Resisting the Billionaire Collection (35 page)

"I’m not the same guy you used to know,
Alex. I’ve changed."

"You mean Sebastian the Snake is gone? The
Drummond Diggler is no more? The Hole in One Heartbreaker of
Drummond Hall has marked his final notch on the bedpost?"

Sebastian smiled. His brother knew him like
no one else.

"Yeah, and I understand that you're doing
monogamy now? Who’d have ever guessed it?"

There was a silence long enough for
Sebastian to regret his words. He loved his brother, hated not
speaking to him, and really needed his help.

Me and my stupid big mouth.

Then he heard the familiar sound of his
brother’s baritone laughter coming down the phone, an echo of his
own. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Romeo. Tell me the whole story and
then get to the point. Like I said, I've got a big day
tomorrow."

“
Okay, so I took her home
after our date. I told her she was The One."

"You did what?"

"She
is
The One. So I told her
so."

"The
next
one you mean..."

"No way. She is
The One
. I told her that
and then I kissed her. We left our meal behind us and caught a cab
back to her place."

"Her place? What's up with that? You didn't
feel like making her breakfast?"

"Something like that. She doesn't know who I
am."

Alex smacked the phone down into the sheets,
gripping it tightly in his large fist.

"Alex! Alex? Are you still there bro?"

"Goddamn it Sebastian, didn't you learn your
lesson last time?"

"I did, of course I did! God. That's the
whole point. Look, if she learns who I am, then she’ll think I’m
just some spoiled socialite. A Drummond Family billionaire born
with a silver spoon in his mouth and then everything changes. You
know that as well as I do."

"Look what happened to you
last time you didn’t tell the truth. Look what happened to
us
for God’s sake. It
affected the whole family."

"That was different. The plane crash, the
island -- it was all too crazy. This is just temporary. It’s just
until she gets to know me as a person. If she learned my real name
and then looked me up on the Internet with all those crazy
half-truths the gossip people put out there--"

"God help us if the whole truth ever gets up
there."

Sebastian stopped again and then the two
brothers laughed together. It was almost like old times. They had
gotten up to some wild and crazy stuff as younger men and only the
Drummond billions had prevented most of it from leaking out and
into the public domain.

"I want her to choose me for who I am now;
the real me. Not who I was and not who my family is. You get that,
right?"

"Sure, little bro. Sure I do. So tell me
this, what’s the real reason you didn't you sleep with this Alison
girl?"

"I'm getting to that. Look, she’s hot, and I
mean red hot, but she doesn’t know it. Or if she does, it’s not
such a big deal to her. Or she might know she's pretty, but not
that she's drop-dead gorgeous. I'm talking perfect here."

"Jesus little bro, you really have it bad.
Are you sure you don't need to just get this out of your system?
Like just one night? Hell, you can make it as romantic as you want
and then see what's in your heart the next day after your ball sack
is empty."

"That's the whole point. You're not
listening. Look, we got to her place and we were all over each
other, ready to tear each other's clothes off. That’s when I
realized..."

"You realized what?"

"That I couldn't do it."

"Couldn't do what?"

"I can't just sleep with her. It's not
enough."

"Jesus. What else do you need to do with
her?"

"Look. I need to ask you a favor. A huge
favor."

"Shoot."

"I mean a really huge, crazy favor."

"Just get to it already."

"I'm talking the kind of favor that just
asking for it could ruin a whole relationship."

"Jesus Christ Sebastian, what the hell kind
of sick thing could you ask that you haven't asked me before
already?"

"This is different."

"Whatever it is, just tell me. I promise you
that no matter how disgusted with you I might feel and regardless
of my answer, we can forget about it and move on afterwards.
Okay?"

He hoped to God that would actually be the
case.

"I want you to try and get her into
bed."

Alex put the phone down again. This time he
let it go. His little brother. Already 32 years-old but still
acting like some crazy adolescent. Would he ever change? Would he
ever grow up?

He picked up the phone again.

"No." He said. "Now let's just put that
behind us and move on."

"I can't." Sebastian said.

"Why the hell not? I'm giving you a chance
here, dumbass. You just asked me to do the craziest, stupidest
thing one brother could ever ask another and I'm letting it slide.
Now please just let it go for Christ's sake."

"I can't. I won't. You've got to do this for
me."

Alex rubbed his hands to his face. Was this
for real? Was he dreaming?

"Just tell me why, for God's sake. I mean, I
won't change my mind, but please just help me understand why the
hell you would want me to sleep with your girl."

"Not just my girl; it’s
the woman I love. And I don’t want you to sleep with her, I want
you to
try
and
sleep with her."

“
Okay, whatever. I don’t
really see any difference there. So just please explain to me in
what crazy parallel universe this could ever be considered a good
idea."

"Don't you remember what happened on the
island?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But you remember."

"Of course I remember. But I won't talk
about that. Not with you, not with anyone else."

"Does Melanie talk about it?"

"There's only so much of this, Sebastian. So
help me, you keep pushing me and I will lose it."

Sebastian was satisfied. It was still an
issue for his big brother. He had intentionally tricked his
sister-in-law into almost sleeping with him before she had slept
with his brother. He had tried to take his big brother's first love
from him, right from under his nose, and nothing could ever change
that fact.

"Do you know I haven't touched another woman
in all this time?" He admitted.

"Sure you haven't. And the Pope has retired
to become a male stripper."

"I swear to you. Not since that night on the
island have I laid a finger on a woman since then. Not since
Melanie chose you over me."

"Talk to me about anything else, little bro.
I’m warning you. Don’t go there."

"She chose the right one: the smart one, the
strong one, and most of all, the good one. I didn't deserve her and
I've never forgiven myself for what I tried to do to her and to
you."

"So what is this? Some screwed up way of
making amends? You tried to do mine so now I have to do yours?"

Sebastian didn't answer. It seemed like he
just couldn't make things right no matter what he did. But he was
determined to keep on trying.

"It's more than that, Alex. It's not just
about you. It's about me as well."

"You really are going to make me sick,
little bro. Please, just stop here,"

"No, you need to hear me. You're the only
person I trust and the only one who can do this for me."

"God damn it, Sebastian."

"I need to know that I'm the one she wants.
She needs to choose me."

"It sounds like she already has, what the
hell more do you need?"

"She needs to choose me, not Sebastian the
Billionaire."

"I thought you had that covered already.
What's your alias? Homeless guy? Taxi driver? Penniless charity
worker?"

"Barista."

Alex exploded into laughter. "Barista! Oh my
God. Of all the stupid-ass things to do. Don't tell me you're
pouring coffee for minimum wage in some coffee chain?"

"That's exactly it."

"You are crazy, my man. Do you know that?"
In spite of himself, Alex was beginning to like the idea. All rich
men have the same problem and he had been a victim himself. It had
taken a plane crash and a desert island for him to find his true
love and determine if she was the one for him. But his little
brother had gone one better: go incognito, take a low paying job,
and make her fall in love believing that you don’t have a dime to
your name. Not every woman will say yes to a good-hearted ordinary
Joe, but every woman who does will certainly say yes to a surprise
billion dollars from the same guy.

"Why the hell didn't I think of that?" He
murmured. "So obvious."

"But I need more. I need her to pick me over
you."

"Come on little brother, forget about it.
I'm over that whole thing on the island and you should forget about
it, too. Let's just pretend it never happened. Come back to LA with
your new girlfriend and come back to work at Drummond. The place
just isn't the same without you."

"I can't. I need to know it's me she wants,
not just what I look like. I need her to love me for who I am."

"But she already does!"

"How do you know that? I sure as hell don't.
But you can be sure of Melanie, one thousand percent. She chose you
over me, even when she was sure you were going to be a disinherited
penniless bum."

"Jesus Christ little bro, is that it? Are
you jealous? Is this still about Melanie?"

"Of course not. I'm really happy for you
guys. But I want what you have. I want someone who will choose me
above anybody else, even above my more handsome, more gifted, more
charming, and more successful older brother."

"Flattery won't work, little bro. The answer
is no. I will not sleep with your beautiful new girlfriend, as
tempting as it might otherwise sound. Besides, I'm with Melanie now
and I don't cheat anymore. It wouldn't be fair to her, to you, or
to Alison, so forget about it. I know you're stubborn, but so am I
and this… this utterly stupid, immoral, and badly thought out thing
I will not do. Not for you, not for anyone. End of discussion."

The brothers lapsed into silence. Neither of
them wanted their first real conversation in over a year to end
this way.

"Look Sebastian, I need you for something
back here in LA. When are you going to be home again?"

"Not for the foreseeable future and not
until you promise to help me out."

"I need a best man for my wedding."

Now it was Sebastian's turn to put the phone
down. After all, he had done to his brother: tried to sleep with
his bride-to-be, stolen his identity, and then cut off all contact
with him for a whole year. Still he would ask him to be his best
man.

He put the phone to his ear again.

"I'll do it." He said, his voice low with
emotion. "It would be an honor."

"You couldn't have made me happier, little
bro."

"But I need something in return."

"No! I won't. I already told you--"

"Not that. I know it was crazy, it seemed
okay somehow in my own head. But out in the open, hearing your
reaction, God, it's just so stupid. Christ, I can’t even believe I
thought about it. Look, I'm sorry I even said it. So let's just
forget about it, okay?"

“
Okay, deal. So what's the
condition?"

"I just want you to meet her. She knows
about you. She believes I'm a barista but she knows I have a twin
brother who is very successful. I'd like you to come out here to
the East Coast and get to know her, that's all."

"That’s all? What would be the point of
that?"

"Well, I want to get your take on her.
You’re the only person I trust and my head is all over the place
here. I need you to just meet her."

Alex desperately wanted to heal the family
rift between himself and his brother. Just when their father and
mother had reconciled and he found the woman of his dreams,
Sebastian had disappeared from their lives. If only he would
return, the family circle would be complete for the first time
since their mother had left when they were boys.

"I just want you to get to know her,"
Sebastian continued, "and then make a simple pass at her. If she
slaps your face then I'm okay. If she takes you up then you don't
have to do anything at all. Just tell me. Either way, I'll be your
best man."

Alex took a deep breath. This maybe he could
do.

"There’s no way I’ll sleep with her though.
You understand that, right?"

"Of course I do. Hell, I’m counting on it.
Why else would I ask you? There’s no one else on this planet I
could ask to do this."

“
Okay, little bro. It's a
deal."

"Yes! Alex, you are the greatest. I am so
blessed to have a brother like you."

“
Okay, okay, no biggie.
Anything for my little bro -- well, almost anything. Look, it's
been great talking but I really need to get some shuteye. I’ve got
some heavy duty stuff tomorrow that you just wouldn't
believe."

Chapter
Fourteen

"Excuse me, please."

A tall, well-dressed man went to sit down on
the inside seat next to Sebastian that he was reserving for
Alison.

"It’s taken." Sebastian said.

"It don't look taken to me, brother."

"And you don't look like an imbecile."
Sebastian replied. "But unless you didn't hear me, I will have to
assume you are."

The man backed off.

At the next stop, Alison got on. Their eyes
met instantly and all the frustration and aggression left his body.
He stood up, encircled her with one powerful arm, and then steadied
her as the bus lurched from side to side. Alison was thrilled by
his powerful forearm around her waist and felt herself lifted up to
tiptoe like a doll. His lips met hers and fire ran through her
instantly. No man had ever been able to touch her like this
before.