Mr. Handsome: A Billionaire Romance (18 page)

“I had lucked out…sort of, with a really good in-between job, so to speak. I worked for a modeling agency that paid really well, but they worked me to death and I couldn’t
wait
to get out of working there,” I explained.

Trent seemed impressed.

“I have to give you props. A lot of people don’t usually start out in a city like this without at least a solid career in hand.” 

Trent and I went back to our work for a while, and then soon lunch time came around. It would be a new experience for me to actually go out, take a break to eat, and then come back. Usually, I ate while working, if I had the time or could remember to eat lunch.

“Hey, I know this great sandwich shop around the corner from here, do you want to have lunch together?”

The way Trent phrased the question made me pause, but I forced myself not to read anything into it. Hell, if Jeffrey could have breakfast with his ex-girlfriend and not tell me about it, then I could have lunch with a co-worker.

“Sure, I could go for a good sandwich,” I said with a smile and Trent led the way out and down a couple of blocks to the sandwich shop, which got slammed as soon as we placed our lunch orders.

“Good thing we left when we did, or we would have never gotten our food in time,” Trent commented as we found a table outside to sit and eat. I had ordered a Vietnamese sub which Trent expressly suggested I try and he had an Asian inspired meatball sandwich. While we were eating, my phone rang. I checked to see who it was; Jeffrey, of course. I ignored the call and put my phone back in my bag.

“Toll free number?” Trent asked curiously and I chuckled.

“I wish…no it was just this guy…” I said vaguely and wondered what Jeffrey and I even were, I guess he was just a guy I was dating. It wasn’t like we came out and said we were not free to see other people…maybe that’s why he thought it was okay to have breakfast with his ex? But I had told him how I felt about her.

“Whoa, I just opened up a can of beans, I see it all over your face,” Trent said before he took a sip of his lemonade.

I laughed sardonically; he had no idea.

“It’s just…I’m dating this guy and I’m not sure where things are going with us, though he’s led me to believe that we could maybe work. I don’t know, it’s all just confusing right now, really,” I said truthfully.

I unloaded more than I had intended onto a complete stranger and the embarrassment slowly crept in. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say all of…that,” I said and Trent waved off my apology.

“It’s alright, it just sounds like whoever you’re dating is either screwing up royally, or doesn’t know what he has.”

My head snapped up so my gaze could meet Trent’s. He was smiling at me and looking at me with open appreciation…did he
like
me?

“Uh…” I didn’t know what to say. Trent smiled and I bit my lip, I was definitely nervous. I felt almost as if I was cheating on Jeffrey, though I wasn’t even
doing
anything. Plus, Jeffrey was the one having clandestine breakfast dates with his ex-girlfriend.

“Would you maybe consider going out on an actual date with me? Whenever you’re free?” Trent reached into my bag to pull out my phone and he put his number into it. My eyes were probably wide with a bit of surprise. I hadn’t really expected Trent to be so bold.

“Um…sure,” I said, because why not? I wasn’t in a committed relationship with Jeffrey…obviously. Plus, it was almost more realistic to date Trent. There was no way I would have been able to keep up with someone like Jeffrey. He was a model for Pete’s sake. Trent smiled like he was the happiest guy on the block.

“Great, I’m actually free tonight, are you doing anything?” he asked me curiously, his expression was open and expectant.

“I am busy tonight, actually…” I said, though I wasn’t too sure anymore. I did plan on confronting Jeffrey about his breakfast date and that might end up in our breaking things off. I wasn’t going to have him playing around with my emotions.

“Oh, okay well, if your night opens up, don’t be too shy to call. Otherwise, of course, we can always make a date for another night,” Trent smiled, he was confident, but not too confident. I liked that.

“I definitely will,” I said and then we finished our lunch and went back to the office. We people watched on our way back. Trent had a way of noticing funny things about people.

Work went by just as quickly in the afternoon as it did in the morning. I left the office with a huge smile on my face and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I loved my job.

I went back to my apartment and decided to return Jeffrey’s call. He answered on the first ring.

“Christina, I’m glad you called me…I missed you, missed your voice. How was your first day?” Jeffrey sounded relieved that I called and I wanted to yell at him about this morning, since he thought I didn’t know.

“My first day was great, actually. Though you threatened to ruin it this morning when I went for breakfast at the Second Avenue bagel shop,” I said bluntly.

There was a pause on the other end of the line and then Jeffrey sighed.

“I should have told you I saw her again. She was at the bagel shop while I was getting my own breakfast and she practically begged me to at least have a conversation with her. I thought I’d hear her out to see why she all of a sudden wanted back into my life,” Jeffrey explained.

“I thought you knew already what she wanted,” I said. I hated that I sounded so accusing, but I couldn’t help it. Jeffrey was like some sort of kryptonite for me, he got under my skin and I hated that I felt so vulnerable when it came to him.

“Me, too, but it’s…more complicated than I thought with her. She’s been through a lot recently and just reached out to someone who has been her friend for a very long time. I mean, I know…I know she could still have ulterior motives, but I had to at least hear her out.  Christina, please try and understand. I want
you
, I don’t want anyone else and that is what matters, I won’t so much as touch her when I have you.”

“Do you have me, Jeffery? I mean we’re just dating. That’s the bottom line still, you’re not technically committed to me and…if you want to be there for her that’s fine, I can’t control you. I just…I don’t want to get too invested into us when there is Roxanna so obviously trying to keep you for herself,” I said truthfully.

Jeffrey was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.

“I don’t want Roxanna, Christina, I want you,” he said quietly. The sincerity in his tone touched me and I grew both sad and angry that it did.

“I just don’t trust her, Jeffrey. How would you feel if our roles were reversed?” I asked him. A vivid picture of Trent barreled to the forefront of my mind and I quickly squashed down that guilt. All I had done, really, was let him have my number.

“I’d kill any guy who so much as looked at you too long, let alone kissed you.” Jeffrey was so blunt and quick with his reply that I was shocked into silence. Jeffrey sighed harshly. “I’m crazy about you, Christina, I don’t want anyone to mess up what we have…how about we make a pact, right now?

“We’re no longer ‘dating,’ we’re together and we put each other first,” Jeffrey’s tone was final as he made the vow and I bit my lip. That’s all I really wanted;
he
was what I wanted, I couldn’t deny that. No, he wasn’t the safe bet, but my heart wanted him and that was what mattered.

“Okay…” I said softly and Jeffrey breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“Okay. So I’m picking you up tonight and we’re still going out, right?” Jeffrey asked to make sure and I told him we were still on for that night. We ended the call and then I got a text message from Vanessa wanting to take up on our nail date.

I did have a few hours to kill so I texted her back that I would meet her at the nail salon in East Village. When I arrived at the little nail shop, which was packed with people, no less, I found Vanessa waiting inside. I had to laugh as she was taking up two seats in the waiting area that had limited chairs for people to sit and wait. People were sending her dirty glances, but she looked like she could care less.

I made a beeline for her and when she saw me approaching, she smiled and moved her legs from the other seat so I could sit before someone took the chair. “Thanks for holding the seat for me, you’re amazing,” I said and Vanessa laughed.

“It’s all in the attitude, plus this place is the only nail salon that gets things right, even with an appointment, the wait is ridiculous.”

I took in the packed salon and nodded, she definitely wasn’t exaggerating.

“So how are things with you and Jeffrey?” Vanessa asked me almost knowingly. I wondered if she knew that Roxanna had re-entered Jeffrey’s life.

“Well, we agreed to be sort of exclusive, I guess, but the infamous Roxanna has wiggled her way back into his life somehow…” I said distastefully. Vanessa made a face and she shook her head.

“That bitch, she’s only after his money. They
had
been friends ever since college but that was it, completely platonic. Then she learned that Jeffrey wasn’t just studying to be an engineer to work at Stargate, but that his father owned the billion-dollar company. That’s when their relationship became romantic, sort of. This is all according to Victor. I joined Stargate when the bitch left him high and dry.”

I smiled, Vanessa was a bit caustic, but I liked it on her. She was blunt and to the point. She continued to fill me in on Jeffrey and Roxanna’s history. “So when she found out that Jeffrey’s father owned the company and that Jeffrey was well off, she was ‘in love’ with him. But then, when Jeffrey showed no interest in running the company as a whole, Roxanna realized there was no future for her and an engineer so she just left him without a word or reason as to why she left.”

“Wow…” I took all that in while Vanessa nodded sagely. That was seriously messed up of Roxanna, how could she play with Jeffrey’s heart like that and be so cold? I simply shook my head and hoped Jeffrey cut off whatever contact he opened with Roxanna, it didn’t sound like she led to blue skies.

“I just wish she’d disappear, honestly,” I said truthfully and Vanessa snorted, fully agreeing with me.

“Yeah, Victor
hates
her. So by association so do I.” Vanessa cracked a smile and then we both started laughing.

“So how long have you and Victor been together?” I asked. 

Vanessa hesitated and then she sighed.

“Well…for a while now, but we only just recently told Jeffrey about it. Or Victor only recently told Jeff about it, I should say,” Vanessa amended.

“Why’d you guys wait to tell Jeffrey?” I asked curiously and Vanessa pursed her lips.

“Victor was afraid he’d freak out and fire me, since at the time we first started actually dating was right when I was hired, pretty much. Victor didn’t want me to lose my job.” Vanessa smiled fondly and I could imagine her relationship with Victor must have been great.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey and I were getting off to a really rocky start. That couldn’t be good for our future could it?

“Uh-oh, what are you thinking about over there?”

I sighed, everyone always knew when I was mulling something over in my head, maybe I was too expressive.

“Nothing…it’s just, things with Jeffrey and I are intense and I worry, you know?” Vanessa nodded and her eyes seemed far a way for a second.

“Yeah, that’s how it was with Victor and I at first. We were mad for each other and completely wrapped up. But that just means you’re right for that person and your bond will last. Roxanna will fade to grey, trust me. Jeffrey
is
crazy about you and it’s obvious for anyone to see.

She’ll get the picture soon enough,” Vanessa assured me and I hoped like hell she was right.