Million Dollar Mistake

Nothing gets in your way.
Raven closed her eyes. The words echoed in her memories, reminding her of
the boy he’d been, the man he’d become and the success he’d made of himself.
Single-minded focus? Yes, J.R. was right. That was Nicholas. Why had she
thought anything else? Why had she thought he’d changed, thought he loved
her? Words were easy to say. Nicholas was, and could be, a consummate actor
when it was necessary. To her everlasting cost, she’d forgotten that too. Their
voices continued to wash over her.
“I’ve already signed this contract, but I want you to review this section,” J.R.

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continued, pointing at the paper he’d spread on his desk. “If you’re okay with it,
initial and sign it.”
Raven opened her eyes. Nicholas had picked up the paper to read, before
nodding and reaching for a pen. A satisfied J.R. bent to fold the papers into an
envelope before handing them to Nicholas. “Signed, sealed and delivered. I’m
looking forward to doing business with you and Darcy Kristof. It should be a
hell of a partnership. We’re going to make a lot of money, son.”
“Yeah, mission accomplished,” Nicholas said as J.R. shook his hand. “Well,
I’d better collect Raven and take off.”
She swallowed a bitter smile. Collect Raven. As if I’m a parcel set on the front
porch for FedEx?
Letting her temper lead, knowing the pain would come later; she stepped to
the railing and looked down. Her voice rang out strong and fierce. “I don’t think
so.”
Nicholas whirled and looked up, gasping, “Raven.”
Raven looked down into his stunned expression. “I guess that old saying,
‘eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves’ is true. Isn’t it, Nicholas?”
Nicholas stepped forward. “I can explain this.”
“No need.” She pretended to smile, plastering a devil-may-care veneer over
her emotions. “I know I’ve been pretty slow on the uptake, but I’ve got the gist
of the situation now. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”
J.R. left the room as Nicholas started for the spiral stairs that accessed the loft.
“Raven, let me…”
“Oh, I did, darling. Don’t you remember?” She swallowed the sob that was
trying to escape before steeling her voice again. “I have to admit, you really
threw yourself into your work.”
Moving fast, he wound his way up the stairs. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Oh, but I’m so impressed at your commitment to getting the job done to your
satisfaction.”
He’d gained the top of the platform and was stepping onto the floor of the loft.
“I know I should have told you about this deal. I was trying to when we—”
“Were so overcome with passion that you couldn’t? Isn’t that the way this
scene usually goes?” She stepped away from the railing as he moved toward her.
“I mean, that’s the way I generally played it, darling, when I was trying to avoid
telling the truth to one of my lovers.”
He gritted his teeth. “I don’t want to talk about your former lovers.”
“Neither do I, darling. The past is such a bore. I’d much rather think of the
future ones.”
“There are no future ones. There’s only one.”

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“You can stop pretending now, Nicholas. The play’s over. You were a hit. The
action engaged the emotions, and the audience swallowed every bit of it.” She
blinked hard and worked on a light smile. “But now, Elvis has left the building,
and this little ole gullible gal is ready to take off too.”
“Good idea,” he said, grabbing her elbow to lead her across the loft to the
door. “We can talk about this—”
She jerked away. “I don’t want to talk to you again. Ever.”
“Raven,” he said, trying to take her hand, “I love you.”
Raven stared at him for a moment then applauded. “Oh, well done.”
“I mean it. I really love you.”
She placed her hand over her heart. “I heard you and I’m touched. What a
shame I don’t believe it.”
“You have to believe it. It’s true.”
She turned away from him and indicated the room below, referring to the
scene that had just taken place. “The facts indicate otherwise.”
He grabbed her arms to force her to face him. “Look, Darcy was depending on
me to close this deal. J.R. was going to pull out because of your relationship with
his son. He dropped that bomb when I met with him a few days ago. There is no
time to find another investor. We needed J.R., so I agreed to come up here and
rescue—”
She twisted away from him. “Rescue?”
Nicholas flushed under her flashing glare, but recovered to send her a little
smile, which infuriated her even more. “Let’s face facts, sweetheart, the thought
of you in the Exeter family is rather like a peacock squatting in the middle of
brown field mice. As J.R. pointed out, someone had to do something.”
“And you were elected. Sacrificed on the altar of commerce. How noble of
you.”
Nicholas’s temper started to show “You were using me, too, so there’s no need
to get all self-righteous.”
“You’re right, I was. But there’s a difference.”
“What difference?”
“You knew about it. I didn’t.”
“Christ, Raven. If I’d told you, you would have done the exact opposite.”
“I would not.”
“You would and you know it.”
“If you’d told me the truth, I wouldn’t have risked my heart. I wouldn’t have
fallen in love with you.”
“Yes, you would.”
“Will you stop that? You aren’t Mr. Control. You can’t make everything

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happen your way just because you decide it should. I’m a person. I have
feelings. They matter.” She pointed at her chest, the tears she was keeping inside
rising to reveal themselves. “I matter.”
“I know that, sweetheart,” he said, his voice softening. “That’s what I’m
trying to tell you. I’ve only just discovered how much. Believe me, you matter,
Raven.”
“I thought I did.”
“You do. Trust me, sweetheart. Please trust me.”
“I did,” she whispered.
Tears trickling down her cheeks, she walked past him and out the door.
Raven walked to her room, her heels dragging as if she had walked the face of
the earth since the beginning of time. How had it all gone so wrong? She
struggled to make her brain work. Nicholas was right about one thing—she was
using him. At least, it started out that way. She’d used him because he’d offered
a way out of an uncomfortable situation. So why should she be so devastated
that he’d done the same? Do I have any right to take the high moral ground,