Pawn of the Billionaire(54)

I didn’t know where I was going. That depended on which way the first flight out was going.

I stared out of the bus window, feeling cold. I didn’t want to cry. I was angry. Then I did want to cry. Because I loved him. Even though he’d betrayed me, used me, the thought of never seeing him again was agonizing. My future began to seep in on me. No possessions. Nowhere to live. No job. No friends. No income and limited cash. Worst of all, no James. I couldn’t go to old school friends, I couldn’t go back to my old haunts, work back at the diner. That would be the first place that James would look for me. And he would look, he’d spent time and money on training me, like I was some fucking performing animal. I let the rage build up again. It might ease the pain of loss.





James





Father wasn’t old. He was hale and hearty in his sixties, but my God, he could talk. He was repeating himself, and in the end I cut him short. “I’m sorry, Father, I have to go to work now. And I’ll arrange for Lawrence to identify another suitable girl for Edward. Let’s get together when he turns up again, I’ll fly over, and we can put the fear of God up him, and try and frighten him sober for a month or two.”

Another few platitudes and I rang off. I looked at the clock. Fuck! I’d have to get a move on if I was going to have time for breakfast. Toni would be making smart-ass comments about being late and inconveniencing the staff. I grinned and ran up the stairs three at a time, and swung cheerfully into my suite.

Showering didn’t take me long, and as soon as I was ready, I knocked on her door and went in to collect her. But she wasn’t there. She must’ve gone down for breakfast already, and I saw she’d left a heap of clothes untidily on the bed. I pursed my lips. She knew she was asking for a spanking, doing that. My lips twitched. She enjoyed these punishments far too much. We were so well suited, and I couldn’t imagine going back to my old life.

I saw the diamond jewelry still on the nightstand, and I remembered that Anne Russell had a day off today, thinking we’d still be in Seattle. I went over and picked it all up, so I could lock it away. I smelled her perfume and my cock twitched again. I wanted her again already.

Downstairs, I turned the jewelry over to Lawrence to be put away and went through to breakfast. Toni wasn’t there, although her place was laid. I turned to David.

“What time did Antonia have breakfast?”

“She’s not been down this morning, sir.” He looked unsurprised. “You did have a late night, of course.”

I nodded. “All right. I’ll go and check.”

And I went back up the stairs. Perhaps she’d been in her bathroom still, although I’d assumed she wouldn’t have been that long. I hoped she hadn’t fallen and hurt herself. I hurried in. She wasn’t there. I ran through to my suite. She wasn’t there, either. I tried to quell a rising sense of dread.

“Lawrence!” I called down from the top of the stairs, and he appeared from the front office immediately. He hurried up to join me.

“I can’t find Toni,” I said in a low voice, and we went back into her room. “I left her here, having a shower, while I went down to ring Father about her. Now she’s not anywhere.”

“Was she actually showering when you left?” Lawrence was unflappable.

“Well, she went through as I went out.” I went through to the bathroom. There was water on the floor of the wet room area, although the atmosphere wasn’t that steamy.

Lawrence felt the towels. “These are dry, they haven’t been used.”

I hurried back into the bedroom. Looked in her sitting area. There was no note, no clue. I stared over at Lawrence.

He looked calmly around. “Do you think she might have wanted to speak to you, and come down and overheard your conversation?”

I thought back. “But she’d have heard me telling Father I wasn’t going to send her to England. I told him I love her and she’s going to stay with me.”

He looked at me. “Maybe she didn’t listen to all of it. Did she even know about your arrangement at all?”

I shook my head. I hadn’t mentioned it.

Lawrence turned away. “I’ll go down and see Steve. If she’s gone, then she’ll have taken the car.”

I felt my spirits lift. Of course she would. We could trace her, find her, check she was okay. I hurried after Lawrence.



* * *



Steve’s office was empty. I stared at Lawrence and picked up the phone.

“Just about to arrive now, sir.” Steve’s voice sounded anxious. “Sorry, the traffic was bad.”

“Where’ve you been?” I tried not to sound angry. He was flustered enough.