entire dojo was in attendance. She’d say what she had to.

She found Ronin Lee Black, otherwise known to her now as Rich, Lying Bastard, in the largest training room. He remained at rest in front of the class of black belts. Amery paused out of view and watched two men grappling until one guy plucked up his opponent and slammed him into the mat.

What she wouldn’t give to be able to do that to Ronin right now.

She didn’t know if her heart had ever pounded as hard or her blood had ever pumped as fast and hot and angry as when she stormed in.

Every student turned to see who was dumb enough to interrupt his class.

Amery didn’t wait for him to acknowledge her. “Sensei. A word please. Now.”

Ronin spared her one quick glance. “The ‘no observation’ policy is in effect all day, every day. Return to the main room.”

“I’m not leaving until I talk to you.”

“I am teaching.”

“And that time is sacrosanct?”

When he looked at her, his face betrayed nothing. “My classes take precedence over everything, Ms. Hardwick.” Including you went unsaid.

Putting her in her place and then he all but dismissed her? Screw that. Screw him. He spoke to the wide-eyed students as if she weren’t seething in the doorway.

She interrupted him with, “Would you prefer to discuss the meeting I just had with your sister in front of your students? Because I’m good with that too.”

Without meeting her gaze, Ronin said, “Everyone out. Five minutes. Don’t go far.”

After the students were gone, she said, “I’m thrilled you can spare five whole minutes for me.”