Indebted: Part 2: The Virgin & The Bad-Boy Billionaire (A BWWM Billionaire Romance) (7 page)

“Soon, but we can get ready together. You want to join me in the shower?” He sucks on my earlobe, trying to sweeten the offer.

“No. You’ve never dated a black girl, have you? Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.” I wave my hand to stop him from responding.

He kisses my neck again, “Come on, it’ll feel empty in there without you,” he drags his lips down over my collarbone and flickers his tongue over the top of my breast, tempting me.

“Just go enjoy your hot shower. You’ll manage without me,” I laugh.

“Well, the door is open if you change your mind,” he pouts and his boyish charm almost makes me want to change my mind…
almost
. He disappears into the bathroom and I muster the motivation to leave the cloud he calls a bed.

Once I’ve tracked down all my clothes, I start getting ready when Matthew’s phone starts ringing.
His voicemail will get it
, I run my fingers through my hair in front of the mirror, trying to fix my bed head as much as possible. Whoever is calling seems to keep hanging up when the voicemail kicks in and calls right back. It rings four times, pause, then four more, pause.
Should I answer it? Maybe it’s an emergency.

I follow the noise to his crumpled jeans, fishing the cell out of his pocket. My hand freezes in midair as I see Marjorie’s face on the incoming caller ID.
Why is his ex-fiance calling him?
Her crazy behavior at the Heart and Stroke fundraiser a couple weeks ago reply in my mind. How many more times does he need to reject her before she’ll give up? I drop the silent phone on Matthew’s dresser. She seems to have finally quit her childish phone strategy as the cell doesn’t start up again, even after a few minutes.

Matthew appears beside my reflection in the mirror wearing only a towel and glistening droplets of water. The steam from the shower is puffing out around his feet making his perfect body look even more like a hallucination. I jealously watch beads of water lick his skin as they slide down to the plush towel.

“You know, I was thinking that we should get out of the city, what do you say? Would you like to spend the weekend in the Hamptons with me? The beach is still nice and quiet this time of year. A little windy, but still beautiful and empty.” He pulls his towel off casually and I will myself not to blink as I study him.

“I’d love to, as long as you don’t mind me working on some schoolwork too.”

“I promise that I’ll try to restrain myself long enough to let you get it done,” he smirks, pulling on his dress pants.

“You don’t wear any underwear, even at the office?” It’s so unprofessional, so risky, so…
sexy.

“I never wear them, if I can help it. Strange invention if you ask me, they just get in the way. If I had it my way, you’d never wear them either,” my body responds immediately to his thick voice. “I think that I should have my driver drop you off at home before I head into the office,” his eyes glint mischievously.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” I look up at him from under my lashes, “we have some naughty tendencies when we travel together like that.”

“Exactly,” he slides on his earthy gray jacket, looking just as good dressed as he does naked.

“So, what are we waiting for?”

* * * *

Before the elevator doors open to the lobby, I can hear the raging screams by the doorman’s desk. Matthew protectively wraps his arm around me as we turn the corner. We both jerk to a sudden stop when we see Marjorie’s twisted angry face and her balled up hands shaking at the doorman.

The poor guy looks tired, “Ma’am, you know I can’t just let you go up there. It’s my job.”

“Listen to me, if you don’t let me go up there, you won’t have a goddamned job. Do you understand?” She shrieks in his face.

The doorman looks over at us like the last dog waiting at the animal shelter and Marjorie turns around to see what has drawn his eye.

“Well, isn’t this just favorable timing? Exactly the man I was looking for.” Her voice is suddenly cool as she smooths her hands over her blond hair and gains composure. From raging maniac to a robot in less than ten seconds, that’s gotta be some kind of record in the World Guinness Book of Crazy.

“What do you want?” Matthew doesn’t mince his words; his tone could slice through steel. “Do I need to get a restraining order, is that what it’s going to take?”

“Oh, Matthew. So dramatic,” she purrs, completely ignoring his threat. “I see you have your little charity case with you too. Perfect,” she smiles like a human Cheshire cat, which is appropriate because this scene is starting to make me feel like Alice fumbling for meaning in the world of Wonderland.

“What the hell are you talking about,” Matthew growls, pulling me into him tighter. “You know what? I don’t want to know, just leave Marjorie.”

“Ah, ah, ah. You can’t get rid of me that fast. You see, I know all about your little secret now Mattie. I know all about your little girlfriend and why you took on this pity party.” She returns his burning glare, unblinking. My eyes water, just looking at them.

“I don’t know what you
think
you’ve figured out and I don’t care.”

“Oh, I think you do, and I’m going to enlighten your little community service project here,” she looks at me pointedly. “First, I should tell Miss Cole here that I regret to inform you that you didn’t get the job at Bravark. Tough break dear,” her voice drips with sarcasm and my head spins.
How did she know about my interview? What is she talking about?

Matthew’s face pales, “you didn’t tell me that your interview was at Bravark,” he looks at me frantically.

“You didn’t ask, why does it matter? What the fuck is she going on about?” I’m tired of this game.

“Marjorie, how the fuck did you…?” He trails off, gritting his teeth together.

“Oh, it wasn’t hard when this one,” she flops her hand in my direction, “was handing out her card at the fundraiser like she was at a job fair. As soon as I saw her hand one to Daddy, I arranged a little interview. You know, it’s amazing how much information people will give up about themselves when they think it’s for a job. In your case, a job you will
never
deserve,” she sneers at me.

My head tingles as the personal interview questions flood my mind. I had known that something was off, but I didn’t know what. I still don’t.

“And having a social security number,” she continues, “makes a background check just oh-so-simple.”

I’m fighting a current to stay above water, “so, that wasn’t a real interview? Why would you do that?”

“No, it wasn’t real,” Matthew finally interjects, “Bravark is her father’s business, Kendra. He lets Marjorie hang out around there and gives her a paycheck.” I can see the fury seething just below the surface of his face as he looks back at Marjorie. “It sounds like you’ve already broken a lot of laws, Marjorie. I suggest that you get the fuck out of here,
right fucking now
, before I have you explaining this little mind fuck to the police.”

“Does she know?” Marjorie lunges forward, snapping at us like an alligator bursting through the jungle swamp to snatch it’s unsuspecting prey. “Does she know how you got your scar Matthew? Does she know about your Daddy’s little accident?”

“Enough Marjorie!”

“I always knew you had issues because of your father, but this is ridiculous,” she points at me. “Dating her isn’t going to bring back her poor, dead Daddy. Will it sweetheart?” She smiles at me, and if I wasn’t so confused I would wipe her smirk off with my fist.

“Marjorie,
ENOUGH!
” His voice echoes off of every surface in the sleek lobby, like a crack of thunder warning of a storm.

“What the hell is she talking about, Matthew?” I look at his twisted face and see something else mixed in with the anger. Pain. He’s starting to look more like a wounded animal stuck in a trap than the roaring lion we just heard.

“Oh dear, you mean he hasn’t told you?” Her voice is like sugar mixed with glass, “you see, Kendra, Matthew’s father was many things, but more than anything he was a worthless alcoholic. When he died in a car crash, of course, he was drunk off his ass, as usual. But he didn’t just kill himself in the accident, did he Mattie?”

Matthew doesn’t move; his arm has dropped to his side. I wait for him to indicate whether or not Marjorie is speaking the truth, but he’s frozen.

“He also killed your poor, innocent Daddy, Kendra.” My lungs burn as my head starts crashing under the tide.
What did she say?
“Young Mattie was right there, weren’t you?” She smiles at him. “That’s how he got that ghastly scar across his eyebrow because he was there when your father was gasping his final breaths on the ground that night. All thanks to his dear old drunk Dad.” She looks so smug.

Matthew doesn’t move, “is it true?” I whisper. I can’t breathe, I’m drowning.

“Yes.”

“So how about you go now, get on out of here, Miss Cole,” Marjorie smirks. “I’d say that Mattie has repaid his Daddy’s debt, wouldn’t you? No need to sit around looking for more handouts just because he feels sorry for you.”

I glance at Matthew through my blurry tears, but he’s catatonic. “Is this why you showed up at the diner? To find me? This is why you insisted on a date? So you could fucking feel better? Because you feel indebted to me or something?”

His face has aged ten years during this conversation; his eyes are clouded and he answers me through his unmoving lips, “Yes.”

I don’t run, I don’t stomp, I just walk out the front door and don’t look back. Matthew doesn’t try to chase me down, or call me, he just let’s me go.

He said I was different from all the other girls, different from women like Marjorie. Now I see why. I was never meant to be his girlfriend, I was supposed to absolve him of guilt. Guilt for watching my father die.

This is the end of Indebted Part 2.

Part 3
is available exclusively at Amazon, now. To learn about all of Sadie’s freebies and new releases, subscribe to her newsletter:
http://kinktimemedia.com/sadieblack

Find out how the series ends with
Indebted Part Three
. Available exclusively to borrow or purchase on Amazon, now.

“Maybe you won’t ever get hurt again, but guess what? You’ll never be happy again either.”

The moment Kendra has been dreaming of for years has finally arrived. Why then, does it feel so empty? In only a few days, Kendra will be graduating at the top of her class with her masters in hand. Despite Marjorie's temporary set-back, she's managed to find a marketing job in the city, and she's finally going to be able to leave her minimum wage diner job behind. Her drive and tireless dedication have paid off! Yet, she's never felt more confused and alone. 
After delving deeper into Matthew's past, Kendra learns that things are not always what they first appear. Now that the final puzzle pieces have clicked into place and she has an accurate picture of Matthew Blackwell, she wants him back in her life. 
The problem is, he doesn't seem to feel the same way. 
Will Kendra be able to convince Matthew to overlook their tumultuous beginning in order to have a future together? Or has Matthew had enough of watching Kendra run away?