Beautiful Liar (The Reed Rivers Trilogy 2)

“Oh, wow. I haven’t seen that one in forever. I’d love to read it, for old time’s sake.”

“I thought you might say that...” Waggling her eyebrows, she reaches into her computer bag and pulls out a sheet of paper. “So, I made a high-resolution color copy for you!”

“No way,” I say, as she hands me the page. “This is amazing, Georgie! Thank you.” I kiss her cheek. “That was awfully sweet of you.”

“Well, you’re awfully sweet to me, so... “

Oh, Jesus Christ. Those condors in my belly are back again, full-force. I read the entirety of the short article, stopping once to make a comment to Georgie, and, finally, place the page on the coffee table. “What a walk down memory lane. Wow.”

“I was actually thinking you might like a framed copy for your home office,” Georgie says. “You have all your major ‘firsts’ in there, so I thought...”

“That’s a fantastic idea. Thank you. I’ll give this to Amalia to get framed.”

“Oh. No. I was thinking I’d get it framed for you, if that’s okay.” She smiles shyly. “I know a framed article isn’t much of a gift, but you’ve given me so much. I’m dying to give you something special. Something that might be meaningful to you.”

My heart skips a beat at the sweetness in Georgina’s expression—even as my heart leaps and bounds at the perfect segue she just lobbed to me. I’d planned to give Georgina my gift after dinner. But after a segue like that, how could I possibly resist giving it to her now?

“Speaking of gifts, I have one for you.”

“Oh, Reed. No.”

“Just listen. My meeting this afternoon was in Beverly Hills.” I take a deep breath. Holy shit, my heart is racing. “And when I was walking the couple blocks back to my car afterwards, I happened to pass a store window that was displaying something that instantly reminded me of you. So, I walked inside the store and bought it for you.”

“Reed, no. No, no, no.”

Ignoring her protests, I reach under the couch cushion and pull out the box I’ve been dying to give her. “This is for you. I hope you love it.”

Her wide eyes dart from the blue box to my face and back again. “I can’t accept that, whatever it is. Thank you so much for thinking of me, but it’s way too much.”

“Why don’t you decide what’s ‘way too much’ after you see it?”

“Reed, it’s from Tiffany’s.”

“So what? It could be a bottle opener.”

She’s frozen. In shock.

“Come on, Georgie. Open the box. Are you going to deny me that pleasure?”

She looks deeply conflicted. But, still, she doesn’t move.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious what item in a store window reminded me of you so much, I felt called to buy it for you, on the spot?”

That does it. Her curiosity gets the best of her. With a trembling hand, Georgina takes the box from me and slowly opens it—and then sucks in a sharp inhale when she beholds the stunning treasure inside: a baroque-style ruby necklace set in Spanish gold, its multitude of deep-red gems cascading down in golden dripping, chandelier settings.

“Oh my God,” she whispers. She puts her free hand on her heart. “Reed. This is... exquisite.”

And so are you, I think. And it’s the truth. The look on her face is everything I dreamed it would be and more. Even though I know she’s going to sell it, this moment made buying the perfect piece of jewelry for her, rather than some placeholder that happened to be of the right monetary value, well worth it.

Georgina’s eyes prick with tears. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she whispers. She’s shaking. Flushed. Beautiful.

“The crazy thing is,” I say, my chest heaving every bit as much as hers, “I didn’t even know rubies are your birthstone when I first saw it. The saleswoman inside the store told me about rubies after I asked her to show me the necklace. Did you know rubies are called ‘the king’s gem’?”

Georgina shakes her head, looking like a teary-eyed deer in headlights.

“It turns out, the king’s gem is highly symbolic. They symbolize power and blood. Passion, desire, and fire. All of which is perfect for you, Georgina, because you’re passion and power embodied. A human flame.” And you’ve infiltrated my blood. I grab Georgina’s limp hand. “Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I’ve wanted to tie you to my bed and show you what your body can do, if only you’re willing to surrender completely. But then I got to know you, and I realized I had to wait to do that with you. I knew you’d enjoy it and have fun, to be sure, which is good enough for some... but with you, I didn’t simply want to show you a good time. I wanted to show you something that would transform you.” I squeeze her hand. “Tonight’s finally the night, Georgina. You’re ready to let go completely. You’re ready to trust me. And I can’t wait another night. Tonight, you’re going to wear that necklace for me—a necklace dripping in the king’s gems—and let me worship you as my queen.”