Deceit Read Online Free

were brought on by the pain of the past, the uncertainty of the present, and the fear of not knowing how the hell he was going to get through the next day, much less the rest of his life. They often came on him like this when he couldn’t sleep and when all he could think of was Liana.
    Liana. She had haunted him for eleven years, and in that time he had found that being haunted by her was worse than any ghost. Ghosts were illusory. If you saw one, you might not even be sure of what it was you were looking at.
    But Liana. No matter where he went, she was there. As one of the most photographed models in the world, her picture graced countless magazine covers. Every newsstand he passed, every coffee table he sat at, every doctor’s waiting room he went into usually held at least one magazine with her picture gracing its cover. Her wide teal eyes would stare out at him, taunting him, reminding him of the one question that drove him to work twenty-hour days.
    Success had become the god he worshiped. But nothing was ever enough. There was always one more business triumph to achieve. One more possession to buy.
    Yet the emptiness remained. And the question persisted.
    Why hadn’t she loved him?
    Two
    Liana rose early and ordered room service, then slowly dressed and ate a leisurely breakfast. Her purpose was to have ample time to compose herself. When she finally left her room, she wanted her nerves well hidden beneath the cool facade of the super model. If she should meet Richard, she wanted no hint of how he affected her to show. It wasn’t a perfect plan, she acknowledged, but it was all she could think of for the moment.
    At the knock on her bedroom door. Liana’s hand jerked, toppling the delicate china cup onto its side and sending hot coffee spilling over the pristine white tablecloth. So much for her plan, she thought with disgust. She hastily righted the cup and snatched up the linen napkin to blot as much as she could of the cup’s contents.
    When the second knock came, she sighed and threw down the napkin. “Coming.”
    She used the short walk to the door to prepare herself for whoever might be on the other side. Hopefully, it was Clay or Sara, checking to see if she was ready for today’s shoot. Surely it wouldn’t be Richard. He hated her. If over the years, she’d had any doubts, their encounter last night had eliminated them.
    Still she didn’t kid herself. Trying to avoid him would accomplish only so much. Their situation was volatile and unpredictable, and she had to be ready for anything. Half expecting to meet steel gray eyes, she opened the door and was astonished to find a beautiful young woman with cinnamon-colored hair and lovely green-gold eyes.
    “Good morning. I’m Caitlin Deverell-DiFrenza. I hope I’m not disturbing you. ’’
    Liana recognized the name immediately. Caitlin Deverell-DiFrenza was the owner of SwanSea. “No, not at all. Please come in. ”
    Caitlin entered and cast an automatic, all-seeing glance around the room. The disorder on the serving table propelled her to the phone where she dialed a number. There were no pushbutton phones at SwanSea, only beautifully designed decorator phones that blended with each room’s elegant decor.
    “Please send fresh table linen and a carafe of coffee to room thirty-three.” A magnificent emerald wedding ring set flashed on Caitlin’s hand as she hung up the phone.
    “That wasn’t necessary,” Liana said, “but thank you.”
    “You’re more them welcome. I want my guests to have the best service possible.”
    Uncertain why Caitlin was in her room, Liana waved her hand toward the sofa. “Would you care to sit down?”
    “No, thank you. I don’t want to keep you. It’s just that I heard about your accident last night, and I was worried. ”
    “Don’t be. It’s really nothing more than a bad scrape. ”
    “Are you sure?”
    Liana smiled. “I use to get scrapes worse than this when I was a little girl. There was a big oak