Claimed For The Billionaire's Convenience

‘That was Zack Knight, wasn’t it?’ Sabrina asked. ‘What did you say to him? You looked like you were going to hit him.’

‘Drat that odious man.’ Holly grabbed Sabrina’s arm and led her out to the street. ‘This is exactly why I’ve stopped dating. He said he was here with his father. His father! Who takes their father to a musical? Excuse me while I throw up. Does he think I’m that naïve?’

‘Not all men are two-timing jerks. Maybe he really was here with his father. Or his mother.’

Holly gave her the side-eye. ‘Or his sister? His second cousin twice removed who happens to be his personal trainer?’

Sabrina grimaced. ‘Point taken.’

Holly glanced back to see if Zack’s ‘father’ had joined him but there was no sign of either Zack or whoever was supposedly with him. She’d been a fool to think she could outsmart him. Damn him for turning the tables on her. He was probably on his way back to his palatial penthouse by now with his ‘date’. Grr. She wished now she’d acted a little more blasé about him cancelling their date. Why should she care if he decided to take someone else out? She hadn’t wanted to go out with him in the first place. Of course she hadn’t. Well...maybe just a wee bit.

‘He’s amazingly handsome, isn’t he?’ Sabrina’s voice had a note of star-struck fan about it. ‘Like one of those European aftershave models, all brooding and sexy. No wonder you’re feeling a little disappointed.’

‘I’m not disappointed. I was only going to go out with him to mess with his head. And to improve my reputation. But I’ll think of some other way to do that. I will not be jerked around by a man who’s a player.’ Holly blew out a breath like she was blowing out the last candle on her self-esteem. ‘Damn. I wish I’d seen who he was with. I wonder where he was sitting. I’d like to know who my competition is.’

‘I’m not sure who could compete with you wearing that dress,’ Sabrina said. ‘You look amazing.’

Holly tucked her escaping section of hair back into position. ‘Humph. I didn’t think it was possible to dislike a man so much.’ And still be attracted to him.

Holly got back to her flat a short time later to find a package had been left on the table outside her door. Mrs Fry always left any post or parcels that came for Holly if she didn’t come home straight from work. She picked up the gift-wrapped box with a small card attached and took it inside her flat. She took the card out of its envelope and read the message.

Sorry to cancel at short notice.

Hope these make amends.

Zack Knight

Holly studied the bold strokes of his handwriting for a long moment. She put the card down and unwrapped the package to find a box of handmade chocolates from a high-street chocolatier. How had he known one of her weaknesses was chocolate?

Holly began to take one out of the box but then snatched her hand away. No. She was not going to be tempted. He could send her boxes and boxes of chocolates, truckloads of them, but she was not going to let one past her lips.

Not a single one.

Zack searched four pubs before he found his father. He was sitting at a booth at the back of the pub with a drink clasped between his hands that thankfully looked like it hadn’t been touched.

His dad looked up as Zack slid into the booth opposite. ‘I know what you’re going to say, so don’t start. You don’t understand. You’ve never been with someone longer than a week or two.’

‘Dad...’ Zack moved the whisky out of his father’s reach. ‘I know it’s hard. It’s always been hard for you, but you have to accept that some relationships end and you have to move on.’

‘Move on?’ His dad leaned his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands. ‘How can I move on? Every relationship I have ends up failing. It’s because I can’t love anyone else like I loved your mother. I keep trying but it never works.’

Zack wondered if his dad really did still love his mother or was longing for the life they’d once had. Theirs had been a whirlwind courtship ending in marriage, hastened by his mum becoming pregnant with him. And while the marriage had been mostly happy for the first few years—or maybe he’d been too young to know any better—it hadn’t taken long for his mother to look elsewhere for entertainment. Zack’s dad had forgiven her for an affair with the gardener, and another with the pool man, but the following year she’d left him for the local vicar, creating an enormous scandal that people in the village still talked about to this day.

Zack put his hand on his father’s shoulder. ‘It’s been twenty-four years, Dad. Surely that’s enough time to—’

His dad raised his head to look at him. ‘You’re as stuck as I am. That’s why you don’t date anyone long-term. I blame myself for your lack of commitment.’

‘I’m happy the way I am. I don’t need someone permanent in my life.’

‘I tried my best to be a good father but I failed you.’

‘You’re a great father. Stop being so down on yourself.’

‘But you’re a playboy.’ His dad’s tone couldn’t have sounded more disappointed if he’d said Zack was dealing cocaine.

Zack laughed but somehow it didn’t sound too convincing. ‘Hey, I thought you admired my lifestyle.’

‘Do you know how it makes me feel? Like a failure. A dismal, pathetic failure. I can’t have a successful relationship and neither can you. I’ve cursed you with my own inadequacies.’

Zack was shocked to find his father blamed himself for his lifestyle. So what if he shied away from commitment? That wasn’t an inadequacy—it was his choice. It had nothing to do with his childhood. Well, not much. ‘That’s crazy, Dad. I don’t consider it a failure to be single.’

‘You don’t understand.’ His dad looked at him with a watery gaze. ‘Your mother and I had ten years together. Ten years where everything was fine. You haven’t been in love. You don’t know how wonderful it is to be that close to someone. You haven’t met The One.’

I hope to God I don’t. He didn’t want to end up like his father, emotionally shattered by every relationship that came to an end. He didn’t want the responsibility of someone else’s emotional upkeep. It was hard enough supporting his father for all these years. But he had to do something to ease his father’s guilt. He had to show his father he wasn’t the man whore he thought he was. And he knew exactly how to do it. He just had to convince Holly to go out with him.

‘Dad, actually there is this girl I’ve met. She’s pretty special. I think you’d approve.’

His dad grabbed Zack’s wrist. ‘Really? How special?’

‘It’s early days, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone else.’ It wasn’t a lie. Zack had never felt so drawn to a woman before. He only had to picture Holly’s flashing gaze and plump mouth and he got hard. Rock-hard.

His father’s expression brightened like someone had turned up a dimmer switch. ‘It would make me so happy to see you settled with a nice girl. Maybe give me a couple of grandkids—’

‘Hey, hold on.’ Zack laughed and got to his feet. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’ He picked up his dad’s coat off the booth seat and handed it to him. ‘Come on. Let’s get you home.’

CHAPTER THREE (#u956dd8c2-e420-5983-91e8-6c81686c8ee6)

HOLLY HAD TO get up early the next morning in order to get to the New Covent Garden Flower Market, which opened at four a.m. She could have flowers delivered, and often did so when pressed for time, but at least twice a week she liked to select her own, especially when she had a run of weddings. Not that she had any weddings on the horizon, but still. She could dream, couldn’t she? The bright array of colours never failed to lift her spirits. Roses in every colour imaginable, pink and white and blue hydrangeas, gorgeous pink and white peonies the size of teacups, sweet william, tall, stately irises in cobalt blue or egg yolk yellow, fragrant lilies and colourful tulips and baby’s breath as white as a summer cloud.