Claimed For The Billionaire's Convenience. Melanie Milburne

the music was loud, Zack could still hear his father sigh with depressing regularity.

      Zack tried not to think of the night he could have been having with Holly. During the interval, he did his best to listen while his dad went through every reason why his life sucked since his divorce twenty-four years ago.

      The musical finished close to eleven p.m. Zack waited in the theatre foyer while his dad went to use the bathroom. He scrolled through his messages and found a curt text from Holly. He’d offered her a rain check and she’d texted back.

      No, thanks.

      Zack was surprised at how disappointed he was. Surprised and galvanised. He would have to work harder to win her over. He smiled to himself and put his phone back in his pocket. But then he saw Holly not more than a metre or two away, coming out of the other side of the theatre with a young woman. The dark-haired woman was attractive, but he only had eyes for Holly. Her emerald-green dress was sweater girl snug against her breasts and clung to her shapely hips and thighs as if spray-painted to her body. Her black high heels had little straps that wrapped around her dainty dancer ankles. Ankles he wanted wrapped around his waist. With her curly copper-coloured hair in a sophisticated up-do and cover-girl make-up, she was sweet girl next door meets sexy supermodel. She laughed at something her friend said and something in his chest gathered together like the final stitch in a wound. The tension trickled down to his groin, hot, tight, tempting. He was vaguely conscious of his breath stopping and starting like the stutter of an old engine.

      Rein it in, buddy. But right then his brain wasn’t listening to his body.

      Holly suddenly turned her head and registered him standing there and her gaze narrowed and heated to a fulminating glare. Her fingers tightened on her clutch purse and then she came striding towards him, weaving through the knot of theatregoers.

      ‘Enjoying your prior engagement, Mr Knight?’ Her words cut through the air like shards of ice and she looked to either side of him, presumably to locate his date.

      Under normal circumstances, Zack would never have explained he was on a night out with his father. But he felt Holly deserved some explanation. A city this size and they happened to choose the same West End show? Give me a break. ‘I’m sorry about cancelling tonight. I forgot I promised my father we’d spend the evening together.’

      Her expression faltered for a moment. ‘Your...father?’

      ‘Yes. He’s just gone back to use the bathroom.’ Zack nodded towards the direction of the theatre toilets. ‘He’ll be out soon.’

      ‘How soon?’ A note of cynicism sharpened her tone another notch.

      Zack glanced at Holly’s friend, who was watching them from a distance, her expression reminding him of a spectator at a boxing match. So far he was losing. Big time. He turned his attention back to Holly. ‘There must be a long queue or something.’

      ‘Actually, that would be the female toilets with the long queue.’ Holly’s eyes flashed. ‘I don’t suppose your...erm...father is using one of those?’

      His father was taking so long to come out Zack was starting to worry. Surely it didn’t take this long to take a leak? Could his father have taken a back exit? Was he even now downing a few drinks at a nearby pub? Drowning his sorrows in a glass of whisky? Multiple glasses of whisky? His mouth clamped to a barrel of the stuff? ‘Holly, I can explain—’

      ‘Please don’t waste your breath or my time.’ Holly’s chin came up and a bomb went off behind her eyes. Shrapnel and scorn rained down on him.

      Should he tell her about his concerns about his dad? He had told no one. It was too private. Too personal. Too painful.

      Zack’s guts churned at the thought of having to search every pub in the neighbourhood. Of finding his dad sitting in a dark corner, quietly sobbing into his scotch, like so many times before. So far he’d kept the press away from his private life, but since his dad had moved back to London from the West Country a couple of months ago after this recent break-up, he wondered, how soon before someone connected him with the sad drunk who couldn’t get his life back on track? Not that Zack was ashamed of his father—he felt sorry for him more than anything. Sorry for him and frustrated with him at the same time. But he knew if the press brought attention to his father, it would only push his dad further into a pit of despair, perhaps even push him over the edge...

      Zack released a slow breath, hoping it would calm his racing pulse and spiralling panic about his father’s whereabouts. ‘My father is going through a rough time just now and I—’

      ‘My heart bleeds.’ The sarcasm in her tone stung like a slap. She walked back to her friend, and a section of Holly’s up-do fell from its position and swung from side to side as if it too were giving him the flick.

      Zack was torn between wanting to go after her and the need to find his father. He couldn’t risk it. Not today of all days. This time his father had won.

      But didn’t he always?

      ‘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