Resisting the Billionaire Collection (32 page)

"What's up with you?" She asked, curious.
"You look all hot and bothered--" The words died in her throat as
she saw Sebastian following close behind with a smug half-grin on
his face. She changed her tone instantly.

"You guys are late." She said. "We got lines
forming. Daniel, out front right now and I mean right now. Alison,
I need you in back. Come with me."

"I'll go with Daniel, the team looks like
they're getting crushed out there."

"They can handle it. I need you in back
right now."

Sebastian fumed silently. MJ and her stupid
tricks again. Ultimately, they would never work but they were
definitely an annoyance. She had no earthly idea who she was
dealing with. Sebastian Drummond was no Brad the Slacker. But
unless he wanted to break his cover and defeated the whole purpose
of his subterfuge, then for the moment there was nothing he could
do.

Alison couldn't imagine what was so urgent.
She gave Sebastian a confused glance as she turned to follow MJ. He
knew that look very well. So many women looked at him that way,
trying to arouse his interest. But Alison was different. He could
feel a stronger, deeper attraction that went beyond any calculating
or strategies of flirtation.

It was the real thing. He was sure of
it.

When she got to the office in back, MJ was
already sitting at the desk, staring at the computer screen.

"So what's more urgent than serving
customers?" Alison said.

"This." MJ turned the computer monitor to
Alison who stared, uncomprehending.

"Brad Pitt?"

"Sure looks like him, don’t it? But it ain't
him. Take a closer look."

Alison read the title of the webpage:
Certified Millionaire Singles. Premier dating website for the
financially secure single male.

"I don’t get it." She said. "Who is this
guy?"

"He's your date for tonight."

"What are you talking about, MJ? I don’t
have a date for tonight. I just broke up with real Brad yesterday,
how--"

"This guy, who is a certified millionaire
and a dead ringer for Brad Pitt, already has the hots for you and
is expecting to see you in Jean Jacques tonight at 7:00." MJ could
see the fire beginning to rise in her friend.

"Cancel it. I'm not interested."

She would have to act fast.

"Hold it Alison, just listen. I'm not asking
you for anything except that you just go and meet this guy. He
already knows what you look like."

"How does he know that?"

"I uploaded some profile pics for you. Do
you even know how beautiful you are?"

"I don't need anyone right now. I just need
time and isn't there some law about stealing another person's
identity?"

"Is there a law against caring about your
friend so much that you’re willing to risk making them angry in
order to help them?"

"This isn’t helping."

"He’s already expecting you. If you don’t
go, he’ll be disappointed."

"Not my problem. Just tell him the truth;
I’m sure he can handle it. Probably better than you can."

The friends faced each other off, both of
them seething until finally MJ sighed and sat down behind her
desk.

"Come on Alison, let’s just take a deep
breath here okay? Both of us. I just want you to take a look,
that's all. Just a look. Of course, we can cancel the date, but
don't make me do that without at least reading the guy’s profile.
He's a total sweetheart and he's so, so looking forward to meeting
you tonight. He made his millions with a smartphone application
that helps parents to raise their kids in a green and
environmentally friendly way. How cool is that? You should see it.
And every five cents on the dollar goes to a charity for children
in need."

Alison sighed.

"And he looks good enough to eat as well."
She gave a soft cat's meow to emphasize her point.

"Why the hell wouldn't you go? The girls in
this place, hell, half the girls in Manhattan would kill for a
chance to go on a hot date with Mr. Perfect here. Have you got
something better to do tonight?"

Alison didn’t move. MJ knew she was making
progress.

"You're young, single, and beautiful. You
should go and see what's out there. Why wait around?"

Alison hesitated. "He does sound like a nice
guy." She said.

"The nicest!" MJ emphatically agreed. "So
what’s it going to be?"

"Oh, what the hell. I’ll meet him. As it’s
all set up already, I guess it can’t hurt."

MJ grinned and began typing
frenetically.

Something still felt wrong to Alison though.
She should have been more excited, but instead she felt miserable,
exhausted, defeated.

"What are you typing?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just finalizing a few
details."

"Is this date even set up yet?"

MJ hit the send button on her email
response.

"It is now. You just said yes to the date of
a lifetime."

She looked at her friend and then back at
the smiling face of Brad Pitt on the screen.

"I'm meeting a millionaire in one of
Manhattan's swankiest places in just," she glanced at her watch,
"eleven hours." Suddenly it hit her. "What the hell am I going to
wear?"

The two women jumped up and began screaming
and shrieking like kids in a schoolyard.

Olivia was waiting for Sebastian when he got
back to his workstation. She had taken over for Alison.

"Hey Daniel, you're looking good today, have
you been working out?" He ignored the comment. Olivia was nice, she
was a friend of Alison's and was definitely cute in a sexy Latina
way, but Sebastian was completely uninterested in her. He
realized quickly that she was standing unnecessarily close to him
and that she was making a point of brushing her arms lightly
against his whenever they came close. But he was like a man of
stone. He wasn't going to be trapped so easily. This was how MJ had
taken care of Brad. Olivia was going to be disappointed.

"I know what’s going on here." He said.

"Do you?" Olivia grinned. He was right but
she had prepared for today and for exactly this reaction. MJ and
she had agreed that while MJ would take care of getting Alison in
front of the sexy millionaire, Olivia would take down of the
amorous and good-looking, but penniless barista.

"You’re trying to take me out of the
picture." He said.

She moved in close to him and he felt her
arms brush against his own. Her sweet perfume filled his nostrils,
completely different to the intoxicating simplicity of Alison’s
presence.

"What picture is that?" Olivia said.

He felt the familiar soft and warm squeeze
of boobs onto his right forearm. Olivia was really giving it her
best shot. He had to admit that she was pretty hot stuff and
after a few goes, he was beginning to form an erection. He was only
human after all. But that didn't mean he would respond. He hadn't
had sex in a long time and had thought about nothing but taking
Alison to his bed, day and night for the whole week, so it was only
to be expected that the physical presence of a soft, ample, sexy
Latina squeezing her bazongas up against his bare forearm would
elicit something of a response beyond his mental control.

Luckily, he had his barista's apron strapped
on tightly. He had taken care to do so, just to keep everything
firmly in place while he was working with Alison.

"Tall latte, please." Sebastian was grateful
for the distraction of a customer. He ignored her question and
tried to ignore her as well, but every glance in her direction
found either her hot eyes waiting to meet his or some curvaceous
part of her anatomy offering itself to his gaze.

He was sure he could see her nipples
becoming hard and stretching out the Tête-á-Tête logo on her
t-shirt.

She looked at his strong, well-formed ass as
he leaned over the counter to hand a coffee to his customer.

Dirty work,
she smiled to herself
but somebody has to do it.

When she wanted to she could really turn it
on and there were few men, single or otherwise, who could ignore
her.

If he's straight, single,
and human, I'll get a reaction.
She
thought.

She checked for signs of an incipient
erection but it was hard to tell under his barista's apron.

He is one hot piece of
ass.
She couldn't help telling herself.
Over and over and over again. The truth was that she was beginning
to get a little hot and bothered herself being so near to him. His
reluctance to engage with her was turning her on and she could feel
her nipples swell and begin to stretch the logo on her Tête-á-Tête
t-shirt.

No harm in letting him see
that.
She thought.
What man won't get turned on watching these bazookas get
primed and ready for action?

She noticed his watch. It looked
expensive.

"I like your watch." She said. "Is it a new
one?"

"This one?" He looked at the watch and
realized he had screwed up. It was one of his regular watches and
he had put it on automatically without thinking. The thing must
have cost over $50,000, if his memory served correctly. How could
he afford that on barista wages?

"Finally, it speaks." Olivia grinned
flirtatiously. "Yeah, this one. Why? How many have you got?"

"This one was a gift." His brother Alex had
given it to him.

"Looks pretty fancy to me. Must be someone
who likes you a whole lot to give you that."

"It was. My brother gave it to me."

"Is your brother loaded? That thing looks
expensive."

"Damn right it is. And yes, he is 'loaded'
as you put it. He's a very successful man."

Olivia paused a moment.

"Bummer." She said.

"I don't understand. Is that bad?"

"Wow. You are one helluva guy. Most folks
would be a little jealous, you know? He's some big shot and here
you are, you know, don't get me wrong, but you're here with me in
this joint. That's gotta be some serious sibling rivalry there.
He's older than you though, right?"

"Twins."

"Shit. Double bummer."

Daniel laughed. "Not really. We get along
pretty well and he gives me gifts like this, so why would I
complain?"

Olivia smiled and smiled. She was really,
really beginning to like this guy. For a moment, she looked more
natural, less flirty. Sebastian liked it a whole lot better.

"You really are one helluva guy." She said.
"I bet some beautiful girl has you all sewn up for herself already,
ain't that right?"

He looked very serious for a moment,
thinking deeply. Technically, he was single, but in reality, Alison
really did have him all tied up.

"You could say that." He was absolutely
taken alright, but just by somebody who didn’t know it yet.

"Bummer. Because if you were free, you know,
tonight, I'd love to hang out and talk sibling rivalries. I've got
an older sister just like your brother. I love her to death, but
she's got it all. No way for me to compete."

"Well, look Olivia, I appreciate it a lot,
but I'll have to take a raincheck. I have other plans for tonight
that can't be changed."

Olivia gave him a longing smile with a look
that nearly ate him alive. There could be no question that she was
available to him, fully, in any and every way he wanted. But he had
decided that tonight was the night he was going to ask Alison out.
When she accepted, he would take her somewhere low-key: not too
expensive, but classy and tasteful.

"Any time you're free, sweet thing." She
offered, "You just let me know."

She was a sweet girl, and really hot. Maybe
under some other circumstances. He gave her a long smile
back.

"I sure will." He said. When he looked
around, MJ and Alison were right behind him. 

Oh no.
He thought.
Come on!

His demeanor changed instantly.

"Alison," He said urgently, "I was
just..."

She walked past him to her station and began
setting up. MJ gave him a smug look.

"Nice going, lover boy." She whispered.

Olivia put her hand to his arm with a huge
flirty grin on her face.

"You still tied up tonight, gorgeous?"

He pulled his arm away from her and turned
back to the counter. There was a customer waiting.

"Anytime today, guys. Can't you get a room
for that kind of thing?" The crusty middle-aged man in front of
them had a loud voice and Sebastian cringed inside as he saw Alison
look over towards them. MJ watched and gloated. She loved it.

He had been played. Mr. Know-it-all
Billionaire, fooled by two little waitresses.

I'm Sebastian Drummond for Christ's
sake.

He pushed his way past Olivia as she
squeezed her ample bosom to his chest again.

"Alison, please, I've got something to ask
you. Olivia was just joking around."

Alison looked at him with guilt in her
eyes.

"Alison?" He said. "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head.

"No. I'm fine." She said.

"Great. Are you free tonight? I can pick you
up at around 8:00?"

Alison seemed stunned, shocked.

MJ sneered at him. "Pick her up in what,
lover boy? What bus stop should she wait for you at?"

"Daniel--" Alison began MJ cut her off.

"She has a date for tonight already." She
said. "With a millionaire. A successful guy; a guy who can take
care of his woman, not like that loser Brad." She gave Sebastian a
withering look. "Not like some guys."

His head was reeling. He had grown up with
girls and women who were after just two things: his money, or his
sculpted body. However, he had never known this kind of contempt
and cruelty. He suddenly felt for the men who hated him because of
jealousy. The occasional employee down through the years who
although well paid had done something petty and vindictive, like
pilfering or even embezzling. Maybe this was what regular guys had
to put up with all the time.