Beautiful Liar by Lexie Davis Page A

to Tanner’s penthouse. He waved at the doorman and
walked over to the elevator, pushing the up button.
    “I’m
sorry, but Mr. Lachlan is out of town at the moment.” The doorman stopped him
before he got in the elevator.
    Noah
glanced around. “Did he say where he was going?”
    “No,
sir.” The doorman stared at him. “He had me forward his calls to his
assistant.”
    Noah
ran a hand through his hair. “Thanks.”
    He
pulled out his phone and dialed the only number he had, the promotions
director, Hannah Delane. He waited while it rang.
    “Hello?”
    “Ms.
Delane? This is Noah Reese. I’m trying to find Tanner Lachlan. Can you tell me
where he is?”
    “I’m
sorry, Mr. Reese, but I’m not at liberty to discuss anything with you about Mr.
Lachlan.”
    The
cool night air couldn’t have cut into him harder than her words. “Look, I’m
begging you. I need to talk to him.”
    “All
I know is that he’s in his house in South Hamptons. He doesn’t want to be
disturbed and I strongly suggest you don’t bother him.”
    “Thank
you.” He hung up and hailed another cab. He’d never been to the Hamptons and he
didn’t know how difficult it’d be to find Tanner, but he had to try.
    He
had to.

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    Tanner
didn’t feel any better after spending a few days hiding out from the city and
the media. He’d been tucked away at his house, running the beach each time he
thought about Noah. And he didn’t want to stop.
    Dropping
to the cool wet sand, he sat there, letting the ocean waves lap at his toes.
He’d been so guarded most of his adult life. Like so many in his type of
business they generally hopped from one relationship to another because there
was no real time to develop something good into something great. He didn’t know
what the hell he felt about Noah. It confused him. Made him doubt his decisions
and his ability to see past what he thought could be something great. He’d
known him such a short time and yet it felt so real, so right. It pissed him
off that he allowed himself to go that far. To unleash his feelings and get
hurt in the process.
    An
escort.
    He
lifted a hand full of sand and sprinkled the granules next to him. Noah seemed
arrogant about it, too. Nothing was between them and yet Tanner felt like he’d
fallen so hard. So fucking quickly. Nothing about it was smart or sane. And it
was clearly one-sided. He clearly wanted something Noah offered without even
consciously realizing it.
    He
stared out at the horizon with the moonlight dancing on the surface of the
water. He decided he really didn’t want to go back to city. Not for a while. He
deserved a break. Maybe he’d even go to his island. Take a trip to Italy. The
business wouldn’t crumble if he took some time off.
    “You
are not the easiest man to find.”
    Tanner
frowned and glanced over his shoulder. Noah panted, bending forward as he
rested. The lights from the house behind him gave him enough illumination to
see his messy tuxedo that had seen better days. Tanner turned back to the
ocean. How the hell did he find him? Better yet, what the hell did he want?
    “I’m
sorry.” Noah moved beside him. “It started out as a lie because of discretion
for my client. I didn’t want a big media spiel about so-and-so hiring an
escort. Some of my clients are married. It just wasn’t right for me to tell you
who I was and what I do.”
    Tanner
lifted more sand to sprinkle. “Why do you think I care?”
    “Because.”
He sat beside him. “I know you do. I felt it. It’s not easy to define, but it’s
there. It’s unique and it’s important.”
    “Now
you suddenly have feelings?”
    “You
and I aren’t all that different, Tanner. We both have been in meaningless
relationships most of our adult lives and we don’t know what to do when we
finally found something that’s real. Something that is wonderful and perfect
and passionate. We try to reason, yet reason doesn’t work. I can’t explain why
we connected so