Mr. Handsome: A Billionaire Romance (9 page)

Once we were back in the car, and the driver had loaded everything in the trunk, I simply shook my head at Jeffrey. “I can’t believe you bought all that.”

Jeffrey looked at me in complete innocence.

“Christina, you have to understand that spending on that little shopping trip for me is like grocery shopping. It barely scratched the surface of my bank account. Plus, I’ve never wanted to spoil anyone before like I want to spoil you. Also, I kind of like picking out and knowing what you’re going to wear.

“Like the panties and bra from last night,” Jeffrey grinned at me and I smacked his chest. I glanced at the driver through the rear view mirror, but he was pretending as if he didn’t have ears.

“I can tell when you’re blushing,” Jeffrey said out of the blue. I turned to him and quirked an eyebrow. I knew for a fact that my skin was too dark for anyone to be able to see that. “You bite your lip whenever you get nervous or embarrassed.” Jeffrey pointed out my nervous habit and I rolled my eyes at him.

“I’ve been doing that a lot lately around you. I wonder why that is?” I said sarcastically.

Jeffrey grinned and pointed at his chest.

“That’s because I’m an awesome guy and you know it,” I giggled as Jeffrey kept on grinning like an idiot, which made my giggle turn into a laugh. The driver didn’t go to my apartment, he drove to the Upper East Side and stopped outside of a townhouse. It looked to be three stories tall and was probably huge inside.

“Is this your house?” I asked and Jeffrey nodded while he pulled me out of the car behind him. The driver brought all of the clothes in after us while Jeffrey gave me a tour of his home.

The inside was beautiful; like something you’d see in a Modern Living magazine, but not too contemporary that the space became cold. Through the front doors was a grand foyer with a curving staircase leading up to a family room with a fantastic view of the well-kept garden below, blooming with all sorts of colorful flowers.

Through the family room was an archway that led to a hall that held the study, a bathroom, and a music room. There was a piano situated in the center of the room and a guitar on its stand next to it.

I knew from our conversations that Jeffrey really did play both instruments. At the end of the hall, there was a spiral staircase that led up to the third floor. There were five sets of double doors surrounding a circular common area that was like another family room. The double doors led into bedrooms, but one led into a library. The room was full of books and cozy places to sit and read. Jeffrey didn’t give me a full tour of the master bedroom because we didn’t have time to be thorough.

We went back down to the first floor where the living room, kitchen, and dining rooms were. Then he showed me to the basement which really couldn’t be called a basement, because it was done beautifully. There was a bar set up and a game room, as well. The perfect man cave, I was sure.

After the tour, Jeffrey and I got ready for the evening. I didn’t really know how I felt about him having a guest room that was basically set up for a woman to stay in. There was girly shampoo and soaps in the bathroom, hair products for women, even brand new underwear in the walk-in closet drawers from La Perla. I gasped at the cost of that underwear.

I sighed and had to remind myself that Jeffrey was a ridiculously handsome billionaire and definitely had a necessity for this room when he was not in a serious relationship.

As I showered and got ready, I wondered if I wanted a serious relationship with him…or if I could even handle one.

I dressed in a long evening gown that clung to my shape and was the color of blush red, which went nicely with my light brown skin. I wore silver high heels and accessories, and did a natural look with my makeup, not too much fuss. My hair was loose, but I pushed it to one side so it wouldn’t be in my face as much. When I stepped out of the room, Jeffrey was waiting for me in the common area. He looked like he was going to another GQ shoot.

He wore a black tuxedo and his hair was coiffed perfectly. He looked gorgeous and I knew we would have issues throughout our evening. Women wouldn’t be able to help themselves…he’d probably cause car accidents!

“You look…Christina you look amazing…” Jeffrey’s eyes roamed every inch of my body and his tone was almost in awe.

I bit my lip and gave a small smile.

“Thanks, you don’t look so bad either. I think you might stop traffic,” I joked, though I was entirely serious. How I ended up with Jeffrey Bates is a complete mystery.

“It won’t be me stopping traffic, I assure you. So how about we get going?” Jeffrey offered me his arm and I slipped my hand through to rest on his forearm. When I stepped forward, Jeffrey got a look at my heels and he stopped moving at mid-stride.

“Can you sit down for a sec, I just want to see something…” Jeffrey steered me to a sofa chair and I sat, bemused as to why he wanted me to sit down. He got on his knee and then placed his hand on my calf to lift my leg and reveal my heels.

“We bought these today?” he asked me while caressing my calf distractingly. The stilettos
were
sexy, they were strappy and showed off my pedicure nicely. I was glad I had decided to get a pedicure while I was out sick from work.

I simply nodded at Jeffrey and he smiled almost mischievously. “I think you’ll be wearing nothing but heels again tonight. Thank goodness this dress doesn’t show off your legs. I’d probably get into fights.” 

I rolled my eyes as Jeffrey helped me up and we actually managed to make it to the car that time.

The Lincoln Center was full of people as we waited for
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
to start. Vanessa and Victor arrived just before we did and we met them in our box seats. I’ve never been in a box seat before and I really could see everything. It wasn’t too high or far away from stage; it was just above the normal seating and offered privacy.

“My goodness, Christina, I know I gushed over your dress enough, but you have to tell me where you got it?” Vanessa leaned over Jeffrey to ask me and I felt kind of embarrassed to tell her that it was from Valentino.

Normally, I’d never be able to afford this dress so it was obvious that Jeffrey bought it for me. Vanessa didn’t make anything of it though, she simply gave me another compliment before Victor drew her attention away.

“You know, it’s okay to tell people who your clothes are by, for all they know you have millions stashed in an overseas account somewhere,” Jeffrey joked.

My heart sped up, though, as he was close to spot on to something my parents left behind for me. My father
was
a successful investment banker. The best in the State of Pennsylvania.

My small family, though humble we were, gained a lot of wealth through his smart investments. I could just never bring myself to touch any of it. The memory of them would be too hard for me to bear, only because I knew they wanted me to have it, so I’d never have to struggle.

Jeffrey was perceptive, though, and his intense gaze never missed a beat, especially when it came to me. He was about to ask me something, when thankfully, the show started. I couldn’t enjoy much of the first act though, because I was worried that Jeffrey would be upset with me.

He took my hand in his after a little while and started rubbing circles against my skin with his thumb. I relaxed a bit and was able to enjoy the show after that. During the intermission, though, Jeffrey held onto my hand while Vanessa and Victor went to use the bathroom.

“So…was my joke not really a joke for you?” Jeffrey asked me once we were alone.

I looked up at him and slowly shook my head.

“So how come you don’t touch any of it?”

I tilted my head to the side, the answer was obvious, he should know.

“I just can’t get over their deaths, really, and anything they left me is a glaring reminder that they’re gone. The money, especially, is like a message from beyond the grave that they love me and just want me taken care of and that…that
kills
me when I think about it.” I admitted it all to him and he pulled out his handkerchief to gently dab my tears away.

“I get it, I do. I know you must miss them a lot and it fucking sucks that they’re gone…but you have to let yourself think about them, baby. Or else you’ll tear yourself up inside. You have to let yourself remember the good times, let yourself miss them. It’s normal and that is what will help you heal.”

Jeffrey’s tone was earnest and heartfelt. It made me want to cry even more, but I couldn’t break down entirely. We were supposed to be having a good time, plus Victor and Vanessa were going to be back at any minute.

Jeffrey cupped my face and kissed me tenderly. He burrowed into my heart at that moment and I barely realized it.

“So…how much are we talking and how overseas is this money?” Jeffrey quirked an eyebrow at me and I giggled.

“It’s…a
lot
…for me anyway, and it’s in a Swiss account…as well as a French account.” I sighed, I simply couldn’t
not
tell him everything. My brain just spat out information at him without double checking if I actually should.

“So, I’m guessing around, fifty to a hundred million altogether?”

I simply looked at him questioningly. How he was so spot-on, and why did the actual number matter to him?

“I’m just curious about your dad, it sounds like he was really good at what he did.”

I nodded, he was a veritable genius and one of the few who actually played by the rules. I smiled when I realized what Jeffrey was doing. He was trying to get me to think about them, to remember and not cry as I did it.

“He was. He was the best in the state, probably the entire east coast, and a genius with numbers and patterns. A lot of people came to him for advice and paid him to handle their money. Some paid him a lot more than others, depending on who they were.”

One thing my father kept as a strict rule was to never breach his clients’ confidentiality. Though he’d drop hints, I never knew if my dad really worked for Bill Gates or some regular Joe off the street who simply looked like the guy.

“See, you’re smiling. Was that so bad?” Jeffrey nudged me, I rolled my eyes at him and smiled reluctantly. Jeffrey put his finger under my chin and turned my head towards him, his lips pressed softly against mine, and then again, before Victor and Vanessa walked back in.

“Were we interrupting something here?” Victor smirked at us and I smiled, embarrassed.

Jeffrey simply chuckled and then made me squeal when he swept me into a low dip across his lap and then kissed me deeply. When he righted me, Vanessa was giggling and I buried my face in my hands for a short moment, further embarrassed.

“
Now
you guys are interrupting something,” Jeffrey grinned like an idiot and I smacked his chest, causing him to grin like a little kid who could do no wrong.

The show continued and it was beautiful. One talent I always wished I had was the ability to be a ballet dancer. While we were leaving the theater, Jeffrey held me close and then whispered in my ear as we were waiting for our car.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

I smiled up at him and nodded, still feeling a bit awed from the beauty of the ballet dancers.

“I’m glad, and you’ll love dinner at Le Pas, their food is great and they don’t give you skimpy portions either, which is sort of unusual for a gourmet restaurant.”  Jeffrey and I got into his car when the driver pulled up, and Vic and Vanessa got into theirs right behind us.

“Hey, you said Victor was your assistant?” I asked Jeffrey curiously.

He nodded and then smiled fondly.

“Yeah, but the man is smart enough to be CFO of the company. He’s too loyal and doesn’t want the stress of the position, though, so I do pay him just as well as a board member; he’s my best friend, but I honestly couldn’t afford to lose his talent.” Jeffrey thought highly of his friend, that much was true.