Billionaire Romance Boxed Set (9 Book Bundle) (69 page)

“Yeah, once I dropped your
name.” I switched the phone to my other ear and picked up the bag, pulling
the necklace and earrings out. “She set me up pretty well.”

“Glad to hear it. I’m sorry
if she was cold to you at first. They’ve had issues with ‘customers’ who come
in without the intention of buying anything, just putting on a little fashion
show for themselves and making a mess in their wake.”

“And I looked like one of
those people. Yeah, I get it.”

Daniel was silent for a moment,
as if he wasn’t quite sure if I was being snarky or not.

“I wanted to ask you if you
were free for dinner tonight,” he said, finally.

“Already?” I set the
jewelry down. “I thought you meant, like…next week, or something.”

“I’ve been thinking about it
since, and I feel it would be best to get things off the ground soon. If you’re
free, of course.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to
say something bitingly sarcastic, but instead, I just said “of
course.”

“I’ll send a car to pick you
up at seven o’clock.”

“Sure,” I said, hanging
up before he had a chance to say goodbye.

I couldn’t explain why I was so
irritated. Something about Emma’s demeanor, and his explanation for it, was
more than I could stomach. I didn’t want to spend the next year pretending to
be something I wasn’t, just to fit in. But I’d already signed the contract.

I sat down heavily on the couch,
picking up the sparkling necklace and toying with it gently. Could I get used
to this lifestyle? Did I even want to?

I busied myself around the
apartment for the rest of the day, vacuuming and dusting and wiping down
corners I hadn’t touched since I moved in. My eyes kept drifting over to the
bag from the boutique, and I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about everything
that it symbolized. Years of financial freedom. More money than I had ever
dreamed of. A new lifestyle. A new life.

When the car pulled up, I was
waiting outside, clutching my new black leather purse and trying not to look
awkward.

“Forgive me, ma’am, but you
look lovely,” said the driver as I climbed in. I had to smile.

“Thank you,” I replied.
“Let’s hope Daniel agrees.”

The driver cleared his throat,
and I could tell he wanted to say something.

“What?” I prompted,
finally.

“Well, I shouldn’t say
anything, but…” He met my eyes in the rear view. “I’ve been
suspecting there was something going on between you two.”

Been suspecting? How long had the
driver even been aware of my existence? I felt a chill run up my spine, but I
was afraid to ask the question.

“Well, you’ve got solid
instincts,” I said. “Where are we going, by the way?”

“The Inn at Grenarnia,”
he replied, in a tone of voice that suggested he’d never set foot in that
restaurant himself. I felt like I wanted to scream. I knew the place - they’d
been written up in the paper before, with words of high praise for their
$250-a-plate tasting menus. How on earth was I supposed to behave naturally in
a place like that?

“Wow,” I managed, after
a silence. “Fancy.”

“Well, that’s how Daniel is
when he really likes someone. No expense spared. He must really want to impress
you.”

Or intimidate me. “I guess
so,” I said.

He’d pulled up to the curb in
front of the restaurant. I took a deep breath, smoothed my dress over my
thighs, and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Chapter Four

I had to admit, the restaurant
was enchanting. And I hadn’t even set foot inside the door yet. They had a
large veranda where couples sat on swings and Adirondack chairs, talking,
laughing and sipping wine. Strings of lights twinkled like fireflies all around
the eaves. Off to the side, there was a lush garden, and as I stepped closer to
get a better look, Daniel walked out from under the ivy-covered trellis.

“Maddy,” he said,
warmly, coming towards me and taking my hand. He held it for a moment, and I
had the strange thought that he was going to lift it to his lips. Instead, he
simply squeezed it a little before letting go. “That’s a stunning dress,
by the way.”

“Hi,” I said.
“This, uh, this place is really nice.”

“It’s cute, isn’t it?”

That wasn’t exactly the word I
would have chosen for a place that cost this much, but I just nodded and
smiled.

There was a table waiting for us
inside, surrounded by glowing candles and plants that seemed to be growing out
of the floor. On closer inspection, they proved to be thriving in planter boxes
that were built in to be at the same level. In the center of the dining room,
there was a massive tree trunk; the restaurant appeared to have been built
around it.

“You look surprised,”
Daniel said, smiling.

“I wasn’t really expecting
it to be like this,” I said. “I don’t know what I was
expecting.”

“I can’t stand a stuffy
restaurant,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s not ‘nice’ if
you can’t be comfortable while you’re there.”

We had a reservation for the
tasting menu - of course - which was actually somewhat of a relief. At least I
didn’t have to try and choose the entrée that would make me stand out the least
as someone who didn’t belong there.

But as time went on, I was
plagued less and less with the feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb. By
the time the server cleared away our third set of plates, each with a tiny
Angus rib eye fillet on a bed of roasted potatoes and red wine-marinated
onions, I was talking and laughing like anything. I was just finishing up my
second glass of wine, and I was beginning to feel the pleasant, heady buzz.
Slowly but surely, I was becoming less aware of everyone in the room except for
me and Daniel.

“You didn’t have to bring me
here, you know,” I heard myself blurting out in the middle of an unrelated
conversation. Oh, God. Why on earth had I let those words slip out? That wasn’t
what I meant to say at all.

But Daniel just laughed. He was
beginning to feel it a little himself, I could tell; his eyes were brighter,
the skin of his cheeks rosier, than I’d ever seen. Even in the low light, his
transformation from businessman to just man was very noticeable.

“Yes I did,” he
replied, easily.

“No, I mean…” I leaned
over the table, consciously lowering my voice a little. “We could have
just said we went.”

“Trust me,” Daniel
countered, his face growing serious again. “In the circles I run, it’s
best to back up your claims with as many facts as possible. The staff here all
knows the same people I do; they bring all their first dates here. By being
seen here with you tonight, I’m establishing my backstory.” He smiled,
suddenly. “And having a pretty good time, wouldn’t you agree?”

I nodded, crashing back to earth
with the sudden reminder of why we were really here.

“I’m sorry,” I said.
“I didn’t mean to…bring that up right now. I just, I didn’t want to get
too carried away.”

If he wondered what I meant by
that, he didn’t ask, thank God. I wasn’t even sure what I meant by that. I
hadn’t intended to let on that I was already starting to lose perspective on
our “relationship.” I was sure the last thing he wanted was for me to
actually fall for him. It would make everything so complicated. Why did my
brain always have to do things like this? Why did it have to be so stupid?

“I understand,” he
said. “Don’t worry. If you ever have any questions or concerns about how
I’m choosing to handle all of…this,” he made a vague gesture, “please
don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Sure,” I said,
reaching for my refilled wine glass and taking a substantial swallow.

Daniel sat back in his chair,
rearranging his face into the mask of a man who was having a great time on a
first date. I cursed silently. Even I’d been taken in for a while there. Of
course he was just pretending.

We were at the dessert courses by
now, and I could hardly taste the tiny, re-imagined tiramisu that I shoved into
my mouth. All I could do at this point was pray that things got less awkward
the more time we spent together.

Or, not. I could put up with a
year of awkwardness for two million dollars, couldn’t I? Hell, I’d been putting
up with a lifetime of awkwardness all on my own. And I had no one but myself to
blame for that.

“So, Maddy,” Daniel
said, gently rolling the stem of his empty wineglass between his thumb and
forefinger, rotating the glass a half-turn, over and over again. “What
were you doing with yourself before you came to work for me?”

His words were positively
dripping with meaning. Was this how he talked to people he was actually trying
to seduce? Did it even occur to him, that while the sensible part of my mind
understood he was faking, he was still going to make my hormones rage?

He sounded exactly like in my
dream.

I had to forget about that
fucking dream.

I cleared my throat, trying to
ignore the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. “Retail,” I said,
simply. “And college before that.”

“Where do you go to
school?”

“The Institute,
downtown.”

“For graphic design?”

I nodded.

“You’re very talented, you
know,” he said.

I looked around me instinctively,
as if he could be talking to someone else.

“Thank you,” I said,
finally. My voice sounded very far away. I reached for my water glass. The ice
was all melted, bringing the level of the water up high enough to slosh some on
myself as I took a drink. I groaned, reaching for a napkin to dab myself off.

I’d really done it. I’d managed
to get uncoordinated-drunk on my first date with a billionaire. Great job,
Maddy!

Daniel chuckled, his eyes
sparkling. “No more wine tonight, maybe,” he said. “Would you
like some coffee?”

“Coffee doesn’t sober you
up,” I muttered. “That’s a myth.”

“I know,” he said.
“But would you like some anyway?”

“Sure. Fine.” I dragged
myself into a more proper posture in my chair. “Can I ask you some
questions, Daniel?”

“Anything.”

“Everybody says you’re a
billionaire, is that true?”

His eyes scanned the table. He
actually looked a little uncomfortable, but I must have been mistaken about
that.

“I suppose,” he said.
“I’m not Bill Gates or anything like that.”

“No,” I replied, unable
to stop the lopsided grin that spread across my face. “No, you’re
certainly not.”

He looked up again and smiled
back, a little…bashfully?

“I live comfortably,”
he said. “I’ve never tried to hide that.”

“Sorry.” In retrospect,
I didn’t know what came over me. I knew it was rude to ask people about money.
For some reason, the fact that he was so freakishly rich made me feel like the
rules didn’t apply in this situation. But no matter how much money the guy had,
he probably didn’t want to feel like he was being stared at in the zoo. I realized
I was blushing.

“It’s all right,” he
said. “I can certainly understand the curiosity. And I did say you could
ask me anything. To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know much money I have
at the moment. That sounds appalling. Doesn’t it? God.” He laughed a
little, sounding bewildered at himself. “But it doesn’t really feel like
mine. Most of it came from investments my father set up for me when I was a
teenager. I never really see it. I feel like you’re about to burst out laughing
at me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. I
was tittering. “It’s just…the fact that you can have all this money and
not even touch it. I can’t even imagine. You know?”

“I do. Believe it or not, it
wasn’t always like this for me.”

He sipped his water, and
something in his face told me this was the end of that discussion, for now.

I lowered my voice. “Do your
parents know about your…plan?”

He hesitated for a moment.
“They’ve both passed,” he said, finally, looking up from the table.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” I felt
like I was doing nothing but apologizing tonight.

He shrugged. “The fewer
people know about it, the better. We can talk about this later, if you like.
I’d rather not continue this conversation in public.”

“Of course.”

Well, this was going fantastic.
If this were a real first date, I would have blown it completely. I hunched
over the table, staring down into the steaming cup of organic free trade
gourmet roasted coffee that I hadn’t touched. Daniel was waving the server down
for the check.

Once he’d filled it out with his
own elegant pen, produced from an inner jacket pocket, he leaned over the table
again and spoke in soft murmur.

“I think it’s best, for
appearance’s sake, if we leave in the same car. And I would appreciate it very
much if you would come home with me and spend the night.”

My throat tightened. “So
soon?”

“Well, by this time, we’ve
been having an affair for a few weeks now. It only makes sense you would come
home with me after our ‘first date,’ if only because it’s hardly our first
date.”

“Fine,” I said.

He was almost whispering now.
“You can stay in your own room.” He smiled. “With a lock on the
door. I have no plans to take advantage of you. Right now, everyone here thinks
I’m telling you about all the naughty things I’m going to do to you, when we
get back. Smile back. Smile back.”

I did, even as goose bumps rose
all over my skin. “It’s a good thing the acoustics are so bad in
here,” I purred, slipping my foot out of my shoe and resting it lightly on
top of his. It was dark, but the tablecloths were certainly short enough that
someone might see, if they happened to look. His eyebrows went up a fraction of
an inch. I wasn’t sure if it was the situation, or the man, or the wine, or
some combination of all three, but I felt bold.

“I hope their imaginations
are sufficiently filthy to put the right words in my mouth,” I said,
slowly stroking the small part of his leg I could reach with my toe under the
cuff of his pants. It was the first time we’d touched, other than shaking
hands. I could feel his eyes on me - and the eyes of a few other patrons as
well - but I refused to look up, instead pouring a little cream into my coffee,
stirring it, and then raising the spoon to my mouth. I slid it into my mouth
and licked it clean with an exaggerated gesture. It would be laughable under
normal circumstances, but I hoped the alcohol and the atmosphere would work in
my favor. If I could at least make Daniel half as uncomfortable as he was
making me, then I would win.

Of course, it was backfiring
horribly as well. I couldn’t tell if the look on his face was entirely acting
or not, but I was tingling all over. Even through my pantyhose and the fabric
of his sock, I could feel the heat of his skin on my foot. Suddenly, my mouth
was very dry.

In the low light, his eyes looked
dark. It was impossible to tell if his pupils had really grown large, or if
perhaps something else was growing -

No, no no. Snap out of it, Maddy!

I pulled my foot away abruptly,
clearing my throat and straightening up in my chair. The spell was broken.

His car arrived a few minutes later,
and I let him lift me to my feet and lead me outside, his hand resting on the
small of my back. Yes. There it was. And so soon, too.

Later on, our relationship would
be described as “whirlwind.” I was sure of it.

He had a place downtown, at one
of those high-rise buildings with a doorman. An actual doorman. In this day and
age. I caught his eye and nodded, tittering and leaning on Daniel’s arm.
Playing just slightly more drunk than I really was. The doorman nodded and
favored me with a knowing smile.

The elevator ride seemed to take
ages. A heavy silence permeated the car. I ran my fingers through my hair, my
head still buzzing with the wine and the thrill of deception. The doorman
thought we were an item. Everyone was going to think we were an item. There was
a certain perverse joy in the whole thing, I had to admit.

“What’s so funny?”
Daniel said, and I realized I was grinning like an idiot.

“I don’t know,” I said.
“Just, everything.”

He seemed slightly bothered as we
finally reached our floor and stepped out into the hallway. I wasn’t sure what
I’d said or done to offend him. Then again, it could have been any single thing
I’d done, or a combination of all my missteps finally come home to roost. What
if he was regretting his decision to choose me? The thought made me feel sick
to my stomach - because of the money, I was almost sure. And of course I never
liked disappointing anyone.

He unlocked the front door, and
we both stepped inside.

The front of his apartment looked
like a furniture showroom. My shoes clacked on the polished hardwood floors as
I walked down the hall, past a little table made of sleek black wood, with a
small live bamboo plant on top of it. It was situated as if it might be a place
for the mail, except that putting the mail there would ruin the illusion of a
perfect design magazine home. Deeper into the room, there were two spotless
white couches sitting face-to-face on either side of a gray runner rug that led
towards a massive fireplace. I stepped out of my shoes and sighed, resisting
the urge to rub my temples.