MATCHMAKER (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) Read Free Page B

to put your feet.”
    “Why are they all fives? That’s so weird.”
    “It’s the Yosemite Decimal System. I honestly don’t know why they do it like that.”
    “What ones do you climb?”
    “In the gym, five-twelve or so. Outside, tens and elevens.”
    “And fourteen is the highest?” He nodded.
    Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and scowled. Trouble in paradise indeed.
     

CHERISE
    Thursday, for Cherise, was a day of firsts. She cut her graduate classes, she rode in a helicopter, and she tried rock climbing in Cascade Lake, a hundred miles from home.
    The idea of taking ʻincompletes’ for the semester appealed to her more and more. He was paying her to be here. When she’d protested, he insisted her time was worth money. She’d tried to argue, saying what they were doing had nothing to do with the job.
    “Of course it does,” he told her. “You can sell me better as a product if you know me well. This is market research.”
    She gave in and decided to enjoy the ride. From the way he’d talked, she’d thought he would actually be driving the helicopter. The pilot was a man named MacReady, and Sterling’s friend and climbing partner, Evan, joined them as well.
    She thought about Ricky. She’d told him she was working late but didn’t tell him what she was doing. He was getting moodier and moodier and downright nasty about this job. She looked at Sterling and Evan, both very attractive, well-off men. They chatted together with their heads close, a bromance for sure. She compared Ricky to them, and she felt guilty for doing so. He never left the house. He didn’t have friends.
    Sterling laughed and joked with Evan and didn’t make her feel at all like she was hired help along for a ride. All his bullshit billionaire condescension melted away, and if not for the fact they were in a private helicopter, it would feel like a normal trip out with anyone. The guy had plenty of layers, that was for sure.
    At the cliff face, he presented her with rock climbing shoes and a harness. The shoes were too small and felt miserable.
    “They’re supposed to fit like that. It’s not a good feeling. You only wear them when you’re climbing and pull them off the second you get back down.”
    He showed her how to put on the harness without being fresh or an asshole. He tightened her straps and made sure they were all safely doubled back.
    First, she watched Evan climb, with Sterling belaying him. That part looked kind of terrifying because someone else’s life was literally in your hands at that point. Sterling Waters was going to be doing that to her in a few minutes. If he got distracted, he’d drop her and she’d die.
    Evan scaled the first route easily, then sat back in his harness as Sterling lowered him down.
    “You’re up,” he said to her. The rock face looked intimidating and monstrous. “It’s a piece of cake. Follow the white chalk marks on the rock where other climbers have held on. If you ever need to take a rest, let me know and I’ll hold you in place. You can sit right down in your harness. I won’t let you fall.”
    Cherise started to climb. Hand up, then foot up. It wasn’t so bad. Each time she moved, Sterling would expertly rein in the rope so she wouldn’t have far to drop if she slipped.
    Her muscles protested, but the mechanics of it weren’t complicated. As she worked her way up the rock, her legs and arms started to shake. She took deep breaths and finally got to the top where the anchor held the rope. The day was beautiful, the sun peeping through colorful autumn leaves. From up here, she could barely see over the forest canopy to an interstate below. Tiny cars passed by.
    “Just lean back, and I’ll lower you,” Sterling called.
    The idea of letting go of the rock terrified her. She glanced down and immediately wished she hadn’t. She couldn’t even fathom how it would hurt if her body fell from this height.
    “Just sit back, I have you.”
    “I can’t.” Now the shaking