Risking Her Heart: A Contemporary Romance Novel Read online

  Risking Her Heart

  A Contemporary Romance Novel

  Rochelle Katzman

  Copyright © 2017 by Rochelle Katzman. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, titles, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Chapter One

  Livvie’s hand trembled as she held her raffle ticket. They had been calling out winners for the last hour, but so far, she hadn’t won. Hopefully, it’d stay that way. She hated these events, as they seemed to bring out the worst in her. And nothing could be worse than the day she’d had.

  Today, she had been fired. She had to keep repeating that in her head for it to sink in, and so far, it hadn’t. Writing for Raven’s Edge had been the only sane thing she had in her life, and now it was gone. Like all of her ex boyfriends.

  If it was up to her, she’d give her raffle ticket to Carly and then run out of the catering hall as fast as she could. If Livvie hadn’t promised her best friend that she would attend this event months ago, she would have cancelled. But this was for the autistic school for children that Carly worked for, and Livvie wanted to support her best friend.

  She glanced around the room at all the men wearing tuxedos, and the women in long black dresses like the one she wore. She wondered which husbands were cheating on their wives. If she could guess, she’d say most of them. Rather like the producers at the meeting this morning, especially William Krasner, the executive producer of the show. How many times had he asked her a question and then subtly touched her boob? So many times, she couldn’t count. Each time he had said it was an accident. But that wasn’t true. The décor in William’s office gave the illusion everything was perfect. As she sat in the black leather chair, clutching her small severance package in her sweaty hands, her eyes scanned the bamboo flooring and the expensive artwork on the newly painted beige walls.

  What she’d found most disturbing about William’s office were the pictures sitting on his glass table next to the beige leather couch: one large photograph of his two children with him and his wife dressed in matching white t-shirts and jeans, and an older picture of his wife in her wedding dress. The office made it seem as if William was a successful, happily married man. But rumors were flying around the set that he was cheating on his wife. He had even tried with Livvie. Luckily, she still had morals and turned him down flat. She never wanted to be the other woman. Every rich man she had ever known who held some type of power cheated because they could. They got away with it because no one dared to cross them.

  “Stop looking so miserable, or your face is going to stay that way,” Carly said as Livvie rolled her eyes. “Besides, I think your number is going to be called soon. I can feel it.”

  And that was why Livvie was trembling. She hated hearing her number called, as with it came a momentary sense of panic because she’d have to run up to the front of the room while her table cheered, all attention on her.

  Carly nudged her in the arm. “Just pretend you’re happy. For me. I needed you to come here. The school needed you. If I wasn’t an employee, I’d have bought a raffle ticket, but I’m not allowed. And if it weren’t for this school, I wouldn’t have any money to go to the clubs or go shopping with you. You owe this school.”

  “I don’t shop anymore,” Livvie responded. She was paid well writing for Raven’s Edge, but living in Los Angeles was expensive. Her savings account wasn’t large. Coming here tonight had been expensive, especially with forking out $100 for a raffle ticket.

  “You’re doing a good deed, Livvie. And if the universe sees you doing a good deed, maybe it will help you out,” Carly said in a stern tone.

  “Maybe,” she whispered under her breath. If only life worked that way. Her entire existence was a struggle. Most people either had career issues or love-life issues, but as of today, Livvie had both.

  Carly grabbed her arm, which was already bruised from when she had nudged it.

  “I have a feeling you’re going to win the next one. Every woman in this room will die from envy.”

  Livvie squinted as she looked at the front of the room to see what the next raffle prize was. And then she stopped breathing. She didn’t want to win that one. She would be far happier if she won the prize after that—a basket filled with lottery tickets. Frantically, she scanned the catering hall for a place to hide. But she was stuck in an enormous-sized room with marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and an endless number of tables. She felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

  The presenter resumed speaking.

  “The next raffle prize is a one-week stay at Morganthal Winery owned by Mr. Drake Morganthal. He will personally give the lucky winner a tour of his vineyard, and you’ll have the opportunity to taste many of his highly acclaimed wines.”

  Carly grabbed her arm again and spoke in a loud whisper. “Could you imagine spending a full week at Drake Morganthal’s house? You’d definitely have to find his bedroom and then sneak out of your room at night and surprise him.” Carly laughed. She really was breathtakingly beautiful. When she laughed, her entire face lit up. She and Livvie looked the exact opposite, and she seemed to attract men wherever they went. Even tonight, Carly was wearing a short, hot-pink silk dress with little spaghetti straps. It accentuated her long blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Livvie was wearing a long, strapless black dress, which matched her long dark hair. They both had ivory skin and blue eyes of different shades. Carly’s were sky blue while Livvie’s were darker.

  “This has proven to be the most popular raffle prize offered. In fact, this was the first year we had to turn people away at the door because of fire regulations. Mainly women, from what I’ve heard.”

  Everyone in the room laughed at the presenter’s words, which jarred Livvie out of her thoughts and back to reality. Drake Morganthal was gorgeous, successful, and powerful—a deadly combination in her eyes. Models, actresses, and every other female on this planet drooled either all over him or all over his picture. From what she’d read, he used to work on Wall Street, making millions or probably billions, and then he bought a winery in Napa. He was well known, rich, and sexy as hell. And these were the reasons she hoped not to win. Because she had recently decided to no longer live in an illusion. She had taken off her rose-colored glasses, stepped on them, and threw them away. Those types of men couldn’t be trusted, and she had to stay away from them. She had no intention of staying away from all men, only alpha-males. Her new dream man was humble, quiet, and treated her like a queen.

  “The winner is ticket 89976.”

  Apparently, the universe had a great sense of humor.

  Chapter Two

  Two months later, Livvie arrived at Drake Morganthal’s house, which was more like a castle, actually. She stood in the entrance hall, her suitcase by her side as she looked around in awe. From the pictures on the Internet, she expected his home to look beautiful, but in person it was surreal. A security guard had let her in after making sure she was truly Oliv
ia Collins, the lucky raffle winner. She was definitely the raffle winner. The lucky part remained to be seen.

  A bald man in a dark suit, who introduced himself as Mr. Birkshire, had welcomed her to the winery and told her to wait in the entrance hall, and he’d go find Mr. Morganthal.

  Livvie wondered if he was talking about the owner, Drake Morganthal. Last night, she’d made a bet with Carly regarding whether he would be here this week, and if he was, if he’d even give her the time of day. Livvie had bet that he’d either not be here, or he wouldn’t give five minutes of his time to some random raffle winner. Carly said that he would not only be here, but the minute he saw how pretty Livvie was, he’d personally show her a great week. Livvie adamantly disagreed.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. Collins. Mr. Morganthal was delayed but should be here in a moment. Is there anything you’d like to drink while you wait?” Mr. Birkshire asked.

  Livvie smiled. “Nope, I’m good. Thank you.” This whole thing reminded her of how she felt when she was sitting in a dentist’s office, waiting for her name to be called. She couldn’t understand why she felt so unnerved. Even if she was meeting one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, it wasn’t as if she’d be spending time with him this week.

  Besides, today she was turning over a new leaf and taking back control of her life. She was tired of having a man dictate her every move for her, whether it was the producers at Raven’s Edge, her ex-boyfriend, Zach, who had cheated, or her first love, Liam, who had done a number on her. For the last few months, she’d been mourning over all of them. Every minute of every day her heart ached. It had taken her months to get back to herself after Zach. For one solid year, she had allowed Zach to call the shots in their relationship. She worked around his schedule to see him, she ate where he wanted to eat, and she never argued when he’d cancelled plans at the last minute. She’d been so scared of having another failed relationship; she’d lost herself.

  As of now, she’d decided the ache in her heart had to stop, and she refused to fill it with another unhealthy relationship. She had painfully learned her lessons, and she had no interest in repeating them. She deserved to be with a man who respected her enough to commit and who loved her inside and out, regardless of her flaws.

  Carly told Livvie the best way to start fresh was to go on vacation. Since she still didn’t have another writing job, she’d opted for the free trip. The raffle prize included airfare, car rental, and a one-week, all-inclusive stay at Morganthal Winery.

  Staying at Drake Morganthal’s home was not exactly the best way to start her new life when she’d sworn off arrogant men. Her next boyfriend must be the opposite of arrogant. The moment she detected even a drop of conceit, he would be out of her life forever.

  While she waited, she continued to look around. The entrance hall looked like one you’d see in a fancy house magazine. The floors were shiny, dark wood, and the walls were a rich shade of beige. About twenty feet away were the fanciest set of stairs she had ever seen. The staircase curved dramatically, leading to a bridge at the top with a wooden banister elegantly tying it all together. A magnificent black chandelier with candles hung from the gigantic cathedral ceiling. There were no pictures on the walls, but candelabras were everywhere. In front of the stairs stood a round, mahogany wood table with an enormous, square, glass vase containing all sorts of flowers. She didn’t know a lot about flowers, but she did spot pink ginger in there. On the far wall, facing her, were windows overlooking the vineyard and rolling hills for as far as her eyes could see. Drake Morganthal had exquisite taste.

  Last night, she hadn’t been able to help herself. Carly and she had obsessively Googled him. At thirty-three years old, not only was he the hottest man, ever, but also extremely successful. One minute he was on the news, giving financial advice, and the next, he was appearing on billboards promoting his winery. When he wasn’t working, he usually had a famous model or hot actress on his arm. The paparazzi went crazy over him. His winery had only been around for four years, but it was already extremely popular and profitable. He had made billions on Wall Street and had suddenly quit and started Morganthal Winery after working one summer in a vineyard in France.

  Desperately needing fresh air, Livvie ran to the front door and opened it. Inhaling Napa deep into her lungs felt good. This was the reason she agreed to come here. She needed to get out of Los Angeles, breathe the fresh air in Napa, and enjoy being in nature. These things were important for her to fully heal, so she could find Mr. Right, and stop dating arrogant assholes.

  “Ah, there you are, Ms. Collins. I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. It’s been a crazy morning.”

  At the sound of the deep, masculine voice, Livvie’s first instinct was to run. Everything will be okay, she kept telling herself. If she didn’t feel comfortable staying here, she could leave. She wasn’t trapped. As she gathered her courage, she gripped the door tighter.

  “Oh, no, I hope you’re not leaving already,” the man said.

  Livvie took one last deep breath of the Napa air then turned around. But the site awaiting her at the top of the grand staircase was nothing she could have prepared herself for. Drake Morganthal was gorgeous. No wonder he was known to date only famous models or actress.

  “I wasn’t leaving. I was only breathing in the fresh Napa air. It’s cleaner than it is in Los Angeles.” Livvie said the first thing that came to mind, and she expected a funny comeback line. Cocky men always had funny comeback lines. It wasn’t fair to think this man was cocky. For all she knew, he was the nicest man in the world. But usually, in her experience, good-looking men who never committed to a woman acted cocky.

  But Drake Morganthal didn’t have a funny comeback line. In fact, he had no line at all. He stood there staring at her, and although she couldn’t see his eyes, as he was at the top of the stairs, she could feel his gaze on her, and it was making her feel self-conscious. Maybe it was her outfit. Carly told her to wear something that made her look presentable, in case she saw Drake. But Livvie hadn’t listened. Not that she didn’t look presentable… But she was wearing her blue tank top with a pink butterfly on it and her skinny jeans. At least she’d flat-ironed her long, dark hair before she left for the airport that morning.

  “You’re Olivia Collins? The raffle winner?” Drake asked.

  Livvie swallowed hard. “I am,” she said. “Did I come on the wrong week?” She had no idea why he looked surprised to see her.

  Drake slowly walked down the stairs, not breaking eye contact with her. The closer he got to her the better she could see his thick, dark hair and piercing green eyes.

  “You came the right week. Sorry, I guess I’m a little thrown.”

  “Don’t worry. I throw people off all the time.” She didn’t, but it was the best she could come up with, especially since he was standing close to her. And he looked so tall…definitely six foot something.

  Drake stepped even closer. Livvie’s heartbeat sped up. Was he making a move? They’d just met. But all he did was push the front door closed over her head behind her.

  “I’m Drake Morganthal.” He held out his hand, obviously expecting her to take it.

  “You already know my name, but please, call me Livvie. Everyone does. Even the people who I throw off.” She took Drake’s hand but immediately tried to pull back. His grip was strong, but the skin-to-skin contact shook her. His touch felt oddly intimate. How crazy was that? She’d just met the man.

  Drake laughed under his breath, while shaking his head. “You have a good sense of humor. We need that around here.”

  He was still holding her hand, but after another moment, he loosened his grip, and she was able to pull away.

  “Well, then I’ll try to be as funny as I can this week.” She smiled wide.

  Drake inhaled sharply, taking a step away from her and running his hands through his thick, dark hair. Did her smile scare him? Was it too much?

  Drake cleared his throat. “I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “And welcom
e to my winery. Do you have any questions?”

  “Are you going to be here all week?” As handsome as he was, she was hoping he would have somewhere else to go. She felt so on edge around him. Plus, she really wanted to win the bet she’d made with Carly.

  Drake chuckled. “Since this is my house, yes. Does that present a problem?”

  “What? Oh, no. I was just curious.” It did, but she couldn’t tell him that.

  Drake took another small step back. Did he feel as uncomfortable as she did?

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “My mind is a little preoccupied. Congratulations on winning the raffle.”

  “Thank you. Someone had to win it.”

  “I’m glad it was you.”

  “You are?” Livvie asked. Maybe he was good at giving lines.

  “Yes, a slimy old man could have won,” he said.

  “Or an ax-murderer,” Livvie added.

  Drake laughed. “Yea, that would have been bad.”

  “So I could see why you’re relieved it was me.” She smiled at him again.

  The laughter she saw in his eyes changed.

  “That and many other reasons,” he said, his tone suddenly serious.

  “I could still be an ax-murderer. Have you felt how heavy my suitcase is? I could have an ax and other devices packed in there.” Livvie knew she was rambling about nothing, but she was trying to find her center. Being around this man was making her feel so unbalanced.

  Drake smiled, and it made him look even sexier. She hoped she’d survive this week.

  “I haven’t picked it up, but I’ll remember to lock my door at night.”

  He didn’t lock his door at night? Carly had told her that if he was here, Livvie should sneak into his room at night and get under his covers naked. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

  “Smart man,” she said.