Bedding The Billionaire(50)

She heard Lucy sigh, pad across her floor and felt her comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Lucy asked.

Abbey shrugged. She didn't have an answer to that. She just figured she was genetically geared to fail where men were concerned. She had a habit of picking the wrong ones, except this time it was worse. She really felt like her heart had been ripped out of her body, tossed around, then put back upside down and inside out.

She felt awful.

And she had no one to blame but herself.

"I let him think I slept with Vane."

"What! Why?"

Abbey shrugged. "It seemed like a good way to punish him at the time." She sobbed. "And because I'm an idiot."

Lucy hugged her. "You're not an idiot. It's probably your subconscious helping you out."

Abbey withdrew her hands and looked at her friend. This she had to hear.

"Maybe you're really not interested in Nick Delaware after all and it was your subconscious telling you. Besides, it's a great punishment. I couldn't have thought of a better one myself." 

Abbey returned her head to her hands and let out a low wail. "That's the lousiest piece of advice you've given me yet."

Lucy sighed. "I know but it was the only thing I could come up with on short notice. Look, Abbey Girl, he's gone back to Sydney already. Unless the hotel's housekeeper didn't arrive on time." Lucy burst out laughing. Abbey shed a fresh set of tears.

"Oh, now, I was kidding. It's just that the image of a little old woman walking in on a naked Nick Delaware tied to a bed is hilarious. It's exactly what he deserves. Imagine his humiliation! It's fantastically funny."

"No, it's dreadful. He must hate me."

"Probably."

"Oh, Lucy, what am I going to do?"

"Nothing. Forget about him."

"I can't. I think I'm in love with him."

"You haven't even known him a week! How can you be in love with him?"

Abbey shrugged. She didn't know the answer to that, but her heart told her it was true. Surely it wouldn't hurt this much if she didn't love him.

"Besides, it's only been a day since you saw him -these things take time to get over. Give it another week or two and you'll laugh about this." Lucy laughed. "It's very funny. I can just picture his face -"

"Don't, please. I feel like the worst woman in the world."

"Why? What did you do? He's the one who lied. He's the one who put you through a ridiculous test. He's the one with an ego problem, not you."

"Yes, but I told him I slept with Vane when I didn't. Now he thinks that not only was his test justified but I'm a slut too."

"Don't let any man call you a slut. You're not. No woman is. We don't call single men names when they sleep around yet we get labeled sluts and whores when we do. It's wrong. If any man called me a slut I'd knock him down flat."

Abbey almost smiled. She could imagine Lucy doing just that. "Yes, but you didn't see the look on his face. He was...horrified. I thought he was going to be sick."

Abbey started a fresh bout of crying. Nick had looked awful when she'd thrown him that lie. Something inside him just seemed to go...slack. As if he'd been crushed.

As soon as she'd said it Abbey had regretted it. She wanted to get Nick back for lying to her, but she should have settled with tying him to the bed and leaving. That at least was embarrassing and should put a severe dent in his arrogant ego when housekeeping turned up. But letting him think she'd slept with Damien was unfair.

And it appeared to affect him more than the bondage.

In fact, if he did have any feelings for her, that little piece of information would drive them away. He wasn't likely to call her now.

Good. She didn't want him calling her. She just wanted to forget about him and this entire sorry week. She wanted to get on with her life.

"Abbey Girl, let me assure you that however he looked last night, he's going to forget about you within the week. He'll be dating some society bimbo who fawns over him and really does only want him for his money. But I doubt he'll forget the housekeeper's face as she untied him -at least you made some impact." She giggled again. "I wish I'd been there."

Abbey raised her head. "Do you think so? Do you really think he'll forget me that quickly?"

A tear dripped down each cheek as that thought sank in. Maybe he would get over her easily. She couldn't see why not. A good looking rich man like Nick probably had models throwing themselves at his feet. The thought made her feel ill again.

The phone rang and Lucy picked it up. She listened then put the receiver to her breast so the other person couldn't hear.




 

 

"It's Tarken. Shall I get rid of him?"