“I think it’s awful,” she told him with a small shake of her head. “You’re preying on women.”
“I’m not ‘preying’ on anyone,” Rob said in an irritated tone that told her he’d had that conversation before.
“You are. I’ve seen clips of the show. The women are drunk or pressured by the men to the point that they feel like they have to give in. That’s not fair.”
“It’s just a stupid show, Marjorie.”
“It wasn’t so stupid when they came after me,” she said quietly.
To that, he said nothing.
“And those men with the cameras are your employees,” she said slowly. “And they’re here to mess up Logan’s wedding.”
“Yes—no, actually. Okay, fuck.” He raked a hand through his hair again. “Where do I start. So I came to the island wanting a business deal with Hawkings for a new channel. I figured if I caught him on vacation, I might loosen him up. I had no idea he was here to get married. Anyhow, I nearly drowned and you saved me, and from that point on, it became my goal to find out who you were, because I was already half in love with you at first sight.” He looked over at her, and his expression was tender and hopeful.
Hers remained horrified.
He sighed. “Right. Anyhow, I was leaving that night when I ran into you in front of the hotel, so then I decided to stay a few more days to get to know you. In the meantime, Logan finds me in the bar and won’t give me the time of day. Said I was not doing the kind of business he was interested in and to get off the island because I was fucking up his wedding. I got pissed and told my Tits crew to come here and make a nuisance of themselves. Once they accosted you, I told them to leave. It seems they don’t take orders very well.” He grimaced.
Recognition dawned on her face. “And this is why you stood me up yesterday. Because Logan would see you and know you were spending time with me.”
“Yup. And I never wanted to hurt you at all. Not in the slightest.” The look on his face was fierce. “But I was trapped. Logan thinks I’m using you to get to him, and that’s not true.”
She didn’t know if she believed him. She wanted to, desperately, but years of long, lonely experience had taught her that hot, interesting guys didn’t go for the six-foot-tall chick. So she was leaning more toward Logan’s suggestion, too, which hurt. Bad.
“So Logan thinks you’re using me.”
He nodded.
“And yet you slept with me last night, knowing that today I’d find out who you were?”
“Can’t blame a guy for wanting a little taste of paradise before being condemned to hell.”
Her jaw dropped. “That is repulsive.”
He rubbed his face again. “I wasn’t going to touch you, Marjorie. I really wasn’t. Hell, you wouldn’t take no for an answer, and you were so sweet and so fragile that I felt like if I turned you down, I’d have hurt you even more.” The smile he shot in her direction was bitter, tormented. “I was fucking stuck. Either love you and leave you, or just leave you. I chose to get one night out of things, at least.”
He was right, she realized with a sick feeling in her stomach. She’d been so relieved when he showed up and made her feel pretty again that she’d all but begged him to take her virginity. Oh sweet mercy, it was so shameful. “You must have had a good laugh at the ignorant virgin who thought you were her knight in shining armor.”
“I never laughed at you. Not once,” Rob said, his face solemn. “I never cared what anyone thought about me until I met you. I grew up thinking I was completely unlovable and didn’t give a shit. Everyone in the world could think I was some sort of douchebag in a business suit and I didn’t care a whit . . . until I met you. You’re the only person I’ve ever cared about what you thought of me.” He reached for her hand and tugged it between his. “And I love you.”
Funny how the “I love you” didn’t come last night in bed when she’d told him how she felt. It only came now, when he felt cornered, trapped. Hot tears blurred Marjorie’s vision and she swiped at them angrily. “How can you sit there and tell me that you love me when all you’ve done is lie to me?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“From who you really are? Who’s going to protect all those women from you? The women you pay to debase themselves for your viewers?”
“Marjorie, it’s not like that—”
“It’s exactly like that,” she cried, pulling her hand from his. “How would you feel if those men showed up right now and I felt pressured to take my top off? And then it showed on TV?”
His jaw clenched. “I told them to leave you alone.”
“Because you’re the boss,” she pointed out. “If you weren’t and they harassed me, I might have done it just to make them go away. Then how would you feel?”
He said nothing. Just gazed at her with wounded eyes.
“Those women are someone else’s daughters. Their sisters, their girlfriends. You’re profiting off of bullying them.”
“What do you want me to say, Marjorie? I love you. I never intended on falling in love, but I’m crazy about you. If you want me to say I’m sorry, I will. If you want me to sell the network, I will. I love you. I’d do anything for you. I loved you from the moment I saw you.”
“I don’t know if I can still love you, Rob. The man I loved was a lie.”