The Billionaire Saved My Life (BWWM Billionaire Love Story Book 1) (7 page)

“Don't be ridiculous. He told me himself he never even proposed to her. This is his mother's ring I'm wearing. He saved it for the right woman. Me. He already told me he hadn't asked anyone to marry him but me. Me, James. I don't know what you're playing at but I want you to back off.” She turned to leave, picked up her bags and slammed the Club soda onto a table.

“I know his feelings for her are still there and I can prove it,” he shouted.

Tanya stopped dead.

“Glad I got your attention. The proof you need is hidden in a drawer in his study, right hand side, right in the back. You'll see a picture. Probably the only one he has left of Catherine. He'll never throw it away and he'll never forget her. You'll only ever be second best to him, Tanya. Is that what you want?”

Tanya didn’t turn around but carried on heading for the door. She turned the handle and stepped into the corridor.

“See for yourself Tanya. The key to that drawer is hidden behind the picture of his mother on the shelf by the window.”

She could hear the words as she opened the front door but refused to stay in the apartment with the tears rolling down her eyes as they were. She did not want him to see that he had gotten to her, but he had. Right to her very core and she didn't know what to say or do.

“Everything all right, Miss Herman?” one of he security guards asked her as she approached the gate.

“Any chance you could call me a taxi?” she sniffed.

“Sure, right away. I have a number here.”

Tanya stood just outside the gate and saw the trees and hedges on the road making swirling motions before her eyes. Very soon, a taxi pulled up and she was in the back before even realizing what her body was doing.

She arrived at her apartment, shaking and feeling nauseous. She noticed that her answer machine was flashing and immediately wondered if there was a message from Kurtis.

There was just one message.

'
Hi, Tanya, it's James. Just wanted to make sure you got home safe. Don't worry I won't let Mummy slur your name around town. I understand why you had to leave like that. Must have come as quite a shock. If you need a shoulder to cry on, you know how to get hold of me
.'”

Tanya brushed the answer machine onto the floor, rushed to the bathroom and was violently sick.

Chapter7

It was just days now until the engagement party and Tanya had not spoken to anyone about her conversation with James McConnagh. It must’ve shown on her face that something was wrong because everyone, including Kurtis, kept asking her if everything was all right.

“Kurtis, for the last time – I'm fine. Now will you stop asking me that?”

“I'm sorry, Tanya but if you could see the expression on your face these last few days, you'd be asking yourself the same question.”

“Look, I'm sorry to snap at you, Kurtis. If anything is wrong it probably has to do with planning this engagement party.”

“Really?”

They were sitting up in bed. It was late. They'd eaten out and walked quietly back from the little Vietnamese restaurant in silence. Well, near silence, because Kurtis spoke and Tanya hardly said more than a three-word sentence.

“I just wish we could have made the announcement about our engagement and left it at that,” Tanya said.

“But I thought you wanted a party?”

“No, that was your idea.”

“Well do you want to cancel?” he asked.

“It's too late to cancel. It’s two days away. Everything is arranged now.” Tanya shuffled her body under the covers and lay down. She turned her back to Kurtis and said goodnight.

“Well, goodnight then,” Kurtis said. It was unusual for them not to kiss before going to sleep but Tanya practically covered her head and screwed her eyes tight shut. Eventually Kurtis turned out the lamp at the side of his bed and leaned over Tanya to turn hers out too.

Since James put the idea in her head that she was only ever going to be second best for Kurtis, she found it hard to sleep. She tossed and turned, playing his words over and over in her head and questioning their validity. But why should she, when Kurtis had already told her that he never asked Catherine to marry him and that he never loved any woman the way he did her? Why was it so hard to believe Kurtis was telling the truth?

Both Kurtis and Jeannie had told her, she should never listen to anything James had to say and that she should run in the opposite direction if he approached her. But that day he had more or less trapped her. She was forced to listen to him. But Tanya knew how close Kurtis and Jeannie were. There was every chance that Jeannie would cover for Kurtis and back him up on everything, including lying to her, making her believe she was special when all along she'd only be a replacement for Catherine.

There was one way to settle it. She could look for the picture that James was talking about. The one that proved that by being hidden away, it really did mean that Kurtis still carried Catherine in his heart. She had to see if she could find that photograph and satisfy the morbid curiosity that James had planted the seeds for in her mind.

She tossed and turned from one side to the next in bed. After a short time, she realized Kurtis was asleep. She sat up. It was warm in the room and Kurtis had his legs outside the covers and the top half of his body exposed. She looked around the dark room and then at the door, which was slightly open and then into the dark corridor.

Throwing the covers off, she stood and padded across the soft carpet. She got to the door and pulled it open. She looked over her shoulder. Kurtis stirred and rolled onto his back. Tanya waited to make sure he didn't wake up, and stepped into the corridor.

She made no sound along the wooden floor as she hurried along to the study. The door gave a low creak as she opened it. Tanya grimaced and pushed it, making sure it didn't close completely. At the desk, she turned on the antique table lamp and aimed it towards the drawer. She sat in the leather chair and tried to open the top right hand drawer. It was locked. She sat back in the chair. James said it would be. Now she wondered why Kurtis would lock it. No one locked a door or drawer in a house unless they had something to hide.

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She shouldn't be doing this, snooping around like a spy. She should confront Kurtis face to face. At least let him know what James said. But to ask about the existence of the photo would imply that she didn't trust Kurtis. He was bound to be upset about that. She could be playing into James' hands by asking Kurtis if there was any truth in what James said. He would accuse her of trusting James more than him.

Tanya looked over at the shelf by the window and saw the framed picture of Kurtis's mother. If James was being honest, then there should be a key behind it, that opens the drawer, and in that drawer, at the very back, the picture of Catherine that Kurtis could never part with, would be there.

In a way, she couldn't help feeling pangs of jealousy that he could keep a picture hidden. There was not a single photograph of her in the whole of Kurtis's apartment. It could just have been coincidence. After all, they saw each other practically every day. There was no need for a picture, surely.

After a few minutes, Tanya began to shiver. It was cool in this room. It didn't get used very often and the sun didn't shine into it until late in the day. She rubbed her bare arms and shivered. Getting up now, she walked over to the picture of Kurtis's mother and picked it up. Kurtis had the same shaped face as her and the same hair color.

She stared at it a good while until she realized she was holding it and that there had been no small key behind it. James was a liar. She felt an enormous feeling of relief as if heavy sacks with rocks in them had just been taken off her shoulders. As she replaced the picture she felt something cold, stuck to the back of it. Turning it over she saw they key. It was carefully stuck to the back of the frame. The key was there. That meant the picture of Catherine must be in the back of that drawer.

“What are you doing, Tanya?” Kurtis said from the door.

Tanya jumped and hit her hand to her chest. “Jesus, Kurtis! You frightened me. Why are you sneaking around?”

“Me?”

“I'm not sneaking around.” Tanya's heart was pounding fast.

“What are you doing in here?” He had walked over to her and took the picture frame out of her hands. He put it back to sit on the shelf.

“You look like your mother,” she said.

“Don't change the subject. I know what this is about.”

“Y-you do?”

“Yes.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Tanya, you're shaking. Are you cold?”

“Yes, I want to go back to bed.” She quickly tried to side step him but he held her and swung her back to face him.

“I know you're nervous about the party. You have to be hostess to all those people and it’s daunting. You don't have to worry, Tanya. I'll be there for you. And really, it isn't too late to cancel. I can get a message out to the entire list of people. And don't worry about the money.”

“I don't think we should cancel.”

“You're sure?”

“Sure.”

Kurtis went over to the desk. He put his hand on the handle of the top right hand drawer and looked as though he was going to try to pull it open but changed his mind. He turned off the table lamp.

“Come on. Let's get back to bed.”

He held her hand and took her back to the bedroom. They got into bed and he held her tight, kissing her lips before saying a last goodnight.

“Hope now you can get some sleep, baby.”

“Me too,” she said.

The Final Chapter

In a leafy New York suburb, the mansion, set within acres of parkland with a small forest surrounding it, was being given the final touches for the engagement party that, so far, Tanya and Kurtis had been able to keep a secret from the press.

At the front entrance there were security guards on patrol. The entrance to the estate was situated miles from the actual door to the mansion. All the guests would have to be checked off a list by security and any press would be strictly forbidden to enter.

The dress Tanya was changing into was deep red in color. It was strapless with a molded bodice and pushup bust line that enhanced the already ample cleavage she naturally had. Its slim line showed off her hourglass figure, accentuating her curvy hips and narrowing her slender waist. She wore tall heels and put on her crystal earrings as Kurtis, standing behind her at the mirror, was fixing his tie.

They were getting ready in one of the upstairs bedrooms in the mansion, while, on the ground floor, the caterers prepared the three-course meal and the waiting staff polished champagne flutes.

“What time is it?” Tanya asked.

“Ten minutes later than when you last asked me,” Kurtis replied with a wink into the mirror at her. “Relax, Tanya. It's going to be a great night. No one other than our guests know where we are and, if for any reason the press gets hold of the address, they'll never get through to the house. It's like a fort in this place. That security firm has the best reputation around.”

“I know it will be fine, I'm not nervous. I'm glad we managed to find a place like this.”

“You're telling me. An associate tipped me off on this one,” Kurtis said, still struggling with his tie. He normally never wore one. “In fact, we ought to buy a place like this. It would be nice not to live in the heart of the city.”

“Good idea,” she said, turning to him. “Let me fix your tie.”

“Thanks. I wonder how much this place costs. I like it here.”

“Let's go downstairs, people will be arriving.”

“Come here,” he put his arms around her waist. “You look beautiful, you know that? I'm a lucky man. Everyone says so and it's true.”

He gently kissed her. “So?”

“So...what?”

“Aren't you going to say that you're a lucky girl to have me?”

She paused a second and looked at him, the vision of the key hidden behind his mother's photo flashed across her mind. Why the hell hadn't she said something before?

Her hope that this was all a bad taste joke on James' part and that there was no picture of Catherine in the drawer would have been out in the open. One way or the other, she would have had the proof she needed. But something stopped her. She was still feeling lost and confused but had done a good job of hiding it. How much longer she could keep it up, she wasn't sure. Straight after the party, she planned to confront Kurtis and put an end to the burning question once and for all.

“I am lucky, Kurtis,” she finally said. “I'm very lucky indeed. Now, let's go down. Make sure they've poured the champagne.”

In the grand entrance hall of the mansion, Tanya and Kurtis stood and greeted their friends and family. There was an elaborate ceiling mounted candelabra above them and the wooden floors in the entrance hall gleamed from beneath their feet. The entrance hall was just for welcoming the guests, there was a grand hall just to the left in which staff wondered around with
hors-d'oeuvres on trays.

The waiters in the entrance hall held trays of champagne or fruit juice to greet the guests.

“Daddy!” Tanya said, throwing her arms around Walt Herman when he came through the doors where more staff took the guests coats. He had arrived with Tanya's aunt Lucy, who was dressed in all her finest clothes. She hugged Tanya.  “I feel like I haven't seen you guys in ages.”

“You haven't.” Her dad gave a fake frown. “Why don't you come and see your old dad these days?”

“I'm so sorry, Daddy. I been so wrapped up in work and trying to get this party organized. Decorating my new apartment...”

“Driving around in your new fancy car.” Her dad smiled.

“You got me there. But I have been working hard. I promise.”

“Well I'm glad to see you're keeping busy. But are you happy my darling?” Her father held her hands and whispered the words close to her ear.

“Why would you ask me that? Don't I look happy?”

“You do, honey, and you're just as beautiful with it. But I promised your moms that I would take good care of you. If you're getting married, I need to know you're going to be okay. I won't always be around you know?”

“Don't say things like that. And don't say 'if' I'm getting married. I am getting married. You don't have to worry about me. I am happy, Daddy. I know what I'm doing and promise after tonight, I'll come visit more often.”

“Good, good,” he said giving her an extra squeeze.

“Wait until you see the room, Daddy. Grab some champagne, go through and I'll catch up with you and Aunt Lucy in a short while.”

“Hey, girlfriend!” Kaya and Mae had arrived.

“Look at you,” Kaya exclaimed. “You look like the woman Beyoncé models herself on. Turn around. Let me see.”

Tanya did a spin like a model and laughed.

“My, my, my. I know that dress didn't come cheap and you it wasn’t on sale either, right?  That dress fits you like a glove.”

“It was a present. Kurtis got me a dress designer. You like?”

“I love,” Mae said. “You look amazing, Tanya.”

“Thanks Mae. Now you two feel at home, get yourself some champagne and go look around find a place to relax.”

“You don't have tell
me
twice,” Kaya said. She wiggled as she approached one of the waiters holding a tray of champagne filled flutes. Mae, who had brought her new boyfriend with her, looked back at Tanya and rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

Tanya had also invited her boss Elena who took one look at Tanya in her dress and put her hands to her cheeks.

“I need to get a copy of this for the shop,” she said. “You look like a dream, Tanya, you really do.”

Everything was going well. Tanya was so relaxed, she had not thought about Catherine all night. It would soon be time for everyone to sit down for the meal in the great dining hall at the back of the mansion. Later there would be dancing to a live band. She hadn't told Mae about the live music because the band would be fronted by one of Mae's favorite soul artists and Tanya wanted to see her face when he stepped onto the stage.

Tanya went up to the bathroom before everyone was seated for dinner and found Jeannie on the landing, sitting on a slim sofa just outside the bathroom.

“Don't tell me there's a line?” Tanya said as she arrived upstairs to see Jeannie just sitting there.

“Oh, I think it's empty, darling, I was just contemplating getting rid of these awful heels. My feet are killing me.”

“Take them off, then,” Tanya said. “Only, be warned, you won't get them back on again once your feet expand. Anyway, you're so tall and elegant you'll get away with bare feet.”

“Okay, I'll do it. Better that than suffering all night. You know you really are something special, Tanya, if you don't mind my saying so.” She smiled at Tanya who had taken a seat next to her. “Not like some people I could care to mention.”

“What do you mean?”

“I ran into that ghastly James McConnagh. Sorry to bring him up just before we eat but he's just such a creep. I was depressed for three whole days after I saw him. He said the strangest thing.”

“Oh?”

“First he asked me if the engagement party was still happening. I asked him what he meant by that and he just shrugged his shoulders and didn't tell me. Then he spent half an hour, following me around Macy's and trying to pry the address of the party out of me. I kept telling him it was on a need to know basis and if you or Kurtis wanted him to know he would have been invited.”

“So, you didn't tell him, right?” Tanya asked her.

“Of course not. Why would I tell that little snake? He kept going on about having met up with you and that you were a really nice person. Then kept wishing he could get back into Kurtis's life so he could get to know you more. Yuck.” Jeannie took off her shoes and looked at them.

“Feel better?”

“Much. In the end, I threatened to call security and have him thrown out.” Jeannie gave a cheeky grin.

“And did he leave you alone?”

“ I turned around and he was gone. Scuttled off into oblivion like the slimy snake he is.” Jeannie gave a shiver and downstairs a bell was sounded for the start of dinner.

“So he didn't say anything else about me or about Kurtis. Or Catherine maybe?”

“Why would he say anything about her?”

“I don't know?”

“So it was true? He did run into you, then?”

“Um, yes. Yes he did.”

“When?”

“Oh I was on my way to see a client...”

“How unfortunate for you. Was he begging for an invitation?”

“Not exactly.” Tanya's eyes drifted away across the wide landing.

Jeannie got up and tucked her extraordinarily high heels under the sofa and Tanya followed her to the top of the stairs.

“I thought you were going to use the bathroom,” Jeannie said. “You know you're allowed to be late for dinner. You're the glamorous hostess. You can make your entrance in that dress.”

Tanya smiled and made her way to the bathroom. She leaned on the counter under the sink and looked at her reflection. Her heart was pounding and she was breathing deeply. That James McConnagh was out to cause trouble for her and Kurtis. It was clear he expected there to have been a bust up and a fall out between them, which made her more convinced that James expected her to have found the evidence he'd gone to great lengths to reveal to her. So, it was true, then. Kurtis did still love Catherine.

Tanya turned on a tap and watched the water running into the sink. She half thought she needed to splash her face, to bring her out of the deep and dark reverie she had sunk into. But she didn't want to risk ruining her make up and not be able to hide behind it while she continued with the charade of being a happily engaged couple.

She composed herself and went back down the stairs. All the guests were already seated before she entered the enormous dining room. There was a cluster of tastefully decorated tables with candelabras in the center with tall, white candles lit on each. There were delicate floral bouquets on the tables too and the crystal glasses sparkled in the candlelight.

At the far end of the room, there was a string quartet that played light classical music. Around the edges of the room, a line of waiting staff dressed in black uniforms stood in attendance. Just along the corridor, in the kitchen, the staff was waiting for the head of catering to tell them when to start setting up the starters. That call would come as soon as the hostess entered the dining room and was seated.

And there she was, at last. Tanya arrived at the table next to Kurtis to a ripple of applause. She smiled bashfully, and Kurtis stood as she took her seat.

“Just beautiful,” he said, for her ears only.

Tanya looked around the room as the one hundred guests wined and dined, chatting happily and laughing loudly, oblivious to her own private hell.

“You've hardly touched your food, Tanya.” Kurtis said to her.

“I'm not actually that hungry,” she said, picking up her wine glass again. Absently, all she had done was sip wine. Slowly she was becoming more and more heady and the room was beginning to spin. The staff buzzed around and carried plates to and from the kitchen. They refilled glasses, and kept the guests happy. The string quartet stopped playing but the sound of their instruments still rang in Tanya's ears. After dessert and coffee, the staff was busy filling champagne glasses again and serving them to the guests, ready for a toast. Kurtis was about to make a speech.

He stood up and cleared his throat. Then talking in the great dining hall dulled down to silence and all eyes were on Kurtis.

“Everyone, I just wanted to thank you for coming here tonight and mostly, for keeping our secret hideaway a secret. Thank you.” He gave a slight bow around the room before continuing. “Tanya and I are so glad to see you all and we're just so happy that you could share our joy. As many of you know, I haven't had a good time over the years before meeting Tanya. And if you didn't, you could always find out on Google why that was.” Here he looked at Mae and Kaya, who laughed aloud. So did everyone else.

“But seriously,” he went on. “I was at my lowest point, emotionally, and something happened to change all that. I was doing what so many of you know I was prone to do, disappear into the dark and just try to walk my problems away. But on this particular night, there was a bright light ahead of me. It was shining from this beautiful woman here on my left and it showed me a new way. The night I met Tanya changed everything. My whole perspective on life and what I wanted from it. I knew when I saw her, she was the one, that special someone who could return me to life.

I was so happy when she agreed to be my wife. I honestly have been walking on cloud nine...”